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The Creator Spotlight Podcast podcast

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The Creator Spotlight Podcast

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  Creator Spotlight  

Every week we spend an hour in conversation with a notable creator, discussing their approach to audience growth, monetization, and content production. Hosted by Francis Zierer ( [Twitter] (https://twitter.com/fzierer) and [LinkedIn] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/) ). New episodes every Thursday. This podcast is part of our newsletter, [Creator Spotlight.] (https://www.creatorspotlight.com/)

Every week we spend an hour in conversation with a notable creator, discussing their approach to audience growth, monetization, and content production. Hosted by Francis Zierer ( [Twitter] (https://twitter.com/fzierer) and [LinkedIn] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/) ). New episodes every Thursday. This podcast is part of our newsletter, [Creator Spotlight.] (https://www.creatorspotlight.com/)

 

All

Progress

Duration

Release Date

#42

Ep. 42: The blueprint for growing your business online ft. Matt McGarry

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] (https://newslettermarketingsummit.com) FOR $200 OFF, USE CODE: CS200 Newsletter Operator: [https://www.newsletteroperator.com] (https://www.newsletteroperator.com) Growletter: [https://growletter.co] (https://growletter.co) Write Grow Sell: [https://writegrowsell.com] (https://writegrowsell.com) Matt McGarry: [https://x.com/JMatthewMcGarry] (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 ... Read more

16 Jan 2025

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:35

16 Jan 2025

#41

Ep. 41: How a journalist becomes an entrepreneur ft. Lindsey Stanberry

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/] (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 ... Read more

09 Jan 2025

57 MINS

57:40

09 Jan 2025

#40

Ep. 40: How to build a media company: Use streetwear brand tactics

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] (https://x.com/daisandconfused) Dirt: [https://dirt.fyi] (https://dirt.fyi) Tasteland: [https://www.tasteland.fyi] (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 ... Read more

02 Jan 2025

37 MINS

37:55

02 Jan 2025

#39

Ep. 39: How to make $100k+ as a local news creator ft. Michael Kauffman

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] (https://catskillcrew.com) Newsletter Club: [https://thenewsletter.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 ... Read more

19 Dec 2024

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:55

19 Dec 2024

#38

Ep. 38: He's helped creators earn $200M — here's how ft. John Hu

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/] (https://www.stan.store/) John's YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@jayhoovy] (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? ... Read more

12 Dec 2024

40 MINS

40:35

12 Dec 2024

#37

Ep. 37: 10+ years in media, 1 piece of advice ft. Workweek's Adam Ryan

This episode is with one of the best business minds in the newsletter world, Adam Ryan of [workweek.com] (http://workweek.com) Workweek: [https://workweek.com] (https://workweek.com) Adam: [https://x.com/adamry_n] (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 ... Read more

05 Dec 2024

46 MINS

46:25

05 Dec 2024

#36

Ep. 36: Making big bucks with a small audience ft. Lex Roman

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/] (https://journalistspaythemselves.com/) Lex's Website: [https://lexroman.com/] (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 ... Read more

21 Nov 2024

51 MINS

51:58

21 Nov 2024

#35

Ep. 35: Being an idiot will make you a better writer ft. Alex Dobrenko

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] (https://botharetrue.substack.com) Alex's Twitter/X: [https://x.com/dobrenkz] (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 ... Read more

14 Nov 2024

59 MINS

59:30

14 Nov 2024

#34

Ep. 34: Behaving Badly and Going Viral ft. Penn Weinberger

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/] (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 ... Read more

07 Nov 2024

45 MINS

45:15

07 Nov 2024

#33

Ep. 33: Discovering an Untapped Market Worth $30k a Month ft. Rameel Sheikh

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] (http://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 ... Read more

31 Oct 2024

58 MINS

58:15

31 Oct 2024

#32

Ep. 32: The YouTube space race ft. Swapna Krishna

Today’s guest is Swapna Krishna, creator of Ad Astra, a YouTube channel and beehiiv newsletter about space. She’s a professional writer with over a decade of experience doing everything from journalism to content marketing to authoring a book. She’s been all-in on Ad Astra, her first venture as an independent creator since the start of 2024. 00:00 Intro 01:20 The Journey of Writing and Publishing a Book 04:35 Transitioning to Video Content Creation 07:22 Developing Presentation Skills Through Podcasting 12:42 Defining the Creator and Journalist Identity 18:31 Swapna's Journey Through the Content Creation World 22:22 The Differences in Solo Creating and Working in a Team 30:25 All of Swapna's Projects 31:50 Production Process: From Idea to Execution 41:58 The Relationships with Swapna's Different Audiences 48:34 Space-X's Media Dominance 50:40 The Monetization 54:25 Defining Goals and Editorial Mandate ... Read more

24 Oct 2024

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:45

24 Oct 2024

#31

Ep. 31: 1 million YouTube subscribers (twice) ft. Alex Emery

Today’s guest is Alex Emery, a creative director and content strategist who spent the first 8 years of his career at Sky Sports before leaving 2 years ago to work with creators. His first client was John Nellis, a YouTuber with 5,000 followers at the time — they’ve since increased that number to 1.74 million and counting, and Alex is working with John full-time. 00:00 Intro 01:10 Getting into the world of football content 04:43 Tripling the growth of Sky Sports YouTube channel 07:27 The partnership with John 13:52 Combining the business and creative mind 16:24 How the business operates 18:41 How big is the team? 20:05 Producing content from in-front the camera 24:49 Why John Nellis is the best to work with 29:50 Growing and reinvesting into the business 35:10 The importance of the title and thumbnail 37:34 The myth behind "retention editing” 40:46 How the channel is monetized 44:27 Why you should delete your old videos 46:09 How much money is the channel making? 48:23 The work/life balance of a content creator 51:54 The goal for the channel 55:52 YouTube vs TV ... Read more

17 Oct 2024

59 MINS

59:37

17 Oct 2024

#30

Ep. 30: Lifestyle over empire ft. Caitlin Dewey

Today’s guest is Caitlin Dewey, creator if Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends, a newsletter she started nearly 11 years ago, when she was the social media reporter for the Washington Post. She wrote it for 2 years, taking a 4-year break before bringing it back in 2020; earlier this year, she decided to go all-in and make it her main gig. We spoke about the particular challenges of being a creator-journalist, how to write an actually good links aggregation newsletter, and choosing to build a lifestyle business instead of a media empire. 00:00 Introducing Caitlin Dewey 03:27 The Origins of the Newsletter 06:16 Taking a Break and the Pressure of a Rebrand 13:36 Building a Community With Readers 17:53 Building a Good Salary From Subscriptions 19:49 The Definition of Creators vs. Journalists 27:42 Bring Back Comfortable Middle Class Lifestyles 32:59 Collaboration in the Newsletter Community 37:37 The Painful Art of Content Planning 43:21 Substack's Shift in Business Model 50:13 The Craft of an Aggregation Newsletter 53:19 Fake News Is Now Just News ... Read more

10 Oct 2024

57 MINS

57:44

10 Oct 2024

#29

Ep. 29: "Posting content on the internet changed my life" ft. Tommy Clark

Today’s guest is Tommy Clark, creator of the Social Files newsletter, founder of Compound Content Studio, and a B2B social media expert. He started making content for his nutrition coaching business while still a college student, in 2018 — he never set out to build a career in content. Five years later, he has an agency on track to make over $1 million this year. 00:00 Intro 01:20 Accidentally starting a marketing agency 03:30 Building a team and hiring for content creation 06:17 Growing the newsletter Social Files 13:04 The devolution of Twitter - LinkedIn #1 now? 15:36 How to craft the perfect viral post 20:23 The relationship between the business and personal brand 23:41 Monetizing a creator led business 27:21 What makes someone good/bad at marketing? 29:27 Starting with content creation and rules for posting 39:19 Finding content ideas for viral posts 41:10 Uploading to YouTube but not being a YouTuber 43:55 How you can grow your online brand Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ ... Read more

26 Sep 2024

47 MINS

47:30

26 Sep 2024

#28

Ep. 28 He sold his newsletter then bought it back for $1 ft. Ryan Gilbert of Workspaces

Ryan Gilbert, creator and writer of the newsletter 'Workspaces' joins us for episode 28 of The Creator Spotlight Podcast. Workspaces: [workspaces.xyz] (http://workspaces.xyz) 00:00 From supply chain to tech startups 04:31 Building a niche from scratch 10:57 Monetizing with affiliate links 12:42 Abandoning a career to pursue content 16:32 The acquisition and reacquisition of the newsletter 25:08 Monetizing the newsletter is harder now 28:22 How the newsletter grew to 13k+ subscribers 35:35 The stats 37:12 The best home-office setup so far 40:30 Balancing personal and brand identity 44:12 Strategies for newsletter growth 47:02 Reflecting on success and future plans Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ ... Read more

19 Sep 2024

53 MINS

53:54

19 Sep 2024

#27

Ep. 27: The anti-Gary Vaynerchuk social media resource ft. Rachel Karten of Link in Bio

This week we speak with Rachel Karten, the woman behind every social media manager's favorite newsletter, Link in Bio, and an excellent social media consultant herself. 00:00 Getting started with food Instagram 04:39 Advice for working with brands 09:02 Winning and judging Webby awards 14:05 Building a newsletter for content creators, Link in Bio 25:03 Growing an email audience of 65k+ 35:50 Being a good social media manager Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ. ... Read more

12 Sep 2024

42 MINS

42:54

12 Sep 2024

#26

Ep. 26: How to monetize a digital media business ft. Michelle Curb of Gloria

This week we are joined by Michelle Curb, co-founder and editor of Gloria ( [hellogloria.com] (http://hellogloria.com) ) Michelle is an expert in leading monetization for online media brands — she's been doing it for most of two decades. 00:00 The Gloria newsletter 05:50 Getting started in online media 08:52 IS it hard to sell a media company? 14:15 Monetization and stats 15:58 Building an audience online 24:52 “I don’t want to be online” 27:38 Day in a life of a media founder 39:21 How to monetize as a creator 45:35 Looking forward and back ... Read more

05 Sep 2024

50 MINS

50:31

05 Sep 2024

#25

Ep. 25: Building a career in soccer journalism ft. Theo Lloyd-Hughes of Squad Depth

On today's pod we talk building a career in soccer journalism, the women's game, producing one of The Athletic's flagship podcasts ("Full Time with Meg Linehan"), and plenty more. 00:00 Why Theo pursued soccer journalism 08:23 How much does soccer journalism pay? 17:24 How to tell the real story 23:36 Newsletters are the future of journalism 39:11 The stats 41:17 Building a newsletter into a sustainable business 47:01 How to get better at podcasting Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ ... Read more

29 Aug 2024

57 MINS

57:50

29 Aug 2024

#24

Ep. 24: Reflecting on one year running a daily design newsletter ft. Cole Derochie

Today's guest is Cole Derochie, creator of theToday in Design newsletter and a multitalented design professional (he's done everything from web design to leatherwork, not necessarily in that order). 00:00 How Cole accidentally became a designer 08:04 The espresso of newsletters 13:43 Evolving and growing the newsletter 20:24 Finding sources for design news 26:16 Writing a newsletter in 1 hour 29:08 Monetizing a 5,000 subscriber newsletter 37:53 Using Twitter to grow your brand Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ ... Read more

22 Aug 2024

44 MINS

44:20

22 Aug 2024

#23

Ep. 23: Zero to 820k newsletter subscribers in 3 years ft. Sean Devlin of Nice News

Today’s guest is Sean Devlin, a media entrepreneur whose Nice News newsletter has, in less than three years, gone from 0 to 820k subscribers. The company currently has a team of seven full-time employees, plus at least four freelancers — and it’s been profitable for just under one year. 00:00 Building a 800k subscriber newsletter 08:53 The biggest mistakes when designing a newsletter 12:26 Why it’s important to have nice news 19:20 How to find positive content online 22:32 Who subscribes to nice news? 30:51 Building a following of 800,000 39:00 How to monteize your newsletter audience 44:30 What not to do when building a newsletter 47:00 Is it too late to start a newsletter? Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ. ... Read more

15 Aug 2024

53 MINS

53:38

15 Aug 2024

#22

Ep. 22: Building a serious, sustainable media business ft. Ambreen Ali

Ambreen Ali is a tenured and accomplished journalist as well as Founding Editor of Central Desi, a local newsletter focussing on the South Asian community in New Jersey. She joins us for episode 22 of the Creator Spotlight podcast. Central Desi: [centraldesi.beehiiv.com] (http://centraldesi.beehiiv.com) 00:00:00 Ambreen Ali - putting journalism first 00:05:02 Growing a local newsletter 00:14:07 Why being a journalist is difficult 00:22:02 Is society losing its media literacy? 00:28:53 The best and worst of tradition journalism 00:35:26 Why prisoners should be taught journalism 00:39:39 Making a local impact 00:43:26 Not wanting to be a “creator” 00:52:00 Monetizing journalism is hard 00:57:43 Advice to other creators Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ ... Read more

08 Aug 2024

1 HR 01 MINS

1:01:00

08 Aug 2024

#21

Ep. 21: How $5–7.5k turns into 10.8 million views ft. Glennda Baker

Today’s guest is Glennda Baker, a real estate agent from Atlanta who has become a social media star over the last four years. After a couple of false starts, her content marketing play has turned into a full-fledged media business. 00:00 Glennda Baker, TikTok's favorite realtor 05:58 How Glennda Baker makes 30-50 videos per month 26:18 Sharing your life online — what about the family? 35:16 Glennda’s newsletter — working with a writing partner 40:57 The business of being Glennda Baker (business is good) 43:57 Creating social media videos is better than creating reality TV Intro music produced by J. & Doug Organ. ... Read more

01 Aug 2024

50 MINS

50:12

01 Aug 2024