OCTOBER 7, 2022

Welcome to The Tilt, a twice-weekly newsletter for content entrepreneurs.

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In Friday 5s: Get some help in making the most of the time you devote to your content business. Meta gets rid of something people evidently didn’t want, and Twitter starts adding something many people want.

5 things to do

Over 80% of full-time content entrepreneurs say enjoyment, flexible work hours, and independence are top benefits of the content creator’s life, according to The Tilt’s 2022 research.

But that freedom doesn’t mean they can do whatever they want, whenever they want. A well-organized entrepreneur can create a structure that enables the freedom they want. To help, here are five things to do to better manage the time you devote to your content business.

1. Track your time. Before you adjust how you spend your time, you need to know how you spend it. Use a time-tracking tool (Toggl’s free version is one option). Or if you prefer pen and paper, use that. Don’t go broad. Be specific. For example, don’t write “marketing” for two hours. Detail the marketing activities, such as writing social media posts (30 minutes), reaching out to prospective guest blog sites (60 minutes), and doing a podcast interview (30 minutes.)

2. Create a plan, set a schedule, and stick to it. Among our helpful tips to do that: Develop a content calendar, detailing the topics and development timelines. Budget 50% of your time for business operations. (Full-time content entrepreneurs spend half their time on activities such as content distribution, promotion, marketing, sales, and administration/operations.) Create to-accomplish lists and prioritize items as urgent, important, and not important.

3. Batch your tasks. Plan to do similar tasks in the same block of time so you aren’t constantly interrupting your workflow. When you are writing, you are writing. You don’t have to stop to send an invoice or find a photo.

4. Limit distractions. Track what interrupts your work for a few days or even a week. Then, figure out the best do-not-disturb times to put on your schedule. Use that time to execute the tasks requiring the most concentration. Don’t forget to turn off social media and email notifications before you start. Need more help? Use a tool like TomatoTimer to help countdown your concentration time.

5. Plan for delegation. Answer these questions: What am I good at? What do I like to do? What am I not good at? What do I not like to do? Now, identify what your delegation or outsourcing strategy would be. Sure, you may not be ready to trade or pay for those services, but when you are, you know what you’re going to do (and not do).

Long version: How To Make the Most of Your Content Business Time

5 things at the tilt

Let’s talk about what it takes to be a content entrepreneur. The Tilt’s Ann Gynn joins host Erika Heald on Twitter to talk about our research. Just follow #ContentChat at 3 p.m. US EDT Monday (10/10).
Zero to 500: Focusing on Email and Revenue [10k Creator Podcast]
The Musky Scent of Twitter [This Old Marketing Podcast]
Creator Economy Expo (CEX) Call for Speakers (and the chance to nominate a speaker) closes next week. Get your submissions and nominations in today.
ICYMI: Know When To Outsource In Your Creator Business and How To Hire Freelancers

5 things to know

Money

Bye Bulletin: Less than 18 months after it began Bulletin, Meta is shutting down its off-platform newsletter product. Invited writers could use the product to sell subscriptions and/or give away content. (Tech Crunch)
Tilt Take: We didn’t think that’s the best way to grow a newsletter, so we’re not sad. It’s also good to know the creators will retain their subscribers’ email addresses.
Kardashian mistake: Kim Kardashian will pay a $1.26 million penalty for promoting a crypto asset security without disclosing she was paid, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced. (CoinTelegraph)
Tilt Take: Crypto or not, all content creators should disclose to their audiences any paid or trade partnerships, promotions, etc. It’s a matter of keeping your audience’s trust.

Audiences

Snap kick: Snapchat added a new sports league – European football league LaLiga – in its exclusive content deals. The growing interest in sports comes as Snap wants to attract older users (only 16% of its users are older than 35). (Social Media Today)
Tilt Take: The move for an older audience better work because younger users aren’t likely to stay long when they find out their parents are on the platform.

Tech and Tools

Blue edit: Twitter rolled out the edit tweet feature to Blue members in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They say the U.S. is coming soon. (Twitter)
Tilt Take: Given it’s only available to paid subscribers, we still expect to see a lot of fun typos and erroneous phrases.

And Finally

AI accountability: President Joe Biden shared a new AI Bill of Rights outlining protections Americans should have in the artificial intelligence age. The U.S. is the only Western country without clear AI protection guidance. (MIT Technology Review; h/t Paul Roetzer)
Tilt Take: Given too many users of AI don’t take into account their responsibilities to the public, it makes sense the government wants to intervene.

5 things to read, watch, or hear

Stories and Metrics in 25 Content & Media Companies That Sold [report w/ free and paid versions]
How does the metaverse actually work? [article]
Creator Conversations: Unpacking the Creator Economy with entrepreneur Joy Ofodu, LinkedIn, and Adobe
Helpful tips and smart steps to naming your business [article]
6 elements of a successful newsletter [article]

the tilt team

Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Pam Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony.

Time Suckers – October 7, 2022