Lia Haberman is a social media strategist, creator economy expert and writer behind one of the industries leading newsletters, ICYMI (In Case You Missed It.) Lia breaks down why most creators only last 3–4 years, how to spot real platform trends, where creators should focus in 2026, and how to build a business that survives algorithm shifts.

Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles

__

Lia Haberman

• ICYMI

• LinkedIn

• Twitter/X

• Instagram

Francis Zierer

• LinkedIn

• Twitter/X

__

Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Lia Haberman

01:20 The 3 year shelf life of a creator

08:45 Knowing which platforms to invest in

16:21 7 signs of a good platform feature

25:52 The most valuable platforms for creators

34:35 Defining the 7 formats of content

39:24 Why are marketers spending on Instagram?

41:25 Keeping content free vs paid

47:03 Social media trends of 2025

54:27 How to grow online in 2026

This week on Creator Spotlight we’re joined by the co-founder and CEO of beehiiv, Tyler Denk. Following beehiiv’s highly anticipated winter release event, Tyler and Francis discuss the company’s approach to becoming the operating system of the “content economy”.

__

Catch up on beehiiv’s Winter Release Event

• Full event video

• Event in 90 seconds

__

Tyler Denk

• Twitter/X

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

Francis Zierer

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

__

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introducing Tyler Denk

00:01:45 The next step in the content economy

00:07:20 Scaling past the education gap

00:12:40 Becoming the tool, not the brand

00:16:52 Lowering the barrier to entry for creators

00:21:25 What is the “content economy?”

00:26:29 Building a world class ad network

00:33:48 Growing a newsletter to 120k subscribers

00:46:46 Finding the gap in the content economy infrastructure

00:57:29 Building features for every type of user

01:01:53 Knowing your customer

Nastja Mohren is a content creator, designer, and sewing educator who’s built a community of more than half a million followers across platforms — all around her love of making things by hand. In this episode, she talks with Francis about turning creativity into a business, balancing authenticity with brand deals, and how she built a sustainable creator by diversifying her revenue into seven different streams.

Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles

__

Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense

__

Follow Nastja

• YouTube

• Blog

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Facebook

• Pinterest

Francis Zierer

• LinkedIn

• Twitter/X

__

Timstamps

00:00:00 Introducing Nastja Mohren

00:01:37 Going full-time on YouTube

00:06:08 The 7 revenue streams

00:12:14 The art of integrating brand deals

00:22:49 Which platform is most valuable?

00:24:30 The value of a blog in 2025

00:32:27 Why choose Google AdSense?

00:37:31 Building packages for advertisers

00:40:57 Crafting a specific audience

00:52:00 The 80/20 principle of video production

01:00:08 Collaborating with the creator community

This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by former ESPN journalist Joon Lee. Joon shares how he turned a layoff into a creator career, breaking down his 22-month YouTube study, and how he is building an independent sports media brand that puts storytelling and trust first.

Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles

__

Follow Joon

• YouTube

• Twitter/X

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Website

Follow Francis

• LinkedIn

• Twitter/X

__

Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Joon Lee

01:15 From tech YouTuber to sports journalist

06:49 Preparing to be a YouTuber

13:02 Indie creator bootcamp

17:05 What should new creators focus on?

22:58 The process of making high-quality YouTube videos

33:19 Making revenue and maintaining ethics

40:56 The most valuable asset as a creator is trust

44:55 Building relationships in the creator economy

50:30 The hardest part of YouTube

This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by Ken Yarmosh, founder of The Remote Solopreneur. Ken is a creator who’s been building online businesses long before the creator economy had a name.

Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles

__

Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense

__

Ken Yarmosh

• YouTube

• Website

• LinkedIn

Francis Zierer

• LinkedIn

• Twitter/X

__

Timestamps

00:00 Introducing Ken Yarmosh

01:16 Becoming The Remote Solopreneur

04:29 Redefining 'creator'

08:20 The creator to entrepreneur spectrum

12:15 How Ken runs a solo business

16:51 The importance of community in business

22:13 The 4 C's of the creator economy

29:42 Are all creators solopreneurs?

34:50 DTA: The framework for all entrepreneurs

41:58 Is the LinkedIn gold rush over?

47:15 The best time to be a creator is now

50:11 Advice for newsletter creators

53:20 Creating a personal brand in 2025