Newsletter Platforms
Use a newsletter platform like Ghost or ConvertKit that gives you full control, not just Substack where you don’t own your audience.
A writer built a huge following on Substack. When the platform changed its policies, she was at their mercy. She couldn’t export her email list easily and had no control over the design. Her friend used Ghost. She had her own domain, complete control over her brand, and a direct relationship with her audience. If she ever wanted to switch platforms, she could take her entire business with her. She owned her audience; the platform didn’t.
Stop relying on social media algorithms to reach your followers. Do build a direct relationship with them through a newsletter.
A creator had a million followers on a social media platform. When the platform’s algorithm changed, her posts were suddenly only being seen by a tiny fraction of her audience. Her reach was decimated overnight. A different creator focused on building her email list. She might have had fewer “followers,” but she had a direct line of communication to her audience’s inbox, an inbox that was not controlled by a fickle algorithm. She owned her traffic.
The #1 secret for growing your newsletter subscriber list.
The secret is to create a valuable “lead magnet.” A writer’s website had a simple “subscribe to my newsletter” form. It got very few sign-ups. She then created a short, valuable ebook that solved a specific problem for her target audience. She offered the ebook for free in exchange for an email address. Her subscriber list started growing exponentially. People are much more likely to give you their email address if you offer them something of immediate, tangible value in return.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about newsletters being “dead”.
The lie is that in an age of social media, email newsletters are an outdated relic. A business owner spent all her time on social media, where her engagement was low and unpredictable. She finally started a simple, weekly newsletter. She was amazed. The open rates were high, and the feedback from her subscribers was personal and direct. She realized that a newsletter is one of the most intimate and effective ways to build a relationship with an audience, far from the noise of the social media feed.
I wish I knew this about the importance of a welcome sequence for new subscribers when I started my newsletter.
When someone subscribed to my first newsletter, they just got a generic “you’re subscribed” message and then silence until my next weekly email. I wish I had known about the power of an automated “welcome sequence.” I later set up a series of three automated emails that every new subscriber would receive. It welcomed them, told them what to expect, and shared some of my best past content. This sequence dramatically improved my new subscriber engagement and retention.
I’m just going to say it: Your email list is the most valuable asset you have as a creator.
A popular social media platform could shut down tomorrow, and your millions of followers would be gone forever. But your email list is an asset that you own and control. It’s a direct, portable line of communication to the people who care most about your work. It is not subject to the whims of an algorithm. For any creator who wants to build a sustainable, long-term business, building an email list is not just a good idea; it’s the most important thing you can do.
99% of new creators make this one mistake with their newsletter.
The most common mistake is being inconsistent. A new creator will start a newsletter with great enthusiasm, sending it out every week for a month. Then life gets in the way, and they stop for two months. Their subscribers forget who they are and why they subscribed. A successful newsletter is built on consistency and trust. It’s better to commit to a monthly newsletter that you can consistently deliver than a weekly one that you can’t.
This one small action of asking your subscribers a question in every newsletter will change your engagement forever.
A writer used to just send out her newsletter as a one-way broadcast. She got very few replies. She started a new, small habit: at the end of every single newsletter, she would ask a simple, open-ended question and encourage her readers to “just hit reply.” She was flooded with thoughtful, personal responses. This one small action transformed her newsletter from a monologue into a conversation and created a much deeper connection with her audience.
The reason people are unsubscribing from your newsletter is because you’re not providing enough value.
A person signed up for a newsletter that promised to provide helpful tips. Instead, every single email was just a sales pitch for a new product. She quickly unsubscribed. People’s inboxes are sacred. If you want the privilege of being there, you must consistently provide your subscribers with valuable, interesting, and relevant content. A good rule of thumb is to provide value in at least four emails for every one email where you ask for a sale.
If you’re still a creator and not starting a newsletter, you’re losing the ability to build a sustainable business.
A successful online artist relied on a single social media platform for all of her sales. When her account was unexpectedly suspended, her entire business was shut down overnight. If she had been simultaneously building an email list, she would have had a direct line to her customers and could have continued to run her business, regardless of the fate of her social media account. A newsletter is not just a marketing tool; it’s a form of business insurance.
Video Editing Software
Use DaVinci Resolve for a free and powerful video editor, not just iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.
A new YouTuber was starting out with the basic video editor that came with her computer. It was fine for simple cuts, but it lacked advanced features. She thought she would have to pay a lot for a professional editor. She then discovered DaVinci Resolve. She was shocked to find that the free version was an incredibly powerful, professional-grade editor with advanced features for color grading, audio, and effects that were far beyond the capabilities of the basic, consumer-level software.
Stop thinking you need to be a professional editor to create great videos. Do learn the basics of storytelling and pacing instead.
A person bought an expensive video editing software and learned all the fancy transitions and effects. His videos were a flashy, technical mess. They had no story. A different creator, using a very simple editor, focused on the fundamentals. She learned how to craft a compelling narrative, how to use music to create emotion, and how to use pacing to keep the viewer engaged. Her simple, well-told story was far more effective than the first person’s flashy but empty video.
The #1 hack for editing videos faster.
The secret is to learn and use J-cuts and L-cuts. A beginner video editor would make a simple “hard cut” where both the video and the audio would change at the exact same time. It felt jarring. An L-cut is when the audio from the first clip continues to play over the beginning of the second clip. A J-cut is the opposite. This simple technique of letting the audio lead or follow the video makes your edits feel much smoother, more professional, and more seamless to the viewer.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about needing an expensive computer for video editing.
The lie is that you need a top-of-the-line, thousand-dollar computer to edit videos. A student thought he couldn’t start a YouTube channel because his laptop was a few years old. He didn’t realize that for editing standard 1080p video, most modern computers are more than powerful enough. He also learned about using “proxies”—creating low-resolution copies of his video files for a smooth editing experience, and then linking back to the high-quality files for the final export. You don’t need an expensive machine to get started.
I wish I knew this about the power of color grading when I first started making YouTube videos.
When I first started, I would just use the video footage straight from my camera. It looked flat and boring. I wish I had known about color grading. I later learned that by making a few simple adjustments to the color, the contrast, and the saturation, I could completely change the mood and the professionalism of my videos. Color grading is not just a technical correction; it’s a powerful creative tool that can make your videos look cinematic and polished.
I’m just going to say it: The quality of your audio is more important than the quality of your video.
A viewer will watch a video that is slightly blurry if the audio is clear and easy to understand. But if the video is beautiful and the audio is full of hiss, echo, and is hard to hear, they will click away immediately. Bad audio is more distracting than bad video. A new creator who invests in a simple, affordable external microphone will create a much more professional and watchable video than someone with a fancy camera who is just using the camera’s terrible built-in microphone.
99% of new video creators make this one mistake with their editing.
The most common mistake is not cutting out the boring parts. A new creator will leave in every single “um,” every long pause, and every moment where they are just thinking. They are afraid to cut. A good editor is ruthless. They will cut out anything that is not essential to the story. This creates a much tighter, more engaging, and more fast-paced video that respects the viewer’s time and attention.
This one small habit of using keyboard shortcuts will change your video editing speed forever.
A video editor was using his mouse for everything—to make a cut, to move a clip, to add a transition. It was a slow and inefficient process. He decided to take one small action: he printed out a list of the top 20 keyboard shortcuts for his editing software and taped it to his monitor. He forced himself to learn a new one every day. This one small habit, compounded over time, dramatically increased his editing speed, allowing him to edit in a fraction of the time.
The reason your videos are not engaging is because of poor editing and pacing.
A person recorded a 20-minute, unedited video of himself talking. It was a single, long, static shot. It was incredibly boring to watch. A good editor would have taken that same footage and made it much more dynamic. They would have cut out the pauses, they would have punched in for emphasis, they would have added background music to create a mood, and they would have used B-roll to illustrate what the person was talking about. Good editing is the key to good pacing.
If you’re still not adding B-roll to your videos, you’re losing your audience’s attention.
A video consisted of a single, continuous shot of a person’s face talking to the camera. It was visually monotonous. The viewer’s attention started to wander. “B-roll” is supplemental footage that you can cut to while the main audio continues. For example, if the person is talking about coffee, you can show a short, cinematic clip of coffee being brewed. This simple technique of adding B-roll makes your videos dramatically more visually interesting and helps to keep the viewer engaged.
Live Streaming Software
Use OBS Studio for a free and highly customizable live streaming setup, not just streaming directly from your phone.
A person was trying to do a live stream by just propping up her phone. The quality was poor, and she couldn’t share her computer screen or add any graphics. She then discovered OBS Studio, a free and powerful piece of software. With OBS, she could connect her high-quality camera, add a professional-looking overlay with her name, create different “scenes” that she could switch between, and even play alert sounds when she got a new follower. It transformed her amateur stream into a professional broadcast.
Stop doing boring, low-effort live streams. Do create a professional-looking broadcast with scenes, overlays, and alerts.
A live stream was just a single, static shot of a person’s webcam. It looked boring and unprofessional. A different streamer used OBS to create a much more dynamic experience. She had a “starting soon” scene with a countdown timer, a main scene with her webcam and her screen share, and an “ending” scene with her social media links. She also had on-screen alerts that would pop up when someone subscribed. These small production elements made her stream feel like a real TV show.
The #1 secret for a successful and engaging live stream.
The secret is interaction. A person can watch a pre-recorded video at any time. The reason they are watching a live stream is for the opportunity to interact with the creator and the community in real-time. A streamer who just plays his game and ignores his chat is missing the entire point. A successful streamer is constantly reading the chat, responding to questions, and making the audience feel like they are a part of the show. The live interaction is the magic of the medium.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about needing to be a gamer to be a successful live streamer.
The lie is that live streaming platforms like Twitch are only for people who play video games. While gaming is a huge part of the culture, there are thriving communities for every possible interest. There are successful streamers who just code, who create art, who play music, who cook, or who just sit and talk with their community. The platform is a tool for live, interactive broadcasting; the subject matter can be anything you are passionate about.
I wish I knew this about the importance of a stable internet connection when I did my first live stream.
I was so excited for my first live stream. I had my camera and my microphone all set up. I went live, and a minute later, my stream started buffering and dropping frames. My Wi-Fi connection was not stable enough to handle the constant upload stream. I wish I had known to use a wired ethernet connection from the start. A stable internet connection, especially a stable upload speed, is the single most important technical requirement for a smooth and successful live stream.
I’m just going to say it: Live streaming is the most authentic way to connect with your audience.
A pre-recorded, highly-edited YouTube video is a polished performance. A live stream is a raw, unedited, and authentic conversation. On a live stream, mistakes happen, unexpected things occur, and the creator’s true personality shines through. This vulnerability and authenticity is what creates a much deeper and more personal connection between a creator and their audience. The viewers feel like they are hanging out with a real person, not just watching a piece of content.
99% of new streamers make this one mistake with their audio setup.
The most common and most damaging mistake is having a poor audio setup. A new streamer will have a great webcam, but their microphone will be picking up the sound of their keyboard clacking, their fan blowing, and the echo in their room. Bad audio is incredibly fatiguing for a viewer to listen to. Using a decent microphone and, more importantly, learning how to use simple audio filters in OBS to remove background noise is a critical step to making your stream sound professional.
This one small action of creating a “starting soon” scene will change the professionalism of your live stream forever.
A streamer would just suddenly “go live” with no warning. Her first few minutes were always an awkward scramble as she was getting her windows arranged. She took one small action: she created a “starting soon” scene in OBS. Now, she could go live with this scene, which had a countdown timer and some background music. This gave her a few minutes to get settled, and it allowed her audience to gather before the main content started. It made her stream feel like a professional, scheduled event.
The reason you’re not getting more viewers on your live stream is because you’re not interacting with the chat.
A person started a live stream and just played his game in silence. A few people would pop into the chat, say hello, and then leave when they were ignored. He wasn’t giving them any reason to stay. People watch live streams for the community and the interaction. The streamers who succeed are the ones who treat their chat as a co-host. They are constantly reading messages, answering questions, and making their viewers feel seen and heard.
If you’re still not trying live streaming, you’re losing a powerful way to build your community in real-time.
A creator was trying to build her community through pre-recorded videos and social media posts. The engagement was slow. She decided to try a weekly live stream. The live format allowed her to have a real, two-way conversation with her audience. She could get instant feedback, answer questions, and build a much stronger personal connection than she ever could through comments on a video. Live streaming is one of the most effective tools for turning a passive audience into an active and engaged community.
Podcast Hosting Platforms
Use a dedicated podcast hosting platform like Transistor.fm or Buzzsprout, not just uploading your audio files to your website.
A new podcaster tried to save money by just uploading his MP3 files directly to his own website’s server. His website quickly slowed down, and he had no way of getting any analytics on his downloads. He switched to a dedicated podcast hosting platform. The platform provided him with a specialized, fast server for his audio files, detailed analytics on his listeners, and, most importantly, a properly-formatted RSS feed that he could submit to all the podcast directories.
Stop worrying about getting your podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Do let your host handle the distribution for you.
A person starting a podcast was completely overwhelmed by the idea of submitting her show to all the different podcast platforms. She didn’t realize that her podcast hosting platform would do all the heavy lifting for her. She just had to upload her audio and her show notes to her host. The platform then provided her with a single RSS feed. She could submit this one feed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other directories, and the hosting platform would handle the rest.
The #1 tip for getting better audio quality for your podcast.
The secret is not an expensive microphone; it’s your recording environment. A podcaster had a high-quality microphone, but his recordings sounded terrible because he was recording in his kitchen, which had a lot of echo. He started recording in a walk-in closet filled with clothes. The soft surfaces absorbed the sound reflections and dramatically improved the quality of his audio, making it sound like he was in a professional studio. Controlling the echo in your room is the most important factor for good audio.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about podcasting being “easy”.
The lie is that you can just turn on a microphone, talk for an hour, and have a successful podcast. While the barrier to entry is low, creating a good podcast is a huge amount of work. It involves planning your episodes, recording, editing out mistakes, mixing the audio, writing show notes, and then marketing and promoting the show. A single, one-hour episode can often take five to ten hours of work to produce.
I wish I knew this about the importance of a good microphone when I recorded my first podcast episode.
For my first podcast, I just used the built-in microphone on my laptop. I thought it would be fine. When I listened back to the recording, the audio was thin, noisy, and full of echo. It sounded completely unprofessional. I wish I had known that even a simple, affordable USB microphone would have been a massive improvement. The quality of your audio is the first impression you make on a new listener, and a bad first impression is hard to overcome.
I’m just going to say it: Consistency is the most important factor for growing a podcast.
A podcaster would release three episodes in one week and then disappear for a month. Her audience never knew when to expect a new show. She struggled to build any momentum. A different podcaster committed to releasing a new episode every single Tuesday morning, without fail. Her audience came to expect and look forward to her weekly show. It became a regular habit for them. This consistency is what builds a loyal, long-term audience.
99% of new podcasters make this one mistake that makes them sound unprofessional.
The most common mistake is having a huge volume difference between the different speakers on the show. The host’s audio will be loud and clear, and the guest’s audio will be quiet and distant. This forces the listener to constantly adjust their volume, which is an incredibly annoying experience. Learning how to do some basic audio processing—like compression and normalization—to ensure that all the voices are at a consistent, listenable level is a key step to sounding professional.
This one small action of creating a simple podcast trailer will change the way you market your show forever.
A new podcaster was trying to promote her show but found it difficult to explain what it was about. She took one small action: she created a short, 30-second audio trailer. The trailer featured a clip of her best content and a clear explanation of what the show was about. She could now easily share this trailer on social media and submit it to podcast discovery platforms. The trailer was a powerful and shareable marketing asset that made it easy for new listeners to quickly understand and sample her show.
The reason your podcast is not growing is because you’re not promoting it effectively.
A person created a fantastic podcast. He would publish a new episode every week and then just hope that people would find it. They didn’t. He wasn’t promoting it. A successful podcaster is also a marketer. She will share her episodes on social media, she will be a guest on other people’s podcasts to reach new audiences, and she will actively engage with her listeners to encourage them to share the show with their friends. You have to give people a reason and a way to discover your work.
If you’re still a creator and not starting a podcast, you’re losing a way to build a deep and intimate connection with your audience.
A writer had a popular blog. Her readers enjoyed her work, but they didn’t feel a personal connection to her. She started a podcast. The act of hearing her voice, her personality, and her passion every week created a much deeper and more intimate bond with her audience. The podcast format allows for a level of connection and trust that is very difficult to achieve through the written word alone.
Community Platforms
Use a dedicated community platform like Circle.so or Discord, not a noisy and distracting Facebook Group.
A creator was trying to build a community in a Facebook Group. The members were constantly being distracted by the main Facebook feed, the algorithm would hide her posts, and she had no control over the platform or her members’ data. She moved her community to a dedicated platform. On her own platform, she could create a focused, branded, and distraction-free environment. She owned the relationship with her members and could build a true home for her community, away from the noise of social media.
Stop trying to build a community on a platform you don’t control. Do create a space where you can own the member experience.
A popular creator built a massive community on a social media platform. The platform then changed its rules and banned her account overnight. Her entire community, which she had spent years building, was gone in an instant. This is the danger of building on “rented land.” By using a dedicated community platform where you can export your member list and have a direct line of communication, you are building an asset that you truly own and control.
The #1 secret for launching a thriving online community.
The secret is to start small and invite your founding members personally. A person tried to launch a public community and was met with silence. It felt like an empty party. A smarter approach is to personally invite 10-20 of your most engaged fans or customers to be the “founding members.” By starting with a small, hand-picked group of enthusiastic people, you can create an initial culture of engagement and connection, which will then attract others to join.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about “if you build it, they will come”.
The lie is that if you just create an online forum or a community platform, people will magically show up and start talking to each other. A company launched a beautiful new community platform and then just waited. It remained a ghost town. A community is not a piece of software; it’s a garden that needs to be constantly tended. The community manager has to personally welcome new members, spark conversations, and facilitate connections between people. You have to actively build the community, not just the platform.
I wish I knew this about the importance of having community rituals when I started my first online community.
My first online community was a bit directionless. People would join, but they wouldn’t stick around. I wish I had known about the power of community rituals. For my next community, I established a few simple, recurring rituals. We had a “Weekly Wins” thread every Friday where people could share their accomplishments. We had a “Welcome Wednesday” post to introduce new members. These simple, predictable rituals created a sense of rhythm and shared experience that made the community feel more alive and connected.
I’m just going to say it: A successful community is not about the platform, it’s about the people and the purpose.
A person can be a member of a community that uses a simple email listserv, and if the people are engaged and the purpose is clear, it can be an incredibly valuable experience. A different person can be a member of a community on a fancy, expensive platform, and if the members are disengaged, it will be a failure. Don’t get obsessed with choosing the perfect tool. Focus on bringing the right people together around a clear, shared interest. That is the true foundation of a community.
99% of community builders make this one mistake that leads to a ghost town.
The most common mistake is not giving the members a clear reason to participate. A community builder will just create a general “chat” space. People don’t know what to talk about. A successful community is built around a specific, shared purpose or a common goal. It could be a community for people who are all trying to learn a new skill, or a community for fans of a specific creator. A clear purpose is what gives people a reason to show up and engage.
This one small action of personally welcoming every new member will change the culture of your community forever.
A new member joined an online community. The community manager had set up an automation that sent a personal welcome message to every new member, asking them a simple question to encourage their first post. This one small, welcoming action made the new member feel seen and valued. It dramatically increased the likelihood that they would participate and become an active member of the community, and it set a positive and welcoming tone for everyone.
The reason your online community is not active is because you’re not facilitating conversations and connections.
A community manager just launched a new forum and then sat back and waited for conversations to happen. They didn’t. You have to be the host of the party. This means actively starting new, interesting conversations, asking open-ended questions, and, most importantly, connecting different members who you think would have something in common. A good community manager is a facilitator who helps other people to form relationships with each other.
If you’re still a creator trying to manage your community in your DMs, you’re losing the power of network effects.
A creator was getting the same questions over and over again in her direct messages. It was a huge time sink. By creating a community platform, she could answer a question once, and the answer would be visible to everyone. More importantly, other members of the community started to answer each other’s questions. This “network effect,” where the value of the community increases as more people join and contribute, is something you can never get in a one-to-one DM.
Link-in-Bio Tools
Use a self-hosted landing page for your “link in bio,” not just Linktree.
A creator used a generic “link-in-bio” service. It was a simple page with a list of links, but she didn’t have much control over the design, and she couldn’t use her own domain. Her friend, a creator who was more tech-savvy, created a simple landing page on her own website to use as her “link in bio.” This gave her complete creative control, it allowed her to reinforce her own brand, and it drove traffic to her own website, not to a third-party platform.
Stop sending your followers to a generic page with a list of links. Do create a beautiful and branded landing page that reflects your personality.
A person clicked on a creator’s “link in bio” and was taken to a plain, generic-looking page with a list of links. It felt impersonal. Another creator had a custom “link in bio” page that used her brand colors, her logo, and a photo of herself. It was a beautiful, branded experience that felt like a natural extension of her social media profile. Your link-in-bio page is often the first impression someone will have of your brand outside of social media. Make it a good one.
The #1 hack for getting more clicks on your link-in-bio.
The secret is to have a single, clear, primary call-to-action at the very top of the page. A creator’s link-in-bio page had a dozen different links, all with the same visual weight. The visitor was overwhelmed by choice. A smarter creator’s page had one large, prominent button at the top for her most important link—her latest YouTube video or her new product. The other, less important links were listed below. By guiding the user’s attention, she dramatically increased the click-through rate on her most important link.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about needing a complex website.
The lie is that as a creator, you need a massive, multi-page website. The reality is that for most creators, a simple, well-designed, single-page website that acts as a “link-in-bio” page is all you need. This one page can have a short bio, your key links, a gallery of your work, and a form to sign up for your newsletter. It can be your central, digital home on the internet, and it’s much easier to create and maintain than a complex website.
I wish I knew this about the power of a single, clear call-to-action on my link-in-bio page.
When I first created my link-in-bio page, I put 15 different links on it, thinking that more choice was better. The analytics showed that very few people were clicking on anything. I was causing “choice paralysis.” I wish I had known to focus on a single, primary goal for that page. I later redesigned it to have one main call-to-action—”Join my newsletter”—and my conversion rate for that goal went up by 500%.
I’m just going to say it: Your link-in-bio is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate you have as a creator.
Your social media profile only gives you one single place to put a clickable link. This one link is your primary gateway for moving your followers from the “rented land” of social media to the platforms that you own and control, like your website, your newsletter, or your online store. It is an incredibly valuable and strategic piece of digital real estate, and it deserves to be treated with more thought than just a generic list of links.
99% of creators make this one mistake with their link-in-bio.
The most common mistake is not including a way to capture email addresses. A creator’s link-in-bio page just had links to her other social media profiles. She was just sending her audience in a circle. A smart creator’s link-in-bio page prominently features a sign-up form for their email newsletter. This allows them to convert a temporary follower on a social media platform into a long-term subscriber that they can communicate with directly.
This one small action of adding your email newsletter signup form to your link-in-bio page will change your growth forever.
A creator was struggling to grow her email list. Her sign-up form was buried on her website. She took one small action: she embedded her newsletter sign-up form directly at the top of her “link-in-bio” page. Now, every single person who clicked the link in her social media profile was presented with an immediate opportunity to subscribe. This one small change became the single biggest driver of new subscribers for her newsletter.
The reason your link-in-bio is not converting is because it’s overwhelming and confusing.
A user clicks on a link-in-bio and is presented with a wall of 20 different, equally-weighted links. They don’t know what is most important or where they should click. They are overwhelmed by the number of choices, so they make no choice at all and leave. A good link-in-bio page has a clear visual hierarchy. It uses size, color, and position to guide the user’s attention to the one or two most important actions you want them to take.
If you’re still using the default Linktree theme, you’re losing an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
Thousands of creators all use the same, generic, default theme for their link-in-bio page. It’s functional, but it’s also boring and forgettable. By taking a few extra minutes to customize the colors, the fonts, and the layout to match your own personal brand, you can create an experience that feels unique and professional. It’s a small detail, but it’s one that can help you to stand out and make a more memorable impression.
Monetization Platforms (Patreon/Ko-fi)
Use a platform like Patreon to build a recurring revenue stream, not just relying on one-off brand deals.
A creator was making a living from one-off sponsorship deals with different brands. Her income was unpredictable and stressful. She launched a Patreon page. For a small monthly subscription, her most dedicated fans could get access to exclusive, behind-the-scenes content. This created a stable, recurring revenue stream that she could rely on every single month. It gave her the financial security to focus on creating her best work, without the constant stress of chasing the next brand deal.
Stop being afraid to ask your audience for support. Do provide them with value and give them an opportunity to support your work.
A podcaster was creating a show that provided a huge amount of value to his listeners, but he was afraid to ask for financial support, thinking it would seem greedy. He finally launched a membership page. He was overwhelmed by the positive response. His biggest fans were genuinely happy to have a way to support the show that they loved. He realized he wasn’t “asking for money”; he was providing an opportunity for his most engaged listeners to participate in the success of the show.
The #1 secret for a successful Patreon launch.
The secret is to have a backlog of exclusive content ready to go on day one. A creator launched his membership page with the promise of future exclusive content. Very few people signed up because there was nothing there for them yet. A different creator, before she launched, created a library of several exclusive videos and articles. When she launched, her new patrons got immediate access to a trove of valuable content. This provided a compelling reason for people to sign up on day one.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about “selling out”.
The lie, often perpetuated by a vocal minority online, is that any attempt by a creator to monetize their work is “selling out.” A talented artist was afraid to launch a Patreon because she was worried about being called a sellout. The reality is that creators are small business owners, and they deserve to be compensated for their labor. There is nothing noble about being a “starving artist.” Building a sustainable career is not selling out; it’s a sign of professionalism and success.
I wish I knew this about the importance of creating exclusive content for my patrons when I first launched my page.
When I first launched my membership, I just offered “early access” to my regular content. The value proposition was not very strong. I wish I had known how important it is to create content that is truly exclusive to your paying members. I started creating a monthly, behind-the-scenes video and a bonus podcast episode that were only available to my patrons. This made the membership feel much more special and valuable, which significantly improved my sign-ups and retention.
I’m just going to say it: The creator middle class is being built on platforms like Patreon and Ko-fi.
In the old media world, there were a few massive stars at the top and everyone else was struggling. The direct-to-consumer monetization platforms have enabled the rise of a “creator middle class.” A writer with just a few hundred dedicated fans can now earn a sustainable, full-time living from her work through a membership model. She doesn’t need to be a famous bestseller; she just needs a small, dedicated community that is willing to support her directly.
99% of creators make this one mistake when they set up their membership tiers.
The most common mistake is creating too many, overly-complex membership tiers. A creator will launch with ten different tiers, each with a slightly different set of rewards. This is confusing for potential patrons and a nightmare for the creator to manage. A better approach is to start with just two or three simple, clearly-differentiated tiers. For example, a “supporter” tier, a “behind-the-scenes” tier, and a “VIP” tier. Simplicity is key.
This one small action of offering a “pay-what-you-want” option on Ko-fi will change the way you receive support from your audience forever.
A creator was hesitant to launch a full-fledged, monthly membership program. She took one small action: she set up a Ko-fi page. Ko-fi allows her audience to make a small, one-time donation to “buy her a coffee” as a way of saying thanks for her work, with no monthly commitment. She was surprised at how many people were happy to send her a few dollars. This one small, no-pressure option provided an easy way for her casual fans to show their appreciation.
The reason you’re not making money from your creative work is because you’re not giving your biggest fans a way to support you directly.
A YouTuber had a million subscribers, but she was only making a modest income from ad revenue. She had a huge, engaged audience, but she had never given them a direct way to support her. When she finally launched a membership program, she was shocked to find that thousands of her “superfans” were more than happy to pay a few dollars a month to get exclusive content and to support the creator they admired. You have to open the door if you want people to walk through it.
If you’re still a creator relying solely on ad revenue, you’re losing control over your income.
A creator’s income was entirely dependent on the ad revenue from a single platform. When the platform changed its monetization policy, her income was cut in half overnight. She had no control. A creator with a diversified income stream—ad revenue, brand deals, and, most importantly, direct support from her audience through a platform like Patreon—has a much more resilient and sustainable business. She is not beholden to the whims of a single algorithm.
Course Creation Platforms
Use a platform like Teachable or Kajabi to sell your knowledge, not just giving it away for free on YouTube.
A creator was a recognized expert in her field and would share her knowledge for free in YouTube videos. She was providing a huge amount of value but not capturing any of it. She decided to package her deep expertise into a comprehensive, premium online course on a platform like Teachable. While her YouTube videos were great for attracting an audience, the structured, in-depth course was a product that her most serious followers were happy to pay for.
Stop under-valuing your expertise. Do package your knowledge into a premium online course and sell it to your audience.
A developer had a decade of experience in a specialized, high-demand skill. He would often give away his advice for free. He didn’t realize that the knowledge he had, which seemed obvious to him, was incredibly valuable to someone who was just starting out. By creating a premium online course, he was able to package his years of experience into a structured learning path and sell it to people who were eager to pay for a shortcut to his level of expertise.
The #1 tip for creating an online course that your students will actually finish.
The secret is to make your course project-based and actionable. A bad online course is just a series of long, theoretical video lectures. A great online course is structured around a central project. The student is not just passively learning; they are actively building something tangible. At the end of the course, they don’t just have a certificate; they have a real project for their portfolio and the confidence that comes from having actually applied what they learned.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about passive income.
The lie is that creating an online course is a source of “passive income.” A person will create a course, launch it, and then expect the money to just roll in while they sleep on a beach. The reality is that a successful online course is a business. It requires ongoing marketing, customer support, and, most importantly, regular updates to keep the content current and relevant. It can be a very scalable income stream, but it is far from passive.
I wish I knew this about the importance of pre-selling my online course before I created it.
I spent six months creating a massive online course that I thought my audience would love. I launched it, and almost nobody bought it. I had wasted six months of my life. I wish I had known about pre-selling. For my next course, before I created any of the content, I created a simple sales page and a pre-order offer. I validated that people were actually willing to pay for the course before I invested the time to build it.
I’m just going to say it: Creating a successful online course is one of the hardest but most rewarding things a creator can do.
It requires you to be an expert in your subject, a curriculum designer, a video producer, a copywriter, a marketer, and a community manager. The process is incredibly challenging. But the act of structuring your own knowledge and seeing a student have a “lightbulb moment” because of something you taught them is one of the most fulfilling experiences a creator can have. It can also be a significant and scalable source of income that is not dependent on any other platform.
99% of course creators make this one mistake that leads to low sales.
The most common mistake is creating a course that is too broad and generic. A creator will make a course called “Learn to Code.” This is too vague. Who is it for? What will they be able to do at the end? A more successful course is highly specific. For example, “The Beginner’s Guide to Building a Portfolio Website with React.” A specific course that solves a specific problem for a specific person is much easier to market and sell than a generic one.
This one small action of building a community around your online course will change your student success and testimonials forever.
A person bought a self-paced online course and was left completely on her own. When she got stuck, she had no one to ask for help, and she eventually gave up. A different course she purchased had an exclusive online community for the students. When she got stuck, she could ask a question and get help from the instructor and her fellow students. This sense of community and support was the key to her success, and she was happy to provide a glowing testimonial at the end.
The reason your online course is not selling is because you haven’t validated the idea with your audience.
A creator had what she thought was a brilliant idea for an online course. She spent months creating it in secret. When she launched it, she discovered that it was not a problem that her audience was actually willing to pay to solve. The reason it didn’t sell was because she never validated the idea. She could have saved herself months of work by simply asking her audience, “I’m thinking of creating a course about X. Is this something you would be interested in?”
If you’re still a creator with a valuable skill, you’re losing a massive revenue opportunity by not creating an online course.
A photographer had a unique and beautiful style. She would get dozens of DMs every day from people asking her how she edited her photos. She was giving away her most valuable knowledge for free, one DM at a time. By creating a premium online course that taught her exact editing workflow, she was able to create a new, scalable revenue stream for her business and to help a much larger number of people than she ever could have by just answering DMs.
AI Tools for Creators
Use AI tools as a creative partner to brainstorm ideas and overcome creative blocks, not as a replacement for your own creativity.
A writer was staring at a blank page, suffering from writer’s block. She asked an AI chatbot, “Give me ten ideas for a blog post about productivity.” The AI gave her a list. None of the ideas were perfect, but one of them sparked a new thought in her own mind. She used the AI not to write the article for her, but as a creative partner to help her get unstuck and to brainstorm possibilities that she hadn’t considered.
Stop doing tedious tasks manually. Do use AI to automate things like writing show notes, creating social media posts, and editing videos.
A podcaster used to spend an hour after every recording manually writing a summary of the episode for his show notes. He started using an AI tool that could automatically transcribe his audio and then generate a concise summary. He also used an AI tool to take the key points from his podcast and turn them into a series of social media posts. By automating these tedious, repetitive tasks, he was able to free up hours of his time to focus on creating his next great episode.
The #1 hack for using ChatGPT to generate a month’s worth of content ideas in minutes.
The secret is to give the AI a persona and a clear structure for its output. A creator prompted ChatGPT: “You are an expert social media manager. Your goal is to help me grow my brand as a [your niche]. Please generate a 30-day content calendar for me in a table format. The columns should be: Day, Topic, and a specific content idea (e.g., a question, a tip, a poll).” This structured prompt gave her a full month of high-quality, relevant content ideas in a matter of seconds.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about AI-generated content being “soulless”.
The lie is that because the content is generated by a machine, it must be generic and lacking in personality. The reality is that an AI model is a reflection of the data it was trained on. A skilled creator can “prompt” the AI to write in a specific voice and tone. She can tell it, “Write a social media post in a witty, sarcastic, and slightly cynical tone.” The AI can then generate content that is full of personality because it has been guided by the unique creative direction of the human user.
I wish I knew this about the power of AI image generators like Midjourney when I was struggling to find stock photos.
I used to spend hours searching through stock photo websites to find the perfect image for my blog posts. The photos were often generic and didn’t quite match what I had in my mind. I wish I had known about AI image generators. Now, I can just type a description of the exact image I want—”a photorealistic image of an astronaut drinking coffee on the moon”—and the AI will generate a completely original, high-quality image for me in seconds. It’s a creative superpower.
I’m just going to say it: Creators who learn how to use AI will have a huge advantage over those who don’t.
Two creators are tasked with the same project. The first one does everything manually. The second one uses AI to brainstorm ideas, to write first drafts, to generate images, and to edit her videos. The second creator will be able to produce higher-quality content, at a much faster pace, than the first. AI is not a replacement for creativity, but it is a massive lever. It is a tool that will amplify the output of the creators who learn how to use it effectively.
99% of creators make this one mistake when they start using AI tools.
The most common mistake is taking the AI’s first output as the final product. A creator will ask an AI to write a blog post, and then they will just copy and paste the result. The result is often generic and may even contain factual errors. A smart creator treats the AI’s output as a first draft. They then use their own human expertise, creativity, and voice to edit, refine, and fact-check the content, turning the raw material from the AI into a polished, final piece.
This one small action of using an AI tool to transcribe your videos will save you hours of time forever.
A video creator used to manually type out the transcript for every single one of her videos so that she could add closed captions and create a blog post. It was a slow and tedious process. She discovered AI-powered transcription services. Now, she can just upload her video, and an AI will generate a highly accurate transcript in a matter of minutes. This one small action of automating her transcription workflow saves her a huge amount of time on every single video she creates.
The reason you’re feeling burned out as a creator is because you’re not leveraging AI to do the heavy lifting.
A creator felt like she had to do everything herself. She was the writer, the editor, the social media manager, and the graphic designer. She was overwhelmed. By leveraging AI tools, she was able to delegate many of the repetitive and less-creative parts of her job to her “AI assistant.” The AI could help her write first drafts, schedule her social media posts, and create simple graphics. This allowed her to offload the heavy lifting and to focus her limited time and energy on her most important creative work.
If you’re still not exploring how AI can help you as a creator, you’re losing your most valuable resource: your time.
Imagine a creator who spends two hours a day on repetitive, administrative tasks. That’s ten hours a week that she is not spending on creating her core content, engaging with her community, or growing her business. Many of these tasks can now be automated or accelerated with modern AI tools. By not exploring these possibilities, you are choosing to continue to do the boring, manual work that a machine could be doing for you. You are willingly giving up your most precious resource.
Digital Products & Gumroad
Use a platform like Gumroad to sell digital products directly to your audience, not just relying on marketplaces like Etsy.
An artist was selling her digital art prints on a large marketplace. The platform was crowded, she had to compete on price, and the platform took a large cut of every sale. She switched to selling her products on a direct-to-consumer platform like Gumroad. She could now build a direct relationship with her customers, she could control her own branding and pricing, and she kept a much larger percentage of the revenue. She was building her own business, not just a store on someone else’s platform.
Stop trading your time for money. Do create a digital product once and sell it over and over again.
A freelance designer was constantly working, trading her hours for dollars. If she didn’t work, she didn’t get paid. She decided to create a digital product. She packaged her expertise into a high-quality “UI design kit” for other designers. She invested the time to create the product once. Now, she can sell that same product over and over again, even while she is sleeping. This created a new, scalable income stream that was not directly tied to her time.
The #1 secret for launching a successful digital product.
The secret is to solve a specific, painful problem for a specific group of people. A creator made a generic “productivity template.” It didn’t sell well because it was too broad. A different creator identified a specific problem: “Freelancers struggle with creating professional-looking proposals.” She created a simple, beautifully-designed proposal template specifically for freelancers. Her product was a huge success because it was a targeted solution to a real and painful problem.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about needing a huge audience to sell digital products.
The lie is that you need tens of thousands of followers to successfully sell a digital product. A creator with a small but highly-engaged niche audience of just a few hundred people created a very specific digital product that solved a problem for that exact audience. Because her audience trusted her and the product was so relevant to them, a high percentage of them purchased it. It’s better to have a small, engaged audience that you can serve well than a massive, unengaged one.
I wish I knew this about the power of creating a simple ebook or template when I was looking for ways to monetize my skills.
I was a skilled professional, but I thought the only way to make money online was to create a massive, complex online course. The idea was intimidating, so I never started. I wish I had known that I could start much smaller. I could have packaged my knowledge into a simple, 20-page ebook or a useful spreadsheet template. These types of “small-bet” digital products are much faster to create and can be a great way to test an idea and to start building a new revenue stream.
I’m just going to say it: Selling digital products is the fastest way to start an online business.
Compared to a physical product business, a digital product business has almost no startup costs. You don’t need to worry about manufacturing, inventory, or shipping. You can create a product—like an ebook, a template, or a preset—using the skills and the software you already have. With a platform like Gumroad, you can have a product for sale and a live checkout page in less than an hour. It’s an incredibly accessible way for anyone to start a business.
99% of creators make this one mistake when they create their first digital product.
The most common mistake is creating a product without building an audience first. A person will spend months creating a digital product. They will then launch it to an audience of zero and be disappointed when they make no sales. A successful creator will do it in the opposite order. They will first spend their time building a small, engaged audience by providing valuable content for free. Then, once they have an audience that trusts them, they will create a product to sell to that audience.
This one small action of solving a specific problem for your audience with your digital product will change your sales forever.
A creator was trying to sell a generic “social media guide.” It wasn’t selling. She took one small action: she talked to her audience and discovered that their single biggest struggle was “writing engaging hooks for their videos.” She created a new, much smaller digital product: a PDF with “100 proven video hooks for creators.” The product flew off the shelves because it was a laser-focused solution to a real, specific pain point that her audience had.
The reason your digital product is not selling is because it’s not clear who it’s for and what problem it solves.
A creator launched a digital product with a vague description. A potential customer looking at the sales page was confused. She didn’t understand if the product was for her or what specific outcome it would help her to achieve. A good sales page has a crystal clear headline that immediately communicates who the product is for and the specific, desirable transformation it provides. If a customer is confused, they will not buy.
If you’re still a creator not selling any digital products, you’re losing a scalable and profitable revenue stream.
A creator was making a living from brand deals and ad revenue. Her income was directly tied to the amount of content she produced every week. It was a constant hustle. By creating a few, high-quality digital products, she was able to create a new source of income that was not dependent on her working more hours. The products would continue to sell even when she was on vacation. This scalable income stream gave her more financial security and creative freedom.