I couldn’t make it to CEX this year, so I’ve compiled a post-event summary from socials. Got my piggy jar and am saving for next year!
Here are the big ideas and themes that shaped this year’s event, plus some practical things you can do right now to grow your biz.
Big topics tackled? Algorithm chaos in Google and socials, the genius/evil of AI (including creating your digital doppelganger – thanks, Andrew Davis, for your sticky presentation phrase that, UGH, I can’t shake!), owning your own land/community, showing your humanity, REALLY understanding your customer and adding VALUE before jumping to monetization. — Wendy Covey
1. Using AI to survive and thrive in a competitive market (automating content production, personalising user experience, analysing audience data). AI was top of mind, but as a tool to streamline and organise content production rather than for organic copy. The hype around AI is starting to die down a bit because it’s becoming part of our everyday lives.
Just looking at this map from Visual Capitalist, which shows the number of AI startups by country. The US has 5,509, and the UK is third with 727. It’s mind-blowing. I’m using GPT Plus as a helpful agent and trying to figure out how it can help with distribution and discoverability. How do we develop our own distribution?
AI doesn’t have feelings. You need to tell your unique story. — Latasha James (her keynote on the importance of human stories)
Always say, “Take your time” after inputting the prompt. You’ll get better results that way. — Brian Piper (loving how he’s using AI for meal planning for his family of 8!)
2. Building revenue streams independent of big tech – strategies to help you make sustainable revenue streams without relying on tech platforms, e.g. direct revenue through subscriptions and memberships.
3. Community engagement and the importance of nurturing and building online communities as a growth strategy. Strong community ties can lead to a more robust business model in the content space.
Community can feel complicated and heavy, so I always think about Rosie Sherry, who talks about being kind and caring as a business strategy. “To care, over time, becomes your difference.” I love that. And with newsletters, you have a community of readers.
Solve small problems, then big problems. Then people will trust you. That’s how expertise is built. — Justin Welsh
Reminds me of Paul Graham on building world-class products that people love. “Focus on making a small group of people super happy.”
4. The value of networking and collaboration and how you can grow faster and achieve more by teaming up with other entrepreneurs. The Content Entrepreneur book was a group project that worked – conceived at last year’s CEX and written over the year to be released ahead of this year’s event.
More from The Tilt on that experiment here. Pamela Muldoon’s chapter is on content strategy and planning, which is her passion topic, and she narrates the audiobook.
They say two heads are better than one. So, imagine how powerful a book by 30-something content experts is! — Diane Burley
It’s also a brilliant distribution tactic—most of the posts I found on LinkedIn #CEX24 were about the book.
5. Diverse content platforms from traditional blogs and newsletters to newer formats like podcasts and video series. Good to hear Jay Clouse talking about prioritising trust over attention—long-form content over short-form.
Julia McCoy says it also has SEO benefits. “One of them is that long-form, well-researched content, with all the right schema and link profiles, is still the best way to rank on search engines.”
Roundup posts
▶️ Go Forth and Do: 5 ideas from 5 presenters you can do right now [The Tilt]
▶️ Best event overviews [Mary Rose ‘Wildfire’ Maguire] and [Matt Rouse]
▶️ Best industry journo review [Simon Owens]
▶️ What it feels like to write a book with 30+ other people [Marc Maxhimer]
▶️ Best conference sketch notes [Jim MacLeod]
▶️ Best conference tee-shirt [Matt Briel]
▶️ Best video on what she learned from other speakers [Latasha James]
▶️ Insights on solopreneurship + ‘opposite thinking’ from B.J Novak [Austin L Church]
▶️ Throwback from CEX ’23: Killer newsletter editorial and operational tips [Ann Gynn]
Love this tip from B.J. Novak about his writing process. He carries a notebook everywhere and then transfers his thoughts to his laptop (the bit I’m not very good at) so he can group similar ideas and themes to create from.
You can do the virtual thing, but really, the magic is in meeting other content creators, getting inspired, and even finding a few to collaborate with. — Mary Rose ‘Wildfire’ Maguire
I agree, that would carry me along for the rest of the year.
Kudos to the team and their mad event skills – three days is a big job 🥂
- CEX Digital Pass available here
- Tilt Your Business: Lessons and takeaways from Content Entrepreneur Expo, May 14 – register here.
Did you go? If so, let me know, I’d love to hear your insights.
Nika ✨
Work with me
Wanted to be Jane Bond but ended up in journalism 🤷🏻♀️
I run Firebird, the content consultancy helping entrepreneurs impact the world with their personal stories. Life is too short to play small. See my services here.
Newsletter Talent Directory! for creative collaborations—feel free to add your deets here.
Nika Talbot 