The Creator Spotlight Podcast

This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we are joined by Jesse Feister, the Executive Director of the Webby Media Group. In the lead up to the 29th annual Webby Awards ceremony, Francis and Jesse reflect on the evolution of the Webby Awards and the creator economy, exploring the creator to business pipeline and three skills necessary to succeed as a creator.__Links and ReferencesCheck out the Webby AwardsRead Jesse's AI and Creativity pieceFollow the Webby Awards on X/Twitter, Instagram and YouTubeFollow Jesse on LinkedIn and Instagram__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Jesse and the Webby Awards00:47 Jesse's mandate as Executive Director03:37 How the Webby's define a creator11:35 Understanding the grind of the entrepreneurial creator16:00 Being a musician in the MySpace era21:19 The 3 most valuable skills as a creator entrepreneur30:20 Sustainable business models for small creators34:04 The evolution of brand building online38:46 AI and creativity: Creativity always wins42:08 The biggest opportunities in the creator economy44:56 The instant feedback loop — use it wisely48:15 Plans for the Webby's 30th year

This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we are joined by Grace Ling, founder of the thriving Design Buddies community, which turns five years old this month, has over 150,000 members, and generates $1 million in annual recurring revenue. She is also a talented content creator and has found particular success on LinkedIn where she has nearly 50,000 followers. She is also the cohost of the How Creators Make Money podcast.__Follow Grace on Instagram and LinkedIn Check out Design Buddies and How Creators Make Money __00:00 Introducing Grace Ling and Design Buddies01:52 What is design?03:30 What makes the Design Buddies community different?05:46 The first 1,000 members08:31 The first 150,000 members12:00 Maintaining a healthy community at scale15:46 $1M in revenue — what's the breakdown?18:18 Rizz as a service 20:39 Gatekeeping, use it wisely22:40 How to spend $1M24:49 LinkedIn's untapped potential for growth35:51 A lesson in diversifying your revenue as a creator39:37 How Creators Make Money, the podcast42:16 The two labor models of content creation45:00 From creator house to party mansions

This week Francis is joined by podcasting Amanda McLoughlin, CEO of Multitude and co-host of the podcasts Spirits, Attach Your Resume, and Join the Party. Amanda began her journey as a creator vlogging on YouTube and has since spent over a decade in the podcast space.Amanda's Podcasts:Attach Your ResumeJoin the PartySpiritsAll Multitude showsTimestamps:00:00:00 Introducing Amanda McLoughlin00:01:29 Building a network through the early YouTube community00:05:04 How the podcasting world has changed over the past decade00:11:02 Forming Multitude00:15:56 Building a top 0.1% without the algorithm00:25:53 Podcast listeners are the most valuable audience00:31:20 The most valuable thing you can do is say no00:33:58 Diversifying your revenue streams00:35:52 Sustainable creator-led businesses to model00:38:53 Your podcast doesn't need to be profitable to be valuable00:40:08 Never host your podcast with Spotify00:45:58 All creators are a business00:52:33 Platforms need creators, creators don't need platforms00:56:13 Attach Your Résumé: stories behind seismic events in digital media01:01:46 What NOT to focus on as a creator

This week Francis is joined by Thomas Yeum, an ambitious video-first creator specializing in YouTube and Instagram. Thomas is well known for his Instagram series '125 days to make 10k/month'. Thomas shares his journey from software engineering to content creation, discussing the challenges and opportunities within the creator economy. Follow Thomas: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasyeum/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Toemas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeumthomas/00:00 Introducing Thomas Yeum and his creator journey06:39 Challenges with modern consumption habits10:03 The creator economy is the new American dream15:48 Finding a career that fulfils personal values19:22 125 days to make $10k/mo26:07 The 3% rule: How to utilize inspiration27:39 4 steps to making a great video33:57 Balancing art and business as a solo creator36:29 Making $100k/mo in 365 days39:03 A bad video does not equal a bad concept45:48 Building 12k+ subscriber newsletter from scratch49:28 Bridging the gap between tradition media and the creator economy53:15 Advice for aspiring creators

This week Francis is joined by Kyle Sheldon, founder and CEO of Name and Number, a soccer specific marketing and creative agency. Kyle has worked within the US soccer world for two decades and held marketing roles at multiple MLS clubs. Kyle is also the founder and editor of Pathway, a newsletter aimed at helping individuals break into the soccer industry.Kyle: https://x.com/kylesheldonName and Number: https://www.nameandnumber.comPathway: https://pathwayhq.com00:00 Introducing Kyle Sheldon01:05 The evolution of soccer and sports marketing04:28 Becoming the driving force in growing soccer in the US09:25 Growing careers in the soccer industry12:22 Pathway's natural growth has led to extremely high engagement17:32 The potential future growth of the soccer industry is massive21:20 Navigating the soccer-creator industry requires expertise24:49 The fashion culture within soccer28:19 Empowering creators to thrive in the soccer space32:22 US vs European football content culture41:36 The shifting power dynamic between creators and traditional media50:32 Partnership advice for creators and brands

This week Francis is joined by award winning financial reporter, Phil Rosen. Last year Phil left his role as Senior Markets Reporter at Business Insider to pursue his independent newsletter-first media company, Opening Bell Daily. His flagship newsletter Opening Bell Daily, now has over 190k subscribers within its first year of operation. Opening Bell Daily: https://www.openingbelldailynews.com Phil's X: https://x.com/philrosenn 00:00 Introducing Phil Rosen and Opening Bell Daily 02:00 Building the foundation of a successful writer 05:27 Independent journalism's rise over established media 13:49 Navigating the business side of journalism 18:22 The freedom of building a new business model 21:40 Phil's ambitions to NOT scale the business 24:32 The death of objectivity in journalism 30:48 The untapped market for valuable growth 33:40 Overcoming the fear of posting video 39:30 Paywalls: The necessary evils of the media business 44:36 Advice for aspiring writers and creators

This week Francis is joined by six-time author, cultural critic and book publishing coach, Leigh Stein. Leigh is also the creator of the newsletter Attention Economy. Attention Economy: https://leighstein.substack.com/Leigh's Website: https://www.leighstein.com/00:00 Leigh's prolific content output01:43 Is now the best time to be a writer?04:38 Defining 'writing vs creating'08:47 The art is the product16:45 Does form come before content?20:25 TikToks instability and the importance of BookTok23:09 Leigh's journey through the literary world27:25 We're influencing, not influencers34:54 Writing 'Attention Economy'40:52 How to make your content shareable42:54 Destroying the stigma of self-publishing45:55 The magical portal to likeminded people48:54 Leigh's upcoming projects52:27 Advice for other creators

This week Francis is joined by Eric Silver, a podcaster, podcast producer and head of development at Multitude, a podcast studio and production company. Multitude: https://multitude.productions 00:00 Introducing Eric Silver 03:14 Crafting your interview style 06:04 The details of teaching podcasting 11:56 Podcasting does not mean video 19:41 The future of audio-only podcasts 25:39 The intention behind the creator 28:24 What makes a good podcast guest? 31:46 The difficulties of guest-based podcasts 36:06 Building an ethical creator-first business 44:11 The rise of Actual Play podcasts 50:08 The future of worker-owned and independent media 52:57 Hank Green's best interview

This week Francis is joined by Matt Brown of Extra Points. With a laser focus on writing high quality content, Matt is an independent sports journalist covering the world of college sports in America. Extra Points: https://www.extrapointsmb.com 00:00:00 Introducing Matt Brown and Extra Points 00:01:47 The focus on producing quality content 00:05:26 The unique story of acquisition and reacquisition 00:13:11 Striving to make the internet a better place 00:19:36 Balancing creativity and business in the creator economy 00:22:53 The values and integrity of independent journalism 00:26:27 Vox Media: The bootcamp for independent journalists 00:35:28 Understanding your community 00:42:29 Providing value with high-ticket and low-ticket offers 00:55:41 Analytics are not money 00:59:59 Bridging the gap between communities through sport 01:04:09 The decentralization of media

This week Francis is joined by essayist and culture critic, Alicia Kennedy. Alicia is primarily a food writer, however also has many refined takes on writing, the algorithm, and the attention economy.Alicia's Newsletter: https://www.aliciakennedy.news/00:00:00 Introducing Alicia Kennedy00:01:38 Rejecting the idea of the creator00:07:06 Declining media literacy in the digital age00:12:36 The fragmentation of public intellectualism00:17:09 Attaching value to greatest achievements00:19:32 The creator economy tradeoff of freedom and instability00:29:33 The need for publications that challenge food writing norms00:35:08 The blurred line between influencers and creators00:40:13 Building a like-minded diverse community00:43:58 The key to consistent organic growth00:47:10 The need for a more horizontal media ecosystem00:52:32 Navigating platforms with limited audience engagement control00:57:51 Experience of writing a book vs newsletters

This week Francis is joined by Kofie Yeboah a versatile creator in the sports media landscape. Kofie does it all, social media, long-form, short-form, podcasts, research and writing. He's here to tell us how he does it all.Kofie's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KofieWhy00:00 Introducing Kofie Yeboah01:25 Kofie's early introduction to sports05:35 The evolution from long-form to short-form10:21 TikTok's endless opportunities and constant insecurity14:37 Balancing roles as a content creator and producer19:43 Successful strategies for repurposing content26:56 The best and the worst of social platforms29:57 Fostering a positive and engaged community32:23 Revenue reinvestment strategies43:24 Balancing a full-time job with content creation46:55 Kofie's relationship with different sports leagues48:33 The path to 100k subscribers

This week Francis is joined by Jenna Stoeber, a video essayist and content creator known for her deep dives into video game and media culture. Jenna's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_jenna/ Jenna's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thejenna.bsky.social 00:00:00 Laying the content creator foundation 00:07:00 The art of constructing informative videos 00:09:20 If I create, am I a creator? 00:14:36 The dichotomy of creating and consuming 00:17:19 Beating the algorithm with one simple video 00:20:55 Balancing creativity with optimization 00:29:13 Building diverse and sustainable revenue streams 00:34:25 Sacrificing salary for freedom and autonomy 00:39:27 Knowing your strengths and how to use them 00:46:07 The joys and challenges of podcasting 00:59:02 The art of researching and scripting a video essay 01:05:47 The boss fight: Goals for 2025

This week, Francis is joined by Henry Winslow, founder and writer of Tricycle Day, a newsletter focused on psychedelics research, policy, and business. Francis interviewed Henry exactly one year ago, and this conversation is centred around Henry's growth over the past year. Tricycle Day Newsletter: https://www.tricycleday.com Tricycle Day Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricycleday 00:00 Sustaining a creator-led business following rapid growth 06:27 The key to growing your first 1000 subscribers 09:23 Understanding your audience and utilizing data 12:44 Hiring an successful team as a creator 16:47 Scaling to a $250k business in year two 18:53 The benefits of advertising to a niche audience 23:27 The struggles of operating in a controversial space 28:03 Building an audience around trust 35:21 Expanding your business beyond the newsletter 38:09 Community is a buzzword, but not this time 41:42 Goals for 2025

This week Francis is joined by Matt McGarry, also known as the Newsletter Guy. They discuss his agency Growletter, the nuances of newsletter-only businesses, the challenges of monetization, and the evolving role of creators in the media landscape. Newsletter Marketing Summit: https://newslettermarketingsummit.com FOR $200 OFF, USE CODE: CS200 Newsletter Operator: https://www.newsletteroperator.com Growletter: https://growletter.co Write Grow Sell: https://writegrowsell.com Matt McGarry: https://x.com/JMatthewMcGarry 00:00:00 Introducing Matt and his businesses 00:01:12 Breaking down Matt's multiple income streams 00:04:52 Newsletters are NOT a business model 00:08:24 CPA is not as important as you think 00:16:06 Creating a winning ad to grow your newsletter 00:19:24 Why you should not start a newsletter only business 00:23:21 Do not paywall your best content 00:29:19 The key to monetizing your audience 00:36:10 The devolution from media founder to creator 00:41:36 The difficulties of marketing a podcast 00:47:13 Maximizing reach and engagement by repurposing content 00:52:55 The must-haves for a growing newsletter 00:56:30 The most saturated areas in the newsletter world 00:59:46 Newsletter trends for 2025

This week Francis Zierer speaks with Lindsey Stanberry, creator of The Purse, a newsletter focused on money, motherhood, work, and relationships. Lindsay shares her journey from working in corporate media to becoming an independent creator/entrepreneur.The Purse: https://thepurse.substack.com/00:00 Introducing Lindsey and The Purse 01:25 Transitioning from Corporate to Independent Creation 06:16 Developing a Blog into a Sustainable Brand 09:30 The Biggest Detriment to Journalists in Media 14:26 Defining Identity: Creator, Journalist, or Entrepreneur? 19:44 The Value of Collaboration and Partnership in Entrepreneurship 24:43 Choosing Your Niche for a Content Franchise 30:54 Growing an Organic Newsletter Audience 32:14 The Challenge of Paid Subscriptions 35:22 Fostering a Community Through Events 38:18 Creator's Concern of Financial Sustainability 42:24 The Evolution of the Newsletter Format 45:05 The Value of Transparency and Trust as a Creator 47:08 The Value of Quality Writing Amongst Abundant Free Content 54:29 Take Yourself Seriously

In this episode of Creator Spotlight Francis is joined by Daisy Alioto, CEO, editor and writer of Dirt Media. They explore the evolution of Dirt Media, its unique approach to content and community, and the challenges faced in the current media landscape. Daisy: https://x.com/daisandconfused Dirt: https://dirt.fyi Tasteland: https://www.tasteland.fyi 00:00 Introducing Daisy Alioto and Dirt Media 04:00 Treating Subscribers as Collectors 06:35 The Primordial Soup of the Media Environment 11:49 Running a Media Company Like a Streetwear Brand 16:49 Understanding Your Audience is Crucial 21:29 The Importance of Being Future Focussed in Business 24:56 Collaboration is Key for Growth 30:41 The Growing Responsibilities to Your Audience and Team 34:51 The Internet is Nothing Without Contribution

This week Francis is joined by Michael Kauffman to discusses his journey building a local newsletter business, Catskill Crew. He shares insights on audience engagement, growth strategies, and the importance of branding in the creator economy.Catskill Crew: https://catskillcrew.comNewsletter Club: https://thenewsletter.club00:00 Building a Community-Led Newsletter05:57 Local Relationships are Crucial for Newsletter Success12:29 Building Businesses Around a Local Newsletter14:28 Why You Must Begin With Organic Growth17:50 The Importance of Branding and Identity24:41 The Internal Desire to Create28:55 Building a Sustainable and Authentic Revenue Model38:43 The Local Holding Company Model41:50 Revenue Breakdown and Business Structure43:12 The Importance of Community Engagement47:12 Financial Realities of Starting a Newsletter50:48 The Newsletter Club: A Community for Creators53:41 The Future of Local Journalism

This week Francis is joined by content creator and entrepreneur John Hu, also known as Jayhoovy. John is the founder of Stan, an all-in-one monetization tool for creators. He shares insights on the challenges creators face in the business landscape and how his platform, Stan, aims to empower them. Check out Stan: https://www.stan.store/ John's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayhoovy 00:00 Introducing John and his company, Stan 01:24 Building an Audience and Personal Brand 05:05 The Artist to Entrepreneur Spectrum 07:45 Allocating Time as a Content Creator vs CEO at Scale 11:18 Celebrating Creator Success Stories 14:40 The Importance of Consistency in Content Creation 17:49 All Humans Will Be In the Creator Economy 21:30 The Value of Systems Thinking as a Creator 25:33 Scaling a Team and Hiring a Professional Memer 29:00 The Opportunities in Creator Led Digital Products 32:07 Attention Economy: The Limited Resource 33:56 Navigating Different Social Platforms for Success 36:25 Is Building in Public a PsyOp?

This episode is with one of the best business minds in the newsletter world, Adam Ryan of workweek.com Workweek: https://workweek.com Adam: https://x.com/adamry_n 00:00 Introducing Adam Ryan and Workweek 03:44 The Balance of Creativity and Sales 06:21 Key Levers for Audience Growth 08:53 Content Trends and Audience Engagement 10:03 Current Projects and Initiatives at Workweek 12:39 The Difficulties of Balancing Creativity and Entrepreneurship 15:59 The Importance of Consistency as a Creator 20:40 From Campus Rep to Brand Builder 27:59 The Evolution and Future of Newsletters 38:04 Advising the Next Generation of Newsletters 44:59 Vision for the Future of Workweek

This week Francis is joined by creative entrepreneur, Lex Roman. Lex is a freelance growth marketer with two newsletters, Journalists Pay Themselves and Revenue Rulebreaker. Journalists Pay Themselves: https://journalistspaythemselves.com/ Lex's Website: https://lexroman.com/ 00:00 The Multi-Hyphenate Journey of Lex Roman 04:00 Defining Creators and Creative Entrepreneurs 10:53 Monetization Strategies for Creators 15:43 The Boutique Creator Model 19:00 Revenue Streams and Success in the Creator Economy 23:33 The Role of Journalists in the Creator Economy 26:22 Virtual Events and Controversial Takes 33:27 Understanding Subscription Fatigue 40:44 The Overvaluation of Social Media for Growth 45:19 The Future of Internet Columnists

This week Francis is joined by Alex Dobrenko, a comedian and writer of the newsletter Both Are True. Both Are True: https://botharetrue.substack.com Alex's Twitter/X: https://x.com/dobrenkz 00:00 Intro 01:23 The Journey to Comedy and Writing 08:20 Writing Style and Honesty 15:02 The Role of Improv Comedy in Creativity 22:07 The Growth of an Audience 30:26 Professionalization of Content Creation and "Selling Out" 38:57 Whoa: Exploring Deeper Conversations through Interviews 45:37 Navigating the Solitary Nature of Creation 49:15 The Evolution of Social Media Engagement

This week Francis is joined by Penn Weinberger, founder and head of the agency Bad Behavior. Bad Behavior works with creators to produce original short-form shows for brands; they've worked with clients like Lyft, Columbia Records, Cash App, and Stanley. Bad Behavior: https://www.bad-behavior.com/ 00:00 Introducing Penn and Bad Behavior 01:42 Working with Creators vs. Influencers 05:00 The Impact of Viral Marketing 07:14 Empowering Creators 09:35 Upsetting the Traditional Advertising Model 13:42 Starting and Then Diversifying the Agency 17:12 The Blur Between Creator and Celebrity 22:22 The Revenue 26:07 The Increase in Management Amongst Creators 30:06 Rules for Building a Creator-Led Show 32:47 Finding Brands as a Creator 36:35 Red Flags for Brands and Creators 41:06 Unpredictable Virality

This week Francis is joined by Rameel Sheikh, founder and writer of The Bottleneck which, in his words, is the only weekly newsletter offering stories, frameworks, and tactics to sharpen how you execute. thebottleneck.io 00:00 Introducing Rameel Sheikh and The Bottleneck01:09 Building a Strong Audience Relationship03:07 Lessons Learnt from the Startup World07:18 The Decision to Start a Newsletter13:31 The Structure of the Newsletter17:00 Experimenting with Different Writing Styles20:08 How the Newsletter Generates $30k a Month26:00 Building an Audience from Scratch to 28k Subscribers32:30 Are Creators Also Founders?37:27 Building a Team as a Founder40:57 The Many Failed Experiments that Led to The Bottleneck44:27 Building a High Value Community49:52 Future Dreams or Goals of The Bottleneck

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

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

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 Dewey03:27 The Origins of the Newsletter06:16 Taking a Break and the Pressure of a Rebrand13:36 Building a Community With Readers17:53 Building a Good Salary From Subscriptions19:49 The Definition of Creators vs. Journalists27:42 Bring Back Comfortable Middle Class Lifestyles32:59 Collaboration in the Newsletter Community37:37 The Painful Art of Content Planning43:21 Substack's Shift in Business Model50:13 The Craft of an Aggregation Newsletter53:19 Fake News Is Now Just News

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 Intro01:20 Accidentally starting a marketing agency03:30 Building a team and hiring for content creation06:17 Growing the newsletter Social Files13:04 The devolution of Twitter - LinkedIn #1 now?15:36 How to craft the perfect viral post20:23 The relationship between the business and personal brand23:41 Monetizing a creator led business27:21 What makes someone good/bad at marketing?29:27 Starting with content creation and rules for posting39:19 Finding content ideas for viral posts41:10 Uploading to YouTube but not being a YouTuber43:55 How you can grow your online brandIntro music produced by J. and Doug Organ

Ryan Gilbert, creator and writer of the newsletter 'Workspaces' joins us for episode 28 of The Creator Spotlight Podcast. Workspaces: 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 plansIntro music produced by J. and Doug Organ

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 Instagram04:39 Advice for working with brands09:02 Winning and judging Webby awards14:05 Building a newsletter for content creators, Link in Bio25:03 Growing an email audience of 65k+35:50 Being a good social media managerIntro music produced by J. and Doug Organ.

This week we are joined by Michelle Curb, co-founder and editor of Gloria (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

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

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 designer08:04 The espresso of newsletters13:43 Evolving and growing the newsletter20:24 Finding sources for design news26:16 Writing a newsletter in 1 hour29:08 Monetizing a 5,000 subscriber newsletter37:53 Using Twitter to grow your brandIntro music produced by J. and Doug Organ

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.

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 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

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 realtor05:58 How Glennda Baker makes 30-50 videos per month26:18 Sharing your life online — what about the family?35:16 Glennda's newsletter — working with a writing partner40:57 The business of being Glennda Baker (business is good)43:57 Creating social media videos is better than creating reality TVIntro music produced by J. & Doug Organ.

Today's guest, Ernie Smith, has been writing for the internet for 15 years. He's been writing his current newsletter, Tedium, for almost 10. We spoke about his approach to newslettering, turning down money from Substack, and making cool stuff for the internet purely for the sake of it. 00:00 Who is Ernie Smith? 01:30 Why (and how) Ernie coded his newsletter himself 05:35 Has personality been stripped from the internet? 12:44 How Ernie grew his audience 15:20 UDM14 — Google without all the fluff18:56 Ernie's approach to side projects 31:39 Is the creator economy good for the internet? 41:28 Hopes for the future of the internet 45:10 What's next for Ernie? Intro music produced by J. & Doug Organ.

Today's guest, Justin Gordon, seems to have more energy to expend in a day than we do in a week. Literally: we put out one ~50min podcast episode per week; he once put out one ~50min podcast episode per day for 112 days straight.Justin has been a podcaster, vlogger, producer, and newsletterist, sometimes all at once, for the last 12 years. In this episode:00:00 Who is Justin Gordon?01:24 Lessons from 500+ interviews04:30 Podcasting every day for 112 days12:55 6 Lessons from podcasting every day15:23 Why start a newsletter?18:17 How to grow a newsletter19:50 Writing deep dives about entrepreneurs28:33 The athlete-creator mindset31:14 Making money as a creator36:17 The best and worst interviews he's ever done39:43 Advice for podcasters and writersIntro music produced by J. & Doug Organ.

Kate Lindsay is a freelance writer and newsletter editor whose own newsletter, Embedded, is pushing 35k subscribers. She's one of the best people out there writing about the internet for the internet. This is an episode about why more newsletters should be run by two people, an indie newsletter born from a shuttered publication, and paying NYC rent with premium newsletter subscriptions.00:00 Who is Kate and what is Embedded?05:33 How Embedded evolved from a killed publication09:56 Kate's other projects (as a newsletter editor and writer)13:35 Blowing up with the Millennial Pause16:44 Being an editor vs. a writer19:09 What is a newsletter? What is a creator?27:42 The stats — how to grow a newsletter34:22 Are creators the new journalists?38:49 Advice for online creatorsIntro music produced by J. & Doug Organ.

Today's guest, Andrew Southworth, always wanted to become a musician. To do so, he became a mechanical engineer. Last year he quit his day job to make music and help other people market their music full time. He does YouTube, newsletters, courses, he has an agency — he does it all. We spoke about:

Today's guest is Akhil Chauhan, who runs The Writer's Job Newsletter (TWJN). But he didn't create the newsletter — he acquired it.Akhil has been running TWJN solo (besides occasional social media help) for two years. The guy he bought it from ran it for only one year. We spoke about:

Today's guest is Peter Ramsey. He runs Built for Mars, a UX consultancy and content library he started almost by accident after the company he founded during university was acquired in 2018. I was drawn both to his story and the undeniable quality of his content.Peter is a rare type — an obsessively detailed researcher but not pedantic about it. He's just as talented at spinning that research into fun, useful, and easy-to-digest narratives.In this episode:00:00 Who is Peter Ramsey and what is Built for Mars 05:30 The MrBeast of UX 09:47 Using every bank in the UK 13:19 Who are Built for Mars readers? 16:30 How Peter monetizes the newsletter 19:30 Is the website fantastic, or does it suck? 25:20 Why start a newsletter? 27:43 The stats 30:23 Peter's most viral posts 31:40 Why Peter hates social media 33:38 The gamification of education sites/apps 38:11 The different types of written content 40:46 Growing an online business 47:00 The future of Built for MarsIntro music produced by J. & Doug Organ.

Today's guest is Caitlin Murray, better known by her Instagram handle @bigtimeadulting. After her son was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016, she started writing about it to friends and family — nearly 8 years later, she has 1.4 million Instagram followers. It's a great story.In today's episode:00:00 The origin story05:50 How to gain over 1 million followers10:15 The 4 chapters of @bigtimeadulting14:15 Turning Instagram into a business19:25 Building a positive community24:08 Growing an Instagram following, organically29:22 Podcasting is hard33:41 Monetizing as a creator38:31 Starting and building a newsletter47:45 Having multiple monetization streams51:53 Advice lightning roundIntro music produced by J. & Doug Organ.

Today's guest is Tyler O'Shea, creator of Joker Mag, a website and newsletter about sports underdogs. He started the project in that “what am I gonna do with my life” period after graduating college. Nearly 7 years of posting later, he's still doing it as a side project, but it's also led him to a career in SEO (search engine optimization).In this episode, we talk about:

Today's guest is Kate Samuelson, co-creator of Cheapskate London. Every Monday, they send out a newsletter built around free events, two for each day of the coming week. Over the last five years they've built an audience of over 19k, winning praise from longstanding media institutions in the process.All the while, Cheapskate is a side project; during the day, Kate works as a journalist. She specializes in newsletters.In this issue:

Today's guest is Haya Kaylani, creator of a curation-style newsletter called The Deep Dive. What does she curate? YouTube video essays, five of them every Wednesday. She's built an audience of 92k TikTok followers and 13.5k newsletter subscribers in just 15 months — pure organic growth, with almost all of her newsletter subscribers coming over from TikTok.In this issue, we discuss:

Today's guest is PJ Milani, a high school animation teacher recently turned social media star. He's known for his “visual metaphors” — single-panel illustrations featuring lessons about life and creativity. Across his socials he has over 200k followers, his newsletter has 16k subscribers, and he teaches a perennially sold-out cohort course about visual thinking on Maven.In this issue, we discuss:

Ryan Broderick is the creator of Garbage Day, “A newsletter about having fun online.” He's among the most popular journalists-turned-newsletter-creators out there. It's clear by the numbers (68k subscribers, 3k of whom pay for premium content), praise from other creators, and the nearly 200 press clippings on his About page.In this episode we discuss:

Jared Dashevsky runs Healthcare Huddle, a twice-weekly newsletter for physicians and other healthcare professionals. In just over four years, he's built an audience of 30,000. He's also built a team of 13, dismantled that team and been acquired. But today, Jared is once again a solo creator.In this episode, we discuss:

Arielle Nissenblatt knows podcasts. She writes a weekly newsletter about podcasts, hosts a podcast version of that newsletter, co-hosts another weekly podcast and a daily podcast. She runs a Discord community for podcasters. On top of all that, she works full-time as a community marketing manager at Descript.In this episode, we discuss:

Ryan Sneddon runs Naptown Scoop, a local newsletter serving Annapolis, Maryland. In three-and-a-half years, he's built an audience of over 18,000 (nearly half the town's population), and last year the business generated around $200,000 in revenue.In this episode, we discuss:

Ali built an audience of over 7,000 subscribers before he even sent the first issue of his newsletter, AI for Work. He would only end up sending 13 issues before (at approximately 30,000 subscribers) he went looking for advice on how to monetize and ending up selling the whole thing instead.We spent an hour discussing: