Stay ConnectedNew Media is a podcast for founders and creators building independent media businesses. We explore how to grow and monetize audiences without depending on algorithms, advertising, and platforms you don’t control. Each episode shares practical insights on building profitable media and education businesses.
A GrowLetter podcast, hosted by Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch.
Copyright: © 2023 Newsletter Operator
In today's episode, Matt and Kolby dig into what's actually working in audience building right now — fandom vs. impressions, the channels that actually build real community, and why frameworks are the ultimate cheat code for creator brands. Chenell Basilio (Growth in Reverse) joins to talk pop-up newsletters, cross-promotion strategy, and what's next after email. Plus, the guys debate whether Mr. Beast is the next BuzzFeed and what the rise of AI slop means for creators who actually give a damn about their craft.
Want to get your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days? Click here: https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe
Timestamps:
00:00 Stardew Valley and the Indie Creator Model
05:31 Fandom vs. Impressions: What Actually Builds an Audience
10:52 Cross-Promotion Strategy with Chenell Basilio
16:09 Pop-Up Newsletters and Re-engaging Churned Subscribers
30:01 Why Every Creator Needs a Framework
41:17 What's Next: SMS, Live Events, and YouTube
46:55 The Case for Live Streaming in B2B Media
01:02:05 Is Mr. Beast the Next BuzzFeed?
01:12:15 Betting on Emerging Creators
01:17:32 The Culturalist and the Future of Thoughtful Content
🔗 Connect with Chenell:
🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link: https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=matt-mcgarry
Brent Davidson built a 500-person trade show for HVAC contractors from scratch — and in this episode, he breaks down the business model behind it: how exhibitors and sponsors pay the bills, how to design attendee flow, and why in-person marketplaces are more durable than anything algorithm-dependent. Matt and Kolby dig into the operational side of running a trade show — from booth pricing and venue logistics to speaker strategy and influencer relationships. If you're thinking about events as a media business model, this is the blueprint.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction & What Is the US Heat Pump Summit
02:12 Why Build a Trade Show
05:15 Trade Shows vs. Conferences
07:03 Ticket Pricing, Booth Costs & Revenue Model
09:39 Balancing Attendee Tickets With Exhibitor Value
11:29 Vendor Tickets
13:13 The Role of Media & Content in Growing the Event
17:41 How Brent Sells Tickets
19:26 Post-Purchase Surveys
21:27 HVAC Influencers
24:28 Should Influencers Attend the Event to Drive Tickets?
26:34 Promo Codes, Measurability & Implied Endorsement
28:35 Audience-Event Fit
30:29 Getting Your First Sponsors & Exhibitors
32:35 Proving ROI to Sponsors
35:02 What Other Trade Show Opportunities Exist Right Now
37:35 Hosted Buyer Programs & The Hidden Revenue Model
38:16 How Big Can the Heat Pump Summit Get?
41:24 Exit Strategies & Building an Event Conglomerate
43:52 Private Equity in the Trades & the Blue Parachute Idea
44:10 Mike Rowe & the Role of Celebrity at Trade Events
47:23 Final Advice
🔗 Connect with Brent Davidson:
🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.
In today’s episode, we sit down with Matt Ragland to break down how top creators actually build leverage, grow audiences, and scale sustainable media businesses. We dive into frameworks that make you memorable, the reality of plateauing on YouTube, and how to evolve from solo creator to true operator. Matt also shares lessons from working behind the scenes with some of the biggest names in newsletters and creator education.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Matt Ragland
03:42 Why Every Creator Needs a Framework
07:19 The Gap & Wrap System Explained
10:34 What Makes a Framework Actually Work
13:48 How Frameworks Drive Content & Growth
16:36 Types of Frameworks (Acronyms, Visuals, Mental Models)
20:05 The Real Shift: From Creator to Operator
25:55 Why Growth Plateaus (And What Changes Next)
31:28 The Truth About YouTube Growth Today
36:41 The Substack Trap (And Why Most People Get It Wrong)
🔗 Connect with Matt Ragland:
🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.
In today’s episode we break down four media companies including Breaking Points, Starter Story, Lenny's Newsletter, and Colin and Samir's creator summit, pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and what every media founder should take notes on. Plus, we get into the AI slop debate and what it actually means for creators trying to build something real.
Timestamps:
00:00 Overview of Topics
01:04 Breaking Points: A Case Study in New Media Success
13:39 Starter Story's Acquisition by HubSpot
24:15 Lenny's Newsletter: A B2B Creator's Journey
33:30 Colin and Samir's LA Creator Summit
35:03 The Importance of Marketing for Creators
37:14 How To Make A Great Event
43:17 Monetization Strategies for Events
49:58 The Rise of AI-Generated Content
57:02 Navigating the Future of AI in Media
🔗 Resources Mentioned:
Breaking Points
Starter Story
Lenny's Newsletter
Colin and Samir's LA Creator Summit
🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.
Welcome to the first episode of the New Media Podcast with Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch. In this episode, we break down the business of media—from newsletters and YouTube to events and monetization strategies. We also dive into lessons from New Media Summit, building profitable media companies, and what’s actually working right now. If you’re building in the creator economy, this is the behind-the-scenes conversation you don’t usually hear.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to New Media Podcast
02:19 Inside the New Media Summit
04:08 How Event Businesses Actually Make Money
06:32 Sponsorships & Revenue Streams Explained
08:23 Why Audience Engagement Matters More Than Ever
10:47 The Truth About Growing a Podcast
13:15 Why Most Content Fails (And What Works Instead)
16:01 Where New Media Is Heading
27:25 How Storytelling Shapes Media Success
28:10 Lessons From Past Media Trends
31:44 Gated Content: Smart Strategy or Bad UX?
39:07 Email Growth Hacks & Automation Strategies
44:59 Sponsorships Are Changing—Here’s How
52:42 Is Email Marketing Still Worth It?
55:31 Why Organic Subscribers Are 10x More Valuable
57:40 The Real Business Models Behind Newsletters
58:29 Are Newsletters Dead or Evolving?
01:02:45 Why Conferences Are a Massive Opportunity
01:04:11 IRL > URL: The Power of In-Person Networking
01:06:54 Why Big Events Are Declining
01:12:11 Building Community Through Local Events
Check out Dylan's newsletter here!
🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.
In this episode, I share an important update about the future of the podcast as we relaunch with a new name and direction. While the show started focused on newsletters and email marketing, the new version will expand into helping you build an independent media, education, or creator business. We'll be covering audience growth, newsletters, monetization, and the strategies behind modern media companies.
Subscribe to the video version of the podcast and our YouTube channel here.
Get the slides and resources mentioned from this episode linked here.
In this video, I break down the 5 frameworks that helped my clients generate over $100 million in sales from email. These are the exact strategies top media, education, and creator businesses use to grow their email list, boost open rates and click-through rates, and drive more sales.
Timestamps:
00:00: Introduction
01:16: Framework #1: The MAGIC Formula (turn social followers into email subscribers)
15:22: Framework #2: First-Party Data & SMS
19:11: Framework #3: The WE-PAC Welcome Email
25:56: Framework #4: The Deliverability Detox
30:37: Framework #5: The Newsletter Flywheel
Other Resources:
🎤 Purchase recordings from our conference with speakers like Codie Sanchez, Ryan Deiss, and 15+ more: https://recording.newmediasummit.com/
🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? beehiiv is what I use and recommend: https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=matt-mcgarry
Learn more about Uscreen https://www.uscreen.tv/
In this episode, I sit down with Allison Yazdian, CEO of Uscreen, to break down how creators can build scalable, recurring revenue with video-first memberships. We cover what makes a compelling offer, how to price and tier it, and the features that drive engagement and retention. Allison shares real examples of creators generating millions through subscriptions, live streams, and community. If you want to own your audience and turn content into predictable monthly revenue, this is a must-watch.
Connect with Allison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonyazdian/
Timestamps:
00:00: Meet Allison Yazdian (CEO of Uscreen)
01:20: What Uscreen Does
04:00: How Creators Make Money with Memberships
06:00: Big Creators Using Uscreen
09:00: Why Memberships Beat Ads & One-Off Products
12:00: What Makes a Great Membership Offer
16:00: Free Tiers, Trials & Entry Offers
18:00: Pricing Strategy & Benchmarks
22:00: Structuring Your Membership Tiers
24:30: Must-Have Features (Community, Live, Challenges)
27:30: How to Market & Sell Your Membership
31:30: Onboarding New Members the Right Way
33:30: Reducing Churn & Increasing Retention
36:00: One Thing That Improves Retention Fast
38:00: Who Uscreen Is Best For + How to Get Started
Other Resources:
🎤 Pre-order recordings from our conference with speakers like Codie Sanchez, Ryan Deiss, and 15+ more: https://recording.newmediasummit.com/
Learn more about Ezoic: https://www.ezoic.com/
I sit down with Gavin Bechtold (Ezoic) to reveal how publishers, creators, and newsletter operators are leaving serious money on the table by ignoring website monetization. We break down programmatic ads, first-party data, and how sending traffic back to your site can dramatically increase subscriber lifetime value. If you run a newsletter or media business, this episode will change how you think about traffic and revenue.
Connect with Gavin directly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinbechtold/
Timestamps:
00:00: Intro & why website traffic is overlooked
05:47: Website vs. newsletter monetization
12:50: What RPMs can you actually expect?
16:46: Myth busting: Do ads hurt user experience?
29:21: How first-party data increases ad revenue
36:56: Who Ezoic is a good fit for
More Resources:
🎤 Pre-order recordings from New Media Summit with speakers like Codie Sanchez, Ryan Deiss, and 15+ more:
https://recording.newmediasummit.com/
📧 Join my free newsletter here:
🐝 Join beehiiv here and use code GROWLETTER for 20% off:
https://www.beehiiv.com/
I sit down with Tyler Denk to break down how he built Big Desk Energy into a 120k+ subscriber newsletter—while still working a full-time job as Beehiiv's CEO. They get tactical on weekly workflow, “night-before / day-after” social promos, email-gated posts, referral rewards that cost $0, and how paid growth (Meta + Beehiiv Boosts) helps scale past 50k. Tyler also shares how he monetizes with sponsors, Boost revenue, and a high-ticket Costa Rica mastermind—and why founder-led marketing and trust matter more than ever in the AI era. If you’re building a newsletter as a side hustle (or scaling one fast), this episode is packed with actionable playbooks you can copy.
Tyler's newsletter Big Desk Energy: https://www.bigdeskenergy.com/
Tyler's media kit HERE >>
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:59 Building a 120K Subscriber Newsletter on the Side
02:01 Managing Time While Working Full-Time
07:45 Launch Strategy & Early Growth Tactics
14:49 Leveraging Social & DMs for Growth
17:38 Scaling with Paid Ads & Beehiiv Boost
21:17 Referral Programs That Actually Work
29:01 How Tyler Monetizes (Sponsors, Boost, Ads)
34:36 $10K Mastermind Strategy
41:57 The Future of Beehiiv
48:21 AI & The Future of Email
55:49 Beehiiv vs. Other Platforms
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