MAY 5, 2023

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

We interrupt this regularly scheduled newsletter for a minute to thank all the content entrepreneurs and soon-to-be entrepreneurs who joined us at Creator Economy Expo. Together, you truly created an experience built on your enthusiasm for growing a content business and your eagerness to help others do the same.

5 things to do

Content Entrepreneur of the Year Jay Clouse

The Tilt presented the inaugural Content Entrepreneur of the Year award this week to Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science.

“There is not one person in the creator economy that is making a better impact on the lives and businesses of content entrepreneurs than Jay Clouse,” says Joe Pulizzi, founder of The Tilt.

One of his nominators, Adam Eskew, shares: “Jay is a truly unique educator. He embodies a rising tide that lifts all boats. He is a student of what works and what doesn’t and passes those lessons along to better other content entrepreneurs.”

So we’ll let Jay be the teacher for today’s Friday 5. It’s based on his Creator Economy Expo conversation about what he wished he had known when he started his content business that years later is on track to make $600K

1. Start a weekly newsletter: It’s a great creative practice to help find your voice and your perspective. Pick one of two paths: (1) Build it on a unique experience you already have – be a trusted source. (2) Follow a new obsession – be a curious beginner.

2. Study, study, study: Be a student about your chosen platform. Become one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on that topic. More knowledge leads to more insight, which leads to more compelling work.

3. Go hard on Twitter: (Yes, this elicited a few groans from the audience.) Short-form writing is an incredible way to flex your idea muscle and validate ideas. Post one to two times a day and publish one to two threads a week.

Reply to big accounts in your niche where people already talk about similar things. Make sure your reply adds value. Make it thoughtful and discerning. (Jay’s reply to a tweet from James Clear to which the New York Times bestselling author replied. It led Jay’s tweet to earn 20K views.)

4. Repurpose your Twitter content: Turn your best threads into image carousels for LinkedIn. Upload them to Instagram, too (10 or fewer slides). Jay uses Tweetpik, but you also could design your own template in Canva or other design software.

5. Direct social media traffic to your newsletter: Add a tweet in your thread to let readers know about your newsletter and how to subscribe. It works well to grow your subscriber base. But don’t stop there. Preview or tease a newsletter topic on social and make subscribe the call to action. Do a similar review promotion after the newsletter goes live.

Among the other things, Jay would do if he was just starting – offer one-on-one consulting or coaching. Services like that are the shortest path to revenue, he says.

– Ann Gynn

We also congratulate the 2023 Content Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists for their excellence in growing a content business:

Roberto Blake of Roberto Blake
Anthony Fasano of Engineering Management Institute
Alexis Grant of They Got Acquired
Dasha Kennedy of The Broke Black Girl
Marc Leach and Tricia Leach of Keep Your Daydream
Marianne Lehnis of Green Techpreneur

5 things from the tilt

We loved this breakdown of Ann Handley’s main stage session at CEX from Tilt friend, Melanie Deziel.
Level up your office small talk with the #1 visual newsletter from our friends at Chartr. Join 300K+ who love snackable charts and easy-to-remember data insights on business, tech, and society. Sign up for free today.*
Joe and Robert recorded live at Creator Economy Expo this week. [This Old Marketing podcast]
Joe asks if you are goal-setting or settling. [Content Inc. podcast]
Missed CEX? We have you covered! Purchase a digital pass now to access all the recordings from the event!

*The Tilt receives a small commission if readers (at no additional cost) make a purchase using this link.

5 things to know

Money

Tip up: More than 40% of a creator’s social media audience tips an average $5 to $10. That’s a 17% jump since 2021. (The Influencer Marketing Factory)
Tilt Take: While tipping won’t become a major revenue stream, it remains a great barometer to gauge interest in your content.
Solo no more: Creators who operate solo can’t really monetize or scale their brand. Your first – and hardest – hire? An editor. (Mike Blenstock)
Tilt Take: OK, so we don’t think solo creators can’t monetize their brand. But investing in an editor can make sense for many content businesses. And we agree with Mike. It will be the hardest hire, given you are the creator and owner.

Audiences

Tap the dots: Facebook users can influence the reels they see by tapping the three-dot menu at the bottom of the player and selecting “show more” or “show less.” It also will appear in the watch feed. (Search Engine Land)
Tilt Take: Invite your viewers to click the dots and pick “show more.” The signal can temporarily boost your video’s ranking score.

Tech and Tools

EEH of AI: Creators have a choice in the use of artificial intelligence. It can embrace your business by fully automating processes. It can enhance existing processes with your guidance and input (think ChatGPT). Or it can hinder, becoming more of an expression of AI than the creator. (MIDia)
Tilt Take: Don’t let AI be an all-or-nothing decision. Consider how it may or may not work based on your activities and goals.

And Finally

Listen up: Too many creators don’t take the time to truly listen to what people have to say. It’s a skill that requires listening to understand, not to respond. You can mirror what you just heard, label emotions, and follow up. (Creator Economy by Peter Yang)
Tilt Take: Also, don’t forget to listen to what’s not being said and the nonverbal cues the person is giving – that can be just as important.

Be Part of the TILT Nation with Our New Rewards Program

Share The Tilt Newsletter with other content creators and get exclusive swag and more.

Your unique link: https://www.thetilt.com?rh_ref=[RH CODE GOES HERE]

Track your referrals here.

Or share via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email.

*Please note the rewards program is only available to US readers at this time. The Tilt reserves the right to reject referrals at their discretion.

the tilt team

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

A Lesson from the Content Entrepreneur of the Year – May 5, 2023