On the back cover of The Content Entrepreneur, 32 names appear. They are the co-authors who came together with author Joe Pulizzi to pen the book published earlier this month by the newly launched custom imprint Tilt Publishing. To some, having almost three dozen people collaborate on a content asset might sound like the ultimate group project in school – notorious for a few people doing the work and everybody getting the credit. However, for this and similar endeavors, group collaboration among people who are interested in the project and its mission can work well when you share a similar vis ..read more

Entrepreneur: Ben Thompson Biz: Stratechery Tilt: Analysis of strategy and business of tech and media Scene: Newsletter (44K), podcasts, X (238.7K) Snack Bites:  Ben Thompson launched the newsletter in 2013 and a paid version in 2014, which allowed him to quit his traditional job. In 2017, the founders of Substack cited Ben’s business as the inspiration for the online platform that helps writers publish, sell, and manage their newsletters. Fortune cited Ben as No. 3 on its inaugural Creator 25 list, estimating the newsletter brought in over $3M in revenue in 2020. In 2023, that estimate ..read more

OK, you don’t need a persona to operate a content business. Maybe you already have an audience, or perhaps you’re just incredibly lucky. But for most, personas are vital to understanding your ideal customers, their media habits, and how you should speak to them. Developing personas leads to a deeper understanding of your audience. That understanding will help you develop marketing and products that meet their expectations, ultimately turning potential customers into true fans. To get an assist in the process, you can add another popular technique – ChatGPT or some other generative AI tool. So ..read more

Entrepreneur: Michelle Martello Biz: Minima Designs Tilt: Teaching how to ideate and launch an online presence and offerings  Primary Channel: Newsletter (5K) Other Channels: Website, blog, Instagram (4.7K), Facebook (2.3K), Pinterest (2.2K), YouTube (700) Time to First Dollar: 2 months Rev Streams: Consulting, courses, affiliate marketing Our Favorite Actionable Advice Use what you have: Her first and second content products were ebooks of the materials she used for her consulting and design clients.  Challenge yourself: Michelle challenged herself to produce her first online cours ..read more

Online courses are a profitable revenue stream. The Tilt research ranks it in the top three, with 35% of content entrepreneurs selling them. But what if you could make your online course even more profitable? Workbooks can be a great add-on. You can charge a separate fee or increase the overall price of the class. (You can also create a workbook that acts as a marketing tool to attract an audience interested in your content.) Here are five things to do to create a workbook for your content business. 1. Determine the purpose: Your workbook should align with your online course, but it doesn’t ha ..read more

Entrepreneur: Ayman Chaudhary Biz: Ayman Books Tilt: All things books Scene: TikTok (948.8K), Instagram (155K), Amazon, Fable Book Club Snack Bites:  Ayman has been recognized as the No. 1 influencer for #BookTok. Her business began after she found success in posting TikTok videos fitting the #BookTok trend. Now, her full-time income, Ayman can influence the sales of a book. After she posted a video about V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Rue, the book sold out at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and others. Why We Stan: Ayman takes her role as reviewer and recommender seriously. She d ..read more

Let’s start with the caveat. These tax tips for US content entrepreneurs do not constitute financial advice. Check with a tax professional for the specifics as they apply to you and your business. Congrats! You’re earning revenue. But don’t plan to spend all that money. The government(s) gets a share. So do these five things to ensure you and the tax collectors have a good relationship. 1. Track your money: While you can create an invoice in a Word doc, that process won’t help you monitor your sales or track your expenses. If you sell through third-party commerce sites, they will track your sa ..read more

Most creators are or will get an AI assist in their content businesses this year. Deloitte says it’s 62% of creators. It’s even higher (76%) with The Tilt audience. Deloitte’s recently released research finds creators plan to use generative AI to help them in: Generating content ideas (58%) Managing workflow/production (50%) Writing captions (49%) Reducing time spent developing content (43%) Editing photos (29%) Conducting competitive analysis (25%) Automating audience interaction (23%) Creating alter egos (9%) How are the experts presenting at the CEX this May using AI in their businesses ..read more

Entrepreneur: Rachel Smith Biz: Rachel’s English Tilt: Helping non-native speakers improve their spoken English and listening comprehension Primary Channels: YouTube (5.3M), Facebook (2.5M)  Other Channels: Website, podcast, Instagram (1M), Facebook (2.5M), newsletter  Time to First Dollar: 13 months Rev Streams: Courses, coaching, book (ebook), YouTube, Facebook Our Favorite Actionable Advice Pick the best format: As an accent coach, Rachel knew a text-based format would never work well for her audience. So, she turned to video and began a YouTube channel. Pay attention to the audi ..read more

You work and work in your content business. One day, you take a moment – or perhaps the moment takes you – to see it’s working, and often working really well. So, how do you know when content business success hits? Since there is no singular definition of success, we asked some of the expert creators speaking at CEX to complete this sentence:  “I knew my content business was a success when …” “My audience started paying for access to my content. It provided me the proof I needed to believe that my insight, advice, and perspective was truly valuable to an audience I own.” – Andrew Davis, b ..read more