
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

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

Jun 17, 2020 • 47min
SMS vs Email, How to Leverage Social Media (the Right Way), and the Content Tipping Point
Copyblogger partners Darrell Vesterfelt and Tim Stoddart are back with a big thank you, more content marketing news, and to answer more of your questions.
Darrell and Tim discussed upcoming master-classes, current developments in online marketing, and answered a question about how to keep going when you’ve built your email list but can’t seem to sell them anything.
In this episode, Darrell and Tim also talked about:
Is SMS marketing giving email a run for its money?
Why building your online business on your own platform is (still) so important
How to think about Facebook and Google in your marketing strategy
A simple tool for publishing your paid newsletter
Why patience, consistency, and good writing are all keys to selling online
And the only hack you’ll ever need
The Show Notes
ConvertKit — Audience Building for Creators
Drop Your Questions Here
Register here for our Live Q&A on Thurs. 06/18/2020
Copyblogger.com/Education
Text messaging is the most effective marketing channel most retail brands aren’t using
Facebook Adds Wikipedia Knowledge Boxes in Search Results
Digital Sharecropping: The Most Dangerous Threat to Your Content Marketing Strategy
Substack
Consistency Will Take You Further — Ep with Matt Ragland
Endure long enough to get noticed | Nathan Barry
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Jun 11, 2020 • 47min
Amazon Slashes Affiliate Rates and How to Create Content During a Crisis
Copyblogger partners Darrell Vesterfelt and Tim Stoddart return with a new sound to kick off the fresh format of the show and tease what’s in store for the community.
Darrell and Tim discussed the upcoming re-launch of an old favorite, current events in content marketing, and answered some of your burning questions.
In this episode, Darrell and Tim also talked about:
How Copyblogger is changing up their podcast format
A recap on what the community has learned in recent master classes
The big reveal for the new My.Copyblogger community and how to get on the wait list
How Amazon proved to be the just another ecommerce “bully”
Why building your business and email list on your terms (and platform) is so important
How YouTube plans to crack down on viral misinformation
And why empathy is the most important tool you can use right now
The Show Notes
ConvertKit — Audience Building for Creators
Drop Your Questions Here: Copyblogger.com/ask
Amazon slashes commission rates for program that gives publishers a cut of sales — CNBC
Expanding fact checks on YouTube to the United States
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Jun 8, 2020 • 37min
Rand Fishkin on the Future of Content Marketing
The cofounder and CEO of SparkToro, Rand Fishkin, took a timeout to speak with host Darrell Vesterfelt about his current mission to help content creators reach the right audiences (without wasting money), how to create empathetic content during a pandemic, and why you need help amplifying your message.
Rand Fishkin is the co-founder of SparkToro, and previously co-founder of Moz and Inbound.org. He’s also the author of Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World.
In this episode, Darrell and Rand discussed:
How digital marketers can utilize Rand’s latest amplification tools
Why you (still) need to think of your business or brand as a media organization first
The larger goal of building an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you
A sea change in how to think about the future of content marketing
And much more!
The Show Notes
SparkToro
Want Your Content to Succeed? Make it Resonate with the Right Audience (no, not that one).
How to Use Your First Ten SparkToro Searches
Rand Fishkin on Twitter
Darrell on Twitter

Apr 13, 2020 • 33min
How to Get (and Keep) Clients in Uncertain Times, Featuring Leah Neaderthal
The sales coach and founder of Smart Gets Paid, Leah Neaderthal, returned to talk with host Darrell Vesterfelt about how to mentally and practically approach your business in these trying and uncertain times (and why you might not need to “pivot”).
In this week’s conversation, Darrell and Leah go into more in-depth strategies to “… master business development,” and keep those critical clients happy during times when everyone has a heightened sense of anxiety and fear.
In this episode, Darrell and Leah discussed:
How Leah started her own business … right on the heels of a recession
The two most important marketing tools to laser-focus right now
Why your clients need “painkillers, not vitamins”
How you should view your pipeline and client’s buying behaviors
Why it’s more important than ever to be visible and valuable
Creative solutions for making yourself the safest option
How to provide a sense of stability for your clients (past, present, and future)
And much more!
The Show Notes
Smart Gets Paid
Leah Neaderthal on LinkedIn
Darrell on Twitter

Mar 30, 2020 • 39min
The Advantage of Email Marketing, Featuring Nathan Barry of ConvertKit
ConvertKit founder and CEO, Nathan Barry, returned to the podcast this week and joined host Darrell Vesterfelt to talk about how he got his start, the competitive advantage of email marketing, and the future of email.
Nathan Barry founded his company to help founders, creators, and digital marketers serve their audiences better with email … and earn a living doing it.
ConvertKit is an “email marketing company for creators” that offers its users powerful segmentation and automation tools without a lot of resources to implement.
In this week’s episode, Darrell and Nathan dig into email marketing from beginner to advanced, including:
Nathan’s early views on digital marketing and why his core values haven’t changed
How to build your audience (the right way)
Why “Teach everything you know,” and “Work in public,” are still Nathan’s mottos
The right time to build a product or sell something to your email list
Why email is still the central hub for building your business
And best practices for cleaning your list
The Show Notes
Copyblogger.com
Nathan’s Website
Nathan on Twitter
ConverKit
The Future Belongs to Creators [Podcast]
Resources Mentioned:
Article: The ladders of wealth creation: a step-by-step roadmap to building wealth
Article: Endure long enough to get noticed
Article: Be Everywhere: Building a Profitable BRAND by Thinking Outside the Blog by Pat Flynn
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Mar 16, 2020 • 40min
How to Write Content That Resonates, Featuring Stefanie Flaxman
Copyblogger’s Editor-in-Chief, Stefanie Flaxman, joined host Darrell Vesterfelt this week to talk about translating the traffic that comes to your website and how to create compelling content to keep them there.
Stef is a professional writer and editor who manages the editorial calendar for Copyblogger.com, where she helps publish one of “… the most popular [and influential] content marketing and writing blog[s]…,” for a very large audience of online writers and entrepreneurs.
In this week’s conversation, Darrell and Stefanie dig into her mission to help create content that persuades, converts, and helps fellow online marketers stand out from the competition.
In this episode, Darrell and Stefanie talked about:
How to get started creating compelling content that resonates with your audience
Why understanding your customer is the foundation for attracting and keeping their attention
How to return to a younger version of yourself to build empathy
The secrets for beating content writer’s block and lifting your content to the next level
Why your writing needs to be clear, detailed, and written with a specific person in mind
The counterintuitive methods for writing hyper-specific content
And much more!
The Show Notes
Copyblogger.com
Free Workshop — How to Transform Your Writing into Content That Gets Shared
Meticulously Edit Your Own Writing: The Traffic Light Revision Technique
Attract Better Clients and Customers with the ‘Chuckle Point’ Technique
Why Content Marketers Need Editors
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Mar 9, 2020 • 31min
How to Conquer Your Fear of Selling, with Leah Neaderthal
The founder of Smart Gets Paid and sales coach for women entrepreneurs, Leah Neaderthal, joined host Darrell Vesterfelt this week to talk about strategies to “… master business development and land higher-paying consulting clients.”
In this week’s conversation, Darrell and Leah dig into her unique methodology, the how of selling, and untangling the myths of doing effective client work.
In this episode, Darrell and Leah talked about:
How Leah overcame introversion and her fears of selling
The “signed” methodology she discovered from reading 65 books related to the sales process
Why you need to understand the fundamentals of your sales pipeline
How to talk about what you do as a value proposition
Why asking smarter questions is at the heart of closing
The difference between good clients and bad clients
Why recognizing commitment bias can save you time and money
And much more!
The Show Notes
Copyblogger.com
Smart Gets Paid
Leah Neaderthal on LinkedIn
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter

Mar 2, 2020 • 51min
How to Build Remarkable Products to Grow Your Business, with Ramit Sethi
This week on The Copyblogger Podcast, Tim Stoddart had the opportunity to speak with entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of iwillteachyoutoberich.com, Ramit Sethi.
In this week’s conversation, Tim and Ramit dig into tricks for great copywriting, going for “big wins” to move the needle in your life and business, and product development that serves your audience better.
In this episode, Tim and Ramit talked about:
How Ramit defines a “rich life” and the origins of the concept of “big wins”
$3 questions vs. $30,000 questions
The myth of shrinking attention spans and the value of long-form copy
Why you need to challenge your own assumptions about the best channels for your business
Suggestions on how to get started
And much more!
The Show Notes
Copyblogger.com
iwillteachyoutoberich.com
How to Write Emails that Get Opened with Ramit Sethi
The Briefcase Technique
Earnable – iwt.com/earn
Ramit on Twitter
Ramit on Instagram
Darrell on Twitter
Tim on Twitter