FEBRUARY 18, 2022

Welcome to The Tilt, a twice-weekly newsletter for content entrepreneurs. Each edition is packed with the latest news, strategies, and tactics, plus inspiring creator stories and exclusive education, all to help you create, grow, and monetize better.

In this issue:

full tilt

3 Don’ts for Creators To Overcome Public Speaking Resistance

Glossophobia – the fear of public speaking – is said to be experienced one time or another by 75% of the population. Yet, a recent survey by Hinge Marketing found 67% of respondents identified speaking engagements as an impactful marketing technique – that’s more than any other tactic received.

Speaking also can be a direct revenue opportunity, such as an on-screen host of a Twitch stream or an in-person event speaker, for content entrepreneurs.

But formal public speaking doesn’t come naturally to every content creator. Jam Gamble understands its power – and why many shy away from opportunities that could make all the difference in their business. With nearly 41K followers on Instagram, the public speaking coach honed her skills on a public television show in Toronto. Six years ago, she launched her coaching business, coining the nickname #SlayeroftheMic.

Now, she shares her advice for creators to get over their fear and get on the stage.

Don’t strive for perfection: As it turns out, Jam didn’t need traditional public speaking training to shine; she just needed the freedom to address audiences in a way that felt comfortable and authentic to her.

“You have to be human. That is the criteria. You have to be a human with a voice who believes in what they have to say,” Jam says. “Stop overthinking and just start.”

As she says, “When I look back on my journey as a speaker, the first vlog out there, the first episode of my TV show, that is not who I am right now. I don’t sound like that right now. It’s a journey.”

Don’t listen to everyone: Your most important feedback comes from within, Jam says. But don’t just do it through a critical lens. Focus on what you liked best about your performance. For example, Jam counsels her students to write down five things they like about their voice. “And then, find the areas that you need to improve on,” she says.

Don’t guess: Trusting your gut doesn’t mean you don’t need to prepare. Jam says you should answer two questions: Who is your audience? What is your intention?

– Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Read on for all five of Jam’s public speaking don’ts.

we’re a stan for Benjamin Bennett

Entrepreneur: Benjamin Bennett

Tilt: Sitting and smiling

Scene: YouTube (347K)

Snack Bite: Benjamin thought the internet was lacking someone willing to sit in front of a camera and smile for hours on end.

Why We’re a Stan: It’s a quirky content tilt that we didn’t know was needed, but Benjamin did. And he perfected the sit-and-smile videos before he expanded to walk-and-talk videos.

– Shameyka McCalman

quick talk

Caught on … Tilt Discord

“COMMUNICATION is always a differentiator.” – Marc Angelos

things to know

Money

Backlog buy: Spotter pays YouTube creators upfront in exchange for future ad revenue from their existing uploads. It says it plans to pay creators a total of $1B by 2023 (four years after its founding). (Tech Crunch; h/t The Created Economy)
Tilt Take: Though it averages $1M per deal, it does work with smaller channels with deals as small as $15K.
Longer wait: The Revue Publisher Plan has gotten rid of its waitlist because it will no longer exist. Its new owner (Twitter) is working on a new writing experience combining the uniqueness of Twitter and Revue. (Morten Myrstad)
Tilt Take: We’re interested to see what that uniqueness will be.

Audiences

Substack’s wrong: A bug on the newsletter platform doubled the number of subscribers actually opening creators’ emails. It may have been happening for at least two months until it was noticed and fixed this month. (Gawker; h/t Newsletter Nerds)
Tilt Take: A sudden dramatic rise (or drop) in your analytics requires some investigation and cautious optimism. Also, if you’re on Substack, revisit the numbers and revise accordingly.
Ask this: Looking to launch a digital subscription service? Ask yourself: Who is my audience? What would they pay for? What’s the right price? (What’s New in Publishing)
Tilt Take: Most importantly, take their advice: Test, test, and test again.

Tech and Tools

Learning takes time: Google needs your ads to convert at least 15 times in 30 days for its machine-learning model to work faster. Get to 50 to 100 conversions for the AI method to outperform manual strategies. (Search Engine Roundtable; h/t tl;drMarketing)
Tilt Take: Machines can learn, but they need something on which to base that learning.
YouTube togetherness: This year, YouTube plans to introduce collaborative livestreaming so creators can go live together. (YouTube; h/t Alice Fuller)
Tilt Take: Great opportunity to grow your audience.

And Finally

YouTuber investigation: YouTuber Greg Ovens and Zachary Fowler have been charged with unlawfully fishing, hunting, discharging firearms, lighting fires, damaging natural objects, and operating a drone inside Canada’s Banff National Park. And they did it on YouTube. (Gear Junkie)
Tilt Take: Know the laws around what you create. And if they aren’t explicit (one of Greg’s defenses), do the extra work to find out.
Content complaints: The State of Texas has sued influencer Brittany Dawn over claims her online fitness plan program allegedly engaged in deceptive practices and negatively impacted customers with eating disorders. (Buzzfeed.News)
Tilt Take: Apologies aren’t always enough. Brittany said she was sorry awhile ago, took down her website, and stayed away from social media. (Though now, she’s back as a Christianity influencer.)

the business of content

Your Content Brand Is Critical. Here’s Why. (Content Inc.)
The Super Bowl Ad Winner Is… (This Old Marketing)
The Latest Grants for Self-Employed (Small Business Trends)
How To Make Mentorship Work in the Startup World (Inc.)
Inflation Tipping Point Reached by Small Business Owners (Small Business Trends)

the tilt team

Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony, with an assist from Angelina Kaminski, Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Shameyka McCalman, and Don Borger.

Got Glossophobia? – February 18, 2022