APRIL 16, 2021

Welcome to The Tilt, a twice-a-week newsletter, for content creators who want to be or already are content entrepreneurs. We talk aspiration, inspiration, revenue, audiences, tech, trends, and more to help your content business thrive.

full tilt

Flight to Email Critical for Content Entrepreneurs

What’s the news?

There’s another warning sign that your business could be in trouble if you only access your audience on social media networks or other third-party platforms.

What’s happening now?

The digital privacy movement took another step forward. Google started beta testing its cookie-free browser. And while Facebook wasn’t happy that Apple will require users to allow app tracking, it has been more conciliatory recently.

Why is that troubling?

It’s a reminder that social platforms make the rules. You’re beholden to their policies. It’s privacy today, but what’s next? And that is especially troubling because they, not you, control access to fans and followers.

What can I do?

Build an email list. It’s the most valuable asset a creator can have.

That’s what personal finance YouTuber Erika Kullberg tells Insider she did. When she focused on email, she grew her list to over 20,000. (Her YouTube channel has over 93K subs.)

Isn’t email dead?

Nope. It’s growing. Almost 320 billion emails are expected to be sent this year and that number will grow to over 376 billion by 2025 (Statista).

What about millennials and Gen Z?

Yep, they use email. One survey showed 90% of millennials and 70% of Gen Z say they check their email at least once a day. Another study found Gen Z (60%) and millennials (64%) picked email as the most personal communication channel.

Any benefits besides ownership?

Many. You can develop a more personalized relationship with your audience. You no longer have to hope they’ll stop by your social media page or even your website. They’re inviting you into their home (i.e., inbox.)

It’s easier to add revenue options, like selling merch, products, services, events, courses, etc. Your sponsors and partners also will be glad that you have that direct access.

How can I get my fans to give me their emails?

Create an amazing deliverable. Make it a fair trade – their contact info for your great content or another reward.

The incentive could be an e-book, newsletter, webinar, template, guide, giveaway, etc.

What should I do first?

Develop that wow incentive. Make sure it’s unique, relevant, and substantive – something that your audience can’t resist. Use it as your business’ calling card – something that represents your voice and the type of content you provide.

Then what?

Start focused and small in your email collection promotion. Work out the bugs before you do a wide-scale launch. Then, point all your promotion opportunities to the email subscribe page – signature lines, CTAs on social and blog posts, bios and profiles, etc.

– Ann Gynn

To dig deeper and get some great how-to resources, read the longer story.

Anna Russett Gets Real on Instagram

Entrepreneur: Anna Russett

Biz: Anna Russett

Tilt: Blunt and open; doesn’t shy away from heavy topics

Channel: Instagram Followers: 156K

Rev Streams: Ads, brand partnerships

Inside Track to Success:

Publish unique content: That’s the unspoken requirement on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, or YouTube. They see innovation to be the leading requirement for creators.
Don’t follow a formula: We need online personalities that are authentic and have something to share with the world. Brands will appreciate being able to see how they fit in with you.
Smaller can be better: Micro-influencers can be viewed as more authentic, something a brand might see as more valuable.

Some of the Story:

Anna Russett found her inspiration to create content on social media. Since 2013, she has been monetizing her creations on social media platforms. At first, it was YouTube. Then, she shifted her YouTube followers to Instagram, where Anna now shares most aspects of her daily routine – good and bad.

Her audience is obsessed with her honesty. From job shifts to mental health, Anna doesn’t shy away from the heavy topics. Her blunt and open nature attracts followers who truly relate.

Like other content entrepreneurs, Anna has partnered with brands in her content. Some include Nike, Coca-Cola, Hardee’s, Capital One, L’Oreal, and the Girl Scouts.

“I realized the value of my advertising space on my page. It’s not even just advertising space – it’s also my equity that they’re borrowing – my personality and the trust I have with an audience, that they don’t have,” she says. “That’s worth a lot of money. I think it’s worth more, too, because I guard it.”

– Kelly Wynne

All the Story: To learn more about Anna Russett, the content entrepreneur and the content business, check out this link to the longer story.

Know a content creator who’s going full tilt? DM us. Old school? Email ann@thetilt.com.

quick talk

Caught on … Twitter

“Blogging thins the herd by disposing of: money chasers, fame chasers, deluded people, greedy people, desperate people, lazy people. If you see a calm, pro blogger, know that these folks exhibit NONE of the above qualities.” – Ryan Paradise, Blogging From Paradise

things to know

Money

Make money in your sleep: Twitch streamer Asian Andy (13K) made $16,000 in one night. Through his livestream’s text-to-speech recognition setup, donors’ messages were read aloud. And they had fun with it, often issuing Alexa commands to play loud music or make his alarm clock go off. But he’s not the first “sleep influencer.” That is Alex Shannon of Instagram’s FollowTheNap (43K). (Business Insider)
Five figures on Clubhouse: Filmmaker Isis Djata has turned her presence on the audio-only social app into a five-figure income. She’s known as Clubhouse’s Number One Moderator. Two of her secrets? Treat the first three lines of your bio like a movie trailer (i.e., grab your audience). Don’t pitch yourself. Foster relationships and they’re more likely to hire you to moderate. (Entrepreneur)

Audiences

Chatting up: In Q1 2021, Twitch viewers watched 754 million hours in the “Just Chatting” category – a 44% jump over Q1 2020. Pay attention to the growth opportunity – Q&As with your audience or talking about things without doing anything. (GameIndustry.biz)
Triggers are happiness and disgust: People share video ads that make them feel happy, sad, or disgust. Those are the findings of a first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of Advertising Research. We think those emotional triggers probably motivate people to share non-ad content too. (Wharton)

Tech and Tools

Challenging decisions: If Facebook and Instagram’s regular review channels don’t work to remove offending posts, users have a new option – an oversight board. Originally, the appeals board only reviewed posts that had been removed. Now they have the power to revisit decisions made to keep the content up. (Vox)
Win the Instagram prize: Want the prized checkmark icon on your account? Don’t invite followers to other social networks in your profile. And be notable – featured in multiple news sources, be searched for a lot, and be known to the public. (Paid and promo content doesn’t count.) (Falcon.io)

And Finally

The new American dream: Nearly 30% of kids ages 8 to 12 in a study aspire to become YouTubers. But for the content business economy to thrive as the new American dream, it needs a middle class. It must encompass “those who aren’t household names but have a solid base of customers who provide the foundation for a decent income.” (Harvard Business Review)
See ya later Ninja: Twitcher Ludwig broke Ninja’s record – he livestreamed 31 consecutive days. He went from 1,730 subscribers to 282,000 when he stopped on Wednesday. (The Verge)

we’re a stan for Psych IRL

This fave should be must-watch for any content entrepreneur. On Psych IRL (322K), Donna (no last name used) gets into the psychology behind YouTubers and their fans. She gets into the things YouTubers – and really any social platform entrepreneurs – should know to create a better atmosphere and business for them and their fans.

Recent videos include The Secret Meaning of Hate Comments (And How To Effectively Respond To Them) and How I Predicted David Dobrik’s “Downfall” 1 Year Ago. Not only are her videos educational and entertaining, Donna does a great job at making sure she doesn’t post-and-forget it. The follow-up prediction video is a great example of that. Plus, she followed up that with a pinned comment to let viewers know she published the video before David’s apology, while noting she saw that as a separate topic worthy of a follow-up video. The conversations among her fans in the comments also deserve a good read.

She’s also on Twitter (6.2K) and Instagram (12.3K) but doesn’t post on those channels frequently. Insider says Shane Dawson and Casey Neistat are among her fans. We think you’d do well to be one too.

the business of content

Explore six different exit strategies for content entrepreneurs. Hear what Joe Pulizzi, founder of The Tilt, has to say in his weekly podcast, Content Inc. (It’s worth the five minutes.)

Hear the raves and rants from Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose on the latest episode of This Old Marketing.

flex your tilt

We’re launching this feature soon. But we need your help. Let us know who to feature (self-nominations are encouraged). Use #TheTilt. DM us. Or email Ann@TheTilt.com.

the tilt team

Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Dave Anthony, and Mackenzie Pippin with assist from Kelly Wynne

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Main Ingredient to Long-Term Content Entrepreneurial Success – April 16, 2021