The Shadow Economy of “Link in Bio” Tools

They look like digital footnotes, but these tiny link hubs are quietly powering a $200M+ industry, and changing how creators and businesses monetize attention.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

In the world of online business, attention is currency.

And for creators, coaches, and founders who operate on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, there’s one real estate that matters more than almost anything else:

The link in your bio.

What started as a workaround for platforms that only allow one external link has turned into a rapidly growing creator economy sub-sector, fueled by tools like:

• Linktree

• Beacons

• Stan Store

• Koji

• Campsite

• bio.site

These aren’t just utilities anymore. They’ve become full-fledged commerce and conversion platforms, and the numbers are getting hard to ignore.

Let’s Talk Numbers:

• Linktree alone has over 40M users and was valued at $1.3B after its 2022 funding round (Source: TechCrunch).

• Stan Store, a link-in-bio storefront tool, grew rapidly by targeting TikTok creators selling digital products. It has reportedly processed tens of millions in creator sales since launching.

• Beacons, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, raised $6M in 2021 and power…