MARCH 28, 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.

We are giving away a rare (1 of 7) CEX Never-Ending Ticket (value $2500+). It gets you lifetime access to the Creator Economy Expo, including VIP party and backstage meet-and-greet. Plus, if you refer the winner, you get $1,000 USD in $TILT coin. Enter Now!

In this issue:

Full Tilt: Web3’s Superpower
Content Entrepreneur: More Than Lucky

full tilt

Web3 Enables Content Creators To Gain This New Superpower

Web3 is an opportunity for creators to move away from the flawed system of Web2. Blockchain and decentralized systems are revolutionary for creators by putting them in control of their content and their community.

The community aspect is a central component of the Web3 space. Web3 allows creators to cultivate super fans.

Li Jin, the founder of an early-stage venture capital firm, believes creators need to amass only 100 “true fans” who willingly pay creators $1K a year. These super fans provide revenue directly to the creator – independent of any platform or service that likely would keep some of that revenue.

Whether you have 100, 1K, or 10K, super fans can support your content business in multiple ways, including:

Among the first to purchase your social tokens to help you build the community together
Early adopters and purchasers of your NFTs
Cheerleaders and ambassadors for your community and content to promote and encourage others to join it
Purchasers of your exclusive content.

Don’t go all ape for Web3:

One can get caught up in rags-to-riches stories present in the NFT and cryptocurrency worlds. Those mega-success anecdotes are few and far between. Not every project is going to be the next Bored Ape Yacht Club or Cryptopunks.

As a creator, see social tokens, NFTs, and similar Web3 applications as another source of revenue – not THE source of revenue for your content business. While they shouldn’t be your only source, NFTs and social tokens can bring tangible and intangible value to your community.

Implementing a social token or NFT strategy gives the community members the opportunity to partake in the success of your content business. This community aspect is a hallmark of Web3 and changes how you view and interact with your audience. It also changes how some members of your audience interact and support you as the creator.

Social tokens are a natural fit for a creator to bring value to their community. A creator’s social token becomes the currency of the community. They enable a loyalty and rewards system within the community.

In successful token models, community members can buy tokens, but they also can earn them in several ways, including:

Random giveaways
Rewards for community participation
Payment for services or content created for the community
Airdrops to all members
Bonus promotions for tokens purchased on a specific day, week, etc.

The creator can integrate tokens into their sales payment options so members can cash in their tokens.

All of this builds value for the creator, generates revenue, and empowers the community. While not directly driving revenue, adding social tokens to your content business provides much more than just revenue.

– Marc Maxhimer

Read all about the Web3 superpowers.

To go deeper into Web3, enroll today in The Tilt’s newest online course Web3 for Content Creators.

content entrepreneur spotlight

Entrepreneurs: Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis

Biz: The Lucky Band (formerly known as the Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band)

Tilt: Whimsical and child friendly bilingual music

Primary Channel: Music albums (they’re nominated for a 2022 Grammy)

Other Channels: Spotify (31K monthly), Lishy Lou and Lucky Too (Indiana regional PBS stations), Paletero Man children’s book, YouTube (1.43K), Instagram (1.8K)

Time to First Dollar: Six months

Rev Streams: Music albums, streaming, books, advertisements, product placements, live shows

Our Favorite Actionable Advice:

Speak by your actions: Lucky’s bilingual musical success helps him tell a story that differs from many Latino stereotypes.
Recognize the power of connection: The Lucky Band and its related content have been successful because they realized how one person could connect them to another, then that person led them to someone else.
Create multiple revenue streams: As monetizing music became more difficult, this duo expanded into children’s TV shows, books, and sponsored content and advertising

– Kimmy Gustafson

Read all about The Lucky Band’s story.

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

quick talk

Caught on … Motivation

“Today, anyone can make anything accessible to anyone. It’s a revolution in the balance of power in the entertainment industry.” – Rene Junge

things to know

Money

No money for newbies: TikTok creators who recently qualified for its Creator Fund are passing up expected revenue. The platform’s Creator Fund sign-up form doesn’t seem to have been working for weeks. TikTok says it’s working on the problem. (Los Angeles Times; h/t tubefilter)
Tilt Take: Big reminder to resist the temptation to rely solely on a social media platform for your revenue. Even if they want to, it might not be possible to deliver on their monetization promises.
Tag it: Even if you don’t have a creator account on Instagram, you’ll soon be able to tag and link to products in your posts. (Social Media Today)
Tilt Take: If you’re sharing products, make sure you’re connecting with the companies making those products to discuss partnership opportunities.

Audiences

Engaging Ape lessons: Bored Ape Yacht Club’s developers created a community that led to its NFT success. Among the lessons? Uniqueness helps people earn status in a group. Consumers want to feel like they belong. Reward-based brain circuitry responds to “what could be.” (Inc.)
Tilt Take: Community doesn’t have to mean a gathering of people with equal levels of interest, commitment, etc. It’s OK to think about tiers.
Not about you: Among the lessons from a creator on Twitter with 20K+ followers: Write a bio that isn’t about you. “Use it to explain why people should follow you and the value they’ll get from doing so.” (Josh Spector)
Tilt Take: Good advice for all the content you create – always provide value to the audience first.

Tech and Tools

Not YouTube: Patreon is working on introducing a video product, but one thing is certain: It will be for the creator, not a vehicle for Patreon to sell ads or offer search discoverability. (Fast Company; h/t The Publish Press)
Tilt Take: Differentiation is a smart play by Patreon to attract and retain creators.
Don’t dump: Listcles shouldn’t be just content dumped on the page, leaving the reader to draw conclusions. Use them to persuade readers. Explain the why for each choice (and the why not for missing options.) (Ryan Law)
Tilt Take: What makes a creator stand out is a unique perspective or take. Make sure that’s what you’re creating.

And Finally

Don’t follow your passion: That’s what new Harvard research finds. People who follow their purpose, not their passion, are more likely to be successful. Why? Purpose lets you align your work with your deepest values, which will help you get through the slog expected in any business. (Inc.)
Tilt Take: Passion is nice, but it’s usually not enough to create, grow, and sustain a long-term business.
Content and commerce: Creator-commerce platform Spring’s CEO says: “Legacy brands have got a big challenge to stay culturally relevant because creatives are going to be the real powerhouses of commerce in the future.” (Forbes; h/t Fundof)
Tilt Take: Recognize the power of you (and your audience) and update your business plan for commerce opportunities.

the business of content

Your Web3 Business Model. Start here. (Content Inc.)
BAYC’s $4 Billion Valuation – A Disagreement (This Old Marketing)
Small Businesses Face Tax Problems, Changing Regulations (USA Today)
New Inflation Reading Shows Small Business Tipping Point Has Been Reached (CNBC)
4 Keys To Grow and Scale Your Startup (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, Kimmy Gustafson, and Don Borger.

The Real Web3 Benefit – March 29, 2022