Linktree shares statistics about the 200 million creators who are part of the “attention economy”

Linktree has delivered the 2023 edition of its annual Creator Report. The link-in-bio company pulled data from its 40 million users to highlight the content strategies, websites, and ventures that have trended up over the past year.

Though Linktree is a notable name in the creator economy, its latest report devotes more space to a different ecosystem: The so-called “attention economy.” Approximately 200 million creators are competing to get the attention of viewers who feel more overwhelmed then ever. Linktree reported that 40% of people are “overwhelmed” by the amount of choice on the internet, and the average attention span is one-third as long as it was in 2004.

Naturally, Linktree sees itself as an antidote for the overstuffed viewer experience. Its link-in-bio service connects multiple platforms in one convenient location, and creators are using that tool to bring together more than 7.5 million websites. The 2023 report states that only 25% of the 100 million Linktree links that have been created since the start of 2022 go to “big platforms.”

Linktree is wise to remind its users that its functionality extends far beyond Instagram and YouTube. Both of those companies have upgraded their first-party linking tools over the past year, but Linktree sees value in cross-platform promotion. Its report claims that “the most popular Linktrees get traffic from an average of 12 sources.”

In 2022, as COVID restrictions lifted and events resumed, many of those links went to entertainment and ticketing services. 2023, however, was the year when creators got back to work. The Linktree destinations with the biggest year-over-year bumps include Substack (up 157% year-over-year), Typeform (+94%), and Patreon (+33%). Links to merch platforms like Shopify and Spring also remained relevant, driving 38 million Linktree clicks over the past year.

“TikTok and YouTube being the most linked-to platforms on Linktree is a no-brainer, however our creator report saw a dramatic increase in the number of creators pushing to community-focused platforms like Substack,” said Linktree CMO Monica Austin in a statement. “Creators have been grappling with the repercussions of an oversaturated attention economy, and building more authentic relationships will push them through the algorithm.”

Linktree’s complete 2023 Creator Report is available through its website. In addition to its analysis of the attention economy, Linktree is also shouting out some of its most successful users and advising each creator to “be your own algorithm.” If Linktree users follow that advice, there will be a lot more clicks for the company to break down in 2024.