Tag: creator economy

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Newsletter

Happy Easter! (treats inside) 🐣

Happy Easter! Have an eggcellent long weekend.

AI has side-tracked me this week – an AMA with J. Thorn (aka Tim Desmond) at the Leading Expert Alliance. 

He’s just returned from SXSW, where he gave a presentation on using AI creatively. This year’s rock stars were the OpenAI attorneys – walking around with bodyguards!   

I can see why, reading this piece by Ted Gioia (also there), consumers are getting angry about new tech (and not just AI). 

I had a long convo/argument with my sister about AI. She’s doing a PhD in Music at Glasgow Uni and has written a paper on the impact of AI on the industry (she’s new to Substack, give her some love here). 

AI is a big deal for musicians, and people are pissed off, she says. It got a bit heated, so we had to change the subject.

We’re seeing exponential growth, things are moving very fast and it’s hard to wrap our heads around. 

Here are some key titbits from the convo with J. Thorn. He said a few things that resonated with me, so I wanted to share them. 

Like many of us, he’s veering between ‘AI will save the world’ and ‘fuck, we’re all doomed.’

How to use ChatGPT 

Here’s one tip you can use instantly that will dramatically shift how you see this tool.

Don’t use it as a search engine.

Think about the tasks that you typically do—or do on a regular basis—and instead of asking ChatGPT to do them, ask it what it needs for you to accomplish them.

Try it and see. He says you’ll be shocked at what you get back, so now you know what you don’t know! 

It’s a big mindset shift to start conversing with ChatGPT rather than telling it what to do as we would with Google. 

  • The Pro version is worth paying for (several people said this) – it’s stronger, multimodal, and can analyse text, images, and voice. 
  • On setting your ego aside as a writer. “The purpose of being a writer isn’t to write words; it’s to get your message across.” Love that, keeping it at eye level.
  • More personalised AI is coming – an encrypted AI assistant that can remember everything you’ve ever written and store all your personal info.
  • Licensing is a key area—musicians will be able to make more money from licensing their voices than doing the voiceover work. 

Hmm, where’s the fun in that!? We enjoy the creative process and the sense of achievement that it brings.  

  • The quantity game is over, so you need to focus on making the highest quality content that only you can write. And supplement it with IRL events and experiences (which don’t scale…) 

I feel like we’re coming full circle – from global to local, more intimate community events.

In many ways, the next several decades will force humans (in the West, maybe globally) to redefine purpose because AI & robotics will do what we’ve done for ourselves for generations. 

Much food for thought and a positive conversation. Thanks to Tim & the team.

💌Creative AI Digest [J. Thorn] 

And some Further inspo from Brian Clark in his newsletter this week on ‘Why it’s time [for Gen X] to adapt (again).

Because your wisdom and experience (armed with AI) in your own gig can do some seriously amazing things.

We’ve been around the block and can remember how life was before the internet, and that’s our superpower!

My dad sent me a pic of his new birthday shelving: books, maps, DVDs, VHS tapes (us as kids), WD40, cans of Stella, and survival tins. He says it holds up to 50 tee-shirts (or more!)

So if it all goes to pot, he’ll be ok!

ChatGPT-5

It’s coming soon…maybe in June – and it will be even smarter. 

Interesting to hear Sam Altman say that ‘ChatGPT-4 sucks!’ on the Lex Fridman Podcast. I love how he gets right in there: ‘Take me through the OpenAI board saga.’ 

I’m interested in learning what the next iteration can do so playing around with the Plus version and figuring out how to integrate it into my daily workflow. 

I don’t have a VA, so a little help with admin, marketing/PR, distribution, and repetitive tasks is welcome and it will free me up to do other stuff, e.g., getting OUT there and networking! 

ChatGPT is the only AI tool I use as it’s affordable, and I want to keep things simple. I don’t need different interfaces to do the same job. I figure they’re all using OpenAI data anyway.

What everyday tasks are you using ChatGPT for and how is it helping?

Nika 

PS Speaking of events, last chance to grab your ticket for CEX 2024. Spring pricing ends today. Sign up and use code TOM100 to win a guest spot on This Old Marketing Pod. 

An action-packed agenda – there’s a lot on AI this year. And because it’s a niche, smaller event, there’s a strong focus on networking and collaborations.

Good Reads 

▶️Rejecting Specialization: Using vibes and voice to attract the right clients [Tom Critchlow]. An excellent piece on why specialising as an indie consultant is hard, why it fails, and what an alternative path looks like. Lean into your weirdness and POV to consistently generate senior clients. 

▶️With this LinkedIn algorithm change, your best posts could reach new readers for months. One of many new features the platform is rolling out in ‘24 to help you grow and why they’ve dropped the term ‘creator’. [Entrepreneur] 

▶️Spotify adds video learning courses in latest experiment [The Verge]. It’s offering four categories of courses in the UK: make music, get creative, learn business, and healthy living because more people are coming to Spotify to learn. Curious to see how this experiment goes!

▶️What’s happening with Substack right now is why creators need to understand their platforms’ business models and incentives. [Jay Acunzo] 

Great commentary and insight on platform biz models. You still get your email list, so it’s not like YouTube. Personally, I enjoy the social side of SS—content should lead to connections and conversations, and that happens naturally in this ecosystem. I don’t mind if they bring in ads to support paid subscriptions.

▶️Travel videos, health hacks, and entrepreneur interviews by Ever Wander aka [Ashley Perona]. She and her husband have been full-time nomads since 2021 and she’s been to 47 countries, 7 continents. She’d love some tips on growing her channel.

Fascinating to see how she’s managing her content biz (& her health) while on the road. Some inspo for your next trip!

Hi, I’m Nika!

I’m a writer and indie consultant. Founder of Firebird, a small-but-mighty content consultancy.

I help entrepreneurs and biz leaders tell compelling stories that connect and inspire. 

Need my copy chops? See my services here. You can book a 1:1 intro call with me here.

Newsletter Talent Directory! Feel free to add your deets here.

Gold star for reading this far. If you have an indie newsletter I’d love to chat! 🤩

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Interviews Newsletter

Bold Types…Adriana Tica 🇷🇴

I’m not big on International Women’s Day (it’s every day, as far as I’m concerned) and it’s hard to get enthusiastic when nothing much changes, but we do need to keep banging on about inequality and helping each other.

So a shoutout to all the strong, kind, and supportive women in my network who lift me up and keep me going. THANK YOU. It is much appreciated.

The other day, I was asked to promote a panel in parliament that was all blokes. “Where are the women?” I asked my colleague.

“Doing all the background work for less pay as usual, probably.”

But he did flag it and asked if we should suggest a more balanced panel. The usual female speaker was ill, so it was last minute, but there are other women who could’ve stepped in. 

I posted on LinkedIn here about #IWD2024 campaigns worth supporting:

  • United Nations: Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress – show us the money! #InvestinWomen #FundFemaleFounders
  • The NUJ’s #ShowUstheMoney pay transparency campaign

And it’s Mother’s Day. First priority today: calling my lovely mum.

I did appreciate the flowers and dark chocolate waiting for me when I got back from the conference 💐 🍫

We’re off to Bella Vista for a mother-and-daughter day dinner.

Nika

Bold Types…Adriana Tica

Wine is my drink of choice. I even thought about becoming a sommelier at some point. I write about some of the gems I discover on Instagram

I really enjoyed chatting with Adriana Tica, a strategist, writer, trend forecaster, and entrepreneur known for her no-BS, zero-hacks marketing strategy. We met on LinkedIn.

She’s built not one but two businesses on her own, with absolutely minimal investment, zero paid ads, and zero PR effort. “My rise to (moderate) internet fame was “more organic” than Whole Foods.”

“Getting hooked on independence doesn’t take much.” I agree!

And now introducing biz no #3: Ideas to Power Your Future, her brilliant weekly newsletter, which she says is the best lead generation tactic she’s ever built.

Semrush named her one of the world’s top 100 Content Marketing Influencers, and Buffer said she knows a thing or two about social media.

She’s a digital nomad who loves working remotely, especially from a Mediterranean island. She also speaks six foreign languages.

I like that she’s not your typical ultra-niched strategy consultant. There’s so much pressure to narrow down and be known for one thing, but broad expertise across industries is a superpower. It gives you an edge.

One of the things the Executive loved about the conference was the “non-industry attendees.” And in the feedback survey, the members always ask for more “speakers outside of the industry.”

Worth bearing in mind when you’re pitching yourself as a speaker. Be bold, and as Cindy says, never give it away for free 😉

Super inspiring. Enjoy! (scroll down for the video 🎦)

Hi Adriana, firstly, I’d love to know where you grew up and your first job. 

I grew up in Craiova, Romania, and then moved to Bucharest for college, where I stayed. These days, I’m a digital nomad who enjoys working remotely, especially from a Mediterranean island.

My first job was waitressing when I was 16. It lasted for exactly six days; it turns out I’m not cut out for smiling at jerks 😊. In college, my first job was in ad sales—also not a good fit for the same reason: the utter lack of a poker face.

What do you do and why?

I started my business out of sheer need. It was supposed to be short-lived, with a few freelancing gigs between jobs. But those freelancing gigs took off, and before I knew it, I was making more freelancing for a couple of hours a day than my full-time job paid.

So, I stopped going to interviews and turned my freelancing gigs into a digital marketing agency in 2015. My goal has always been to create great content for our clients, not the SEO fodder you see everywhere, and I’m proud to say I have succeeded.

At the end of 2022, I launched Ideas to Power Your Future, a weekly newsletter about no-BS marketing strategy. As this newsletter and its community keep growing, I’m happy to see how many people are over hacks and quick wins and focus on building a solid foundation for their business instead. 

This is what I set out to teach my subscribers, and despite all the bro marketing out there, it resonates with my community.

What are you most excited about at work right now? 

Growing my newsletter and my consulting business. I love seeing the spark in my clients’ and subscribers’ eyes when something clicks. When they realise they don’t have to hack social media algorithms to grow their audience or sell their soul to sleazy marketing tactics.

I know everyone hates marketers – and they have good reasons to. I’m here to show there’s a better way to market your business, one that lets you sleep easily and doesn’t annoy your audience.

How do you stay on top of industry trends?

I read a lot, perhaps too much. I focus on mainstream media (The Economist, HubSpot, Forbes, and so on) and obscure blogs, newsletters, or social media accounts that border on fringe. It’s very easy to dismiss them, but they are usually trendsetters.

Piecing the information together is my favourite thing to do, along with finding correlations between seemingly unrelated industries or trends, i.e. how does the state of the economy affect the creator economy? Or is there a connection between the housing market and the travel industry? Fun questions to answer!

Tell us about your marketing process. How are you finding clients, and building your network?  

Most of my clients and subscribers come from LinkedIn and Twitter, the platforms I’m most active on. My newsletter is the trust bridge that establishes me as a credible strategist and the best lead-generation tactic I’ve ever built.

Social media is also where I find partners, friends, and networks like Lettergrowth (for newsletter cross-promos) and the Convert Kit Creator Network.

Samaria Gorge in Crete, Greece – her favourite place

How do you define success? And balance ambition and contentment?

Success is the most subjective word. For me, success means not dreading my work and being excited about the future. Every job and every business has ups and downs. But as long as there are more ups than downs, I count it as a success.

I never set out to rule the world, so I’m content with carving a small corner of the internet for myself and a business that feeds me and allows me to travel without claiming my soul in return.

How do you manage your health and prevent burnout? 

I’m afraid I don’t do enough here. I love what I do and tend to become hyper-focused on my work. Since I’ve already dealt with severe burnout once and definitely don’t want to go back there, I force myself to take breaks, exercise, and disconnect at least one day a week—even when I’d rather be working.

Can you recommend one book and one podcast for digital entrepreneurs?

Before you get to the trendy books, I recommend reading Philip Kotler’s Principles of Marketing. The book may be slightly dated, but it has everything you need to understand the foundations of marketing. Mastering a new trendy channel or tactic will be a breeze if you read this.

My favourite podcast is Everyone Hates Marketers by Louis Grenier. His conversations with his guests are refreshingly candid, with zero boasting and posturing.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? 

Paul Graham’s “Do the things that don’t scale first” is my guiding light. This is what you need to do in the beginning – talk to your customers and your partners, gather feedback and ideas, and mine the web for information.

And you have to do all this yourself, not by automating DMs through AI. It’s a crucial step most digital entrepreneurs miss in their chase for quick hacks.

Are you happy, and what would you change? 

Oh, that’s a loaded question! Yes, I’m happy and content overall, but there’s always room for improvement. If I were to change one thing, it would be my working hours; I need a better balance here. I’m working on it!

Who should I interview next and why? 

Hannah Szabo and Michael Scott Overholt are the smartest, most fascinating people I’ve met on LinkedIn, and I’m proud to call them friends. I think you’ll like how their businesses are built on solid principles and ethics. (I surely will! Send me your questions for Hannah and Michael).

How can readers get in touch with you?

The best way to get in touch with me is to subscribe to my newsletter, Ideas to Power Your Future. This is where I publish my best work and answer every email from my subscribers. You can also find me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Resources

  • Special issue: One-year anniversary – How I grew and monetised this newsletter in the past year (what fuels the growth of her newsletter – ranked from best to worst). Read it here. 
  • Spending too much time creating content? Read this! (why repurposing and reusing are your best friends). Read it here.
  • Is the subscription economy in trouble? (tips on how to price a paid newsletter or paid community and future-proof yourself as a newsletter writer). Read it here. 

How am I doing?

I love hearing from you, and I’m always looking for feedback. Is there anything you’d like to see more of or less of? Which bits of the newsletter do you enjoy the most?

Hit reply and say hello – or email me: nika@nikatalbot.io.

Join the Newsletter Talent Network! Directory for collabs – online and local: Go here.

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Retiring projects

Hastings at 4 pm yesterday 🌈
Hastings at 4 pm yesterday 🌈

🧩 Q&A with Johanna Renoth, founder of Bye, Social Media! Plus resources for building a biz on your own terms.

I was sad to hear Johanna Renoth is retiring Bye, Social Media! 

She’s had a great ride – and it’s time for a change, she says in her latest post. “Over the course of the past two years of writing this newsletter, I’ve enjoyed connecting with you in the inbox tremendously!…

“At the same time, I struggled with building a brand online. Doing so frequently felt at odds with what I enjoy: exploring ideas and creativity.”

I relate. Building a brand solo is hard, especially if you aren’t visible on social media. Just heard Jenny Blake talking about this and how she’s pausing her pods for a bit to figure out what her broader business wants to become.

Switching context and juggling the maker’s and manager’s schedules is also challenging – Paul Graham’s essay. I’m using my time in units of half a day when I can.

I really admire what Johanna’s built – a strong premise and a reminder to have fun, experiment, and be playful. There’s no solopreneur manual on the internet to follow – “it’s for you to make this digital, marketing, and business world your own.”

She’s keeping the blog on Beehiiv alive to continue to be a resource for those who want to build a biz on their own terms and create an intentional relationship with social media. 

Good luck with whatever you create next, Johanna – and thank you for connecting. I enjoyed our chat – here it is (still one of my most viewed pages, so you’re on to something!!)

interview with johanna renoth

What’s key is choosing the platforms you enjoy that add value – for me, that’s Substack, LinkedIn and Reddit, as they are more conversational and text-based – and then scheduling proper work time to use them.

On Reddit, I’ve helped folks with their Substacks, shared my Newsletter Talent Directory, and met a developer building a similar resource who was keen to collaborate.

I shared my panic after getting heart palpitations with NMN supplements (I thought I was having a heart attack – much too high a dose!), and I’m very grateful to Redditors for reassurance and an explanation. It helps you feel less alone.

This week, LinkedIn has brought me:

  • A free 1:1 call with a high-performance success coach  
  • An invitation to join a free programme of support, networking and mentorship locally to help me grow my biz
  • A new book about newsletters
  • An illustrator who can teach me how to draw (I want to add sketches/doodles to this newsletter)
  • A new client and a testimonial
  • Ideas, inspo and links. I get excited about sharing other people’s stuff – it brings me energy and hope.

Approach it like a dating app – be intentional and get it offline as soon as possible. I offer a free 1:1 intro call because I care about and value connection and relationships. Feel free to book in here if we haven’t spoken yet.

Make use of the digital tools we have available to us. This week, I’ve been testing Sendible for social media scheduling (thanks to Adriana Tica for the recommendation – interview coming soon). I came off Hootsuite as it’s gone all corporate and is far too expensive for soloists.

Enjoying it so far – nice dashboard and a content calendar for inspo. It’s saving me time as I’m not scrolling sites natively and getting distracted by my feed. It also prompts you to re-schedule posts – a reminder to repurpose your content as not everybody sees it. Make your content work harder for you!

Happy writing ✍️

Nika 🙂

PS I’ve had enough of this bloody rain! I got wet on every run this week, and my joints don’t like it. Thanks to Kate Arnold for making me laugh.

5 Things 

CJ Chilvers’ new book, Principles for Newsletters, condenses the most important lessons he’s learned from 37 years of newsletter publishing into 49 short principles. I read this last night with a glass of vino – smart and succinct.

The most important thing that determines our health | Dr Ellen Langer x Rich Roll – on how you can harness mindfulness to take control of your health. Her classes must be such fun. I’ve watched this twice – it’s that good. 

Neal.fun made a museum of the internet – explore artefacts from the early internet – “a collection of everything I made when I’m bored during lecture.” Discover who sent the first spam email (DYK the term ‘spam’ was inspired by a Monty Python sketch?)

How long does it take to find (or generate…) an image to go with your posts? Er, quite a while and I often end up buying one. Drawing could be faster and more fun. Turn your scribbles into professional illustrations – even if you think you can’t draw.

My dream writer’s studio. Bringing the outside in. Walk past 1700 poets to get to your desk – with a 180-degree view of nature. Full of distractions but the right kind of distractions. Isn’t this fabulous? 

Thanks for reading. If you have topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, please get in touch: nika@nikatalbot.io. I’d love to hear from you.

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Newsletter

Brian Clark on AI: ‘Be a leader, not a creator’

AI chatbot concept with typewriter
Visual by Visual by Eoneren | Getty

Your go-to mission plan 🤖

I did a webinar with Brian Clark on ‘How to Become a Market Leader in the Age of AI’.

Why radical change is a leadership opportunity for savvy marketers, and how to navigate these uncertain times.

AI is one of the top 5 big disruptors. Now the hype has died down regarding ChatGPT, it’s time to pay attention. AI is being baked into everything, and we still don’t know what the impact will be on the broader job market.

He shared an important paper in Gen-AI [MIT], which found people preferred the AI content over human content. A bit depressing, but “change brings opportunity – this is opportunity on steroids.”

Beat the ‘push button’ crowd

The basic advice we’ve been given is you’ve got to be human – not very useful. The ‘Be human’ mantra has been chanted since the early days of blogging – fighting against corporate jargon and non-sensical marketing speak.

We need to be ‘more human than human’ – Tyrell’s motto in Bladerunner.

By intimately understanding human psychology and how words influence people rather than getting hung up at the tactical level.

Exploring human values and needs – trust, purpose and belonging. Unity is the most persuasive principle and is included in the new edition of Cialdini’s book Influence.

Building together around a shared identity – the Unemployable community is a great example.

Be a leader, not a creator

Brian talked about redefining how we use content for marketing purposes and prefers ‘empowerment marketing’ to ‘content marketing’. Empowerment is the objective, not content creation.

Thinking in terms of missions, movements and mentors is way more powerful than marketing and niches.

“Because when content can get generated at the push of a button, hey maybe that’s not what I want to be known for, right.” It’s become meaningless and watered down.

I agree. It’s something I’ve been struggling with. Just listened to Chris Cantwell on a pod talking about why he doesn’t like the word ‘content’.

The creator economy is a sea of sameness – lots of creator-named brands, tips and tactics. We create content to make a living. But the creator ethos is backwards – focused on vanity metrics – likes and comments, while not getting to the building a business part because they can’t inspire action.

Connector is a better word.

So, what’s next for Movement Ventures and the community?

Their new focus is the Leading Expert (Copyblogger for grown-ups) – a person fighting against the status quo as part of a movement.

Leading is the key word because “Leadership is what’s needed – and what people are begging for in terms of navigating the change we’re facing.” It doesn’t really matter if you’re working for yourself or for an org.

Outward-focused on the person over the content, and psychological over tactical – the whole human. They are bringing their universe together and unifying things in one community. I love that.

I said the expert hat is tricky sometimes especially if you’re learning in public and on the journey with your readers. I’m seeing more ‘how I did it’ over ‘how to do it’ posts these days.

Brian said but ‘how I did it’ at beginning of the journey is just as viable. When Darren Rowse started blogging in photography back in 2003, he didn’t know a huge amount about it and was very candid about that. “I would research. I would write. I was one week ahead of my audience.”

His Digital Photography School is now hugely successful. He’s pioneered an online movement by sharing his journey with pro blogging.

“So, you’ll be teaching us how to be leading experts?” 💬

“Yes, that’s the idea. This has always been the way, but most people got lost in the content, and more content, and more content. And never understood what they were trying to accomplish with all the content.”

An emphasis on creating the right type of content for your people – which is what content design is all about.

Back to that MIT study he quoted at the start (Title: Human Favoritism not AI Aversion). The most important finding. “When people knew that a human created the content all by themselves they liked it better than if it was AI-generated.”

Human nature is the one thing that’s not going to change. Thank you for giving us some hope!

“Augmented humans will be the leaders going forward, not robots.”

Inspiring stuff – got me all fired up!! An excellent presentation.

Yes to being part of a true alliance of people who want to help each other out.

Want to be part of it? Brian is doing Expert lessons over on the Longevity Gains newsletter for the longevity market, but they are general principles applied to the over-50s. The biggest consumer market the world’s ever seen (think about it, none of us want to get old and die!!).

Leading expert. All rivers flow into this:

• I did a Skill Session with Josh Spector called ‘The Expert Positioner’. He’s changed his messaging to ‘I’m a marketing strategist who helps experts…”

• Ellen Donnelly at The Ask launched the Authority Club this week.

• Thomas Strider shut down his newsletter to start something mission-backed, sparked by a remote work revolution and online entrepreneurship.

• Joe Pulizzi has a new website written in the first person. ‘Father, Husband, Son, Friend, Entrepreneur, Marketer, Author, Podcaster, Speaker.’ Bringing his whole self to it. 

• Jan Murray has rebranded her pod to The Courageous CEO (prev. Courageous Content).

Overall, it’s about relationships – important in the golden days of blogging – and bringing that back. LinkedIn and Substack are filling a gap – the number of folks flocking to these platforms shows it’s much needed.

I’ve been thinking about the ‘whole human’ thing and the direction of this newsletter. Trying to figure out a way to bring all my passions and interests together in one place rather than having work and life in separate buckets, which doesn’t make sense.

It’s never been about content creation, personal branding or building an audience. It’s about growth and impact and helping people to reach their true potential. Being the best person we can be. Leaving a legacy, if that’s what you want.

And helping women gain power, health and wealth. The UK has an unaffordable childcare system, which restricts women’s freedom, fun and happiness. I’ve experienced that first-hand. Digital entrepreneurship and remote work were the game changers that kept me going.

Resources 

📧 AI content is preferred over human content | Awaken Your Superhero by Christopher S Penn

🎧 Questioning content with writer, producer and director Chris Cantwell | Content People 

📚 Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini 

Living well 

The little (and big) things that made me feel better this week

  • I made gluten-free oat bread
  • I did a one-day yoga detox retreat
  • I had a two-hour chat with my sister about her Camino adventure
  • I took the afternoon off to potter around Rye with Julieta
  • I read a few chapters of Marie Forleo’s book Everything is Figureoutable
  • I offered an older man a seat on the bus. He looked at me and said, “No thanks. I’m 79 and fit as a fiddle. I’m very strong. I prefer to stand up.”

It sparked a conversation about healthy ageing. “I’m curious about everything. I’m very nosy. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I exercise. Do all these things, and you’ll live a long life.”

Sorry this is so long. I got really into it!!

If you have topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, please get in touch: nika@nikatalbot.io. I’d love to hear from you.

Sorry this is so long. I got really into it!!

If you have topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, please get in touch: nika@nikatalbot.io. I’d love to hear from you.

Newsletter Talent Directory! – feel free to add your deets here if you want to connect and collaborate.

It’s editable, so a bit of a social experiment!

To support my work and unlock extra features, subscribe now or leave a one-time tip.

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Newsletter

🔥 Sell or go big?

+ the books topping my TBR pile this summer | #123

Big news from Joe Pulizzi this week – Lulu has acquired The Tilt and its Creator Economy Expo (CEX) event. 

Lulu is a leading self-publishing platform that allows creators to publish and distribute books globally. They have been The Tilt’s biggest supporter over the last two years – sponsoring their newsletter, CEX, and third annual content entrepreneur research. 

They are on a mission to teach authors about the business model of content entrepreneurship (beyond books!). Loads of educational material on their site – toolkit, guides, Lulu University and more. You can even make a magazine!

Good synergies between the two, and this move positions them perfectly as a leader in the creator space.

I’m blown away by this news. Wow. It’s a much faster exit than I expected – just two years since The Tilt launched, still a toddler—a speedy trip from Part 1 to Part 8 of Content Inc. 

Congratulations to Joe and Pam, and the team. I’m excited to see how this will evolve and what opportunities it will bring with combined audience power. Lulu has come a long way since they published their first book in 2002.

Fascinating to see that a content business has acquired a content business! 

It gives The Tilt resources to expand on education, research and networking opportunities (yes, please!). They’ve built an audience of 25k+ newsletter subscribers, which is important for an exit plan. 

Just shows it’s never too soon to start thinking about exit strategies, even if you haven’t made much money yet. Because how you exit will affect how you build your business. 

This is Joe’s third official sale of a company, and he says his goal is to continue doing what he loves and is good at and leave the business side to someone else. I get that. No more payroll!! Having employees can get complicated and expensive. I didn’t enjoy putting myself on the payroll when I had a limited company. 

The Tilt & Lulu are launching a new imprint for content entrepreneurs – a hands-on service to publish your print book, ebook or audiobook. 

If you’re thinking about self-publishing, you can express your interest here. 

🔥 WATCH/READ/LISTEN

I’ve been to see three films this week – British Summer!! Barbie and Mission Impossible are both excellent. Barbie is a masterclass in marketing. MI – a warning about the dangers of rogue AI…

I loved Talk To Me, the new indie horror from Danny & Michael Philippou, the daredevil twins from Down Under. 

Something different. Gory, fast-paced fun. Wild punk energy and passion, with a great soundtrack.

I love how this movie came to be – read the backstory in The Ringer. They’ve racked up over a billion views on YouTube, and leveraged that to transition from social media to Hollywood. “We don’t want to be chasing the algorithm our whole lives.” [NYT]

Or have their work censored by a tech platform 👏

Another reason not to build your content home on rented land.

Talk to Me soundtrack

Nicky Blewitt is an author who runs a freelance collective of writers & publishers that supports new writers. They’ve launched a bursary scheme ​to support low-income authors. “We offer a free two-hour​​ self-publishing and book marketing consultation.” Details here. 

Sophie Rhone started her Digital PR business last year and has a podcast covering the creative industry – advertisers, marketers, and influencers. The first episode: The Art of Personal Branding, is now on Spotify. Send her some love and leave a review if you want to be a future guest.

Jennifer Phan, Co-founder & CEO at Passionfroot, is rocking Carousel posts on LinkedIn. I appreciate the time and research that goes into these and keep saving them to return to. Great resource. Here are 30 books EVERY creator should read to build strong content systems. 

Tons of inspo here for your TBR pile this summer. 

Recommendations for fiction welcome too – I need to lose myself in a good book.

Happy reading… 🍉 ⛱ 🌴

Nika 🙂

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