NOVEMBER 11, 2022

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

In Friday 5s: Learn how to make AI tools a friend to your business. Are you a $50K creator? And check out a creator’s 20 steps to $3M in revenue.

5 things to do

You have a lot more to create than your primary content products. So while artificial intelligence can’t (or shouldn’t) replace you as the content creator, AI-assisted tools can help you, the busy entrepreneur who sometimes faces writer’s block.

Here are five ways to incorporate AI-assisted tools into your content business.

1. Create social media captions: AI content tools need three things from you to create social media captions:

Topic: Enter keywords relevant to the post and your business.
Language: Pick your audience’s primary language as well as any other languages that large sections of your audience may speak.
Tone: Decide what you want the caption to convey. Should it be inspiring, convincing, critical, etc.?

With those three things determined, you can choose how many caption variations you want for the post. If you plan to cross-publish or promote several times, it makes sense to have a unique caption for each.

2. Make a list: AI content tools can help create a list of to-dos and tasks around your topics – structures that audiences and Google love.

Enter the same three things you did for social media captions – topic (keywords), language, and tone. Then, you can see a 500-word article with headlines, sub-headlines, and paragraphs. Use (and tweak) the headlines and subheadlines to create a list-type article that your readers can easily follow.

3. Write YouTube descriptions: I don’t know about you, but when I upload videos on my YouTube channel, I don’t spend much time on the description. AI content tools can help you quickly produce unique video descriptions.

You have to type in the title of your video and choose the tone. It provides new descriptions that you can copy and paste into the video profile on YouTube.

4. Brainstorm ideas: When you create content around a single tilt, it can be challenging to come up with new ideas for articles, videos, podcasts, newsletters, etc.

You can use these AI-assisted content tools as brainstorming assistants. Add your keywords into the tool and read through the suggested headlines for inspiration.

5. Evaluate AI-assisted content tools: Many tools on the market can help you create this content. Most of these SaaS (software as a service) platforms are affordable. The good thing is they usually have a free trial period. I’ve used Rytr, You Write, and Content Forge.

My advice is to test a couple of the tools to find the one that fits your needs. An AI-assisted content writer should make things easier, not harder.

– Yakup Özkardes-Cheung

Long version with more details on the tools.

Did you catch Joe’s experiment with DALL-E-2, an AI image creator?

5 things at the tilt

In our second guest expert episode, we welcome Daphne Gomez to the show. Daphne runs Teacher Career Coach, a resource for teachers who may be looking to leave the classroom and use their skills to pursue other opportunities. [10K Creator Podcast]
Joe and Robert share a special episode on the future of B2B content marketing. [This Old Marketing Podcast]
Dig deeper into the business of creators and how to work with brands in the new report – The Business of Creators from HubSpot and The Tilt. [free download]
Looking for the perfect gift for the content creators in your life? Be sure to check out The Tilt merch shop. We have added some new items, including CEX swag!
ICYMI: How To Make the Most of Your Content Business Time

5 things to know

Money

Hopeful 50: Fifty-eight percent of creators made less than $50K this past year, but 75% believe they will be making more than $50K next year, according to a survey for the new Content Creator Economy Report (Deloitte)
Tilt Take: Taking a content business to the $50K level requires a lot of work and a detailed strategy. You have to do a lot more than just believe.
Check off: Twitter could soon charge for the prized blue verification checkmark and may expand the option for those willing to pay for a Twitter Blue subscription. (Vanity Fair)
Tilt Take: It’s like those Who’s Who lists that you can pay for the honor of inclusion. Pay-to-play arrangements make the honor (almost) meaningless.

Audiences

Get involved: Engaging the audience in your business can elevate their interest and commitment. Create an open space for them to connect directly. Consider publishing their (relevant) content on your channels. Tap the biggest fans as brand ambassadors. (Forbes)
Tilt Take: Just don’t make them pay for the honor of getting involved. (See Twitter Blue and blue checkmark dilemma above.)

Tech and Tools

Lights, camera, copyright: MGM launched Clips Locator, a new search platform to find film and television titles, clips, and stills from its library. Once you find what you want, they will quote a usage fee. (MGM; h/t Creator Economy Law)
Tilt Take: It’s always smart to comply with copyright laws. After all, you wouldn’t want someone using your creations without your permission.

And Finally

Friends and founders: Friends going into business can bring positives and negatives. If you plan that partnership, address commitment levels, values, and mission around the business first. (EU-Startups)
Tilt Take: Starting a new business is exciting; just make sure to do the homework first.

5 things to read, watch, or hear

Justin Welsh shares the 20-step story of his one-person content business that just crossed $3M in revenue over 1,187 days. [3 mins, thread]
Grow your community off social media platforms. Quench has five tips (we really like the audience pyramid illustration). [5.5 mins, article]
John Bull shares on Twitter (yes, it’s ironic) how creators can onboard at Mastodon, a social alternative. [2 mins, thread]
AGK Media folks have a fun conversation around the Business of Creators Report. [60 mins, podcast + article]
16 pitch decks that helped creator-focused startups raise millions. [list w/links]

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the tilt team

Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Pam Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony, with an assist from Yakup Özkardes-Cheung.

AI Assist – November 11, 2022