
The HeyCreator Show
The HeyCreator Show is for building your creator business.
Each week, host Matt Ragland various guests talk through all stages of the creator journey, intentionally designing each conversation to meet you where you’re at along the way. We’re sharing lessons from over a decade of helping digital creators launch and scale courses, communities, and coaching services — along with building newsletters, YouTube channels, and podcasts to millions of subscribers and downloads for our clients.
For more about our show, company, and community go to heycreator.com.
Latest episodes

Jul 1, 2021 • 49min
How to Use Leverage to Grow Your Business at Massive Scale with Eric Jorgenson
A few months ago, I stumbled across the work of Eric Jorgenson. Eric had recently published his best-selling book, entitled “The Almanac of Naval Ravikant.
In his book, Eric breaks down and articulately conceptualizes the business concepts of leverage, which were introduced to him by a very popular Twitter thread, written by Naval Ravikant.
Leverage is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but how do you actually define this concept? More importantly, how do you use leverage to generate massive scale in your business?
These days, it’s not uncommon for a one-person business to generate a million dollars of revenue. It’s not uncommon for billion-dollar companies to only have 10-15 employees. How is this possible?
In this episode, Eric gives us an in-depth master class on leverage. In addition, we went through some of the specific modules in his course, and he gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the material he teaches. It’s a special privilege given to you as a member of the Copyblogger community.
Eric is great. He’s generous, kind, and easy to talk to.
Check out his course at https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage. The link to his course is in the show notes of the podcast, which is found anywhere you listen to podcasts.
I’m excited for you to listen to this episode. Please help me welcome, Eric Jorgenson.

Jun 24, 2021 • 50min
How Curiosity and a Low Point in Life Helped Create a Global Podcast with Bilal Zaidi
It’s easy to feel “on top of the world” when things are going well in life. Inevitably, we all come across challenges and hardships. My guest today, used his hardships as inspiration to create one of the most popular podcasts of the time.
Bilal Zaidi is the host of Creator Lab. Bilal interviews world-class entrepreneurs in hopes to learn the skills, tips, and strategies that he can apply to his own business.
Of of the things I like most about Bilal’s podcast is his curiosity. When Bilal interviews guests, you can truly feel the curiosity and eagerness to learn, which is why he has booked guests such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Daymond John, Erika Alexander, Feresteh Forough, Dru Riley, and more.
I loved this conversation. Bilal has a great personality and he was so generous with his experience and knowledge. You will level up by listening to this episode.
Please help me welcome, Bilal Zaidi.
You can learn more about Bilal at https://linktr.ee/creatorlabfm

Jun 2, 2021 • 55min
How Crypto is Reshaping Content Entrepreneurship
Hey everyone. Welcome to the Copyblogger Podcast.
My name is Tim Stoddart, thank you so much for joining me.
This week’s episode is something different. Copyblogger has always been dedicated to helping you build a better business by creating better content. The internet provides us all with an even playing field in which to write articles, serve our audience, and build a great business.
But what happens when the fabric of the internet itself is changing. How do you adjust to such drastic changes, and stay ahead of the curve?
To get to the bottom of some of these questions, I invited Dror Poleg onto the episode. Dror writes a weekly newsletter at drorpoleg.com, and he writes about what the future of work will look like as blockchain, crypto currencies and NFT’s will becomes an integral part of how we interact with each other and make transactions.
In addition, Dror has some very interesting ideas on how products will be created and sold. For instance, now that anything can be tokenized, what is to stop entrepreneurs from selling services and products that are broken down to each level. What if you could write a sentence of copy, and be paid through an NFT?
What is gestures, or even good behavior can be rewarded through digital tokens on the blockchain?
It’s a fascinating topic, and I am so thrilled Dror took the time to speak with us. He’s a brilliant mind and I look forward to reading his newsletter every week.
As content marketers, it’s important we keep up with the times.
With that, please help me welcome Dror Poleg.

Jun 1, 2021 • 50min
Rohan Gilkes: How to Build a 7 Figure Business by Going Local
Hello and welcome to the Copyblogger podcast.
My name is Tim Stoddart. Thank you so much for joining me.
Too often, young entrepreneurs jump headfirst into industries and markets that have cut throat competition. How many of you are dreaming of starting the next TikTok or the next Facebook? More often then not, the million dollar business idea is sitting right outside your front door, waiting to be discovered.
Local service businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, they are also the easiest and most opportunistic entry points for aspiring entrepreneurs.
In this episode, I sit down with successful entrepreneur, Rohan Gilkes, and we go in depth on the tactics and strategies you need to start building your local business right now.
Rohan got his start by building a multi million dollar cleaning business. Now, he helps other entrepreneurs build local service business by teaching them the model he has used over and over again.
In addition, Rohan has stepped out of the local market to create a SaaS company, of which he exited with partners.
In this conversation, Rohan and I talk about where the opportunities are in the local markets, why this is the best place to start, and how these small industries have such tremendous upside.
Rohan was a great guest, and I loved our conversation. You will learn so much from this interview.
Please help me welcome my new friend, Rohan Gilkes.

9 snips
May 19, 2021 • 50min
Anne-Laure Le Cunff: How Great Writing Helped Build a Thriving Community Business
Hey everyone. Welcome to the Copyblogger Podcast.
My name is Tim Stoddart (@timstodz), thank you so much for joining me.
Today is an exciting day. After a year of hiatus, I am starting the Copyblogger podcast back up. We've had an exciting year with the launch of Copyblogger Pro. Our online business community is thriving and the results our members are seeing has been a priority.
In addition, we launched Digital Commerce Partners, which is an industry leading content and SEO agency, dedicated to help entrepreneurs market their products and make more money. Things are in full swing, and the time has come to bring back our podcast.
The Copyblogger podcast is returning with a familiar format. I will be interviewing the worlds most successful online entrepreneurs, and dissecting the tricks, habits and processes that has helped them establish profitable online businesses.
Each episode of the Copyblogger Podcast will be published on YouTube.
It's an exciting time for online entrepreneurship, and I can't be more excited about this week's guest.
My guest this week is Anne-Laure Le Cunff. She's the founder of Ness Labs, which is an online platform and dedicated to helping you build a lab for your mind with neuroscience-based content and conversations.
In this episode, Anne-Laure and I speak about her writing process and why she thinks Ness labs has been so successful.
We talk about her plans to grow an in person community, and why building her newsletter has been one of the best business choices she has made.
Anne-Laure is intelligent and honest. I had a great time speaking with her. She gives so many tips and pointers to help you become a better writer, a better marketer, and help you grow a bigger more profitable business.
With that, please help me welcome, Anne-Laure Le Cunff.

Jul 15, 2020 • 42min
Why Building the Right Team Is So Critical, with Aurélien Amacker of Systeme.io
Founder of Systeme.io, Aurélien Amacker, spoke with host Darrell Vesterfelt about his early life as a struggling blogger and digital marketer, his first $500K product launch, and mistakes he’s learned from along the way to online success.
Aurelian Amacker spent over a year, tens of thousands of euros, and lots of blood, sweat, and tears before he found the right formula (and team) for his popular software as a service, now used by thousands of customers to launch and run their own online businesses.
In this episode, Darrell and Aurelian discussed:
The tools Aurélien used to build a list of over 10,000 email subscribers for his first product launch (and why it was so stressful)
Why he chose to move away from the “Product Launch Formula”
3 questions to ask yourself before taking a big financial gamble
Why building the right team from the start is so important
And much more!
The Show Notes
Systeme.io
Aurélien Amacker on Twitter
Darrell on Twitter

Jul 14, 2020 • 35min
Twitter's Secret Game-Changer, Google Image SEO, Pandemic Pivots, and Sound Affiliate Advice
Hosts Darrell and Tim dig into the ins-and-outs of the much-anticipated return of My.Copyblogger, geek-out on recent chatter in the world of content marketing, and answer more of your online marketing questions.
This week’s content marketing roundup includes news on the leak about Twitter’s secretive subscription service, how Google Images plans to utilize more data to drive search traffic, the reality of "pandemic fatigue" for content marketers, and the guys answered your question about how to start to monetize an audience.
In this episode, Darrell and Tim also talked about:
The return of Copyblogger’s membership program and all the specs
The value of Twitter for content marketers and its bright future
How Google Images may become a search referral source via SEO
The great COVID-19 conference cancellation spree and staying flexible in tough times
And where to start when you’re ready to monetize your platform
The Show Notes
ConvertKit — Audience Building for Creators
Drop Your Questions Here: Copyblogger.com/ask
Join The My.Copyblogger Waitlist, and Be the First to Know!
Twitter Stock Jumps on Potential Subscription Platforms
Google Creates a New Way to Drive Traffic Via Image Search
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Jul 6, 2020 • 31min
The 'Awesomeness' Factor, a Renaissance for Curated Newsletters, and the Right Content Frequency
Learn how to sign up for the waitlist to My.Copyblogger and a free content marketing workshop with Sonia Simone! This week hosts Darrell and Tim also nerd out on SEO, newsletters, the future of online marketing, and answer more of your questions.
Recent chatter in the world of content marketing includes why “awesomeness” is now a Google ranking factor, the bright future for content marketers, and the guys answered your question about how frequently to publish content to your blog.
In this episode, Darrell and Tim also talked about:
A teaser for the return of My.Copyblogger and …
The Key to Marketing or Selling Anything
Why building something of value for your audience is (still) so important
The power of curated newsletters for content marketers
And finding the sweet spots for your content, schedule, and promotion balance
The Show Notes
ConvertKit — Audience Building for Creators
Drop Your Questions Here: Copyblogger.com/ask
Join The My.Copyblogger Waitlist, And Be The First To Know!
The Key to Marketing or Selling Anything — A Free workshop with Sonia Simone:
Date: July 8,2020
Time: 3 p.m. Central Time
Duration: 60 minutes
Cost: FREE!
What 20 years of Google algorithm updates say about what SEOs should focus on next — SearchEngineLand.com
MorningBrew.com/marketing — Newsletter
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Jun 29, 2020 • 33min
Shopify vs Amazon, Busting the Myth of Success, and the Right Way to Use Medium
This week hosts Darrell and Tim teased a powerful new platform for content creators, current happenings in online marketing, and answer more of your questions.
Recent chatter in the world of content marketing includes the launch of ConvertKit’s upcoming ecommerce solution (ConvertKit Commerce), Shopify’s big play, why success isn’t linear, and the guys answered your question about how to use Medium for content marketing.
In this episode, Darrell and Tim also talked about:
Why ConvertKit’s latest tool will make life easier for digital marketers (and ruffle some competitor’s feathers)
Shopify’s plans to take on Amazon
How to build resiliency on the path to success
Why the journey is the destination
And the right way to use Medium to drive traffic
The Show Notes
ConvertKit — Audience Building for Creators
Drop Your Questions Here: Copyblogger.com/ask
Copyblogger.com/Content-Marketing
ConvertKit Commerce waitlist
Shopify Goes after Amazon with New WalMart Deal — Axios
7 Unusual Signs on the Path to a Breakthrough — Stefanie Flaxman
Consistency Will Take You Further, podcast episode with Matt Ragland
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Jun 25, 2020 • 33min
Consent-Based Email, Economic Trends for Ecommerce, and SEO for Service Businesses
Hosts Darrell Vesterfelt and Tim Stoddart return to announce the release of their new monster content marketing guide, discuss recent developments in online marketing, and to answer more of your questions.
Darrell and Tim discussed an intriguing new “consent-based” email solution, economic trends for ecommerce retail and info products, and answered your question about SEO for service businesses.
In this episode, Darrell and Tim also talked about:
Why content marketing looks so different from 10 years ago
How to fight off spammers who have turned your inbox into a dumpster fire
The pros and cons of recent online privacy and email marketing practices
A primer in writing great content for localized services
And why good SEO is a combo of common sense and answering people’s questions
The Show Notes
ConvertKit — Audience Building for Creators
Drop Your Questions Here: Copyblogger.com/ask
Copyblogger.com/Content-Marketing
Copyblogger’s SEO Masterclass
Hey email tool (by Basecamp)
Record jump in retail sales sends stocks higher, but Fed chief warns economic recovery remains uncertain — The Washington Post
Ahrefs
SEMRush
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter
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