Greg hosts Nathan Barry, the founder of ConvertKit, who shares insights on how to captivate an online audience. They discuss merging education with entertainment and the art of storytelling, even about mundane topics. Nathan emphasizes the hidden wealth in undervalued skills like writing and comedy, revealing how creators can monetize their unique talents. They also dive into effective monetization strategies and the benefits of blending software development with agency services for sustainable growth.
Combining education and entertainment is a powerful way to be interesting online.
Being a great storyteller and leveraging comedy are valuable assets in content creation.
Deep dives
Building an Audience and Monetizing in the Creator Economy
In this podcast episode, the discussion revolves around the challenges and strategies of building an audience and monetizing in the creator economy. It emphasizes the importance of finding what works in audience building and the overwhelming choices for monetization. The episode highlights Siava Kaczynski as an interesting example of audience building, where his newsletter on a niche topic quickly gained over 30,000 subscribers. The value of targeted audiences is emphasized, with examples of smaller high-value newsletters compared to larger but less monetizable ones. It is suggested that sharing unique perspectives and stories, rather than copying existing content, will be key to success in audience building. The importance of being interesting and having a clear journey that can change you is emphasized, with examples of creators who successfully incorporate storytelling and unique perspectives into their content. The significance of being a good storyteller and combining education and entertainment in content creation is discussed. Different monetization strategies, including agencies and software products, are mentioned, with a focus on leveraging skills and exploring opportunities in various niches. The challenges and potential pitfalls of scaling agencies and choosing the right business model are explored. The importance of deliberate learning and seeking outside opinions to improve content quality is mentioned. The episode concludes by encouraging creators to consider scaling their businesses from 'strip malls' to 'skyscrapers', focusing on one avenue for growth and opportunity.
Blending Skills and Exploring Alternative Monetization Methods
The podcast episode discusses the value of learning and blending different skills in monetizing creative endeavors. It highlights the shift in perception of seemingly undervalued skills, such as writing and comedy, which have now become valuable assets in the creator economy. The importance of being a great storyteller and leveraging comedy in content creation is emphasized, citing examples of creators like Chase Reeves and Nikita Beer. The significance of understanding and catering to audience needs through informative and entertaining content is discussed. The episode acknowledges the teachability of skills like storytelling and comedy, emphasizing the importance of deliberate practice and seeking external guidance when necessary. It also explores the potential in selling services and digital assets, using examples of creators who have successfully scaled their businesses in these areas. The episode encourages creators to look beyond their comfort zones, learn from different industries, and consider unique monetization opportunities.
Challenges and Considerations in Monetizing Creative Businesses
This podcast episode focuses on the challenges and decision-making process of monetizing creative businesses. The complexities of choosing a suitable business model from various available options are discussed, and the importance of starting with a viable strategy is emphasized. It highlights the need for creators to consider scalability and long-term sustainability when evaluating monetization methods. The benefits and potential drawbacks of agencies and software products as potential avenues for monetization are discussed. The episode mentions the challenges of running and scaling agencies, particularly in maintaining consistent quality and client fit. It also explores the pitfalls of choosing monetization methods that don't align with one's skills or goals, using examples of failed ventures and the importance of niche-specific analysis. The episode concludes by urging creators to deliberate and prioritize their monetization strategies, while also considering the potential of blending different methods for optimal results.
From Strip Malls to Skyscrapers: Building a Successful Business
This podcast episode focuses on the concept of transitioning from 'strip malls' to 'skyscrapers' in business development. The analogy suggests moving from fragmented and diversified monetization methods to a singular, focused approach with significant growth potential. The idea is to build one main business with the potential to scale and dominate the market. The episode explores the challenges and considerations when choosing between strip malls and skyscrapers in business development. It emphasizes the importance of choosing a business with scalability and long-term enterprise value in mind. The potential of software products, agencies, and digital communities in achieving skyscraper-like growth is discussed, citing real-life examples of successful transformations. The episode encourages creators to identify opportunities for consolidation and to consider pursuing one main business avenue for significant growth and success.
Greg interviews Nathan Barry, founder of ConvertKit, which makes email, automation, and monetization tools for creators.
They talk about how to be interesting online, and different ways to monetize online content.
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LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE: Production Team: https://PodFlow.com Nathan Bary https://twitter.com/nathanbarry https://ConvertKit.com http://nathanbarry.com
SHOW NOTES: 00:45 How to be interesting online
02:30 Combining education and entertainment
04:00 Storytelling for mundane stories
06:00 Improving comedy/storytelling skills
15:00 Video content spreads well
17:15 Studying comedy
19:30 Blending journeys and storytelling
21:45 Hiring out comedians
24:15 Learning monetization skills
27:00 Considering scalable business models
29:15 Running companies long-term
31:15 Building "skyscraper" products
34:00 Blending agencies and software
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