This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we are joined by Grace Ling, founder of the thriving Design Buddies community, which turns five years old this month, has over 150,000 members, and generates $1 million in annual recurring revenue. She is also a talented content creator and has found particular success on LinkedIn where she has nearly 50,000 followers. She is also the cohost of the How Creators Make Money podcast. __ Follow Grace on Instagram and LinkedIn Check out Design Buddies and Ho...
Apr 15, 2025•51 min
This week Francis is joined by podcasting Amanda McLoughlin, CEO of Multitude and co-host of the podcasts Spirits, Attach Your Resume, and Join the Party. Amanda began her journey as a creator vlogging on YouTube and has since spent over a decade in the podcast space. Amanda's Podcasts: Attach Your Resume Join the Party Spirits All Multitude shows Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introducing Amanda McLoughlin 00:01:29 Building a network through the early YouTube community 00:05:04 How the podcasting world h...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 10 min
This week Francis is joined by Thomas Yeum, an ambitious video-first creator specializing in YouTube and Instagram. Thomas is well known for his Instagram series '125 days to make 10k/month'. Thomas shares his journey from software engineering to content creation, discussing the challenges and opportunities within the creator economy. Follow Thomas: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasyeum/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Toemas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeumthomas/ 00:00 In...
Apr 03, 2025•56 min
This week Francis is joined by Kyle Sheldon, founder and CEO of Name and Number, a soccer specific marketing and creative agency. Kyle has worked within the US soccer world for two decades and held marketing roles at multiple MLS clubs. Kyle is also the founder and editor of Pathway, a newsletter aimed at helping individuals break into the soccer industry. Kyle: https://x.com/kylesheldon Name and Number: https://www.nameandnumber.com Pathway: https://pathwayhq.com 00:00 Introducing Kyle Sheldon ...
Mar 27, 2025•55 min
This week Francis is joined by award winning financial reporter, Phil Rosen. Last year Phil left his role as Senior Markets Reporter at Business Insider to pursue his independent newsletter-first media company, Opening Bell Daily. His flagship newsletter Opening Bell Daily, now has over 190k subscribers within its first year of operation. Opening Bell Daily: https://www.openingbelldailynews.com Phil's X: https://x.com/philrosenn 00:00 Introducing Phil Rosen and Opening Bell Daily 02:00 Building ...
Mar 20, 2025•51 min
This week Francis is joined by six-time author, cultural critic and book publishing coach, Leigh Stein. Leigh is also the creator of the newsletter Attention Economy. Attention Economy: https://leighstein.substack.com/ Leigh's Website: https://www.leighstein.com/ 00:00 Leigh's prolific content output 01:43 Is now the best time to be a writer? 04:38 Defining 'writing vs creating' 08:47 The art is the product 16:45 Does form come before content? 20:25 TikToks instability and the importance of Book...
Mar 13, 2025•56 min
This week Francis is joined by Eric Silver, a podcaster, podcast producer and head of development at Multitude, a podcast studio and production company. Multitude: https://multitude.productions 00:00 Introducing Eric Silver 03:14 Crafting your interview style 06:04 The details of teaching podcasting 11:56 Podcasting does not mean video 19:41 The future of audio-only podcasts 25:39 The intention behind the creator 28:24 What makes a good podcast guest? 31:46 The difficulties of guest-based podcas...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr
This week Francis is joined by Matt Brown of Extra Points. With a laser focus on writing high quality content, Matt is an independent sports journalist covering the world of college sports in America. Extra Points: https://www.extrapointsmb.com 00:00:00 Introducing Matt Brown and Extra Points 00:01:47 The focus on producing quality content 00:05:26 The unique story of acquisition and reacquisition 00:13:11 Striving to make the internet a better place 00:19:36 Balancing creativity and business in...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 7 min
This week Francis is joined by essayist and culture critic, Alicia Kennedy. Alicia is primarily a food writer, however also has many refined takes on writing, the algorithm, and the attention economy. Alicia's Newsletter: https://www.aliciakennedy.news/ 00:00:00 Introducing Alicia Kennedy 00:01:38 Rejecting the idea of the creator 00:07:06 Declining media literacy in the digital age 00:12:36 The fragmentation of public intellectualism 00:17:09 Attaching value to greatest achievements 00:19:32 Th...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 1 min
This week Francis is joined by Kofie Yeboah a versatile creator in the sports media landscape. Kofie does it all, social media, long-form, short-form, podcasts, research and writing. He's here to tell us how he does it all. Kofie's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KofieWhy 00:00 Introducing Kofie Yeboah 01:25 Kofie's early introduction to sports 05:35 The evolution from long-form to short-form 10:21 TikTok's endless opportunities and constant insecurity 14:37 Balancing roles as a content creato...
Feb 13, 2025•55 min
This week Francis is joined by Jenna Stoeber, a video essayist and content creator known for her deep dives into video game and media culture. Jenna's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_jenna/ Jenna's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thejenna.bsky.social 00:00:00 Laying the content creator foundation 00:07:00 The art of constructing informative videos 00:09:20 If I create, am I a creator? 00:14:36 The dichotomy of creating and consuming 00:17:19 Beating the algorithm with one simple video 00...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 9 min
This week, Francis is joined by Henry Winslow, founder and writer of Tricycle Day, a newsletter focused on psychedelics research, policy, and business. Francis interviewed Henry exactly one year ago, and this conversation is centred around Henry's growth over the past year. Tricycle Day Newsletter: https://www.tricycleday.com Tricycle Day Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricycleday 00:00 Sustaining a creator-led business following rapid growth 06:27 The key to growing your first 1000 subscr...
Jan 23, 2025•45 min
This week Francis is joined by Matt McGarry, also known as the Newsletter Guy. They discuss his agency Growletter, the nuances of newsletter-only businesses, the challenges of monetization, and the evolving role of creators in the media landscape. Newsletter Marketing Summit: https://newslettermarketingsummit.com FOR $200 OFF, USE CODE: CS200 Newsletter Operator: https://www.newsletteroperator.com Growletter: https://growletter.co Write Grow Sell: https://writegrowsell.com Matt McGarry: https://...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 5 min
This week Francis Zierer speaks with Lindsey Stanberry, creator of The Purse, a newsletter focused on money, motherhood, work, and relationships. Lindsay shares her journey from working in corporate media to becoming an independent creator/entrepreneur. The Purse: https://thepurse.substack.com/ 00:00 Introducing Lindsey and The Purse 01:25 Transitioning from Corporate to Independent Creation 06:16 Developing a Blog into a Sustainable Brand 09:30 The Biggest Detriment to Journalists in Media 14:2...
Jan 09, 2025•58 min
In this episode of Creator Spotlight Francis is joined by Daisy Alioto, CEO, editor and writer of Dirt Media. They explore the evolution of Dirt Media, its unique approach to content and community, and the challenges faced in the current media landscape. Daisy: https://x.com/daisandconfused Dirt: https://dirt.fyi Tasteland: https://www.tasteland.fyi 00:00 Introducing Daisy Alioto and Dirt Media 04:00 Treating Subscribers as Collectors 06:35 The Primordial Soup of the Media Environment 11:49 Runn...
Jan 02, 2025•38 min
This week Francis is joined by Michael Kauffman to discusses his journey building a local newsletter business, Catskill Crew. He shares insights on audience engagement, growth strategies, and the importance of branding in the creator economy. Catskill Crew: https://catskillcrew.com Newsletter Club: https://thenewsletter.club 00:00 Building a Community-Led Newsletter 05:57 Local Relationships are Crucial for Newsletter Success 12:29 Building Businesses Around a Local Newsletter 14:28 Why You Must...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 4 min
This week Francis is joined by content creator and entrepreneur John Hu, also known as Jayhoovy. John is the founder of Stan, an all-in-one monetization tool for creators. He shares insights on the challenges creators face in the business landscape and how his platform, Stan, aims to empower them. Check out Stan: https://www.stan.store/ John's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayhoovy 00:00 Introducing John and his company, Stan 01:24 Building an Audience and Personal Brand 05:05 The Artist to ...
Dec 12, 2024•41 min
This episode is with one of the best business minds in the newsletter world, Adam Ryan of workweek.com Workweek: https://workweek.com Adam: https://x.com/adamry_n 00:00 Introducing Adam Ryan and Workweek 03:44 The Balance of Creativity and Sales 06:21 Key Levers for Audience Growth 08:53 Content Trends and Audience Engagement 10:03 Current Projects and Initiatives at Workweek 12:39 The Difficulties of Balancing Creativity and Entrepreneurship 15:59 The Importance of Consistency as a Creator 20:4...
Dec 05, 2024•46 min
This week Francis is joined by creative entrepreneur, Lex Roman. Lex is a freelance growth marketer with two newsletters, Journalists Pay Themselves and Revenue Rulebreaker. Journalists Pay Themselves: https://journalistspaythemselves.com/ Lex's Website: https://lexroman.com/ 00:00 The Multi-Hyphenate Journey of Lex Roman 04:00 Defining Creators and Creative Entrepreneurs 10:53 Monetization Strategies for Creators 15:43 The Boutique Creator Model 19:00 Revenue Streams and Success in the Creator ...
Nov 21, 2024•52 min
This week Francis is joined by Alex Dobrenko, a comedian and writer of the newsletter Both Are True. Both Are True: https://botharetrue.substack.com Alex's Twitter/X: https://x.com/dobrenkz 00:00 Intro 01:23 The Journey to Comedy and Writing 08:20 Writing Style and Honesty 15:02 The Role of Improv Comedy in Creativity 22:07 The Growth of an Audience 30:26 Professionalization of Content Creation and "Selling Out" 38:57 Whoa: Exploring Deeper Conversations through Interviews 45:37 Navigating the S...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr
This week Francis is joined by Penn Weinberger, founder and head of the agency Bad Behavior. Bad Behavior works with creators to produce original short-form shows for brands; they’ve worked with clients like Lyft, Columbia Records, Cash App, and Stanley. Bad Behavior: https://www.bad-behavior.com/ 00:00 Introducing Penn and Bad Behavior 01:42 Working with Creators vs. Influencers 05:00 The Impact of Viral Marketing 07:14 Empowering Creators 09:35 Upsetting the Traditional Advertising Model 13:42...
Nov 07, 2024•45 min
This week Francis is joined by Rameel Sheikh, founder and writer of The Bottleneck which, in his words, is the only weekly newsletter offering stories, frameworks, and tactics to sharpen how you execute. thebottleneck.io 00:00 Introducing Rameel Sheikh and The Bottleneck 01:09 Building a Strong Audience Relationship 03:07 Lessons Learnt from the Startup World 07:18 The Decision to Start a Newsletter 13:31 The Structure of the Newsletter 17:00 Experimenting with Different Writing Styles 20:08 How...
Oct 31, 2024•58 min
Today’s guest is Swapna Krishna, creator of Ad Astra , a YouTube channel and beehiiv newsletter about space. She’s a professional writer with over a decade of experience doing everything from journalism to content marketing to authoring a book. She’s been all-in on Ad Astra , her first venture as an independent creator since the start of 2024. 00:00 Intro 01:20 The Journey of Writing and Publishing a Book 04:35 Transitioning to Video Content Creation 07:22 Developing Presentation Skills Through ...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Today’s guest is Alex Emery, a creative director and content strategist who spent the first 8 years of his career at Sky Sports before leaving 2 years ago to work with creators. His first client was John Nellis, a YouTuber with 5,000 followers at the time — they’ve since increased that number to 1.74 million and counting, and Alex is working with John full-time. 00:00 Intro 01:10 Getting into the world of football content 04:43 Tripling the growth of Sky Sports YouTube channel 07:27 The partners...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr
Today’s guest is Caitlin Dewey, creator if Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends , a newsletter she started nearly 11 years ago, when she was the social media reporter for the Washington Post . She wrote it for 2 years, taking a 4-year break before bringing it back in 2020; earlier this year, she decided to go all-in and make it her main gig. We spoke about the particular challenges of being a creator-journalist, how to write an actually good links aggregation newsletter, and choosing to bu...
Oct 10, 2024•58 min
Today’s guest is Tommy Clark, creator of the Social Files newsletter, founder of Compound Content Studio, and a B2B social media expert. He started making content for his nutrition coaching business while still a college student, in 2018 — he never set out to build a career in content. Five years later, he has an agency on track to make over $1 million this year. 00:00 Intro 01:20 Accidentally starting a marketing agency 03:30 Building a team and hiring for content creation 06:17 Growing the new...
Sep 26, 2024•48 min
Ryan Gilbert, creator and writer of the newsletter 'Workspaces' joins us for episode 28 of The Creator Spotlight Podcast. Workspaces: workspaces.xyz 00:00 From supply chain to tech startups 04:31 Building a niche from scratch 10:57 Monetizing with affiliate links 12:42 Abandoning a career to pursue content 16:32 The acquisition and reacquisition of the newsletter 25:08 Monetizing the newsletter is harder now 28:22 How the newsletter grew to 13k+ subscribers 35:35 The stats 37:12 The best home-of...
Sep 19, 2024•54 min
This week we speak with Rachel Karten, the woman behind every social media manager's favorite newsletter, Link in Bio , and an excellent social media consultant herself. 00:00 Getting started with food Instagram 04:39 Advice for working with brands 09:02 Winning and judging Webby awards 14:05 Building a newsletter for content creators, Link in Bio 25:03 Growing an email audience of 65k+ 35:50 Being a good social media manager Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ....
Sep 12, 2024•43 min
This week we are joined by Michelle Curb, co-founder and editor of Gloria ( hellogloria.com ) Michelle is an expert in leading monetization for online media brands — she's been doing it for most of two decades. 00:00 The Gloria newsletter 05:50 Getting started in online media 08:52 IS it hard to sell a media company? 14:15 Monetization and stats 15:58 Building an audience online 24:52 “I don’t want to be online” 27:38 Day in a life of a media founder 39:21 How to monetize as a creator 45:35 Look...
Sep 05, 2024•51 min
On today's pod we talk building a career in soccer journalism, the women's game, producing one of The Athletic's flagship podcasts ("Full Time with Meg Linehan"), and plenty more. 00:00 Why Theo pursued soccer journalism 08:23 How much does soccer journalism pay? 17:24 How to tell the real story 23:36 Newsletters are the future of journalism 39:11 The stats 41:17 Building a newsletter into a sustainable business 47:01 How to get better at podcasting Intro music produced by J. and Doug Organ...
Aug 29, 2024•58 min
