Early Creator Ecosystem Flywheel
Enter emerging channels early and help creators grow alongside your product
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 96%
Chess.com built its streaming channel by entering early, encouraging chess players to stream, and creating infrastructure that helped those creators become discoverable. The company connected creator accounts to Twitch and YouTube, listed active streams, rotated embeds through Chess.com/TV, and organized lessons and tournaments. This gave creators exposure and compelling experiences while their streams introduced viewers to Chess.com. Because the company participated before streaming rates and expectations hardened, relationships could begin organically rather than as expensive one-off endorsements. As the ecosystem matured, an affiliate program shared subscription revenue with people who drove new players. The mechanism is a reciprocal loop: identify an emerging attention channel, reduce the cost and friction of participation, help credible creators build audiences, and benefit as their content expands the category and directs users back to the product.
Origin
Allebest traced the approach to Chess.com's early experiments around Justin.tv and Twitch, followed by a formal streamer program from roughly 2017 onward.
Core principles
- 01Early participation creates relationships before rates harden
- 02Creators need discovery and useful opportunities, not only sponsorship fees
- 03Platform tools can make participation easier and more visible
- 04Creator growth and product growth should reinforce each other
How to run it
- 1
Spot emerging attention
Observe where users are beginning to spend time and whether your product naturally fits the format. Chess.com noticed gaming and chess viewing growing on live-streaming platforms.
Pro tip Look for sustained audience behavior before the channel's commercial norms are fixed.
Watch out Entering after every creator has established rates changes the economics.
- 2
Seed authentic participation
Encourage credible users to try the new format and give them reasons to participate. Chess.com nudged chess players and connected creators with grandmasters and tournaments.
Pro tip Offer experiences that creators genuinely want to share.
Watch out Forced endorsements will not create the same organic ecosystem.
- 3
Build creator infrastructure
Integrate the product with creator platforms and surface participating creators to your existing audience. Make discovery work in both directions.
Pro tip Use owned surfaces to showcase creators who are active elsewhere.
Watch out A campaign without persistent infrastructure ends when the event ends.
- 4
Align ongoing upside
As the channel matures, share measurable value such as subscription revenue with creators who drive customers. Preserve the reciprocal benefit that made the channel work early.
Pro tip Tie rewards to durable customer value rather than raw impressions alone.
Watch out One-sided economics eventually weaken creator participation.
In the wild
Chess.com encouraged players including Hikaru Nakamura, Levy Rozman, and the Botez sisters to lean into streaming. It promoted creators, built account connections and discovery tools, and hosted events. Allebest says creators became major self-sustaining streamers while continuing to stream on Chess.com.
→ The creators, Chess.com, and the wider game of chess all gained exposure as streaming expanded across Twitch and YouTube.
During COVID, Mr. Beast played chess without being paid. Chess.com also offered creators introductions, lessons, and tournament participation rather than buying a conventional endorsement.
→ Chess became visible as an organic creator activity without the six-figure sponsorship demand Allebest says would not have worked.
Common mistakes
Arriving only after rates harden
A late entrant faces established expectations and loses the organic relationship advantage available at the start of a channel.
Treating creators as ad inventory
Payments alone miss the discovery, access, and product support that can make the relationship mutually reinforcing.
Running isolated influencer stunts
Without integrations, recurring programming, and aligned incentives, attention does not become an ecosystem.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for products whose use can become entertaining, educational, or social content.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when creators cannot authentically use the product or receive meaningful audience, access, or revenue upside.
From the episode
From $0 to $150M: 3 Key Marketing Moves That Built Chess.com