This week Francis is joined by Matt McGarry, also known as the Newsletter Guy. They discuss his agency Growletter, the nuances of newsletter-only businesses, the challenges of monetization, and the evolving role of creators in the media landscape.

Newsletter Marketing Summit: https://newslettermarketingsummit.com

FOR $200 OFF, USE CODE: CS200

Newsletter Operator: https://www.newsletteroperator.com

Growletter: https://growletter.co

Write Grow Sell: https://writegrowsell.com

Matt McGarry: https://x.com/JMatthewMcGarry

00:00:00 Introducing Matt and his businesses

00:01:12 Breaking down Matt's multiple income streams

00:04:52 Newsletters are NOT a business model

00:08:24 CPA is not as important as you think

00:16:06 Creating a winning ad to grow your newsletter

00:19:24 Why you should not start a newsletter only business

00:23:21 Do not paywall your best content

00:29:19 The key to monetizing your audience

00:36:10 The devolution from media founder to creator

00:41:36 The difficulties of marketing a podcast

00:47:13 Maximizing reach and engagement by repurposing content

00:52:55 The must-haves for a growing newsletter

00:56:30 The most saturated areas in the newsletter world

00:59:46 Newsletter trends for 2025

This week Francis Zierer speaks with Lindsey Stanberry, creator of The Purse, a newsletter focused on money, motherhood, work, and relationships. Lindsay shares her journey from working in corporate media to becoming an independent creator/entrepreneur.

The Purse: https://thepurse.substack.com/

00:00 Introducing Lindsey and The Purse

01:25 Transitioning from Corporate to Independent Creation

06:16 Developing a Blog into a Sustainable Brand

09:30 The Biggest Detriment to Journalists in Media

14:26 Defining Identity: Creator, Journalist, or Entrepreneur?

19:44 The Value of Collaboration and Partnership in Entrepreneurship

24:43 Choosing Your Niche for a Content Franchise

30:54 Growing an Organic Newsletter Audience

32:14 The Challenge of Paid Subscriptions

35:22 Fostering a Community Through Events

38:18 Creator's Concern of Financial Sustainability

42:24 The Evolution of the Newsletter Format

45:05 The Value of Transparency and Trust as a Creator

47:08 The Value of Quality Writing Amongst Abundant Free Content

54:29 Take Yourself Seriously

In this episode of Creator Spotlight Francis is joined by Daisy Alioto, CEO, editor and writer of Dirt Media. They explore the evolution of Dirt Media, its unique approach to content and community, and the challenges faced in the current media landscape.

Daisy: https://x.com/daisandconfused

Dirt: https://dirt.fyi

Tasteland: https://www.tasteland.fyi

00:00 Introducing Daisy Alioto and Dirt Media

04:00 Treating Subscribers as Collectors

06:35 The Primordial Soup of the Media Environment

11:49 Running a Media Company Like a Streetwear Brand

16:49 Understanding Your Audience is Crucial

21:29 The Importance of Being Future Focussed in Business

24:56 Collaboration is Key for Growth

30:41 The Growing Responsibilities to Your Audience and Team

34:51 The Internet is Nothing Without Contribution

This week Francis is joined by Michael Kauffman to discusses his journey building a local newsletter business, Catskill Crew. He shares insights on audience engagement, growth strategies, and the importance of branding in the creator economy.

Catskill Crew: https://catskillcrew.com

Newsletter Club: https://thenewsletter.club

00:00 Building a Community-Led Newsletter

05:57 Local Relationships are Crucial for Newsletter Success

12:29 Building Businesses Around a Local Newsletter

14:28 Why You Must Begin With Organic Growth

17:50 The Importance of Branding and Identity

24:41 The Internal Desire to Create

28:55 Building a Sustainable and Authentic Revenue Model

38:43 The Local Holding Company Model

41:50 Revenue Breakdown and Business Structure

43:12 The Importance of Community Engagement

47:12 Financial Realities of Starting a Newsletter

50:48 The Newsletter Club: A Community for Creators

53:41 The Future of Local Journalism

This week Francis is joined by content creator and entrepreneur John Hu, also known as Jayhoovy. John is the founder of Stan, an all-in-one monetization tool for creators. He shares insights on the challenges creators face in the business landscape and how his platform, Stan, aims to empower them.

Check out Stan: https://www.stan.store/

John's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayhoovy

00:00 Introducing John and his company, Stan

01:24 Building an Audience and Personal Brand

05:05 The Artist to Entrepreneur Spectrum

07:45 Allocating Time as a Content Creator vs CEO at Scale

11:18 Celebrating Creator Success Stories

14:40 The Importance of Consistency in Content Creation

17:49 All Humans Will Be In the Creator Economy

21:30 The Value of Systems Thinking as a Creator

25:33 Scaling a Team and Hiring a Professional Memer

29:00 The Opportunities in Creator Led Digital Products

32:07 Attention Economy: The Limited Resource

33:56 Navigating Different Social Platforms for Success

36:25 Is Building in Public a PsyOp?

This episode is with one of the best business minds in the newsletter world, Adam Ryan of workweek.com

Workweek: https://workweek.com

Adam: https://x.com/adamry_n

00:00 Introducing Adam Ryan and Workweek

03:44 The Balance of Creativity and Sales

06:21 Key Levers for Audience Growth

08:53 Content Trends and Audience Engagement

10:03 Current Projects and Initiatives at Workweek

12:39 The Difficulties of Balancing Creativity and Entrepreneurship

15:59 The Importance of Consistency as a Creator

20:40 From Campus Rep to Brand Builder

27:59 The Evolution and Future of Newsletters

38:04 Advising the Next Generation of Newsletters

44:59 Vision for the Future of Workweek

This week Francis is joined by creative entrepreneur, Lex Roman. Lex is a freelance growth marketer with two newsletters, Journalists Pay Themselves and Revenue Rulebreaker.

Journalists Pay Themselves: https://journalistspaythemselves.com/

Lex's Website: https://lexroman.com/

00:00 The Multi-Hyphenate Journey of Lex Roman

04:00 Defining Creators and Creative Entrepreneurs

10:53 Monetization Strategies for Creators

15:43 The Boutique Creator Model

19:00 Revenue Streams and Success in the Creator Economy

23:33 The Role of Journalists in the Creator Economy

26:22 Virtual Events and Controversial Takes

33:27 Understanding Subscription Fatigue

40:44 The Overvaluation of Social Media for Growth

45:19 The Future of Internet Columnists

This week Francis is joined by Alex Dobrenko, a comedian and writer of the newsletter Both Are True.

Both Are True: https://botharetrue.substack.com

Alex's Twitter/X: https://x.com/dobrenkz

00:00 Intro

01:23 The Journey to Comedy and Writing

08:20 Writing Style and Honesty

15:02 The Role of Improv Comedy in Creativity

22:07 The Growth of an Audience

30:26 Professionalization of Content Creation and "Selling Out"

38:57 Whoa: Exploring Deeper Conversations through Interviews

45:37 Navigating the Solitary Nature of Creation

49:15 The Evolution of Social Media Engagement

This week Francis is joined by Penn Weinberger, founder and head of the agency Bad Behavior. Bad Behavior works with creators to produce original short-form shows for brands; they’ve worked with clients like Lyft, Columbia Records, Cash App, and Stanley.

Bad Behavior: https://www.bad-behavior.com/

00:00 Introducing Penn and Bad Behavior

01:42 Working with Creators vs. Influencers

05:00 The Impact of Viral Marketing

07:14 Empowering Creators

09:35 Upsetting the Traditional Advertising Model

13:42 Starting and Then Diversifying the Agency

17:12 The Blur Between Creator and Celebrity

22:22 The Revenue

26:07 The Increase in Management Amongst Creators

30:06 Rules for Building a Creator-Led Show

32:47 Finding Brands as a Creator

36:35 Red Flags for Brands and Creators

41:06 Unpredictable Virality

This week Francis is joined by Rameel Sheikh, founder and writer of The Bottleneck which, in his words, is the only weekly newsletter offering stories, frameworks, and tactics to sharpen how you execute.

thebottleneck.io

00:00 Introducing Rameel Sheikh and The Bottleneck

01:09 Building a Strong Audience Relationship

03:07 Lessons Learnt from the Startup World

07:18 The Decision to Start a Newsletter

13:31 The Structure of the Newsletter

17:00 Experimenting with Different Writing Styles

20:08 How the Newsletter Generates $30k a Month

26:00 Building an Audience from Scratch to 28k Subscribers

32:30 Are Creators Also Founders?

37:27 Building a Team as a Founder

40:57 The Many Failed Experiments that Led to The Bottleneck

44:27 Building a High Value Community

49:52 Future Dreams or Goals of The Bottleneck