Yahoo News, the digital remnant of the once-mighty internet pioneer, is making a bid to leverage the rising creator economy to bolster its lifestyle coverage. The company is launching a new creator program dubbed “Yahoo for Creators” that will allow a vetted group of online personalities to publish and monetize stories through the Yahoo News platform.

The initiative signals Yahoo’s desire to reinvent itself as a hub for lifestyle content in categories like fashion, beauty, fitness, home, humor, parenting, technology, travel and wellness. By tapping into the vast ecosystem of bloggers, YouTubers, Instagrammers and other digital influencers, Yahoo hopes to expand its footprint in a media landscape that has been radically reshaped by social platforms and independent creators.

“We hear consistently that people want to get their news from other people,” said Kat Downs Mulder, senior vice president and general manager of Yahoo News. “They have institutions they trust, but they also really want connections…In addition to the publisher network that we have, and the journalists that we have in-house, creators would add an additional dimension to that content.”

The program is initially open to U.S.-based creators over 18 with at least 1,000 followers across approved platforms like Medium, Substack, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Participants will use a specialized content management system to produce stories following a template, with the ability to include licensed images, text and affiliate marketing links.

While creators will have autonomy over what they publish, Yahoo said the posts would be monitored for compliance with its content guidelines. Editors could also make revisions after publication. The stories will appear alongside Yahoo News’ staff-produced content, with a “creator” tag to distinguish them. Many will take an evergreen, magazine-style approach compared to traditional news articles.

“We really look to become the world’s best guide to the internet,” Mulder said of the program’s aims.

The first 21 creators began testing the platform earlier this year, with Yahoo planning to scale to “hundreds” more in the coming months. Among the initial crop is Amber Kemp-Gerstel, the designer and DIY expert behind the blog Damask Love. With nearly 120,000 Instagram followers and a show on Disney+, she views Yahoo as an opportunity to revive long-form blogging.

“My audience that I’ve built over time kind of knows me more intimately than the Yahoo audience would,” Kemp-Gerstel said. “I think it’s going to have a broader scope than what I would share with my own audience, which is kind of fun.”

As traditional publishers face disruption from social media and independent digital voices, Yahoo is betting that marrying its established brand with the dynamism of creators can reignite its cultural relevance – and bottom line. Whether that gambit pays off could foretell the future of media economics in the internet age.