a16z Gathering: 7 Key Rules to Become a Top KOL

Author | Ish Verduzco

Translation | Deep潮 TechFlow

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This article does not constitute any investment or financial advice. Readers should strictly comply with the laws and regulations of their respective jurisdictions.

Last night, I attended a gathering hosted by a16z and Tech Week with the Tech Week team, inviting about 50 creators to participate.

Participants included meme lords, TikTok creators, lifestyle bloggers, cinematic video creators, Substack authors, email newsletter operators, podcast producers, YouTube creators, social media managers, and more.

Almost covering the entire spectrum of internet content creators.

In this article, I will share 7 key insights summarized from multiple conversations.

a16z and Tech Week Team

1. Own Your Audience

Everyone is building an email list.

Even creators focused on TikTok or Instagram short videos see email as the core foundation of their business.

Some attract new subscribers through events; others use paid ads, create lead magnets, or use ManyChat to turn Instagram DMs into growth engines.

Publishing frequency doesn’t matter—some post weekly, some monthly, some quarterly, and some only occasionally.

What matters is ownership.

Every creator seems eager for a direct, lasting way to connect with their audience, rather than relying on algorithm changes.

2. Build Offline Touchpoints

Offline interactions are becoming more popular.

Many creators have spent years building their audiences, communities, and fan bases online.

Now, they are looking for ways to convert these connections into offline interactions.

Podcast producers are hosting live recording events; social media creators organize private dinners, local meetups, and even vacation events.

These are not just “fan events,” but channels to deepen relationships, build trust, and explore higher-value collaborations.

The online-to-offline interaction flywheel is showing its powerful effect.

3. Package Sponsorship Deals

Advertising sponsorship models are becoming bundled.

Creators are gradually moving away from one-off ad deals.

They choose to integrate their newsletters, podcasts, social media content, and offline events into a bundled sponsorship package.

This model benefits creators: more predictable income, fewer negotiations, long-term relationships, and better multi-platform audience integration.

It’s also better for brands: one partnership covers multiple channels, generates a lot of reusable content, and offers more creative collaboration than traditional ad placements.

This shift marks industry maturity, which I highly appreciate.

4. Deepen Niche Markets

Wealth lies in niche markets.

The more precise the niche, the stronger the business.

Like Car Dealership Guy, whom I recently invited to my podcast—our first meeting was yesterday.

His target audience includes 155,000 car dealerships and their employees, but he has built a large business because his content and products are fully focused on the ideal customer profile (ICP).

Many think their niche is too small, but in reality, as long as the positioning is precise, its value can be beyond imagination.

Adam (Blueprint), Yossi (CarDealership), Avi (CreatorLogic), Litquidity

5. Collaboration for Win-Win

Collaboration accelerates growth.

1 + 1 = 3.

Creators are actively seeking partnerships.

Newsletter exchanges, podcast guest swaps, joint events, and cross-promoting products.

If you find partners with similar target audiences, growth can increase exponentially. It’s faster and more fun than going solo.

While this strategy isn’t new, it’s gratifying to see it happening in practice.

More and more people are choosing the mindset of “making the cake bigger.”

6. Dominate a Platform

Platform dominance remains important.

Almost every creator has a “main base.”

Although they may develop across multiple platforms, the platform that initially brought them traffic remains their core—whether it’s YouTube, Substack, Instagram, or TikTok.

This is where their community connects most strongly.

Expansion is important, but dominance is key.

Some creators even hire teams to fill gaps on other platforms while maintaining tight control over the platform that made them successful.

Build your empire on one platform first.

7. Distribution is the Ultimate Moat

Almost everyone agrees on this point.

In an era where anyone can launch products, tools, or services, the key to differentiating creators isn’t what they create, but how they distribute their content.

Brand + Distribution = Moat.

This is a point I’ve always emphasized and will continue to advocate until more people realize its importance.

Honestly, it’s refreshing to see such consensus—especially considering many industries outside the creator economy still lag behind this idea.

Summary

The creator economy is maturing.

Strategies are becoming more refined, business models more complex, and opportunities greater than ever.

If you’re building content online, keep these points in mind:

· Own your audience (email)

· Build offline touchpoints

· Package sponsorship deals

· Deepen niche markets

· Collaborate for win-win

· Dominate a platform

· View distribution as a moat

These are the successful approaches I’ve seen in practice.

Looking forward to the next wave of creators’ innovations and breakthroughs!