About the Episode:
Eugene Khayman is the COO of Million Dollar Sellers (MDS), an exclusive community for top Amazon entrepreneurs that he helped grow from a humble Facebook group into a thriving six-figure membership of 700 members generating $11 billion in annual sales.

In this episode of "Uploading...", Eugene shares the organic journey of building MDS alongside running his own Amazon brand. He discusses key strategies that made MDS successful, such as their "give more, get more" philosophy, setting a high bar for membership to filter out noise, and delivering immense value that justifies the $7,500 annual membership fee.

Eugene also unpacks the business model powering MDS, including multiple revenue streams from membership, partnerships, affiliates, and events. He emphasizes the importance of member-only perks, local chapters, and a robust software platform to organize resources and drive engagement in a community. 

Finally, Eugene offers advice for content creators looking to launch their own paid communities.

Today, we'll cover:
- How MDS grew organically from a humble Facebook group to a thriving community
- The "Give More, Get More" philosophy that drives member engagement and success
- Strategies for filtering out noise and maintaining a high-quality, focused community
- The business model behind MDS and why people pay over $7,000 a year to be part of the network
- Eugene's insights on scaling communities while maintaining their identity and core values
- Tips for building and monetizing your own niche membership community

What You'll Learn
1. How to Start a Community from Scratch
2. Strategies for Organic Community Growth 
3. How to Filter Noise in Early Stages of Community
4. When and How to Monetize a Community
5. Thriving vs. Dead Communities
6. Software for Managing Communities
7. Application and Onboarding Process for Established Communities
8. Tips for Creators on Building and Monetizing a Community

Timestamps
00:00 Intro and background on Eugene and Million Dollar Sellers (MDS) 
04:45 Current stats of MDS community: revenue, members, ticket price 
06:45 Starting a community organically and verifying/filtering members 
08:33 Monetization: when to do it and how to create value
14:44 Where to host a new community and who to bring in
17:53 Seeding a new community: starting conversations and keeping it alive
24:02 Application process and onboarding new members to MDS now 
26:55 Where MDS community is going; chapters for local connections 
30:30 Platforms used to run MDS community; GroupOS app development
33:44 Opportunities for content creators to monetize via communities 
38:33 Q&A: Strategies for specific community examples from audience 
44:00 Building a wait list and leveraging existing audience for a community 
46:02 Options for immediately monetizing a new community 
50:44 Turning virality into community; setting criteria and values 
55:15 Wrap-up; where to find Eugene on social

Building Engaged Communities: “I think your first objective should always be like that core group of the founding members. For us I think it was like 150 members before we started actually monetizing. But you know, I would say you want to get to 100 members, you want to have at least 40, 50 die hard members that are engaging in there every single day. You want to get at least five to 10 conversations happening a day. If somebody can ask a question and have it answered that same day like that, that's the value creation right there, right? You don't want to be the one, you yourself answering every single question because you yourself, you don't know everything.” — Eugene Khayman, 00:08:33 → 00:09:25

Monetizing and Scaling a Community: “Whenever somebody starts making a profit because of others, there's going to be some level of, like, why are we doing this? And there's also going to be that, that hesitation to grow. Everybody's going to be like, ’We're so great, we don't need more people.’ Right? And we've crossed that bar—100 members, 200 members, 400 members—there's always that, ‘Oh, we're too big, we're too big, we're too big.’ And you're going to get that pushback. The biggest thing that I think that helped us do it together is one, once we started monetizing, we started putting all of that money back into more events and more resources, building a team… Once you start adding back value by hiring people that help keep things organized, putting on calls regularly, doing events regularly, you'll get that respect from those members, those existing members. And then the new people that are coming in, you have to show that these new people actually bring value to the community.” — Eugene Khayman, 00:11:33 → 00:13:03

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Eugene Khayman - COO of Million Dollar Sellers

About the Episode:
Martha Bitar is the co-founder and CEO of Flodesk, an email marketing platform that makes it easy for creators and entrepreneurs to make beautiful emails designed for conversion. Flodesk has quickly grown to a $30 million ARR business while remaining completely bootstrapped.

In this episode of "Uploading...," Martha shares strategies for creating engaging email content, growing a subscriber list, and using email to build authentic audience relationships. She covers key topics like email design, subject line optimization, and future trends like AI-powered email marketing. Martha also provides actionable insights on deliverability, segmentation, automation, and more.

Today, we'll cover:
- Why email marketing is still one of the most effective channels for creators and businesses
- Martha's favorite tactics for rapidly growing your email list and keeping subscribers engaged
- The ideal email content and design elements that drive opens, clicks and conversions
- How segmentation and personalization can supercharge your email performance
- The future of email marketing and how AI will enable solopreneurs to compete with big businesses

What You'll Learn
1. Power and Benefits of Email Marketing for Creators
2. Strategies for Growing an Email Newsletter
3. Importance of Building an Email List
4. Segmentation and Its Importance in Email Marketing
5. Automations and Workflows in Email Marketing
6. Best Practices in Email Design and Content
7. Factors Affecting Email Deliverability
8. Relationship Between Open Rates, Deliverability, and Spam
9. Future Trends and AI in Email Marketing

Timestamps
00:00 Martha's background and starting Flodesk
00:42 Why existing email solutions weren't working
03:30 What makes Flodesk different 
04:55 Flodesk's fast growth and bootstrapped success 
05:47 How to build and grow an engaged email list 
09:36 Strategies for email segmentation 
15:50 Overview of the email marketing tool landscape
19:52 Best practices for subject lines and preview lines
25:49 Two ways to improve email deliverability
28:58 Ideal email content and design
35:15 Optimal email sending frequency
38:02 When and how to clean your email list
42:56 How AI will positively impact email marketing
46:49 Q&A: Referral programs to grow email lists
48:41 Q&A: Reliability of open rates with machine opens
49:46 Q&A: Ideal number of emails in a welcome series 
52:16 Q&A: Best image-to-text ratio for click rates 
54:26 Q&A: Email list quality vs quantity
57:02 Where to find Martha and Flodesk online

Why Design-Driven Emails Convert Better: “Like there's a lot of noise, attention spans are super short. So every single email, it can't just hit the inbox, it has to stand out, it has to engage from the beginning. It has to be hyper optimized for conversion. And text based without any of your brand just doesn't cut it anymore, right? And not just for solopreneurs. We actually we looked at a case study with Stripe. Stripe is a massive company, right? I think it's the largest private company in the world and they A/B tested a text-based email and one that was actually optimize for conversion using their own brand. And the on brand design-based email increased conversion by 21%. So whether you're a very small business or a large business, like design is not a luxury anymore.” — Martha Bitar, 00:03:32 → 00:04:14.160

Why Owning Your Audience Matters: “The risk is not using it [email] because you saw what happened with TikTok, right? It can really disappear overnight and you're really on rented space. You don't own your audience. So over all of the effort that you put into building that followership and engagement can really go away. Where if you're building that on social media, but you're also saying, ‘Hey, by the way, join my newsletter.’ That's the list that you own. You're not platform-dependent. Even if we at some point make a mistake and become like a dinosaur as well, and you want to jump ship and go to another platform, you can just download and export your entire subscriber list and go use another platform.” — Martha Bitar, 00:18:48 → 00:19:25

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Martha Bitar - Co-Founder and CEO of Flodesk

About the Episode:
Jonathan Goodman is the creator of the Personal Trainer Development Center ($35M+ rev) and host of the popular Obvious Choice podcast, a top podcast for coaches, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

Jonathan’s been featured in most major business and fitness publications including Men's Health, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Robb Report, Inc., and many more. Over 200,000 coaches and small business owners in more than 120 countries have purchased business development materials from him.

In this episode of "Uploading...," Jonathan shares insights from his journey of building a multimillion-dollar fitness business through strategic content creation. He discusses key concepts like understanding audience needs, developing scalable systems, and focusing on meaningful metrics for long-term success.

Today, we'll cover:
- Jonathan's transformative journey from personal trainer to successful online entrepreneur
- The key principles for creating impactful, business-focused content that resonates with your audience
- How to develop a range of offerings that serve your audience at different stages of their journey
- Adopting a balanced, seasonal approach to work and life for long-term success and fulfillment
- Powerful, timeless lessons from Jonathan's new book, The Obvious Choice, on mastering the game of business and life

What You'll Learn
1. Content Creation and Business Success
2. Understanding Human Behavior vs Chasing Trends
3. Goodhart’s Law and Social Media Metrics
4. Jonathan’s Life and Business Philosophy
5. Business Structure and Offerings
6. Client Management and Online Income Growth
7. Viral Content vs Content that Converts

Timestamps
00:00 From working as a personal trainer to a $7M per year business
04:20 Jonathan’s new book, The Obvious Choice; the parade problem
07:01 First steps to start growing an audience online
13:34 Personal Trainer Development Center’s first online course
14:57 How to create a scalable system and avoid the trap of false economies
19:57 Thinking of content as a long-term savings account
24:11 Goodhart’s law: when the metric becomes the goal, it ceases to be a good metric
28:00 Building businesses in seasons; balancing personal life and work
33:12 The four arms of Jonathan’s business
36:53 Broader community vs high ticket offers; choosing customers wisely

Likes vs Business Impact: “It's easy to be rich with likes and poor with dollars because what feeds the ego is what's bad for the wallet… I have lots of posts that have 10, 20, 30, 40, 100,000 likes. I also have posts that have less than a thousand likes. And I can tell you that the posts with less than a thousand likes drive more business than the posts with 30 or 40,000. Now, does that mean that neither is valuable? I believe that we need three types of content. I believe that we need viral, value, and depth-based content.” — Jonathan Goodman, 00:25:59 → 00:27:08

Content as a Savings Account: “Most of the time, everything that's working for you will be bubbling underneath the surface, invisible to the eye. You don't know when that inflection point is going to hit… You have to think of content as a savings account and you have to think of content as a way to primarily nurture and convert people and leads that are generated elsewhere.” — Jonathan Goodman, 00:21:10 → 00:21:56

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Jonathan Goodman - Founder of Personal Trainer Development Center

About the Episode:
Jay Clouse is the founder of Creator Science, a media company that offers advanced creator education through newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube. With over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and a successful podcast interviewing content creators and strategists, Jay has established himself as an expert in the creator economy.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” we explore Jay’s content strategy that spans newsletters, podcasts, and social media. Jay shares insights on the underspoken art of packaging in content and its impact on performance. He also shares podcasting strategies, covering topics such as balancing scripting and spontaneity, effective interview techniques, and the importance of active listening.

Today, we'll cover:
- Jay's background and journey as a content creator and founder of Creator Science
- The importance of email and social media in building audience ownership and discoverability
- Strategies for creating engaging content across various platforms, including newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube
- Tips for conducting effective podcast interviews and packaging episodes for maximum impact
- Jay's diversified business model and how he leverages content for audience growth and product promotion

What You'll Learn
1. Packaging and Pre-Production
2. Post-Poduction Strategies
3. Social Proof in Content
4. Hook and Tension in Content
5. Scripting and Spontaneity in Podcasts
6. Podcast Interview Techniques
7. Creator Science Business Model

Timestamps
00:00 From product management to content
03:25 Email, social media, audio podcasting
05:18 Content ecosystem; channels and cadence
06:27 Content strategy; how to keep content fresh
09:48 Content packaging and performance
11:43 Elements of YouTube video packaging
15:01 The role of social proof in good content
17:39 How to package audio podcasts
20:54 Scripting vs non-scripting in podcasts
26:28 Tips for recording a podcast remotely
29:46 Podcast post-production best practices
32:10 How to turn content into business
34:43 What’s next for Creator Science

Importance of Packaging in Content: “There are elements of a piece of content that people engage with, interact with, before they make the decision to actually go deeper into that thing. So on YouTube, title, thumbnail, and kind of the idea that's inherent in those things. If you go to a bookstore, it's the title and the cover of the book, it's even the spine of the book. An email, it's the subject line. Audio podcast, it’s the title of that episode. So, every form of content has some bit of packaging that you can think about or you can't think about. But if you do think about it, you're going to be more successful because if you intentionally design the package for that medium to be inherently clickable, compelling, where people are like, I need to know more about this, then it's going to be more successful as a piece of content. — Jay Clouse, 00:10:50 → 00:11:41

Podcast Hosting and Active Listening: “To be a great interviewer, you really have to have good active listening skills. And so the act of prepping questions is more priming my own mind than it is like a structure that I have to follow. I'm very intentional about where I start, and I'm good at leading us to the area of discussion that I want. But often I would say at least half the questions that I asked were not, you know, quote unquote, prepped. They, they come from what happens. And I think, I think that's the right balance because even if you have a two display system, as I do here, if I have the interview doc on my right hand display and I have questions there, if I'm looking at that and trying to think about which one of these questions should I ask next, I'm not listening. And a guest is opening some door that inevitably I won't walk through. And as the listener of the final product, you're going to be saying, ‘Why didn't you follow up on this thing that person just said?’ And the answer is, because you weren't listening. You were looking at your display.” — Jay Clouse, 00:21:42 → 00:22:42

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Jay Clouse - Founder of Creator Science

About the Episode:
JT Barnett is a content creator, entrepreneur, and founder of CreatorX, a headhunting firm that matches creators with consumer brands to ideate, film, edit, and post content on their behalf. He has worked with major brands like Microsoft, Skechers, and Nissan.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” JT shares strategies for creating compelling content, building an audience, and monetizing through brand partnerships. He emphasizes the importance of enjoying the creative process, engaging with a niche audience, and using feedback to inform content decisions.

JT also gives practical advice on topics such as developing signature content series, avoiding burnout, using AI tools in the creation process, and more.

Today, we'll cover:
- JT's transition from pro athlete to content creator and entrepreneur
- The importance of organic social media engagement over paid ads
- Impactful content strategies for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn
- How to build a signature content series to stand out and grow an audience
- Insights on partnering with creators to drive business growth and success

What You'll Learn
1. Content Monetization
2. Long-form Content Benefits
3. YouTube Strategy
4. Personal Brand Building
5. Content Creation Strategies
6. AI in Content Creation
7. Future Content Trends

Timestamps
00:00 How CreatorX helps brands leverage influencers
04:04 From being a pro athlete to building a 7-figure business
07:53 Case study: Poppy’s content strategy success
10:25 Where to start creating content; choosing a platform
13:20 Strategies for making podcast clips engaging
15:40 How to reach and engage your niche audiences
17:37 Best practices for optimizing social media profiles
20:18 What is a signature series and how to come up with one
23:59 How to create content consistently and avoid burnout
25:51 The importance of perspective on viewership
28:33 How to approach content monetization 
30:57 Long-form vs short-form organic video content
34:53 Content strategy for JT’s personal brand and CreatorX
36:58 JT’s content workflow and team
39:24 How to expand niche as a content creator
42:57 Social media content trends to watch out for in 2025
45:16 Strategies for podcast guest outreach
47:48 Best practices for using AI in content creation
51:07 Adding musical score to podcast clips vs posting them as is
52:13 Best aspect ratio to use for LinkedIn videos
53:01 Creator tools and agentic workflows
54:33 What data to look at when developing a brand strategy
55:46 How to get podcast sponsors

Why Brands Partner with Creators: “You might actually have the ideas, but when you go to film it, you just don't know the technique, you don't know how to edit, you don't know how to create in an actual capacity. Even if people have ideas, they need makers, they need people to do it. There's something really missing here where brands are going to need these creators, and creators also want these kinds of jobs to work within companies." — JT Barnett, 00:06:52 → 00:07:02

Why Creators Need to Engage Niche Audiences: “Whose accounts do you really enjoy that you could see yourself being somewhat similar to? And I don't think of it in a way of like, let's go copy that person. I think of it like, let's go and make friends with everybody that's in their audience. Because if that person has an audience of fitness minded people and you love their content, there's a really good chance that that audience is also going to be the audience that you're trying to get to follow you and care about you." — JT Barnett, 00:16:17 → 00:16:34

Content Creation and Monetization: “I think a lot of people want to monetize too soon... And the people that actually make money from it find enjoyment in the process of what they're doing. So I think that literally on day one, I would be like, I need to find a way to actually enjoy this." — JT Barnett, 00:29:14 → 00:29:25

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
JT Barnett - Founder of CreatorX

About the Episode:
Chris Savage is the co-founder and CEO of the video marketing platform Wistia. He is a key figure in the video content space and personal brand, having famously scaled his company to over $50M a year in revenue, without outside investors. 

Chris is also a content creator, regularly sharing insights from his entrepreneurial journey on LinkedIn and hosting the podcast Talking Too Loud.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” Chris discusses the evolution of video content, the impact of AI on content creation, and the enduring importance of authentic storytelling. He also shares lessons learned from Wistia's growth, his content creation process and workflow, and strategies for building a strong personal brand as a founder.

Today, we'll cover:
- The evolution of video content and the impact of AI on content creation
- The significance of trustworthiness and authenticity in an AI-driven content landscape
- Adapting to audience expectations and leveraging various content formats
- Chris Savage's journey as a content creator and the value of personal branding for founders
- Strategies for creating engaging content, setting realistic goals, and avoiding burnout

What You'll Learn
1. Evolution and Future of Video Content
2. AI’s Impact on Content Creation
3. Personal Branding for Founders
4. Content Creation Strategies
5. Content Workflow
6. Podcast Content Strategy
7. Strategic Goal-Setting

Timestamps
00:00 Chris Savage’s background and company
04:51 Evolution of video tech and production
06:59 Impact of AI on video content creation 
13:53 Importance of content creation for founders
17:44 Chris Savage’s content funnel 
20:14 Tips on getting started as a content creator
22:41 Creating content for personal brand vs business brand
25:34 Chris Savage’s content workflow and team
27:27 Strategies for growing a podcast
31:44 Importance of goal framing on success

Evolution of Video Tech: “Basically what keeps happening is that new technology comes out that makes it tremendously cheaper and easier to make video. And then the uses of video magnify and the expectations magnify." — Chris Savage, 00:05:17 → 00:05:27

Role of Founders in Business Growth: “I think there's a good question every founder should ask themselves, which is like, what's the thing that I can uniquely do that is going to add value?” — Chris Savage, 00:15:22 → 00:15:35

Trust in the Age of AI: "So I think while you should be using AI to aid in your content creation, you need to find ways to make sure that human beings that you can connect with are still really there." — Chris Savage, 00:10:10 → 00:10:23

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Chris Savage - Co-Founder & CEO of Wistia

About the Episode:
Jay Yang is a content creator with over 100,000 followers and the Head of Content for Noah Kagan, founder of AppSumo. At only 18 years old, Jay has already made a significant impact in the world of content creation while still attending university.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” Jay shares his journey from experimenting with various online projects to landing an opportunity to work with Noah Kagan using his TAG method. He discusses his content creation process, balancing his work with education, and overcoming imposter syndrome. Jay also shares insights into his upcoming project on creating accessible social content templates for beginner creators.

Today, we'll cover:
- Jay Yang's content creation and audience growth frameworks
- How to land high-profile opportunities using Jay Yang’s TAG method
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and embracing the learning process in content creation
- Benefits of social content templates for beginner creators

What You'll Learn
1. Target-Audit-Gift Method
2. Importance of Empathy and Pre-Work
3. Content Creation and Repurposing Strategies
4. Content Testing and Metrics
5. The “Name Test”
6. Top-Down Approach to Content Creation
7. Bottom-Up Approach to Content Creation
8. Benefits of Using Content Templates

Timestamps
00:00 How Jay Yang got into content creation
03:03 Jay Yang’s “portfolio of failure,” TAG method
06:42 Key learnings from working at Beehiiv
09:59 How to land an opportunity with your favorite company
14:38 Optimizing Noah Kagan’s content workflow
17:27 Quantitative approach to marketing; content testing
21:10 From experimentation to building a content engine that works
24:13 Overcoming imposter syndrome in content creation
28:02 Benefits of using social content templates

Mastering Empathy in Business: “I think the greatest skill you can learn as a marketer, a creator, an entrepreneur, even just as a person, is empathy and being able to place yourself in someone else's shoes.” — Jay Yang [00:08:00 → 00:08:10]

Keys to Building Professional Relationships: “I think that strategy of where most people ask, how can I help you? Or what can I do to work for you for free? The problem with that approach is that by asking, without showing, you're actually making the other person do more work to figure out who you are and if you're any good and what you can actually help with... And so the question that I ask myself, and I encourage people listening to this to ask is, how can I make this a no brainer for the other person? And that kind of ties back into that empathy, right? Putting yourself in the other person's perspective... To work with your favorite entrepreneur or company, basically, you need to show two things, that, number one, you want the job, and number two, that you can do the job. And the best way that I believe you can do that is to do the work upfront, to use the TAG method, to do what I like to call pre-work. And I think the coolest thing about this approach is you don't have to have any experience or, you know, credibility or a degree." — Jay Yang [00:12:46 → 00:13:13]

Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Content Creation: "I only have to be one chapter ahead of the textbook of life. Like, you don't have to be the guru preaching at the top of the mountain. You just have to be one or two steps ahead of the people behind you and the people you're sharing content to. So that's kind of what I'm realizing is, as I grow my brand, I'm not trying to be the professor at the front of the class. The way I like to view myself is as that kid in the back sharing his notes with the rest of his classmates." — Jay Yang, [00:25:21 → 00:25:49]

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Jay Yang - Head of Content at AppSumo

About the Episode:
Kane Kallaway is a content creator specializing in tech, AI, and cult brands with over 550K followers and 1B+ views. Founder of WavyStudios, Kane helps companies enhance their video content for audience growth and conversions. He also leads WavyWorld, a community/course on short-form storytelling, and shares insights into the creator entrepreneur world through his newsletter Blueprint.

In this episode of “Uploading...,” Kane shares his strategies and workflow for creating engaging short-form video content. He discusses the importance of creating curiosity loops, placing strategic hooks throughout the video, and tailoring content to each platform's unique consumption experience.

We discuss at length Kane’s content creation process, where he finds his ideas, how he chooses relevant topics and writes scripts with his unique angle, why rhythm and pacing are important in video editing, and how all these factors in creating an engaging short-form video content which then drives his audience to longer-form content where conversion happens.

Today, we'll cover:
- The importance of curiosity loops and strategic hooks in engaging audiences
- Crafting the perfect rhythm and pacing for soothing, engaging videos
- Tailoring content for different platforms and their unique consumption experiences
- Kane's workflow for idea generation, scripting, recording, and visualizing content
- Leveraging short-form content to nurture audiences and drive conversion to long-form formats

What You'll Learn
1. Short-form vs. Long-form Videos
2. Storytelling Techniques
3. Personal Brand Building
4. Audience Engagement and Conversion
5. Content Creation Workflow
6. Video Idea Generation
7. Video Editing Process and Tools

Timestamps
00:00 Kane Kallaway’s journey from consultancy to full-time content creation
03:44 Choosing a content type, topic, and platform for online growth
07:48 Content evolution, brand deals, short-form vs long-form content
11:41 Creating native short-form content vs repurposing long-form videos into clips
18:45 Kane Kallaway’s 5-step content workflow, from ideation to editing
25:12 How to hook and rehook the audience throughout a video
30:32 The importance of rhythm, pacing, and visuals in video editing
35:19 Kane Kallaway’s tools and software for video recording and editing

Short-form vs. Long-form Content: “The fragility of the audience with short form cannot be overstated. It's like it takes hundreds if not thousands of reps of a short-form video in front of somebody on Instagram or on TikTok for them to actually understand who you are and, like, buy into you. I had this framework called content minutes, which is like, let's assume for someone to go from a stranger to a superfan level, it takes like 90 minutes of your content watched. Well, if you're making short-form video and the average one is watched 20 seconds long, that's 270 videos they would have to watch to hit that bar and become a superfan versus a podcast. If they listen to the whole hour, it's like two podcasts.” — Kane Kallaway [00:09:27 → 00:10:05]

Newsletters as Content Idea Source: “So the first piece of finding what's interesting, I just am constantly scanning, and I find for the videos I make, which is like business of culture, tech stuff, email newsletters are the best place for me to find topics because they're already a curated filter on everything. So if I didn't have email newsletters, I would have to go to like TechCrunch, The Verge, Business of Fashion, Entrepreneur.com, whatever the sites are. I'd be scanning like 30 sites. And you can use something like FeedLIVE to do this, but I've tried it and there's a lot of noise, there's not enough signal, it's like way too much noise. And so what I find is email newsletters, people who have actual businesses designed to filter the bad stuff out, curate just what's interesting. And so I subscribe to like ten or twelve newsletters that I love.” — Kane Kallaway [00:19:48 → 00:20:29]

Video Script Structure: “Most people think of videos as like a hook, the body, and the conclusion. I think of it like a hook, there's a dance, and in that dance, you have context and conflict, which is basically just set up, rehook. Set up, rehook. Set up, rehook. You're trying to rehook them. Then at the very end, I tried to hook them again with, like, the ending so that they share it.” — Kane Kallaway [00:23:11 → 00:23:28]

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Kane Kallaway - Founder of Wavy Labs

About the Episode:
Dakota Robertson is the founder of Growth Ghost, a social media ghostwriting business with high-profile clients that include best-selling authors, prominent influencers, and 7 and 8 figure entrepreneurs. He scaled this venture to generate $30,000-$50,000 per month within its first nine months, then transitioned to his current role as a personal brand consultant after two successful years.

Now with an audience of over 550,000 followers and generating monthly earnings exceeding $100,000, Dakota's mission is to help others to achieve freedom and make an impact through their content and online businesses. He offers a free personal branding course for creators, coaches, and business owners.

In this episode of DTC Pod, he shares his strategies for creating viral content, emphasizing the importance of sharing personal experiences, addressing pain points, and providing actionable advice to connect with audiences. He also discusses his ‘what-why-how’ writing framework, his content repurposing workflow, and the value of ghostwriting for those who struggle with content creation.

Today, we'll cover:
- The art of simplifying your message and leveraging psychology in copywriting to create compelling content
- The critical roles that relevance and curiosity play in content consumption and purchasing decisions
- Dakota Robertson's proven "what, why, how" framework for creating highly engaging content
- The growing importance of ghostwriting in the social media space and how it can help clients achieve their goals
- Strategies for building a content funnel to nurture relationships and convert followers into customers

What You'll Learn
1. Techniques for Creating Engaging Content
2. Social Media Growth and Ghostwriting
3. Content Creation Workflow
4. Repurposing Content
5. Building a Personal Brand
6. Relevance and Curiosity in Content
7. The “What, Why, How" Framework
8. Funnel Strategy and Long-Form Content

Timestamps
00:00 Dakota Robertson’s background
02:22 How Dakota Robertson started on socials
05:15 Two important copywriting lessons
07:24 Inciting relevance and curiosity in social content
10:47 Dakota Robertson’s what-why-how framework
14:19 On ghostwriting as a career path
16:08 Creating content yourself vs employing a ghostwriter
19:18 Dakota Robertson’s content workflow
22:41 Ways to think of content ideas
25:06 How to create a transparent relationship with your audience
29:23 Sales funnel offers and how to convert with content

Understanding the Audience’s Pain Points: “Imagine you're in a desert and you have no water. It's scorching hot. You've been walking for days, and then someone has a little water bottle. How much would you pay for that? You’d probably empty your entire bank account. Opposed to, if you're just walking on the street, you're not thirsty, you're fine. It's like, you probably won't even buy it. The only difference is the context of the pain you're in. So something is showing, ‘Hey, like, I can solve this pain point for you,’ then it's gonna be more relevant to the person.” — Dakota Robertson [00:08:30 → 00:09:02]

Creating and Sharing Personal Content: “I find a lot of people in business, they're so focused on, you know, giving value and actionable stuff, and they totally neglect the personal side of things. So I think there should be more of a focus on personal stories, worldviews, and opinions, even if it's polarizing, because that's the stuff that's gonna make people love you, even if it means other people hate you.” — Dakota Robertson [00:24:44 → 00:25:06]

Impact of Long-Form Content on Conversion: “If someone consumes a three-second tweet, it's like, okay, but if someone consumes a ten-minute YouTube video, you're taking up more real estate in their mind, and you're nurturing that relationship way more because they can see and hear you. And that's the stuff that converts way better, is long form. So I'm always thinking about how can I convert my short-form content to long-form and ideally get them on my newsletter so they can have a direct line of access?" — Dakota Robertson [00:32:01 → 00:32:29]

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Dakota Robertson - Founder of Growth Ghost

About the Episode:
Tommy Clark is the founder of Compound Content Studio, an agency that helps B2B companies scale their content engines, especially on LinkedIn. 

Tommy has a background in fitness coaching and B2B social media, and now specializes in helping founders and marketers effectively use LinkedIn to reach their target audiences. He also writes a newsletter called "Social Files," which provides deeper tactical insights into B2 content creation and strategy.

In this episode of Uploading, Tommy shares key strategies for B2B founders to effectively harness LinkedIn as a powerful content marketing platform. These include how to create a strong hook, what types of content to double down on, and why it’s important to engage with other users.

We also explore the power of polarization in content and the significance of defining your "why" when building a personal brand on LinkedIn.

Today, we'll cover:
- How to create a successful LinkedIn content strategy for your business or personal brand
- Practical tips and strategies you can immediately implement to improve your LinkedIn presence and engage your ideal customers
- Key actions to build momentum on LinkedIn, including consistency and engagement

What You'll Learn
1. Brand Positioning and Content Focus
2. LinkedIn Content Funnel System
3. LinkedIn Content Formats and Hooks
4. Strategies for LinkedIn Content Creation
5. How to Get Started Posting on LinkedIn
6. LinkedIn Algorithm and Engagement

Timestamps
00:00 Tommy Clark’s background, how he found his way to the B2B content landscape
03:28 Why LinkedIn is ideal for B2B marketing
06:28 How founders can get started on creating content for LinkedIn
10:38 Figuring your why in content creation and how you should position your brand
15:19 What kind of content should be your first post as a founder
17:25 LinkedIn post types that perform well
20:21 Text on LinkedIn, how to create effective LinkedIn hooks
26:42 LinkedIn algorithm, strategies to get more traction on LinkedIn

Why B2B Companies Should Focus on LinkedIn: “For a lot of B2B SaaS companies or just B2B companies in general, the effort that it would take to win on TikTok or another social platform is so much higher than the effort that it would take to do LinkedIn well because your audience is just hanging out there all day and they want to consume business-related content." — Tommy Clark, [00:04:07 → 00:04:23] 

Building a Content Marketing Funnel: “If you're a founder, it's like, what type of content do you want to be known for? And then once you have that idea figured out, then what I like to do is break it up into what I call a content funnel. So top-of-funnel, middle-of-funnel, bottom-of-funnel content. It's a good way to organize the way you think about the types of posts that you're making." — Tommy Clark, [00:07:41 → 00:07:58] 

How to Get Started on LinkedIn Content Creation: “If there's a client that we work with that has been totally dark on LinkedIn, or maybe they've posted like twice in the past two years, but they're going to start posting again because they've seen this podcast or they've seen someone else's content around how posting as a founder is super beneficial, what I would do is just make an intro post, like a quick context, or give some quick context on your backstory. Say why you're going to start posting, and then give your audience an idea of what to expect."— Tommy Clark, [00:15:17 → 00:15:43]

Show notes powered by Castmagic

---

Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?
Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.

Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?
Check out our newsletter here.

Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!

Castmagic Instagram
Castmagic Twitter
Castmagic LinkedIn  

---

Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Tommy Clark - Founder of Compound Content Studio