New Media

In today's episode, Matt and Kolby break down Alex Hormozi's three big content bets, his CAA signing and reality-show push, and Jessi Jean's $297 "Yap on Camera Challenge" that reportedly made $1.2M in a single day — pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and what every media founder should take notes on.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:25 The $1.2M Launch in 72 Minutes
• 07:34 Why Cohorts Are a Superior Business Model
• 11:54 Inside the Hybrid Cohort Format
• 17:15 Public Homework as a Viral Engine
• 17:57 Do You Even Need a Community?
• 20:22 Don't Sleep on Instagram
• 24:43 How Jessie Could Scale to $1M/Month
• 32:44 Hormozi's Content Bets: Show, Don't Tell
• 36:14 Bet #2: Netflix-Level Production ("Scale or Fail")
• 41:00 Bet #3: Live and Interactive Content
• 43:24 Replicating It Without a Big Budget
• 46:30 Legacy Media: CAA, Netflix, and Radio
• 50:07 Distribution Is King

📌 Resources:

• Jessi Jean — Yap On Camera Challenge
• Alex Hormozi — "Scale or Fail" 
• Starter Story (acquired by HubSpot)

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This episode is brought to you by Circle — the all-in-one platform to run your community, courses, and memberships in one place. Try it free 👉 https://circle.so/eclipse

In today's episode Matt and Kolby break down Forbes' 2026 Top Creators list, the surprising revival of luxury print media, and Kit's biggest product launch ever—pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and what every media founder should take notes on.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Forbes Top Creators 2026
• 01:14 The $1B Milestone & MrBeast's $300M
• 02:10 Breaking Down the Top 10
• 05:44 YouTube-to-Hollywood Crossover
• 06:41 Mark Rober's Subscription Box Playbook
• 09:42 Cody Sanchez & the Creator Capital Allocator
• 11:42 Hot Takes: Who Forbes Missed
• 14:36 Streamers & the Entrepreneurship Score Debate
• 17:35 Is Print Back? The Mountain Gazette Story
• 22:41 Why Print Is the Next Vinyl: Firecrown & Colossus
• 28:05 Building Fandom With Physical Products
• 30:38 New Media Summit 2027 in Austin
• 31:25 Kit's Craft + Commerce Launch: SMS & Subscriber Signals
• 37:29 Beehiiv's July Launch & the "Everything App" Trap
• 43:02 Circle's Focused Launch & Wrap-Up

Resources:

• Forbes List
• Mountain Gazette
• Firecrown Media
• Colossus
• New Media Summit

In this episode, Matt McGarry, Ryan Carr, and Kolby Hatch analyze the recent beehiiv summer release, discussing new features like community, podcast integrations, and ad networks, and sharing insights on how to effectively leverage these tools for business growth.

In today's episode Matt and Kolby break down historic media disruptions—from cable TV's ESPN and CNN to Joe Rogan's $250M Spotify deal—pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and who actually has a real thesis on AI today, from The Rundown's $10M+ newsletter to HubSpot's media buying spree.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro: AI Anxiety and Plateauing Founders
• 03:59 The Framework: How Founders Should Respond to AI
• 05:14 Is This an AI Bubble? Cable TV's ESPN and CNN Bet
• 08:35 Web 1.0: Huffington Post's $315M Exit and Motley Fool's Billion-Dollar Run
• 09:32 Viral Video Era: BuzzFeed's Rise, Barstool's $551M Sale
• 12:23 Mobile Wave: Industry Dive's $525M Exit
• 14:12 Axios's Smart Brevity and $525M Sale
• 17:27 The Athletic's $500M Sale, Joe Rogan's $250M Deal, and Mr. Beast
• 19:54 The Common Thread: Every Disruptor Needs a Thesis
• 22:40 Who Has a Real AI Thesis Today?
• 24:59 The Rundown AI's $10M+ Newsletter and Its PE Deal
• 29:31 HubSpot's Strategy of Buying Up Media Companies
• 34:55 Local News, AI-Generated Content, and 6AM City
• 46:06 Breaking Points, Ground News, and the Rise of Trusted Filters
• 53:03 Owning a New Category: Latent Space's AI Engineer Events
• 59:13 Every's Bundled AI Tools and Software-Funded Media

📌 Resources: 

• The Rundown AI
• Every
• Ground News
• Latent Space

Enjoying the show? 
Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

This episode is brought to you by Circle — the all-in-one platform to run your community, courses, and memberships in one place. Try it free 👉 https://circle.so/eclipse

Chandler Bolt (SelfPublishing.com) joins Matt to break down how one niche book generated $7M in 12 months, why "the riches are in the niches," how to turn tactics into ownable frameworks, and the value ladder that grew SelfPublishing.com past $80M.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:25 Can a Niche Expert Really Write a Book?
• 03:59 Why a Book Is the Ultimate Lever
• 06:36 "I'm Not a Good Writer" — Write Like You Talk
• 09:06 Is My Idea Too Niche? Strategies vs Tactics
• 11:05 How "Published" Made $7M in 12 Months
• 13:37 Turning Tactics Into Frameworks
• 17:19 Does a Book Have To Be 250 Pages?
• 19:55 Selling Books Without a Huge Audience
• 24:13 Book Royalties Explained (20–70%)
• 25:47 Amazon Discovery + Vertical SEO
• 28:19 How To Use AI To Write a Book
• 33:37 Will a Book Cannibalize My Course?
• 38:09 One-to-One vs One-to-Many: Packaging Expertise
• 42:12 Are Courses Dying? The Services Pivot
• 48:03 Where To Find Chandler

📌 Resources:

• SelfPublishing.com
• Book a call with the team
• Sign and Thrive by Bill Soroka

🔗 Connect with Chandler Bolt:

• Linkedin
• Website
• YouTube

Build a community product with nothing but a prompt, try Circle AI free 👉 https://circle.so/eclipse

Kolby and Matt rank 25 creator income streams and reveal the simple consulting-call-to-agency funnel that took Growletter to 7-figures.

Timestamps: 

•  02:28 Is Speaking Worth Your Time?
•  06:03 One-on-One Coaching's Underrated Upside
•  10:29 Sponsorships and Brand Deals
•  14:32 Programmatic Ads and MrBeast's $20M Month
•  20:00 Affiliate Marketing's Race to the Bottom
•  24:02 Digital Products in the Age of LLMs
•  29:02 Vibe Products: AI's New Frontier for Creators
•  34:50 Subscriptions vs. Memberships
•  44:34 Live Cohorts vs. Group Coaching
•  51:41 Why Courses Fell to F Tier
•  55:48 Done-for-You Services and the Funnel That Built Growletter
•  1:04:09 Licensing Deals: Feast or Famine
•  1:08:36 Masterminds and Peer Groups
•  1:13:53 Should You Write a Book?
•  1:20:41 Events and the Final Tier List

📌 Resources: 

• New Media Summit
•  The Lab (Jay Clouse)
•  StoryBrand

Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

This episode is sponsored by Circle.

Daniel Bustamante (Velocity, Ship 30 for 30) joins Matt and Kolby to break down the email launch tactics that add 20% to every launch—the mid-launch bonus that kills the dead middle, the $99 product that made $25K in 48 hours, the post-launch downsell, and the feedback email that makes your next launch better.

Timestamps: 

•  00:55 Expiring Mid-Launch Bonuses (Kill the U-Shape)
•  03:18 What Bonus to Offer & Ideal Launch Length
•  07:36 The 48-Hour Flash Sale: $25K From a $99 Product
•  12:24 Hormozi's "Sold Out" Email & Waitlist Flywheel
•  16:24 Should You Cap Enrollment?
•  18:46 The Post-Launch Downsell (+15–20% Revenue)
•  22:15 Downsell Ideas & Checkout Upsells
•  24:12 When to Offer Payment Plans
•  28:44 The "Why Didn't You Buy?" Email
•  30:49 AI Hyper-Personalized Lead Magnets
•  35:39 Quiz Funnels Done Right
•  36:45 Why Cohort Courses Work (Ship 30 Lessons)
•  43:01 One Piece of Advice for Launching a Cohort
•  44:22 Where to Find Daniel

📌 Resources: 

• Kit (email platform)
•  ScoreApp (quiz funnels)
•  Ship 30 for 30

🔗 Connect with Daniel: 

• LinkedIn
•  Website
•  Newsletter

Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

Daniel Berk (Moneywise Podcast by Hampton) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about why the local newsletter isn't the business—the audience is, how AI services are the untapped green space for local brick-and-mortars, why the viral Substack tweet got email wrong, and how an X DM with Sam Parr turned into a podcast hosting gig.

Timestamps:

•  00:00 Intro
•  02:00 Palmetto Parents: Three Local Newsletters
•  06:40 How Local Newsletters Actually Make Money
•  11:00 "Own The Town" — Arbitraging Your Audience
•  14:30 Axios, 6AM City & The Big-Metro Model
•  17:00 Local AI Services: The Untapped Greenspace
•  23:15 The Nonprofit (501c3) Newsletter Play
•  26:15 Is Email Dead? The Viral Substack Tweet
•  33:00 What "Owned Audience" Really Means
•  37:30 Moneywise & Two Dads In Tech
•  40:00 How A Twitter DM Became The Moneywise Gig
•  45:30 Command The Room Like A Nine-Figure Podcast

📌 Resources:

•  Palmetto Parents
•  Moneywise by Hampton

🔗 Connect with Daniel Berk:

•  LinkedIn
•  X / Twitter
•  Newsletter

Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

Justin Moore (Creator Wizard) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how Sponsor Games lost ~$10K in year two but still turned a profit, why 22% of his challenge attendees upgrade to VIP every single time, the great event food debate, and how to find your real ICP with a book funnel.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:26 Sponsor Games Year Two: A $10K Loss and a Reality Show
• 03:50 How the Mastermind Offer Made It Profitable
• 04:15 Marketing a Novel Event With No Speakers
• 05:56 Changing the Date and Venue for Year Three
• 09:30 Should the Event Go on Tour?
• 11:50 Pre-Selling 20% of Next Year's Tickets
• 12:09 Ryan Deiss's 3 Types of Events
• 16:15 The Halo Effect of Hosting an Event
• 22:56 The Great Event Food Debate
• 26:14 Do You Actually Need a VIP Tier?
• 30:16 Inside the 10K Brand Deal Challenge
• 36:09 The Partner Challenge That Flopped
• 42:00 Book Funnels and Finding Your Real ICP
• 50:07 The Case for Focus Over Shiny Objects
• 51:42 Where to Find Justin

📌 Resources:

• Sponsor Games
• Sponsor Magnet

🔗 Connect with Justin:

• LinkedIn
• Newsletter

Matt Paulson (MarketBeat) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about the SMS playbook that's now 25% of MarketBeat's revenue, why he pays Twilio $400K a month to make it work, and the case for treating digital media as a depreciating asset he'll shut down at 65 rather than sell. 

Timestamps: 

• 00:00 Intro 
• 03:30 SMS Is The New Email 
• 06:00 SMS Is Now 25% Of MarketBeat's Revenue ($1.5M+/Month) 
• 10:00 Promoting Advertiser Offers Over Your Own 
• 13:30 $100 Paid Webinars That Sell $2,500/Month Coaching 
• 14:30 SMS Sunsetting, Short Codes, And Deliverability 
• 17:00 Confirming Phone Numbers To Avoid TCPA Lawsuits 
• 19:00 SMS Tech Stack And Twilio's $400K/Month Bills 
• 23:00 Why Newsletters Are Still Worth It (Gmail's March 20 Change) 
• 28:00 Multi-Channel: Spending $500K/Month On Meta Ads 
• 33:00 The Co-Reg Wars: IMS vs AfterOffers 
• 35:00 Every Tech Company Will Eventually Buy A Media Company 
• 38:00 Why MarketBeat Won't Be Sold Or Acquired 
• 41:00 Beehiiv, Substack, And ESP Feature Bloat 
• 46:00 Marketers Matt Watches: Hormozi, Sanchez, Deiss 
• 50:00 Where to Find Matt Paulson 

📌 Resources:

• MarketBeat
• AfterOffers
• The Email Copywriter (Chris Orzechowski) 

🔗 Connect with Matt Paulson: 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter/X

Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.