NOVEMBER 4, 2022

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

In Friday 5s: Let’s talk about those official and unofficial stakeholders in your business. Meta talks ironically about the power of a creator middle class. And Substack says to build your own social community independent of the behemoths.

5 things to do

Even solo content entrepreneurs aren’t really in business all by themselves. Your business works with other entities – some by choice, some by circumstance, and some by law. How well are you prepared for those official and unofficial “stakeholder” relationships? Think about these first.

1. Government is a boss: Soon, as Joe Pulizzi explains, the U.S. government may ban TikTok. Creators on that platform need a plan to keep going if/when you can’t access your TikTok audience.

Your government partnership also includes planning taxes, whether it’s self-employment taxes, sales tax for merch, etc. And don’t forget to send the annual tax forms (1099s) for your contractors.

2. Under new ownership: Twitter is abuzz after the acquisition by Elon Musk, “a self-proclaimed ‘free speech absolutist’ who has vowed to make sweeping changes. Celebrities with huge followings are leaving, and big brands are considering or have already hit pause on their advertising.

Do you want your brand name connected to Twitter’s new owner? If so, decide if you will respond to the critics. If you opt to leave, help your audience plan for the departure. Give them advanced notice and promote alternative ways to stay connected to your business. (If you’re comfortable with it, you don’t need to cancel your account, simply update your bio with current contact info and pin your departure tweet to the top.)

3. Freebies aren’t free: Serious content creators, often in the early stages of their business, understandably get excited about their first promotional partnerships. A brand may offer a free product in exchange for an article mentioning it or an affiliate link to encourage your audience to buy their products and to reward you with a commission.

Don’t let the excitement cloud your business judgment. Make sure you have written agreements in place detailing what each entity is responsible for – and what it’s not.

4. Listen before you collaborate: Creators often find benefit in working with other creators who have similar audiences. These collaborations work well when both creators know what their roles are and what the benefits are. For example, will the joint content live on both creators’ sites or just one? Which one? Think through the potential needs and outcomes, then work together to address them.

5. Don’t behave badly: If your business is owned and operated by multiple people, you tie yourselves together – for better or worse. Just ask the Try Guys. That’s why your business or operating agreement needs to spell out more than who owns what and who’s responsible for what. Detail the dealbreakers and what happens when those deals get broken.

Resources:

5 things at the tilt

In this episode of The 10k Creator, we have our first guest expert, Jay Clouse, the founder of Creator Science and host of the popular Creative Elements podcast. [10K Creator Podcast]
Joe and Robert will be unpacking the “new” Twitter. [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 report]
Don’t forget to register for CEX at the best prices of the year. Pricing goes up later this month, so get your ticket today!
ICYMI: Flight to Email Critical for Content Entrepreneurs

5 things to know

Money

In the middle: Meta’s new report, Exploring the Potential in the Creator Economy, says a “creator middle class” can create a stronger, more sustainable creator economy. (Meta)
Tilt Take: We’ve agreed since we launched The Tilt and our research in 2021. We also chuckled at Meta’s chutzpah with its caveat disclaimer “if championed and protected well.” Um, that would require creators to go outside the Meta platforms.
Blue boost: Among his many tweets since the acquisition, Elon Musk talked about raising the price of Twitter Blue, which will give the platform a revenue stream to reward creators. (watcher. guru)
Tilt Take: Yes, creators need to be paid for their content. We’ll wait and see what happens.

Audiences

Accountability: “Announce your goals to your audience, they’ll help keep you on track.” (Google for Creators)
Tilt Take: Transparency like this also helps bring your audience into your community.

Tech and Tools

Mint taste: Meta launched its minting and selling of NFTs on Instagram with a small group of creators. They’re using the Polygon blockchain for NFT creation. (The Verge)
Tilt Take: Using Instagram as a marketing/selling channel can be smart. Using it as the minting channel may not be.

And Finally

Twitchers gather: A new creator-led event presented by Twitch will bring virtual educational panels, workshops, networking, and collaboration highlights to Geeky Cassie’s channel on Nov. 19. (Geeky Cassie)
Tilt Take: Educational gatherings created for creators by creators often make great content.

5 things to read, watch, or hear

Build your own social community on Substack [3 mins, article]
A creator makes $17K a month with “low-content” books on Amazon [5 mins, article]
Professor Nez gives important money advice (and easy-to-implement tips) for your business and person [5 mins, video]
Google Analytics 4 help – make a custom report [3 mins, article]
Legally protecting live content with the CEO of CreatorsLegal.com [27 mins, podcast]

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

Not In Control – November 4, 2022