GlobeNewswire Inc | Mar 8, 2021 10:05AM EST

March 08, 2021

Orlando, Florida, March 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: IZEA), the premier provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for the worlds leading brands, announced today that the companys Managed Services bookings for Q1 2021 to date are now 60% greater than Managed Services bookings for all of Q1 2020. The sales momentum builds upon previous announcements throughout the quarter, as IZEA has seen a dramatic uptick in Managed Services contracts that began in Q4 of 2020. IZEA previously reported that its Managed Services bookings increased 48% in Q4 of 2020, as compared to Q4 2019. The company expects to build on the current growth in Q1 and currently has a strong pipeline of new opportunities with both new and existing customers.

The most recent surge is the result of multiple contracts being awarded to IZEA in the past week. The customers include a Fortune 10 company, a global consumer packaged goods company, and a global retailer.

Bookings are a measure of all sales orders minus any known or expected cancellations or refunds with respect to such sales orders or refunds. Management uses bookings to inform expectations of total sales activity. Bookings are not always an indicator of revenue for the quarter and could be subject to future adjustment. Revenue from Managed Services bookings are typically recognized over a 6-month period on average.

The last six months have been extraordinary, said Ted Murphy, IZEAs Chairman and CEO. I believe we are seeing a fundamental realignment of marketing strategy from brands spanning virtually all industry verticals. Influencer marketing is commanding more attention from CMOs and garnering a greater share of brand budget. We are well positioned to take advantage of this shift and intend to aggressively invest in growth and technology to better serve our customer base.

About IZEA Worldwide, Inc.IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (IZEA) is a marketing technology company providing software and professional services that enable brands to collaborate and transact with the full spectrum of todays top social influencers and content creators. The company serves as a champion for the growing Creator Economy, enabling individuals to monetize their content, creativity, and influence. IZEA launched the industrys first-ever influencer marketing platform in 2006 and has since facilitated nearly 4 million transactions between online buyers and sellers. Leading brands and agencies partner with IZEA to increase digital engagement, diversify brand voice, scale content production, and drive measurable return on investment.

Safe Harbor StatementAll statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as may, will, would, could, should, expect, anticipate, hope, estimate, believe, intend, "likely," "projects," plans, "pursue," "strategy" or "future," or the negative of these words or other words or expressions of similar meaning. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding expectations concerning IZEAs ability to increase revenue and bookings, growth or maintenance of customer relationships, and expectations concerning IZEAs business strategy. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including, among others, the following: competitive conditions in the content and social sponsorship segment in which IZEA operates; failure to popularize one or more of the marketplace platforms of IZEA; our ability to establish effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; our ability to satisfy the requirements for continued listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market; changing economic conditions that are less favorable than expected; and other risks and uncertainties described in IZEAs periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made in this release speak only as of the date of this release, and IZEA assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in expectations, except as otherwise required by law.

Martin SmithIZEA Worldwide, Inc.Phone: 407-674-6911Email: ir@izea.com