The Future Belongs to Creators

Do you consider yourself a creator? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. According to a recent Vox article, more people than ever are referring to themselves as “content creators.” From social media influencers to fashion designers, that term encompasses a wide breadth of professions. 

Regardless of their specialty, the most successful content creators of our generation can teach job-seekers and corporations a thing or two about digital marketing. But what does it actually mean to be a content creator? Who’s using that term and is it a fair description for the work creators produce and the grind behind turning your life into a cycle of self-promotion? 

In this episode, Charli and Haley discuss the merits of the term “content creator”, why so many people are referring to themselves as one, the expectations versus the reality of becoming an online personality, and the invaluable skills we can all learn from content creators, regardless of what we call them and who they are.

Key Takeaways

• [00:55] - Have you heard? 
  • [01:03] - Instagram is now releasing Amber Alerts. 
  • [03:23] - Apple announced updates to their new operating system. One new feature is the ability to copy and paste items out of Apple photos. 
• [07:03] - Today’s main topic: When did everybody become a content creator? 
  •  [08:39] - Content creator is such a vague term it’s unclear what work aspiring content creators are actually producing. 
  • [09:17] - Because content creator is a catch-all term, is it the creators referring to themselves as such or are there certain types of creators that more commonly call themselves content creators?
  • [12:18] - It seems like everyone has become a content creator these days, whether they signed up for it or not. And regardless if you chose to become one, every person with an audience on social media is responsible for the content they share.
  • [13:47] - The boundaries of who and who isn’t a creator have become increasingly irrelevant. 
  • [14:11] - While working as a content creator is an exciting and stimulating option, many don’t realize the 24-7 workload that comes along with it. Boundaries as a creator aren’t just important, they’re essential. 
  • [17:56] - Because the term content creator is so vague, many startups label themselves as a “creator-first” platform. However, not every “creator-first” company serves creators properly. 
  • [20:29] - Creators, particularly social media influencers, are in the unique position of relying on their personality for financial success.
  • [21:59] - Content creator skills are in-demand across all industries and all platforms. 
• [30:58] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode. 

Quotes

[16:22] - “There’s a lot of FOMO around content creation because it seems so easy to do – and it is so easy, really, to be a creator. We have the tools on us right now, you probably have it in your pocket. But, it’s also really difficult to make money from.” ~ @charliprangley

[20:10] - “That is where I think the creator economy right now is. There are so many people that are jumping in to take advantage of it and not truly understanding the problems that creators have.” ~ @haleyjani

[28:53] - “Those are the skills that content creators are really, really, really exceptional at. They’re really exceptional at showing their business and the marketing component and being themselves.” ~ @haleyjani

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• Whitney Manney
• I’m A Creator. You’re A Creator. We’re All Creators! When Did Everybody Start Calling Themselves Content Creators? 
• Instagram
• Meta
• WWDC22
• Apple
• Adobe 
• MagSafe Charger 
• Nike
• TikTok
• Joshua Holmes
• Nathan Barry
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Creator Sessions

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone, or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

Life moves quickly. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a breath and reflect. After more than two years of unprecedented times and a creator economy that feels stronger than ever, ConvertKit has decided it’s time for a temperature check on the creator economy. The State of the Creator Economy Report for 2022 has officially been released and what better time than now to break down the most interesting, discouraging, and surprising takeaways from this year’s report. 

In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel dive into their favorite aspects of the report, theorizing on data points that shocked them, drawing conclusions from results that encouraged them, and offering advice for creators struggling with growth, monetization, and morale. From the ways creators are earning, the content creators are producing, and the mediums creators are consistently using, here’s everything you need to know about the State of the Creator Economy in 2022. 

Key Takeaways

• [01:00] - Have you heard? 
  • [01:05] - Instagram is working on a video reaction option for reels, drawing inspiration from TikTok’s current video reaction feature.
  • [02:56] - Halsey claims her record company won’t release her album unless she comes up with a way to create a viral moment on TikTok. 
  • [04:15] - ConvertKit is hosting Craft + Commerce next month – the first conference in two years! 
• [07:46] - Today’s main topic: The State of the Creator Economy Report
  • [10:14] - Data suggests a gender pay gap within the creator economy. 
  • [14:00] - Why traditional gender roles may play a part in the gender pay gap. 
  • [15:31] - Creators tend to sell services and digital products more than subscriptions and memberships. In other words, creators are focusing on creating one-off products rather than recurring sources of income.
  • [17:16] - The place where creators are launching their businesses has shifted from blogs to Instagram.
  • [19:31] - Instagram can be a portfolio for creators, more so than traditional blogs and websites. However, Instagram is one of the hardest places to build an audience.  
  • [20:32] - Surprisingly, TikTok was underutilized among creators in comparison to email and Instagram. However, it’s possible the ConvertKit sphere of influence skewed that data.
  • [22:49] - Creators in higher income brackets are sending emails more consistently. They’re also likely to value email above paid ads and social. 
  • [25:15] - In 2021, creators’ main goal was to grow their audience. In 2022, creators’ main goal is income growth. 
  • [26:59] - You don’t need a huge email list to earn a living. True fans matter.
  • [28:25] - Creators in the highest income bracket did report a higher level of happiness than creators in lower-income brackets. 
  • [31:09] - This report proved that there’s a market for every specialty.
  • [33:31] - Full-time creators tend to focus more on business strategy. 
• [38:30] - Today’s listener shoutout! There were no listener shoutouts so let’s talk about Haley. Haley has been feeling very creative and recently did a branding photoshoot for a friend. She’s also diving into a brand new creative project – details to come.
• [40:07] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode.  

Quotes

[28:13] - “It’s really about true fans. And if you can get those true fans on your email list, that’s what you need. So start sooner, start now. There’s no better time than now.” ~ @haleyjani

[34:30] - “It’s just interesting that most people were full-on entrepreneurs but there were very few full-on DIYers or full-on artists.” ~ @miguelp.img  

[37:20] - “I think it’s honestly about showing the creative artist types the monetization options available to them. You don’t have to teach people marketing to be able to earn a living as a creator and be a full-time creator. There are options out there and I think that we just need to do a better job of educating creators on what they could be and opening their eyes to it.” ~ @charliprangley

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• State of the Creator Economy Report 
• Buy a ticket to Craft + Commerce
• Rachel Rodgers
• Mat Kearney 
• Amy Porterfield 
• Corey Haines
• Samar Owais
• Why an insurance agent became a secret bird blogger
• Mandi from Happy Happy Houseplant
• Jenny Komenda
• Submit a listener shoutout! 
• Twitter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Snapchat
• Meta
  
  

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

Creator or not, we’ve all experienced burnout to some degree. You throw yourself into a side passion or new business and before you know it, you’re struggling to stay motivated and downright exhausted. While the feeling is familiar, many of us are less familiar with what leads to burnout besides simply “overworking”, how long it takes to bounce back from burnout, and the best ways to rest and recover. 

As creators, burnout is often exacerbated by the constant feedback we receive, positive or otherwise. Listening to a never-ending loop of opinions about everything you create is enough to exhaust the toughest among us. But are there ways to combat the inevitable commentary that comes with being a public creator? And how can you recharge without falling back into burnout the moment you start working again?

In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel discuss the recent ConvertKit article, Creativity Feedback Loops, outlining why creators face an uphill battle with burnout, how some creators are addressing feedback burnout head-on, the plus side to frequent feedback, the right way to rest, and what creators should consider before monetizing their passion. 

Key Takeaways

• [00:27] - Have you heard? 
  • [00:37] - ConvertKit just released a report entitled State Of The Creator Economy 2022 that covers a holistic overview of the creator economy, including data and statistics on creator types, status, gender distribution, monetization, and more.
  • [02:32] - Twitter has created a space for “super followers” only. 
  • [04:14] - The co-hosts of the podcast Reply All are leaving Gimlet, a podcast network that was recently acquired by Spotify. They’re not the first podcast hosts to leave post-acquisition. 
• [08:26] - Today’s main topic: Creativity Feedback Loops.
  • [09:29] - Online feedback is ruthlessly honest. While difficult to swallow, it can be incredibly constructive. 
  • [10:51] - Data shows that Gen Z creators in particular are expecting kindness from their followers more than ever before. In fact, Gen Z creators are choosing their platform based on said platform’s enforcement of respectful comments. 
  • [12:26] - While negative feedback can be helpful, it can also be the thing that tips you over the edge and propels you into burnout. 
  • [13:55] - Burnout isn’t something you recover from quickly – so it’s important to be mindful of how you’re working and how often you’re giving yourself a break. 
  • [15:31] - As a creator, ideas are your currency. To keep the ideas flowing, you have to prioritize rest. In other words, resting is investing in your business. 
  • [17:24] - Having a full-time job takes the pressure off living and breathing your craft 24-7 just to survive. 
  • [18:58] - Balance means something different to everybody. You have to figure out what works for you.
  • [21:01] - Learning to say no can save you from burnout. 
  • [24:03] - Intellectual burnout can be just as challenging for creators as physical burnout.
  • [24:38] - The idea of monetizing creativity in itself induces burnout. 
  • [25:56] - You have to go into life as a creator with the clear understanding that creativity is a business. The business side of monetization is incredibly draining for some. To avoid burnout, consider outsourcing those aspects of your life. 
  • [28:10] - Sometimes you have to walk away from something good to avoid burnout. 
• [30:37] - Today’s listener shoutout: Melanie is a video creator currently working on a documentary series on her YouTube channel. She recently posted her 11th episode.
• [31:47] - Craft & Commerce 2022 is coming up! The first live conference since Covid began. 
• [34:11] - A quick sneak peek at next week’s episode. 

Quotes

[14:28] - “It can take weeks, months, or even years to really recover from burnout depending on how burnt out you are and what sort of situation is waiting for you after whatever break that you take. So you have to be really mindful about setting yourself up for success when you take those breaks.” ~ @miguelp.img 

[16:38] - “Having rest when you're burnt out versus having rest as margin for yourself to give space to relax and have ideas are two very different stages of being. You’re not going to get the ideas when you’re burnt out – that’s your recovery time.”  ~ @charliprangley

[26:02] - “You have to go into the creator world, if you’re looking to monetize your creativity, with the understanding and realization that being a creator is a business. So if you don’t have all of those business inputs figured out, then you’re really going to struggle [with burnout].” ~ @haleyjani

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• Creativity Feedback Loops article
• State of the Blogging Industry (pub. 2017)
• State of the Creator Economy report
• Twitter introduces Super Follows Spaces
• Patreon
• Reply All Podcast 
• Gimlet
• Spotify
• The Joe Rogan Experience
• Call Her Daddy Podcast 
• MailChimp
• Tradecraft
• Shopify 
• Happy Happy Houseplant
• Our listener shoutout Melanie Griesemer 
• Submit a listener shoutout! 
• Buy a ticket to Craft + Commerce

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

Whether you’re an emerging creator, established TikToker, or you’re just hoping to scale an expanding side hustle, we could all use a little support. Thankfully, as the creator economy expands, so do businesses looking to elevate creators through focusing tools, monetization apps, and even hubs for influencer pay transparency. While they’re moving mountains for today’s creators, these incredible apps may not be tools you’ve ever heard of. So let’s change that.

In this episode, Charli and Miguel break down their favorite apps for creators that have largely gone unnoticed. From website hacks to social platforms for female and non-binary entrepreneurs, here’s everything you can utilize as a creator on the rise.

Key Takeaways

• [00:49] - Have you heard? 
  • [01:00] - The term “creator economy” has become commonly used only over the past year-and-a-half. 
  • [02:40] - Twitter Circle is a feature similar to Instagram’s “close friends” feature. It allows you to add up to 150 people who can see your “private” tweets. 
• [07:04] - Today’s main topic: Apps for creators you’ve probably never heard of. 
  • [07:22] - Coolors is a color palette generator perfect for creators looking to redesign their content without paying top dollar for a professional designer. 
  • [09:17] - Sunroom is a safe and secure app designed to amplify women and non-binary people looking to monetize their businesses.  
  • [11:56] - Ulysses is a fantastic app for long-form writing. The app helps you focus and arrange your thoughts. 
  • [14:51] - FYPM shows you what other influencers are getting paid for similar campaigns with similar brands. 
  • [19:22] - Ambients generates different “environment” noises to help creators focus. 
  • [22:17] - Clashapp helps short-form video creators earn revenue directly from fans. 
  • [27:51] - Forrest App incentivizes you to focus without distraction.
  • [30:42] - TinyPNG is a great app for anyone with a blog or website. It shrinks your website loading time by compressing images you add without affecting the image’s quality. 
• [32:29] - Today’s listener shoutout! Alejandro Castanon is an artist and advisor who recently filed his LLC and two separate DBAs for his art business. 
• [33:41] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode.

Quotes

[11:40] - “At one stage, TikTok was the little unknown thing that a few people were starting to use, right? And we never know what is going to be the next TikTok. Maybe it could be Sunroom, who knows. Check it out, be an early adopter.” ~ @charliprangley

[14:30] - “When you’re doing something creative, how you feel when you’re doing it is so important.” ~ @miguelp.img 

[17:46] - “You have this temptation to price yourself in a competitive way so then you’ll undersell what you do because of the fear of losing out on it and you figure, ‘hey at least getting paid for something is better than not getting paid at all’, and then you sort of talk yourself down on your asking price.” ~ @miguelp.img 

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• Twitter
• Twitter Circle
• Instagram
• Patreon
• Coolors 
• Sunroom 
• OnlyFans
• TikTok
• Ulysses 
• Notion
• Microsoft Word
• Google Docs
• Pages
• FYPM
• Google
• Ambients 
• Clashapp.co
• YouTube
• Clubhouse 
• Facebook
• Forrest App 
• TinyPNG
• Alejandro Castanon
• Creativity feedback loops (and their impact on mental health) 

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

In 10th grade, Henry Thong took media studies, thinking it’d be a chance for him to slack off. Instead, he discovered a passion for videography that transformed his career aspirations and redefined his future. Henry pursued film seriously from that point on, entering festivals at every chance he got and following the Casey Neistat philosophy of constantly creating content and sharing as much of it with the world as possible. 

That content push paid off once professionals started spotting Henry’s docuseries on YouTube. Always fascinated by the lives of fellow creators, his passion for telling artists' stories landed him a job producing video content at ConvertKit. But ConvertKit was far from his first career opportunity. Henry knew he couldn’t abandon his side projects, and only pursued jobs that allowed him to balance both.

In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Henry discuss Henry’s advice for filmmakers looking to share their work and gain a following on YouTube, tips beyond beating the notoriously tricky algorithm, how to network with artists that feel out of reach, and how Henry balances a full-time job with the passion projects that fuel him.

Key Takeaways

• [00:37] - Have you heard? 
  • [00:42] - An I Am A Creator film that Henry created was nominated for a Telly Award. ConvertKit’s I Am A Creator website is also nominated for a Webby Award. 
  • [02:06] - Elon Musk is officially the new owner of Twitter. 
  • [03:17] - A creator is on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
  • [04:02] - CNN+ was canceled a month after its launch due to the WarnerMedia Discovery merger. 
• [05:06] - Today’s main topic: Making videos for YouTube.
  • [05:42] - How Henry built his career as a filmmaker. 
  • [12:16] - The best way to build momentum on YouTube and the debate on short-form vs long-form content. 
  • [15:26] - Henry’s tips and tricks for generating organic traffic on YouTube and beating the algorithm. 
  • [21:19] - How Henry maintains healthy boundaries between his personal work and his ConvertKit projects and how he manages to sustain his side hustle while working a full-time job.  
  • [25:09] - What Henry learned pursuing a major passion project in addition to full-time work and why he eventually decided to put that passion project on pause. 
  • [29:42] - Charli’s perspective on short-form vs long-term content. 
  • [34:47] - How Henry networks with artists and creators, including those with mass followers that may feel “unreachable.” 
  • [38:38] - Charli’s and Haley’s closing thoughts on Henry’s advice. 
  • [40:22] - One thing Henry is incredibly proud of. 
• [42:05] - Today’s listener shoutout! Kurt Libby recently launched a new app called HuntMob where anyone can create photo scavenger hunts. You can plug in your ConvertKit API key to directly grow your email list through the scavenger hunt.
• [43:14] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode.

Quotes

[13:18] - “When it comes to the algorithm, it’s so dangerous to play to the algorithm because it’s always changing. It all depends on what you’re trying to achieve. The longer-form content always ends up being better for audience experience. So there’s a lot of factors that influence your decision-making: It’s what you want to achieve with it and who do you want to reach?” ~ @henryzw

[20:01] - “As with every social media platform, you’ve gotta think about it as more of a partnership with that company. What can you do with your content to keep people on their site for longer? Because in the end, YouTube just wants people to stay on there forever.” ~ @henryzw

[32:57] - “Choose whichever format or run time that best fits your creative vision and then find ways to make that work.” ~ @henryzw

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• Henry Thong
• Creator Sessions
• YouTube
• I Am A Creator.
• The Telly Awards
• The Webby Awards
• Elon Musk
• Rolling Stone
• CNN
• Netflix
• A Maker Who Inspires
• Casey Neistat 
• Isa Adney
• Instagram 
• Don Hahn
• Li Cunxin
• Makers Who Inspire: Mao’s Last Dancer: From Mao’s China to Queensland Ballet
• Ronny Chieng  
• Makers Who Inspire: Ronny Chieng on Comedy: A Worthy Pursuit 
• Patrick Droney
• NEEDTOBREATHE
• Kurt Libby
• HuntMob
• Submit a listener shoutout! 
• Chris Ducker 
• Youpreneur
• Pat Flynn
• Otter 

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

What’s your platform of choice? TikTok? YouTube? Twitter? After setting a simple goal to grow, ConvertKit CEO Nathan Barry decided to shift his efforts to one medium rather than spreading himself thin everywhere. The result was a dramatic increase in Twitter followers and high levels of engagement across his posts. So what was the secret to Nathan’s retweet increase? 

The truth is, you don’t have to get lucky with a viral tweet or achieve that coveted blue checkmark to grow on Twitter. Tweets that educate and tell a story garner great engagement all the same. Luckily, Twitter threads accomplish those goals in a way that’s shareable and digestible. And accumulating solid Twitter friends quick to engage with those posts makes threads even more attractive to the algorithmic powers that be. 

In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel talk with Nathan about why threads can help creators grow their audience on Twitter, how to distinguish your thread content from other tweeters, and why you don’t need comedic genius and expert copywriting skills to rack up the favorites and grow a solid following. 

Key Takeaways

• [01:04] - Have you heard? 
  • [01:10] - Meta is discussing charging content creators an almost 50% cut to create VR content.
  • [03:20] - TikTok released a private beta for Effect House – an AR tool for TikTok. 
  • [03:51] - A large majority of Etsy sellers are going on strike because Etsy increased their seller’s fee from 5 to 6.5 percent. 
  • [06:30] - Sam Altman sourced image ideas for DALL-E on Twitter. DALL-E is an AI program that creates images from text descriptions. 
  • [08:41] - Elon Musk ultimately declined a position on Twitter’s board. 
• [10:48] - Today’s main topic: How to grow as a creator using Twitter threads. 
  • [11:43] - Why Twitter? Nathan understands Twitter more than other growth platforms. He ultimately chose to focus on Twitter versus diluting his efforts across multiple platforms.
  • [14:53] - Find a group of Twitter users with strong followings that have similar goals. Twitter’s algorithm favors quote tweets and engagements that happen within the first 10 minutes of a post. Having friends to consistently interact with your posts expedites your growth. 
  • [20:28] - You can ask for support without being a nuisance. Frame outreach as a desire for education versus a desire for favorites. Share your posts with creators and ask for advice. 
  • [24:14] - Threads have been a huge part of Nathan’s growth on Twitter because thread virality doesn’t require a perfectly written line of copy. He recommends repurposing blogs, telling stories, and using visuals. 
  • [35:56] - Adapt your threads to follow the format. In other words, each tweet should be a standalone tweet. 
  • [39:06] - Twitter and Twitter threads garner the most success when creators dedicate their time to Twitter or have spent time creating on other platforms and carry that content over to Twitter. 
• [40:12] - Today’s listener shoutout! Rachel Brown is growing a bookstagram account and recently started receiving advance reader copies from publishers.
• [41:26] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode. 

Quotes

[25:46] - “Threads are interesting because you can really teach something. Which, that’s my format. If you look at all my content it’s not entertainment content it’s all education content. The thread lends itself really well to that.” ~ Nathan Barry

[28:16] - “Something that I try to do is write threads that only I can write. It’s from my own experience, it’s from something that we’ve learned growing ConvertKit, or it’s from data that we have from the platform.” ~ Nathan Barry

[39:06] - “I think where [Twitter] works the best is, either two things: a creator who can dedicate a ton of time to it and say, this is my primary channel, this is what I’m really gonna emphasize. Or the creator who has spent a lot of time, the past 10 years, creating content on other platforms and has a strong point of view and life experience and all of that and wants to bring that over.” ~ Nathan Barry

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• Nathan Barry
• Nathan on Twitter 
• Twitter
• Meta
• Horizon Worlds
• Twitch
• Microsoft Stream
• Facebook Gaming
• FarmVille 
• Welcome to the Effect House beta! 
• Etsy
• Sam Altman
• Y Combinator 
• OpenAI
• Sam’s DALL-E Thread
• DALL-E
• YouTube
• Elon Musk
• Instagram
• Nathan’s podcast
• Sahil Bloom
• Dicky Bush
• David Perell
• Matt Ragland
• Nick Huber
• WhatsApp 
• Katelyn Bourgoin
• Customer Camp
• Social Blade 
• Sarah Cooper
• The ladders of wealth creation
• The Billion Dollar Creator
• Wikipedia 
• Keynote 
• How we grew a local newsletter to 10,000 subscribers
• Nathan’s Twitter thread on growing a local newsletter
• Rachel’s bookstagram 
• Henry Thong
• Creator Sessions
• I Am A Creator.

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

If you’ve noticed that your attention span feels nonexistent, you’re certainly not alone. A recent Guardian piece, Your Attention Didn’t Collapse. It Was Stolen., paints a grim picture of society’s frightening struggle to focus. In a world where technology and social media continue to invade our lives, there’s always an algorithm ready to suck us in. The attention suck is especially hard to escape when not having an iPhone can sometimes mean not having a social life. 

But what role do creators have in the attention crisis taking over our lives? After all, creators produce some of the content that’s keeping us glued to our phones. And has the collective attention span decline impacted creators' ability to be productive themselves? 

In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel discuss how creators can create without sucking their audience into an attention-stealing trap, how consumers and creators alike can actively combat the attention span decline, and the link between stress, happiness, and your ability to focus on the work you love.

Key Takeaways

• [01:02] - Have you heard? 
  • [01:21] - Elon Musk bought a lot of Twitter shares and will be getting a seat on Twitter’s board. 
  • [02:17] - Twitter is working on an edit button. 
  • [06:42] - BeReal is an app that encourages users to share their real life on social media versus a staged highlight reel.
• [08:43] - Today’s main topic: Your Attention Didn’t Collapse. It Was Stolen. 
  • [10:50] - The forces consuming our attention are so powerful that sometimes the only solution is to physically remove the temptation. 
  • [14:38] - Creators should focus on serving valuable content that someone briefly focuses on versus stealing their attention away with no underlying purpose other than capital gain. 
  • [17:15] - There’s also a social expectation to be constantly available and engaged via our phones. 
  • [20:28] - Fight against the attention deficit by focusing on finding your flow state. To find your flow, focus on achieving a meaningful goal. 
  • [22:28] - Unfortunately, individuals swearing off distracting apps won’t address the systemic issue. Creators have a larger impact in making distraction meaningful. 
  • [24:36] - To achieve that flow state, you also have to be intentional with the content you’re surrounding yourself with when you’re creating. 
  • [26:03] - Find a hobby that forces you to disconnect. 
  • [27:01] - We as a society need to be intentional with how we disconnect.
  • [28:31] - Reducing stress also improves your attention.
  • [30:02] - As individuals, we have to set anti-distraction boundaries and windows of focus for ourselves that hold us accountable.
• [31:40] - Submit a listener shoutout! 
• [34:54] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode. 

Quotes

[14:21] - “We as creators need to have downtime in order to produce our greatest work. And we as creators also need to steal the attention of people in order to build and make our business grow and grow our audience. But we also can’t be a product of it as well.” @haleyjani

[14:55] - “There’s a difference between stealing and borrowing. And I would hope that what I at least am aiming to do with my content is borrowing people’s attention. Where it’s kind of like, ‘watch me now, watch how I’m doing this design thing and how I’m handling this process’, and then you’re going to be better equipped to go and do it yourself when you’re giving that your full focus.” ~ @charliprangley

[25:35] - “You have to be deliberate about what you surround yourself with when you’re engaging in something. So when you’re going to create a new piece of content or when you are going to do something that’s like a hobby for you or that you really enjoy, try to set yourself up to have as few distractions as possible.” ~ @miguelp.img 

Links

• Your Attention Didn’t Collapse. It Was Stolen. 
• Twitter
• Elon Musk
• BeReal
• Paste Magazine
• Creator Sessions
• Treefort Music Fest
• Brad Wagner
• Smokey Brights
• Smokey Brights Creator Sessions Performance
• Earl Miller Neuroscientist 
• Apple Watch
• Instagram
• Slack
• Submit a listener shoutout! 
• Nathan Barry

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

With practice, anyone can write. But can anyone transform a blog into a full-blown online publication? There’s a big difference between the two, and how you navigate the transition from blog to publication can determine whether your brand develops or your blog stays stagnant. 

Dani Stewart, helmer of ConvertKit's blog Tradecraft, knows what it’s like to write, edit, and make that tricky transition. She began her career writing articles but successfully transformed that traffic-generating blog into a legitimate hub for compelling ConvertKit content. Dani’s expanded the operation, brought on new writers and even a blog manager. While she no longer spends her days writing, she is responsible for Tradecraft’s entire operation — a creative endeavor and an enormous challenge in itself. 

So what steps can creators take if they’re looking to start a blog or take their existing online presence to the next level? What’s it like to hire writers you trust and learn to delegate, project-manage, and make tough editorial decisions? 

In this episode, Charli, Miguel, and Dani discuss Dani’s advice for expanding an existing blog, the difference between a blog being your business and your business having a blog, tips for hiring strong writers, what posts to stop writing once your brand becomes big, and why the best blogs are more than just content hubs that drive traffic and boost SEO.

Key Takeaways

• [01:21] - Have you heard?
  • [01:35] - Instagram is introducing special tags to help elevate black creators and ensure creators receive credit for their original content. 
  • [02:49] - Apple Podcasts is improving access to listenership metrics for podcast creators. 
• [04:18] - Today’s main topic: Managing an online publication. 
  • [04:26] - The difference between a blog and an online publication.
  • [06:11] - Dani’s process for managing content on ConvertKit’s blog.
  • [09:22] - Why would a business whose “main attraction” isn’t a blog choose to create and sustain a blog? 
  • [11:07] - The benefits of outsourcing blog management. 
  • [13:58] - How Dani’s position and type of creativity at work has evolved. 
  • [15:44] - The most difficult part of transitioning a blog to an online publication. 
  • [18:06] - How to handle hectic internal staff transitions and why having that buffer between an article’s completion and its publication is so important.
  • [21:04] - The tools Dani uses to manage the extensive project management behind ConvertKit’s blog. 
  • [21:54] - How Dani strategizes content creation. 
  • [23:42] - How to grow your blog when it’s not in service of a larger entity and is instead trying to grow on its own.
• [32:05] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode. 
• [32:27] - Submit a listener shoutout! 

Quotes

[16:08] - “An underlying fear I always have is that the people that I always trust that are doing such a great job are gonna move on and do something else. So the hardest part is finding people that you trust.” ~ @danileighstew

[30:52] - “If you are planning on doing it, make sure to take time to set up style guides. If you’re starting to hire people and you want the same voice, you need to be able to show them what that is.” ~ @danileighstew

[31:34] - “Why is your audience coming to you? Is it because you're a straight talker? Is it because it sounds like it’s coming from a friend? Do you use Gifs? Do they comment on certain aspects of your blog posts? Make sure that your writers understand that and can flow with that.” ~ @danileighstew

Links

• Dani Stewart
• ConvertKit’s Blog (Tradecraft)
• Tradecraft How-To Guides
• Instagram
• Apple Podcasts
• Apple Podcasts improvements will let creators see follower data, get help with subscription shows, more
• WordPress
• YouTube
• I Am A Creator.
• Charli on YouTube
• The Future Belongs To Creators 119: Working With a Virtual Assistant as a Creator with Chloe Anna
• monday.com
• Charli’s website
• Twitter 
• Why you shouldn’t sell your ebook on Amazon
• Google
• SEMrush
• Marques Brownlee (MKBHD)
• Giphy
• Your Attention Didn’t Collapse. It Was Stolen
• Submit a listener shoutout! 

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

There is lots of advice out there for aspiring creators. Just remember, the best advice doesn’t always come from entrepreneurs with millions of followers and millions in the bank. In fact, the most valuable advice can sometimes stem from the products, platforms, and ideas that never reached the masses.

No stranger to The Future Belongs to Creators podcast, Support Operations Lead at ConvertKit and former full-time creator Ben Schoeffler wouldn’t exactly consider himself a “success story”. Selling courses, memberships, and everything in between, Ben never quite cracked the product code. But if you’re still toying with the idea of selling online, take Ben’s experience and learn from what worked, what didn’t, and what slipped through the digital cracks. 

In this episode, Miguel and Ben discuss the options creators have when it comes to selling online, the failed products that surprised Ben, the product success stories Ben learned from, and why the content creator business model isn’t the only path (or the best path) toward building a livelihood online. 

Key Takeaways

• [00:45] - Have you heard? 
  • [00:57] - Vimeo is telling creators they need to pay up or leave the platform.
• [03:55] - Today’s main topic: Selling products online 101. 
  • [04:02] - What we mean by “selling products” online. You can sell a lot of things online including both physical goods and digital products. Digital products are great options for mass-producing while avoiding the mess and stress of the supply chain. 
  • [04:33] - Ben has sold courses, a membership website offering exclusive podcast episodes, and his time coaching clients individually. 
  • [06:55] - The mistakes Ben made selling products online.
    • [07:09] - The risks and upside to pre-selling products.  
    • [11:46] - Why you’re (probably) not charging enough. 
    • [17:18] - How to build the right product. 
    • [21:20] - If you’re a new creator, selling products without having an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you is incredibly hard. 
    • [25:20] - On the flip side, having an audience doesn’t always translate to sales. 
    • [27:32] - Don’t quit your day job too early. 
    • [31:39] - Be aware that there are other business models outside of the creator business model. While it’s trending, it may not be right for you.
  • [36:28] - Submit yourself for a listener shoutout! 
  • [36:55] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode.  

Quotes

[17:04] - “Price is a signal to certain things and higher prices oftentimes signal quality. So if you’re confident in your product you should not be scared about charging that higher price.” ~ @BenSchoeffler

[18:08] - “You should build what individuals are asking for. Because you might be saying, ‘Ok, how do I know which product to build?’ Build what a specific individual is asking for, not what everyone or the people are asking for. That’s where I’ve had my most success.” ~ @BenSchoeffler

[23:18] - “If you have someone that knows you, likes you, and trusts you, they’re going to be much more willing to spend money with you.” ~ @BenSchoeffler

[33:27] - “There are lots of other business models out there and some of them are a lot more beneficial than just being on the content creation treadmill. So I highly, highly encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to what products you might be wanting to make or how you want to make income because there are things that require a lot less work or a lot more enjoyable work than just creating content.” ~ @BenSchoeffler

Links

• Ben Schoeffler
• Vimeo
• YouTube
• Patreon
• Vimeo is telling creators to suddenly pay thousands of dollars – or leave the platform
• Shut Up, Brain Podcast 
• Udemy, Inc.
• Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini 
• Ben’s YouTube channel 
• Facebook Advertising
• Etsy
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Vidalia Onions
• Submit a listener shoutout! 
• Dani Stewart

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

Not all of us have the guts to chase our dreams. Despite family disapproval and peers all around him taking the safe route, Thomas Dulin knew he could make music for a living. Fortunately, he was correct, and today, Thomas is a music producer and sound engineer in Nashville, Tennessee living his dream. He splits his time touring with popular and emerging artists and making records of his own.

While earning a living as a music producer sounds glamorous, an email list is what tipped Thomas off to a gig that would jumpstart his career. Even with a short resume, all it took was the promise of work ethic, an obvious passion for the craft, and one person to take a chance on him. Luckily, that one person was Drew Holcomb. 

So how does someone go from a college classroom to center (or back) stage? And what are the real barriers to entry besides doubtful onlookers? Over the last decade, Thomas has learned a lot about making waves in the business and he’s here to share tips for making it in an industry as competitive as they come. 

In this episode, Charli, Haley, Miguel, and Thomas discuss knowing when a creative career is right for you, what sound engineers really do, the importance of representation, and the early advice that shaped Thomas’ outlook on the industry.

Key Takeaways

• [01:50] - Have you heard? 
  • [02:02] - Taylor Lorenz, a notable reporter in the creator space, has moved away from The New York Times, partly because the NYT is taking issue with its reporters building out personal brands.
  • [03:30] - Apple unveiled new products yesterday including a display and a new desktop mac mini. 
  • [06:10] - Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, recently acquired Bandcamp to develop an e-commerce-powered marketplace for creators. 
• [07:52] - Main topic: Building a dream career in the music industry.
  • [08:18] - An intro to Thomas Dulin.
  • [10:30] - How Thomas landed a gig with Drew Holcomb despite a short resume. 
  • [14:49] - How Thomas realized that a career in the music industry was his ultimate dream and the steps he took to achieve that dream. 
  • [18:27] - How Thomas envisioned his career in music and how he feels about the role he ended up in.
  • [23:31] - Why sound engineering requires creativity and coaching skills. 
  • [25:26] - Thomas’ advice for aspiring music professionals. 
  • [27:37] - Does Thomas have a future as a course creator? 
  • [28:53] - The invaluable early advice Thomas received at his first job in the music business.
• [31:27] - Submit yourself for a creator shoutout! Plus, Thomas shares a recent success.
• [32:38] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode. 

Quotes

[17:38] - “It wasn’t like a conscious decision, it was just like, this career exists, someone’s making money doing this, why can’t that be me?” ~ @thomasdulin

[25:58] - “Somebody who wants to do what I do needs to love music in a way that is outside of ego or the need to make a living, honestly. If you go into it thinking you’re going to make a lot of money and this is an opportunity for that, you’re going to fall on your face guaranteed.” ~ @thomasdulin

[27:00] - “The number one thing is to do it. Just know that you’re gonna fail and it’s not gonna be good for a long time, but figure out a way to do it, get a mic, get a converter, and one pair of headphones and just go after it.” ~ @thomasdulin

[30:09] - “It’s not the producer’s job to take over and sort of steamroll whatever vision the artist has, but rather to come alongside them and guide them into what they want to make. And sure it is a creative process to guide the artist, but at the end of the day, it’s not our song, it’s not our art, we’re just there to facilitate that and be sort of the mountain guide for the artist.” ~ @thomasdulin

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• Thomas Dulin
• Alyssa Dulin
• The Future Belongs to Creators: Why Deliverability Matters with Alyssa Dulin and Melissa Lambert
• Taylor Lorenz
• The New York Times
• The Washington Post
• Michael Barbaro
• The Daily Podcast 
• Twitter
• Apple
• Apple Studio Display
• Mac Mini
• Epic Games
• Fortnite
• Bandcamp
• Travis Scott
• Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
• Creator Sessions
• Maura Streppa
• Creator Sessions: Musical Performance with Drew and Ellie Holcomb
• BobNet email list
• TikTok
• Youtube 
• Kygo 
• ConvertKit Commerce
• Thomas’ (old) blog
• Thomas on Instagram
• Spotify 

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Start building your audience for free

With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.