MARCH 8, 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: No-Editing Videos
Content Entrepreneur: Eating Blog Satisfaction
Please Complete This Survey on the State of Content Creators

full tilt

How To Publish Videos Without Editing Them and Still Attract Viewers

For creators like YouTubers or vloggers, editing is a requirement for their long, engaging narratives. But for many others (most of them, I’d say), editing is not necessary.

Perfectionism is the enemy of all creators. But quality can come from quantity. When your content solves problems or entertains, viewers forgive much of what you see as defects. I often stumble on successful YouTube videos showing nothing more than the creator talking. Why do they work? The audience likes the content, the style, the personality. No editing required.

So, lower your quality threshold, and follow these tips to save hours in your video-making process.

Have you ever said something like, “Let’s redo this clip several times. I will fix it in editing.” But that fix takes a lot of time. Now I use several tricks to avoid it:

Prepare an outline or script: Write an outline that specifies everything you need to say. When filming, you only have to choose how, not what, to say. Read it before recording. Then, while you’re talking, quickly glance at it to keep the thread.

If improvising on an outline still leads to too many mistakes, write the script. Use it with a teleprompter (you can buy them for around $100) when recording. This approach, though, has some shortcomings, including the time it takes to write a script.

Record short clips: Improvising or even reading several minutes in a single take can be daunting. Instead, record one or two minutes at a time. Don’t leave too much silence at the beginning and the end of each clip, and you can just drag them into your video editor in the right order.

Be a public speaker: Act like you’re speaking live where there’s no second try. Prepare your talk and supporting materials (text, graphics, sounds, etc.) Bring them up on screen while talking and recording.

For example, I initially added titles to my videos in my editing software. Then I switched to using slides while recording. Finally, I combined a script and an open broadcaster software (OBS) plugin to read titles from a text file. (Nerdy, I know.)

– Alberto Cabas Vidani

Get more advice, including the must-have equipment for no-editing videos.

content entrepreneur spotlight

Blog Brings in $3K a Month for Creator Emily Krill

Entrepreneur: Emily Krill

Biz: Resolution Eats

Tilt: Low-carb recipes

Primary Channel: Blog (150K page views per month)

Other Channels: Pinterest (2.6M monthly views; 24K followers), Instagram (14.3K)

Time to First Dollar: 2 months

Rev Streams: Website ads, sponsored posts

Our Favorite Actionable Advice:

Fill a content gap: Emily featured low-carb recipes that she hadn’t seen on the internet and helped her keep her blood sugar under control.
Use an ad network: Selling advertising for your content is a big task. Consider partnering with ad networks to do that work for you.
See social media as a marketing tool: Emily never relied on social platforms for revenue. Instead, she used Pinterest to drive traffic to her blog.

– Bonnie Azoulay

Read all about Emily Krill and Resolution Eats.

Know a content creator who’s going full tilt? DM us. Or email [email protected].

quick talk

Caught on … Twitter

“To be a great community builder, you have to shift your mindset from creating content that people connect with to creating content that connects people to each other.” – David Spinks

things to know

Money

Bullish on blockchain: Low-cost decentralized blockchain infrastructure hastens creator economy growth in several ways, including exclusivity (NFTs), fan ownership, and low-cost streaming with tips, paid entry, and live shopping. (Coin Telegraph; h/t Troy Dooly on Tilt Discord)
Tilt Take: Pay attention to the Web3 evolution (or is it revolution?) as it can be a great opportunity to grow your content business.
Kickstarters need this: Sci-fi and fantasy author Brandon Sanderson sought $1M on Kickstarter in 30 days to fund four new books. He got more than that in 35 minutes. Why? Brandon says it’s in part because of his unique relationship with his fans, spending a lot of time at conventions and interacting with his audience. (The New York Times)
Tilt Take: Brandon’s huge success on Kickstarter started years before he ever posted it. As he created his books, he also carefully cultivated an audience.

Audiences

TikTok for newsletters: Codi Sanchez of Contrarian Thinking indicates TikTok has been a great acquisition channel for her newsletter. (Creative Elements; h/t Heath Dingwell on Tilt Discord)
Tilt Take: Social media platforms can be great for marketing opportunities.
Go long: “Large YouTube creators told me, ‘Your short-form viewers won’t convert to long-form viewers … I spent the last year betting on the opposite.” Sharing the results from just four videos all around nine minutes showed between 474K and 2.6M views. (Isaiah Photo)
Tilt Take: Don’t always believe the “experts.” What works for you may not work for everybody else.

Tech and Tools

Thread up: “Whoever told you that Twitter threads don’t convert lied to you. Since I started creating one thread a week, they’ve been working.” (Rosemary Egbo)
Tilt Take: Yep, best practices aren’t always the best.
Scary adverbs: Stephen King hates adverbs. Timid writers often use them. They shut the door firmly. They don’t slam the door. (Inc.)
Tilt Take: Create first. Then go through and edit to remove as many adverbs as possible to give your words more power.

And Finally

Try again?: If you tried something and it didn’t work, should you try again? Maybe. If you truly believe in the strategy, know what didn’t work the first time, and have a plan to solve those problems. (Inc.)
Tilt Take: Don’t just keep repeating what you’re doing if it isn’t working. Take time to reflect.
TikTok living: Five Latino creators make up Familia Fuego, a TikTok collective living in a $2.2M shared home in Hollywood backed by DirecTV and influencer marketing firm Whalar. (Los Angeles Times)
Tilt Take: Creator houses are a growing trend. It can be a smart move for brands, but like any living situation, know what you’re getting into first.

the business of content

Try Changing the Marketing Conversation (Content Inc.)
TikTok Goes TED Talk (This Old Marketing)
Small Business Cybersecurity Concerns Amid Russia-Ukraine Crisis (Small Business Trends)
Did You Start a New Business in 2021? Here’s What To Know Before Filing Your Taxes (CNBC)
The Figures You Need in Your Entrepreneurial Support System (Entrepreneur)

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, Alberto Cabas Vidani, Bonnie Azoulay, and Don Borger.

No Editing Required – March 8, 2022