Steph Smith

Steph Smith, a writer and podcast host known for her work at a16z and HubSpot, shares her expertise in online research and information navigation. She discusses advanced search strategies to enhance data retrieval, uncovering hidden resources, and the use of browser extensions. Steph also highlights the importance of community-driven moderation on platforms like Reddit for informed choices, and delves into the implications of AI and data privacy in our digital lives. Her practical tools and tips empower listeners to navigate the internet more effectively.

Steph Smith, host of the a16z podcast and online creator, shares her expert approach to uncovering business ideas on the internet. She discusses how to harness tools like ChatGPT for idea generation and simplifying complex information. Tips on leveraging SEO and examining customer reviews for market insights are shared. The conversation also explores trends from Reddit and innovative product concepts, showcasing how the digital landscape is ripe for entrepreneurship and creativity.

Steph Smith, a16z podcast host and author, dives into the future of work and innovative business trends. She shares insights on emerging job opportunities driven by technology and automation, including exciting new roles like collaboration experts. The conversation also touches on fractional real estate and the unexpected rise of mouth tape for health benefits. Plus, they explore unique health trends like protein-packed lupini beans and the impact of pay transparency laws on job markets, making for a captivating discussion on what lies ahead.

To call Steph Smith "prolific" would be an understatement.To start, she wrote the book on how to do content right. No, literally. She published it late last year.On top of that, she leads Trends at The Hustle which has thousands of paying customers and does millions in annual recurring revenue.Steph is one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to producing successful, high-quality online content. She's reached hundreds of thousands of views on her blog, thousands of followers on Twitter, and produced multiple books and courses that people rave about.And in this session, we'll dig into her best frameworks for creating content, building an audience, maximizing distribution, and staying consistent.Read Steph's blog: https://stephsmith.io/Get Steph's book: Doing Content Right

Steph Smith (@stephsmithio) talks making millions in content subscriptions, working at a16z, putting the AI genie back in the bottle, thread boys on Twitter, educational vs entertainment podcasts, and media companies that monetize aspiring entrepreneurs with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Steph Smith, a creator business expert, shares insights on live podcasting events, connecting with the right audience, and essential tools for success in the creator economy. The podcast also explores deep web research, air quality business opportunities, course creation challenges, community platform selection, and unconventional monetization strategies.

Steph Smith, host of the a16z podcast and creator of Internet Pipes, dives into the future of digital creation in the age of AI. She discusses the transformative impact of AI on art and creativity, exploring how it shapes values and streamlines execution. With insights on niche creators and the use of AI tools like MidJourney and ChatGPT, Steph shares her creative process and highlights the importance of human expression. This conversation is packed with inspiration for anyone looking to navigate the evolving landscape of internet creation.

Steph Smith, a host of the a16z podcast and expert on tech trends, dives into the intriguing world of anti-cheat businesses and ethical hacking. She discusses the fascinating dynamics of cheating scandals in sports and the innovative strategies to combat them. Topics include the importance of interactive portfolios for job seekers and A/B testing menus to enhance dining experiences. Smith also shares creative ideas for businesses targeting college students and navigating personal breakups, merging humor with market insights.

Today I'm talking to Steph Smith (@stephsmithio). She runs Trends.co and recently got my attention when she posted on IH how she grew her podcast from 0 to 15k downloads/month. She took a really unique approach to launching her show, The Sh*t You Don't Learn in School, and I want to find out how she did it. Follow Steph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioCheck out her new book: https://doingcontentright.com (Enter code "INDIE" to get 60% off!)Subscribe to her podcast: https://keeplearning.buzzsprout.com

Steph Smith is a growth marketer, writer, and indie maker. In 2019, Steph founded Integral Labs. Integral Labs supports top tech companies with technical writing, content strategy, marketing, and analytics.In 2020, Steph became the Senior Manger of Trends.co. Trends identifies emerging patterns in business months before they become mainstream. In less than a year, Steph grew the number of paying subscribers by more than 400%.In this episode, Nathan and Steph discuss her proven approach to starting and running a profitable newsletter. They cover everything from pricing models to avoiding burnout.Topics from the show include:How to price your newsletter for explosive growthThe best pricing model for dramatically reducing churnHow to make your newsletter stand head and shoulders above the restLinks & ResourcesTrends.coTheHustle.coSam Parr Twitter030: Sam Parr – Growing to 2M Subscribers and Selling Your NewsletterWolfram AlphaahrefsJungleScoutKeywords EverywhereMy First Million PodcastToptal3-2-1 NewsletterExponential ViewGuest’s LinksPersonal site: stephsmith.ioSteph’s Twitter: @stephsmithioEpisode TranscriptSteph: [00:00:00]Once you actually take the energy to write an idea down and it’s implanted into your brain, almost like a seed, it starts to grow and you start to notice other things around you that are aligned with watering that seed with different examples, with intentional research, with data, by the time you actually want to write about it or publish it, or even start a business around it, you’ve thought about it in many different ways and giving it time to breathe.Nathan: [00:00:28]Today’s episode has been Steph Smith who runs trends.co, which is the paid newsletter from The Hustle. So, they have their 2 million subscribers newsletter and they have their paid newsletter called Trends, which is a little smaller, but drives a ton of revenue. This is super interesting. We get into her approach to growth, to research, she’s actually a chemical engineer who turned into this whole world. So, it’s super fascinating; she’s got a bunch of tips and tricks that she shares around doing research. I love her thoughts on differentiating products. There’s so much more; she gets into business models, everything. She’s one of those people who’s basically running the show at one of the largest paid newsletters. She’s incredible. So anyway, I’ll get out of the way let’s dive in and, made stuff.Steph. Thanks for joining me.Steph: [00:01:17]Yeah. Thanks for having me.Nathan: [00:01:18]Okay. So I’ve got to start with the question. what’s it like working for a crazy person and specifically, how are you so good at managing up? And before you answer this question, did in fact come from the crazy person that we’re talking about?Steph: [00:01:34]I didn’t see that question.Nathan: [00:01:37]And he’s like, Oh, I don’t know.But you got to find out like how, how she manages to deal on a day-to-day basis.Steph: [00:01:44]Well, I think we all are on a spectrum of being so good at executing. Some people are great at executing, and logistics, and processes and all that stuff. And some people are just visionaries and just have so many ideas and it’s crazy to work with them, but in a great way. If you can just give them the space to like, be that visionary and not necessarily depend on them for certain things like processes and logistics.And so I’ve just learned over time to not necessarily bucket people, but understand what they’re great at and maybe what they’re not so great at. And Sam loves hiring operators. And he he’s hired CEOs or presidents to work alongside him. So I actually think one of the great things about working with Sam is how self self-aware he is because sometimes visionaries or people who are like the idea guy don’t realize that perhaps they’re not so great at some of the other things.And so I just like to give Sam the space to give his ideas and be the visionary. And it’s funny. Cause sometimes when people first start working with Sam, they’re like, Oh my God, he has so many ideas. Do I have to do all this stuff? And Sam will tell you like, no, don’t do all the things I say.I just love sharing these ideas and getting things out there, but you have to decide what’s important, what should be prioritized. And so I do think it was a little bit of a learning curve, but now I love working with him because he does actually just give you the trust to make those decisions.Nathan: [00:03:03]Yeah, that’s interesting. I think so many people run into that and I’ve had the same thing with our team at ConvertKit where people are like, Okay, you said this, does this mean I need to start working on it? And you’re like, no, no,Steph: [00:03:14]Yeah.Nathan: [00:03:14]I was just talking and I’m not even as wild and crazy as Sam is on that spectrum. Sam’s off the charts, but it is a good differentiation.And maybe I shouldn’t be more extreme that way people would know that it’s not humanly possible to do all the ideas and to just ignore most of them.Steph: [00:03:32]Well, I mean, Sam will tell you, like right away that he’s just throwing ideas out there. And I think that’s really great because you’re just like, okay, so we’re on the same page. I know how much of this I need to pay attention to. And then he will explicitly say, which I think is also helpful, when he does want you to do something, versus some bosses or some people you work with, it is a little more muddy and it’s hard to tell what’s important. What’s not.Nathan: [00:03:56]Yeah. That makes sense. Another thing that Sam was talking about that he wanted you to share more with listeners is, your process around organization and creativity. I imagine at The Hustle, there’s so much going on. There’s tons of content going into the newsletter side, that Trends side, everything.And, I’d love to hear more about your process for keeping all that straight, making sure you’ve got nonstop deadlines, crazy ideas. And what do you use for organization? Like maybe somewhat on tools, but even more so like.Steph: [00:04:36]Yeah. So I think so I will candidly say that on that spectrum where there’s people who are like incredible executor’s and organizers, I’m maybe a little further ...