U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff initiatives are sending ripples through all corners of the economy, impacting businesses of all sizes across various industries, including those set up by influencers and content creators. With tariffs reaching as high as 145% on Chinese imports and additional 25% levies on goods from Mexico and Canada, the policy shift is creating challenges for content creators who operate product-based businesses.
Recent reporting paints a concerning picture for creator entrepreneurs. According to an industry analysis, over 70% of U.S. small businesses, including creator-led ventures, rely on imported goods for production or merchandise. Some creator business owners are taking emergency loans to maintain operations after tariff rates jumped.
The situation intensified on May 2 when the “de minimis” exemption for Chinese shipments under $800 ended, imposing duties of up to 120% on previously tax-free imports. For commercial shipments handled by carriers like UPS and FedEx, the tariffs are even higher, with rates reaching up to 145%.
Creator businesses face a tripartite challenge: absorbing higher production costs, navigating reduced brand marketing budgets as companies reallocate resources to offset tariff expenses, and developing strategies for communicating price increases to their audiences.
Even brands, whose marketing budgets will be impacted, are planning on implementing greater scrutiny of influencer marketing initiatives to achieve better ROI.
To understand how creator enterprises and marketers are adapting to this volatile environment, we have interviewed multiple industry experts and creators across various sectors. Their insights reveal both obstacles and opportunities emerging from the ongoing trade war, offering a roadmap for navigating what appears to be a long-term shift in global commerce.
Tariffs can feel like a far-removed macroeconomic lever, but their impact trickles down fast, especially for the e-commerce industry, which SARAL serves. For brands importing products from tariff-affected countries like China and Vietnam (which many do), tariffs inflate cost of goods and services (COGS) and eat into margins. This pushes them to reconsider marketing spend or increase their prices. At SARAL, we help brands optimize for relationships, not transactions. So even as costs rise, trust-based partnerships stay resilient, and a brand built on social proof can be resilient to price changes. In uncertain economic climates, building an owned influencer community becomes your unfair advantage as your customers continue to buy from you.
Tariffs are poised to have serious impacts on the creator economy due to supply chain disruptions and price shocks, which will lower inventory and raise prices across numerous consumer goods. Given the current economic outlook, including the reduced purchasing power of the average consumer, this will undoubtedly lead to reduced revenue and, therefore, tighter marketing budgets. Expect focus to shift to higher performing talent that is able to provide guaranteed ROI as Brands shift their focus to sure things in the coming months.
As a talent agency, we feel the ripple effects of tariffs when our clients’ brand partners are directly impacted. When tariffs disrupt their supply chains or increase costs, we’ve seen a noticeable shift in campaigns being paused, delayed, or even cancelled altogether. At the end of the day, when financial unpredictability enters the equation, marketing budgets are often one of the first areas adjusted. This uncertainty makes it difficult for brands to commit to marketing plans, especially when they’re unsure how the marketplace will evolve in the coming months. That uncertainty inevitably trickles down to us and affects our ability to forecast and plan talent partnerships for our clients. That being said, we are working around these challenges by diversifying opportunities for our clients and helping them make smart decisions on the projects they work on.
Tariffs have definitely influenced brand behavior this year, particularly in product-heavy categories like beauty, fashion, and home. We’ve seen some brands restructure or delay influencer campaigns due to rising product costs or evolving supply chain strategies. That doesn’t mean fewer opportunities, just a shift in where and how brands are spending. It’s why we’re constantly guiding our creators toward smart revenue diversification and content expansion. Whether it’s platform shifts, economic factors, or global trade policy, creators shouldn’t be overly reliant on any one macro trend. Building a sustainable business means having the range and the resilience to adapt.
As a creator and speaker, tariffs directly impact the cost and accessibility of the tools I rely on to do my job, from gear like the DJI Pocket Osmo to wireless mini mics I use for on-the-go content creation. These aren’t luxury purchases; they’re essentials that allow me to film high-quality videos, capture sound clearly at events, and scale my storytelling across platforms. When tariffs increase prices on imported tech, it affects both my budget and my ability to stay competitive. For small business owners and digital entrepreneurs like me, even a $50–$100 price jump on gear can delay upgrades, lower production quality, or limit experimentation. In an industry where innovation and speed matter, affordability and access to global tech tools aren’t just helpful, it’s critical.
With rising manufacturing costs and shrinking margins, brands are forced to do more with less. Creators deliver what brands need now: an all-in-one package of production, creative, strategy, talent, and distribution.
I anticipate tariffs acting as a forcing function, accelerating a shift to creators that was already underway.
Tariffs have impacted the collaboration between U.S.-based creators and European brands entering the American market. Due to the increase in tariff costs, some expanding brands are cutting their influencer marketing budgets or totally shifting their focus to the expansion into the European market. As a result, creator compensation is reducing, and brands are reconsidering their approach to business development in the U.S. market toward other regions.
As both a content creator and the CEO of REACH, I’ve seen firsthand how tariffs and broader economic policies ripple into the creator economy. Much of REACH’s role involves facilitating partnerships between brands and influencers, and tariffs have notably influenced the type of brand deals we’re executing. We’ve seen companies—particularly non-U.S.-based and smaller businesses—become cautious with marketing budgets due to pricing uncertainties driven by tariffs.
This hesitancy has led to a reduction in overall campaign volume and a shift towards more conservative marketing strategies. I was looking at my mailbox today, and fewer international brands are reaching out as they were before. Brands are carefully navigating these economic pressures, causing frequent adjustments to campaign expectations and deliverables.
As a result, my team and I have had to remain agile, continuously adapting to new policies and market realities to maintain effective collaborations.
At Grail, we’ve mostly noticed a shift in budgets, but not a drop in overall budgets available. Some of our e-commerce clients have had to pause their marketing spend, while other brands that are not impacted appear to be seeing the opportunity to invest their budget at a time when there is less competition.
In recent months, we noticed that many advertisers were hesitant to invest due to economic uncertainty, with policies and tariffs pushing brands to adopt a more conservative approach. However, things are shifting. We’re seeing a rebound in investments, especially from American companies now seeking the services of Canadian agencies for their North American budgets. This trend reflects a growing openness to cross-border collaboration as brands look for more cost-effective yet high-impact solutions.
Tariffs can indirectly impact content creators by increasing the cost of products they promote, making them less attractive to consumers. For creators-turned-entrepreneurs, tariffs on imported equipment or merchandise can raise operational costs, especially for those running small-scale ecommerce or product-based ventures. While digital services remain largely unaffected, the ecosystem around creator commerce feels the pressure, particularly in regions reliant on cross-border trade.
Tariffs haven’t directly impacted our TikTok LIVE creator network at Talenture Agency, but we are seeing ripple effects on the TikTok Shop side. Product costs have risen noticeably, and items that were once easy wins for creators are now harder to price competitively. While this affects e-commerce collaborations, our live streaming talent remains unaffected, and we’re continuing to grow steadily on that front.
As CEO of Influencity, I see tariffs creating a ripple effect throughout the influencer marketing ecosystem. When tariffs increase costs for consumer goods, brands typically tighten their marketing budgets first, and influencer campaigns are often among the initial cuts. This directly impacts content creators who rely on brand partnerships for income.
Additionally, tariffs on technology imports could raise costs for the creator economy infrastructure, from smartphones and cameras to editing equipment. For international collaborations, which are increasingly common in our space, tariffs complicate cross-border brand partnerships and can make it more expensive for creators to work with global brands.
However, tariffs might also create opportunities. Domestic brands gaining competitive advantages could increase their marketing spend, potentially offsetting some losses. The key for creators is diversification, building multiple revenue streams and maintaining flexibility to adapt to these economic shifts.
For content creators, tariffs and their impact may not be bluntly obvious. But personally, as someone who creates print-on-demand merchandise for her community, I have already seen prices begin to rise on products. I am also beginning to wonder just how much our new phone/cameras will cost when it comes time for us to upgrade to new devices. Ultimately, everyone is going to notice these tariffs in one way or another, and not for the better.
As a NYC-based Digital Creator, tariffs have impacted me in several ways. Due to rising product costs, I’ve received fewer PR packages, especially clothing PR, as brands scale back their outreach. This has been particularly challenging, as I regularly attend exclusive events and red carpets where having a variety of wardrobe options is essential.
Higher prices have also led to lower conversion rates for my affiliate links, affecting another important revenue stream. In addition, I’ve noticed a shift in brand campaigns, with many companies now prioritizing domestic creators over international ones. Some global brands I’ve previously collaborated with have paused partnerships altogether in response to these changes, while others have significantly reduced their influencer marketing budgets to offset tariff-related expenses.
Even brands that continue to work with U.S. creators are facing delays in product launches. This year alone, I’ve received more apologetic emails than ever from brands explaining postponed shipments due to supply chain disruptions.
Tariffs may seem like a distant policy issue, but for creators like me, they have very real and direct consequences on the way we work and collaborate.
While there’s a lot of uncertainty around tariffs, at Slash MGMT, we take a more optimistic view of the current landscape and we see this as another disruption that might push brand spend from traditional, more expensive advertising mediums like TV ads to more conversion driven spends, like Influencer Marketing. There will be disruption in certain niches, like the low-cost, fast fashion driven content creators, who will now find their products, and their message, more expensive and need to pivot strategies. However, while there might be a dip in overall spend, there lies real potential for a lift for digitally driven talent companies, from the pivots in brand spend and strategies. In the short run however, we are seeing some marketing spends paused or reduced until brands know how their profit margins might be impacted because of tariffs.
Tariffs are prompting shifts in creator-brand strategies to counter rising costs and meet evolving consumer expectations. With higher product costs, brands will increasingly rely on creators for performance-based partnerships – particularly through affiliate marketing – to ensure clear return on investment. Especially during economic uncertainty, this affiliate channel offers brands a low-risk, performance-based way to drive awareness and sales, since payment is tied to results.
We anticipate long-term collaborations may also become more prevalent as brands seek to optimize costs and deepen audience loyalty. These partnerships reduce the overhead of frequent contract renewals and build stronger connections with consumers.
Creators will also play a crucial role in addressing tariff-driven price increases transparency, reinforcing trust with their audiences. We’re also seeing a growing focus on sustainable, U.S.-made, or secondhand products, as brands pivot to eco-friendly alternatives to offset tariff impacts—an area where creator-led campaigns may see rising demand.
The creator economy is resilient—despite tariff challenges, it will continue to thrive through collaboration, creativity, and innovation, fostering an environment where both brands and creators can succeed together.
Tariffs haven’t had a direct impact on UP as a platform, but we’re closely connected to the top family-friendly creators across the globe, some of whom have already started sourcing equipment and products domestically in response to global supply shifts.
As platforms take more and more power away from creators (organic reach now 1-5% – it’s important for them to be able to provide value to their audience in other ways). We stay politically neutral – and just want what’s best for our approved creators – many of whom are the top family-friendly creators in the world.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff initiatives are sending ripples through all corners of the economy, impacting businesses of all sizes across various industries, including those set up by influencers and content creators. With tariffs reaching as high as 145% on Chinese imports and additional 25% levies on goods from Mexico and Canada, the policy shift is creating challenges for content creators who operate product-based businesses.
Recent reporting paints a concerning picture for creator entrepreneurs. According to an industry analysis, over 70% of U.S. small businesses, including creator-led ventures, rely on imported goods for production or merchandise. Some creator business owners are taking emergency loans to maintain operations after tariff rates jumped.
The situation intensified on May 2 when the “de minimis” exemption for Chinese shipments under $800 ended, imposing duties of up to 120% on previously tax-free imports. For commercial shipments handled by carriers like UPS and FedEx, the tariffs are even higher, with rates reaching up to 145%.
Creator businesses face a tripartite challenge: absorbing higher production costs, navigating reduced brand marketing budgets as companies reallocate resources to offset tariff expenses, and developing strategies for communicating price increases to their audiences.
Even brands, whose marketing budgets will be impacted, are planning on implementing greater scrutiny of influencer marketing initiatives to achieve better ROI.
To understand how creator enterprises and marketers are adapting to this volatile environment, we have interviewed multiple industry experts and creators across various sectors. Their insights reveal both obstacles and opportunities emerging from the ongoing trade war, offering a roadmap for navigating what appears to be a long-term shift in global commerce.
Yash Chavan, Founder & CEO, Saral
Tariffs can feel like a far-removed macroeconomic lever, but their impact trickles down fast, especially for the e-commerce industry, which SARAL serves. For brands importing products from tariff-affected countries like China and Vietnam (which many do), tariffs inflate cost of goods and services (COGS) and eat into margins. This pushes them to reconsider marketing spend or increase their prices. At SARAL, we help brands optimize for relationships, not transactions. So even as costs rise, trust-based partnerships stay resilient, and a brand built on social proof can be resilient to price changes. In uncertain economic climates, building an owned influencer community becomes your unfair advantage as your customers continue to buy from you.
Chris Alexander, Founder, prscnt
Tariffs are poised to have serious impacts on the creator economy due to supply chain disruptions and price shocks, which will lower inventory and raise prices across numerous consumer goods. Given the current economic outlook, including the reduced purchasing power of the average consumer, this will undoubtedly lead to reduced revenue and, therefore, tighter marketing budgets. Expect focus to shift to higher performing talent that is able to provide guaranteed ROI as Brands shift their focus to sure things in the coming months.
Eddie Pietzak, Head of Digital, CESD Talent Agency
As a talent agency, we feel the ripple effects of tariffs when our clients’ brand partners are directly impacted. When tariffs disrupt their supply chains or increase costs, we’ve seen a noticeable shift in campaigns being paused, delayed, or even cancelled altogether. At the end of the day, when financial unpredictability enters the equation, marketing budgets are often one of the first areas adjusted. This uncertainty makes it difficult for brands to commit to marketing plans, especially when they’re unsure how the marketplace will evolve in the coming months. That uncertainty inevitably trickles down to us and affects our ability to forecast and plan talent partnerships for our clients. That being said, we are working around these challenges by diversifying opportunities for our clients and helping them make smart decisions on the projects they work on.
Cameron Ajdari, Co-Founder & CEO, Currents Management
Tariffs have definitely influenced brand behavior this year, particularly in product-heavy categories like beauty, fashion, and home. We’ve seen some brands restructure or delay influencer campaigns due to rising product costs or evolving supply chain strategies. That doesn’t mean fewer opportunities, just a shift in where and how brands are spending. It’s why we’re constantly guiding our creators toward smart revenue diversification and content expansion. Whether it’s platform shifts, economic factors, or global trade policy, creators shouldn’t be overly reliant on any one macro trend. Building a sustainable business means having the range and the resilience to adapt.
Gigi Robinson, Creator Economy Expert & Speaker, Founder of Hosts of Influence
As a creator and speaker, tariffs directly impact the cost and accessibility of the tools I rely on to do my job, from gear like the DJI Pocket Osmo to wireless mini mics I use for on-the-go content creation. These aren’t luxury purchases; they’re essentials that allow me to film high-quality videos, capture sound clearly at events, and scale my storytelling across platforms. When tariffs increase prices on imported tech, it affects both my budget and my ability to stay competitive. For small business owners and digital entrepreneurs like me, even a $50–$100 price jump on gear can delay upgrades, lower production quality, or limit experimentation. In an industry where innovation and speed matter, affordability and access to global tech tools aren’t just helpful, it’s critical.
Brendan Gahan, Founder & CEO, Creator Authority
With rising manufacturing costs and shrinking margins, brands are forced to do more with less. Creators deliver what brands need now: an all-in-one package of production, creative, strategy, talent, and distribution.
I anticipate tariffs acting as a forcing function, accelerating a shift to creators that was already underway.
Kate Andreeva, Head of Influencer Talent Relations, HypeFactory
Tariffs have impacted the collaboration between U.S.-based creators and European brands entering the American market. Due to the increase in tariff costs, some expanding brands are cutting their influencer marketing budgets or totally shifting their focus to the expansion into the European market. As a result, creator compensation is reducing, and brands are reconsidering their approach to business development in the U.S. market toward other regions.
Dylan Huey, Content Creator & CEO, REACH
As both a content creator and the CEO of REACH, I’ve seen firsthand how tariffs and broader economic policies ripple into the creator economy. Much of REACH’s role involves facilitating partnerships between brands and influencers, and tariffs have notably influenced the type of brand deals we’re executing. We’ve seen companies—particularly non-U.S.-based and smaller businesses—become cautious with marketing budgets due to pricing uncertainties driven by tariffs.
This hesitancy has led to a reduction in overall campaign volume and a shift towards more conservative marketing strategies. I was looking at my mailbox today, and fewer international brands are reaching out as they were before. Brands are carefully navigating these economic pressures, causing frequent adjustments to campaign expectations and deliverables.
As a result, my team and I have had to remain agile, continuously adapting to new policies and market realities to maintain effective collaborations.
Edward Winters Ronaldson, CEO, Grail Talent
At Grail, we’ve mostly noticed a shift in budgets, but not a drop in overall budgets available. Some of our e-commerce clients have had to pause their marketing spend, while other brands that are not impacted appear to be seeing the opportunity to invest their budget at a time when there is less competition.
Nicolas Bon, Founder & CEO, Clark Influence
In recent months, we noticed that many advertisers were hesitant to invest due to economic uncertainty, with policies and tariffs pushing brands to adopt a more conservative approach. However, things are shifting. We’re seeing a rebound in investments, especially from American companies now seeking the services of Canadian agencies for their North American budgets. This trend reflects a growing openness to cross-border collaboration as brands look for more cost-effective yet high-impact solutions.
Same Tham, Founder & CEO, GoFluence
Tariffs can indirectly impact content creators by increasing the cost of products they promote, making them less attractive to consumers. For creators-turned-entrepreneurs, tariffs on imported equipment or merchandise can raise operational costs, especially for those running small-scale ecommerce or product-based ventures. While digital services remain largely unaffected, the ecosystem around creator commerce feels the pressure, particularly in regions reliant on cross-border trade.
Ashley Bidelspach, Director of Talent Acquisition & Management, Talenture Agency
Tariffs haven’t directly impacted our TikTok LIVE creator network at Talenture Agency, but we are seeing ripple effects on the TikTok Shop side. Product costs have risen noticeably, and items that were once easy wins for creators are now harder to price competitively. While this affects e-commerce collaborations, our live streaming talent remains unaffected, and we’re continuing to grow steadily on that front.
Daniel Sanchez, Co-Founder & CEO, Influencity
As CEO of Influencity, I see tariffs creating a ripple effect throughout the influencer marketing ecosystem. When tariffs increase costs for consumer goods, brands typically tighten their marketing budgets first, and influencer campaigns are often among the initial cuts. This directly impacts content creators who rely on brand partnerships for income.
Additionally, tariffs on technology imports could raise costs for the creator economy infrastructure, from smartphones and cameras to editing equipment. For international collaborations, which are increasingly common in our space, tariffs complicate cross-border brand partnerships and can make it more expensive for creators to work with global brands.
However, tariffs might also create opportunities. Domestic brands gaining competitive advantages could increase their marketing spend, potentially offsetting some losses. The key for creators is diversification, building multiple revenue streams and maintaining flexibility to adapt to these economic shifts.
Mauren Kennedy, Content Creator
For content creators, tariffs and their impact may not be bluntly obvious. But personally, as someone who creates print-on-demand merchandise for her community, I have already seen prices begin to rise on products. I am also beginning to wonder just how much our new phone/cameras will cost when it comes time for us to upgrade to new devices. Ultimately, everyone is going to notice these tariffs in one way or another, and not for the better.
Hikari Fleurr, Content Creator
As a NYC-based Digital Creator, tariffs have impacted me in several ways. Due to rising product costs, I’ve received fewer PR packages, especially clothing PR, as brands scale back their outreach. This has been particularly challenging, as I regularly attend exclusive events and red carpets where having a variety of wardrobe options is essential.
Higher prices have also led to lower conversion rates for my affiliate links, affecting another important revenue stream. In addition, I’ve noticed a shift in brand campaigns, with many companies now prioritizing domestic creators over international ones. Some global brands I’ve previously collaborated with have paused partnerships altogether in response to these changes, while others have significantly reduced their influencer marketing budgets to offset tariff-related expenses.
Even brands that continue to work with U.S. creators are facing delays in product launches. This year alone, I’ve received more apologetic emails than ever from brands explaining postponed shipments due to supply chain disruptions.
Tariffs may seem like a distant policy issue, but for creators like me, they have very real and direct consequences on the way we work and collaborate.
Jake Webb, Founder & CEO, Slash MGMT
While there’s a lot of uncertainty around tariffs, at Slash MGMT, we take a more optimistic view of the current landscape and we see this as another disruption that might push brand spend from traditional, more expensive advertising mediums like TV ads to more conversion driven spends, like Influencer Marketing. There will be disruption in certain niches, like the low-cost, fast fashion driven content creators, who will now find their products, and their message, more expensive and need to pivot strategies. However, while there might be a dip in overall spend, there lies real potential for a lift for digitally driven talent companies, from the pivots in brand spend and strategies. In the short run however, we are seeing some marketing spends paused or reduced until brands know how their profit margins might be impacted because of tariffs.
Clair Sidman, Vice President of Marketing, Collective Voice
Tariffs are prompting shifts in creator-brand strategies to counter rising costs and meet evolving consumer expectations. With higher product costs, brands will increasingly rely on creators for performance-based partnerships – particularly through affiliate marketing – to ensure clear return on investment. Especially during economic uncertainty, this affiliate channel offers brands a low-risk, performance-based way to drive awareness and sales, since payment is tied to results.
We anticipate long-term collaborations may also become more prevalent as brands seek to optimize costs and deepen audience loyalty. These partnerships reduce the overhead of frequent contract renewals and build stronger connections with consumers.
Creators will also play a crucial role in addressing tariff-driven price increases transparency, reinforcing trust with their audiences. We’re also seeing a growing focus on sustainable, U.S.-made, or secondhand products, as brands pivot to eco-friendly alternatives to offset tariff impacts—an area where creator-led campaigns may see rising demand.
The creator economy is resilient—despite tariff challenges, it will continue to thrive through collaboration, creativity, and innovation, fostering an environment where both brands and creators can succeed together.
Nick Rotola, Founder & CEO, UP
Tariffs haven’t had a direct impact on UP as a platform, but we’re closely connected to the top family-friendly creators across the globe, some of whom have already started sourcing equipment and products domestically in response to global supply shifts.
As platforms take more and more power away from creators (organic reach now 1-5% – it’s important for them to be able to provide value to their audience in other ways). We stay politically neutral – and just want what’s best for our approved creators – many of whom are the top family-friendly creators in the world.