The Future Belongs to Creators

Latest Episodes:

What Are You Optimizing for as a Creator? Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

Today, we’re asking a deeper question meant to give you a moment of reflection. What are you optimizing for, or really, what are you doing all of this for?

There are many reasons people become creators. There are even more things that people optimize for. In this episode, we’re going to give you a few suggestions on how you can approach your own optimization and purpose.

Main Takeaways

Own your answer to the question, because it could change over time. Change and growth come from being uncomfortable, so don’t try to (always) avoid it.
Without balancing forces, optimizing for a single objective can become obsessive and it’s easy to lose sight of the original goal.
It’s healthier to recognize what you’re optimizing for and go for it, rather than lying to yourself that you can do everything (family, health, career, etc.) with the limited hours in the day.
Three questions to ask yourself:
- What are you optimizing for and what do your actions say you're optimizing for?
- What are your primary and secondary optimization goals?
- What is your optimization going to cost? What will you sacrifice for it?

Links

The Mexican Fisherman Parable

Creators of the Day

Resources of the Day

Thought of the Day

“Ask yourself, what am I optimizing for? There are no wrong answers.” ~ @nathanbarry

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With ConvertKit landing pages, you can build a beautiful page for your project in just a few minutes. Choose colors, add photos, build a custom opt-in form, and add your copy. All without writing any code! Check out landingpages.new to get started.

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Your Minimum Viable Income Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

A great way to create a step-by-step guide is to start with where you want to be and work backward. We’ve got advice, we’ve got spreadsheets, we’ve got answers! This episode has some visuals and math, so you may want to check out the YouTube video as well.

Also, a very special Happy Birthday to Nathan Barry, he turned the big 3-0 at the recording of this episode.

Main Takeaways

Think about your business in terms of the bottom line. Know that a lot of the money you bring in will likely have to go toward something: ads, designers, marketing, etc.
Cater your products to your different audiences: a high-end product and a low-end one. The higher-end product will almost certainly bring in more revenue.
Open rate is not a short-term metric but a long term one that you should optimize for over the next several months.
Just because someone didn’t buy the first time doesn’t mean that they won’t buy the next time.
Consistency in creating is keyin this money-making scenario.
It’s easier to earn more than to cut your expenses and save your way into income.

Links

Minimum Viable Income Spreadsheet

Creators of the Day

Resources of the Day

Thought of the Day

“Income is an output of a lot of different factors and if you start thinking of your business in the terms of the income you want, it will become much easier to focus on specific levers you can pull to make that income happen” ~ @barrettabrooks

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Q&A Friday #14 Jul 03, 2020

Show notes

In today’s Q & A Friday, we answer questions on creating creative momentum, how to share your art during periods of unrest, WordPress plugins, and more. We also talk more about ConvertKit and ConvertKit Commerce.

Today’s Questions

Any advice on sustaining creative momentum through big life changes?
When are you launching ConvertKit Commerce and how much is it going to cost?
Can you share some inside info on new email templates?
I stopped sharing my art during the Black Lives Matter protests. How do I start sharing again?
Nathan, how do you envision your newsletter working into the ConvertKit ecosystem as a whole?
Does ConvertKit provide landing pages?
I went full-time last year and I’m in a state of constant anxiety. I’m not afraid to fail, I just feel weird. Any thoughts?
What WordPress plugins work best with ConvertKit?
Should I purchase an email list?
What happens when you write an article that goes viral and you want a portion of that to stick around?

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Creators of the Day

Resources of the Day

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The Big Announcement Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

We have a big announcement today and are very excited to share it with you. ConvertKit is launching ConvertKit Commerce, allowing ConvertKit users to sell directly to their audience. This is a big leap forward in fulfilling our mission of helping creators earn a living.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about all things ConvertKit Commerce, what it means for the company, and hopefully what it means for you, our users. You can find it at www.convertkit.com/commerce.

Main Takeaways

You no longer have to use an integration to earn money directly from your email audience.
ConvertKit Commerce will be free, sans processing fees of 3.5%.
Checkout will be embedded into your sales or landing pages.
Commerce will focus on digital download product sales. Subscriptions are coming soon.
Launch begins for the waitlist on July 15 in the U.S. and we’ll expand from there.

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Q&A Friday #13 Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

As an organization, we’re taking off Juneteenth as a paid holiday. We’re still taking time to listen and learn and we hope you are as well. In today’s Q&A Friday, we answer questions about attracting more newsletter subscribers, how to handle current subscribers when they visit your site, and more!

I have a newsletter and I’m trying to get more subscribers. How can I get my landing page in front of more people?
How did you decide on Tuesdays for your relaunched newsletter?
Is it bad to always show my newsletter signup form to a previous subscriber (web site visitor) or should I be showing something else to them in its place (maybe a different call-to-action), if they have already signed up for my newsletter?
Some people think the Internet has become less free and open as time has gone on. Do you feel nostalgia for the beginning of the “Net” or is that misplaced?
In a perfect world, what do you guys want your First Followers (the regular live crew) to be doing to share this show with our friends?
What's your thought about the new HEY service from Basecamp? Any mid- to long-term implications for ConvertKit and email marketing in general?

Links

Creators of the Day

Celebrate Black Creators

Thought of the Day

“Always ask yourself: who benefits from this?” ~ @barretabrooks

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What Makes Work Meaningful? Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

What makes work meaningful? This is a big question on the surface, but an important one that requires deep investigation.

We’re outlining eight things that can help you find and create meaningful work. While, admittedly, this isn’t a perfect process, these are great questions to ask yourself when looking for work that is fulfilling.

Main Takeaways

You have to be solving an important problem or solving something unimportant in an interesting way.
Your work should not conflict or contradict your central beliefs about the world.
Be surrounded at work by people you care about and who care about you.
Communicate transparently and give yourself the freedom to fail.
Meaningful work pushes us to grow and creates an environment where we treat people equitably and give credit where it's due.

Creator of the Day

Resource of the Day

Just Mercy

Thought of the Day

“When we put people on a path to meaningful work, that’s where change comes from.” ~ @barrettabrooks

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Q&A Friday #12 Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

As you may have noticed, we took some time off. We wanted to make sure that there was space for those raising their voices to be heard over the past few weeks. There’s no right answer to when you should go back to regular programming when something like this is going on, but we’ve resumed because we feel this work is important as well.

In today’s Q&A Friday, we answer questions about programming languages, promoting your work, managing new ideas, taking a stance, and more!

What programming language is ConvertKit programmed in? PHP, Python, or something else?
Shocking and/or false content is engaging and Facebook doesn’t want to police it. Do similar questions arise at ConvertKit? What kind of ethical considerations should go into the design of online communications?
In episode 013 you talked about the steps and processes of promoting your work. You also mentioned that you'd publish an article or blog to follow up. Was that ever published?
Has Convert been negatively affected or positively affected by taking the stance to support the black community?
How do you manage a new idea as a project? How do you balance the continuous pivots, small or big, with keeping and delivering a project plan?

Links

Creators of the Day

Resource of the Day

Hello 7 Town Hall

Thought of the Day

“Go google any term that is relevant to the current times that will help you get more educated and understand what role you can play.” ~ @barretabrooks

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Black Lives Matter + Q&A Friday #11 Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

It has been a tough week. We want to make sure that you take the time to talk to someone if you’re struggling with your mental health. We know we’re doing our best to help our employees and we’re looking forward to helping you by answering some of your questions today.

In today’s Q&A Friday, we talk about company growing pains, continuous learning and reading, getting out of your own way, and more!

As your company grows, should you stick with serving your original customer needs better than anyone else or should you expand to other (potentially bigger) segments with different needs?
Have you ever struggled with learning faster than you can implement? If so, what did you do to slow down and not get stuck in a learning cycle?
Imagine you have to start ConvertKit all over again. What books/courses/mentors you would be consuming for the purpose of starting the business?
When you want to start hiring a team, how do you decide which role to hire first?
How are you measuring the success of this podcast? Are you willing to share any numbers (downloads, etc.)?
You guys read a lot of books. How much time do you spend reading?

Links

Creators of the Day

Thought of the Day

“What are things that have been part of your life that helped to get you to where you are now, but you may not want to carry forward?” ~ @nathanbarry

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Building a Great Thank You Page Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

A Thank You page is the first thing your subscribers should see after subscribing to your email list. As such, it’s an often overlooked, but important part of your site.

Rather than a simple success message, you should leverage your subscriber’s attention while you have it and make good use of your Thank You page. If someone is willing to subscribe to your list, then they’re interested in what you have to say, so it’s not only beneficial to you but it can beneficial for your subscribers as well if done right.

In today’s episode, we talk about how and why you should build a great Thank You page for your newsletter subscribers.

Main Takeaways

Right after subscribing to an email list might be the best time for someone to engage with you or your content. Don’t waste it with a generic “Success!” page.
Best practices for Thank You pages:
- Have one.
- Set expectations and reinforce those expectations.
- Further your connection. Give your Thank You page some personality.
- Figure out the immediate next action. This is a perfect opportunity to direct subscribers to take action on your site.
More people will take action on your Thank You page when there is something in it for them.
You always want to optimize for the long-term value of the relationship, but if you can make a dollar today versus a month from now, take the money today and reinvest in growth.
Give people effective and meaningful copy on the Thank You page so they stick around to read and engage with it. A good Thank You page gives a little buffer before your email hits their inbox (if that’s what’s happening).

Creator of the Day

Resource of the Day

Highlands Ability Battery

Thought of the Day

“Sign up for your own newsletter. Go through that experience and figure out the points where you can improve.” ~ @nathanbarry

Links

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Q&A Friday #10 May 29, 2020

Show notes

In today’s Q&A Friday, we talk about mission-driven design vs conversion-driven design, tips and strategies for improving email opt-ins, hiring, knowing when to quit, and more!

How is the new ConvertKit homepage converting?
What are some tips for increasing email opt-in rates?
What do you wish you had known before you started on your creative projects?
What do you look for when you’re making your first hire? What do you wish you would have known before making that hire?
In what situations would you consider using a “pay what you can” option?
What should you do if you’ve announced your project to your audience and then don’t pursue it for some reason? How should you communicate that to your audience?

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