The Future Belongs to Creators

As content creators, it’s our job to deliver value to our audience. And sometimes it's easy to dismiss entertainment as valuable.  But one of the shifts we saw in 2020 was a focus on more entertaining content across all types of media. And this raises the question, what is the place (and value) of entertainment in our lives and in the content we create? Is there a metric by which we can judge its value?In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel discuss these questions, how the role of entertainment has changed in the past year, and what we, as content creators, should do about it.“It’s really important to remember that one of the valuable benefits of turning your brain off is that it often sparks more creativity. If you’re constantly consuming educational content, you can’t actually absorb it and apply it to your creative outlets.” ~ @HaleyJanicekMain takeawaysThe value of content  (education, relaxation, fun, motivation) is different for everyone. As creators, it’s important to let our audience decide what they want to get out of our content. Give them credit for how they choose to spend their time.It’s reasonable to expect that you should get paid for what you know. Charging for content can feel uncomfortable, but if you are creating something that people want to consume, they will support you. An important piece of measuring the value of entertainment is understanding how the audience is connecting with that content at a particular place and time. Connect with our hostsCharli PrangleyMiguel PouHaley JanicekLinksWatch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTubeCasey NeistatThe Sorry GirlsConvertKit Grow Your Audience ChallengeAmong UsCreator SessionsGot a story to tell on The Future Belongs to Creators podcast?We'd love to have you on the show to talk about successes or failures you've experienced on your creator journey. Submit your story here!Start building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

Welcome to 2021! The new year brings with it a lot of changes and excitement for many of us, and The Future Belongs to Creators is no different. As we announced near the end of last year, Barrett and Nathan are retiring as full-time hosts of the show and the rest of the team at ConvertKit will be steering the ship into the new year.In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel, the new hosts of The Future Belongs to Creators, discuss taking on the show and a new format, their insights for how to “make it” as a creator, and some exciting plans for the show moving forward. Our HostsCharli PrangleyMiguel PouHaley JanicekLinksWatch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTubeHappy Happy HouseplantI am a Blogger Coffee Table BookConvertKit Creator SessionsGot a story to tell on The Future Belongs to Creators podcast?We'd love to have you on the show to talk about successes or failures you've experienced on your creator journey. Submit your story here!Start building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

It’s the last Q&A Friday of the year. It’s also the last episode with Nathan and Barrett as regular hosts.After 97 episodes. Nathan and Barrett are handing over The Future Belongs To Creators to Charli Prangley, Haley Janicek, and Miguel Pou. Find out more about what’s coming to the show in Episode 96 — 2020 Recap.In today’s episode, Nathan and Barrett discuss how and why to do year-end reviews, what it means to run a business ethically, how to build an audience from scratch, and more!Today’s QuestionsHow and why do you do your year-end reviews?What struggles do you face trying to do business ethically?Let’s say you’re starting from scratch in 2021. What are three things you would do to build an audience and stay motivated if audience growth is slow? What is the best way to advertise my tutoring business on Facebook — ask people to message me or send them to a landing page?LinksWatch Episode 97 of The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTubeBarrett’s NewslettersJOHNNYSWIM Creator SessionEpisode 72 of Future Belongs to Creators: How much should you give away for free as a creator?I Am A Blogger coffee table bookMiguel PouCreators of the DayBrandice DanielHaley JanicekCharli PrangleyIsa AdneyHenry ThongResources of the DayOn Wings of Eagles: The Inspiring True Story of One Man's Patriotic Spirit--and His Heroic Mission to Save His Countrymen by Ken FollettI Am A Creator coffee table book from ConvertKit (forthcoming) — check the shop for availabilityThought of the Day“Looking forward, things are going to be hard, but know that as creators, we’ve chosen a hard path. Look to friends and family who can support you. Ask for help when you need it and know that we’re in your corner.” ~ @Nathan BarryStart building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

Though 2020 threw curveballs for everyone,  there was still much to celebrate. From launching this podcast to finding ways to support creators through the pandemic, 2020 was a year of growth, change, and lessons learned.Retrospectives are an important part of growth, and in this episode, Nathan and Barrett reflect on 2020, and its impact on them personally and for ConvertKit.2020 AccomplishmentsLaunched The Future Belongs to Creators podcast.Created a free ConvertKit plan. Started the Creator Fund to help creators struggling from the impact of the pandemic. Hired a VP of Product for ConvertKit.Started the Creator Sessions as a way to replace events during the pandemic. Launched ConvertKit Commerce to help creators monetize their work. Pushed ConvertKit closer to becoming the leading marketing platform for creators.LinksWatch Episode 96 of The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTubeCreator SessionsThe Creator FundConvertKit CommerceResource of the DayArt of Newsletters Podcast by  Nathan BarryStart building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

It’s Q&A Friday. Today, Haley Janicek and Barrett Brooks talk about the lessons learned while growing ConvertKit, email sequences to nurture potential customers, when you should start thinking about producing original work, and more!Today’s QuestionsWhat surprising lessons have you learned growing a software company?What kind of email sequence do you recommend after the three-email launch series — info email, email to destroy objections, or something else entirely?Is producing original work a worthwhile goal, either aesthetically or for business metrics? When/how does a creator move from derivative work to original work?What do you think most people fundamentally misunderstand?LinksWatch Episode 95 of The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTubeAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James ClearCreators of the DayKlei CeramicsCreator Sessions: GoldFord Dylan TomineStart building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

Skill or talent? Which one do you have, and more importantly, which one do you need to start a great creative business?By working through several scenarios, we’ll help you begin to assess whether something is a skill or a talent. This is a great exercise to gauge how you think about the difference between the two and the importance of those differences. In this episode, Nathan and Barrett discuss the mental mindsets that push people to view things as skills and talents, how you can develop your skills, and what role passion plays in all of them. Also, a special announcement about the future of the show!Main TakeawaysMany people chalk up their ability to execute as a skill or talent because of past experience. If you shift your mindset, you’ll shift your ability to do things. Attributes aren’t the same as skills. They simply make learning a skill easier (or harder).Passion follows effort, not the other way around. True passion comes from being dedicated to something long enough to get good at it. Parents can model for their children how to be exposed to different things and cultivate their child’s interests.LinksFiguring by Maria PopovaSo Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal NewportThe Nathan Barry ShowStart building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

It’s Friday, which means that the ConvertKit team is answering your questions about life, business, and everything in between. Today, Haley Janicek and Miguel Pou talk about what it’s like to change careers, what can be learned from producing Creator Sessions, the future of Creator Sessions, and more! Today’s QuestionsWhy is it important to take risks and follow what you know to be the right thing as a creator?Can you talk more about going from being a teacher to working with ConvertKit?How do you get started as a creator when it goes beyond just honing your craft?What are your top three lessons from producing Creator Sessions?LinksHappy Happy HouseplantsVintage RevivalsCreator Sessions with Ingrid AndressCreator Sessions with Mat KearneyCorpse HusbandCreators of the DayI Like to Make StuffWalk With Me by GoldFordStart building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

When you sit down on a given day, how do you decide what to work on? There are all kinds of activities you can do in your business, but they are not all created equal. This is especially important as a creator, because there are so many different hats to wear, and it’s so easy to get lost in busy work, or “$10/hr work”. There are many activities that trick you into thinking they are valuable, when in fact, they are not. In this episode, Nathan and Barrett discuss how to get the most leverage out of your time, how to accomplish a lot with limited resources, what are the highest-leverage for creators, and more. Main TakeawaysLeverage is anytime the output is greater than the input. This is what you should be looking for everywhere in your creative business. Leverage isn’t always about monetary outcomes. You could be pursuing the mission of your creative business. High skill, high leverage work can take a long time to pay off because there’s so much work that needs to go into it. Building your network can be one of the highest leverage actions you can take. It builds your reputation and what you create can turn into your resume.Always ask what the highest leverage version of the task you are about to perform is before you dive in. LinksThe Magic of Doing $10,000 per Hour WorkCreator SessionsAmi VitaleReady Player Two by Ernest ClineMatt RaglandCreators of the DayConvertKit Creator Session: Look Through the Powerful and Raw Lens of Award-Winning Photojournalist, Ami VitaleErnest ClineResources of the DayFor All MankindPersonalized note cards or birthday cards — a great way to maintain relationships!Start building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

It can be difficult to walk the line between being a normal person and a brand. There’s a lot of introspection and thought that goes into how you want to present yourself to the world, and if you don’t have a plan ahead of time, it can add additional stress and frustration to your life as a creator. In this episode, Nathan is joined by Charli Prangley to talk about the pros and cons of developing your personal brand and how to decide how much you want to share.Main TakeawaysPeople become interested in who you are if you’re a personal brand. Sometimes this can lead to feeling less secure, but there are steps you can take to minimize personal risk. It can be difficult at times to not let your very existence be part of “work” if you are your brand.  Find time to turn it off. To be successful, you have to choose how much of yourself you want to share. Ask yourself what your self-brand would look like and how much you want to share.Don’t self-sabotage. It can be easy to doubt yourself or your own success.LinksPaul JarvisSearching for Dave Chappelle by Jason ZinomanCorpse HusbandCharli Prangley on TwitterCreators of the DayHannah Lee DugganAustin ChurchStart building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram

It’s another Q&A Friday! In this episode, Nathan and Barrett answer your questions about sources of inspiration, prioritizing mental health, goal planning, native mobile experiences, and more!Today’s QuestionsWhat’s it like to hop back on the content treadmill with the paid newsletter? Where can we draw inspiration from?Could you describe the process for planning out your key goals, objectives, and KPIs for 2021 at ConvertKit? How does your current process differ from the plans you made back in the "creator days"?How do you each prioritize your mental health amidst work priorities, family needs, and outside challenges this year has thrown at us?In the future, do you see ConvertKit offering a native mobile experience (app) for ConvertKit creators with a focused set of easily accessible productivity/analytics features?Creators of the DayI Am A Creator Podcast with Bonnie ChristineBonnie ChristineStart building your audience for freeWith ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.Stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagram