JULY 29, 2022

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Welcome to The Tilt, a twice-weekly newsletter for content entrepreneurs.

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In Friday 5s: It’s time to talk opening a merch store, the best alt text we’ve ever read, a couple of podcast recommendations, and more. ​
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Merch accounts for a small slice of creators’ revenue – 7% according to The Influencer Marketing Factory Creator Economy Report. But the power of merch is more than money. Your community can visibly show their support for the creator and the content – and in turn, help market your content business. They bring a credibility that others are likely to trust more than any ad or self-promotion.

Determine you’re ready: Don’t start selling merch when you start the business. Caleb Dempsey of Hello Streamer says you need a community that’s showing up for you consistently. You also need to be willing to do the work, says Damian Skoczylas at ICON talent agency.

Work with a virtual merch store: Most likely you didn’t want – or don’t have the skillset – to get into the T-shirt, hoodie, coffee mug retail business. Consider working with those who have the knowledge. Big players include companies like StreamLabs, Merch by Amazon, StreamElements, Spring, and Represent. But there are smaller shops that offer similar services. Content entrepreneur Leesh Capeesh uses Press N’ Sow, a Black-owned business that caters to creators because it was important to her to support a smaller, minority-owned company.

Decide what to sell: Some consider picking the merch to sell the fun part, but it isn’t necessarily easy. Do you just add your logo to merch? Do you have a catch phrase or word that you want to promote? Should you do some visually distinct creations? The key is to learn what your audience might buy. So, ask them through social media posts, newsletter polls, etc.

Promote the heck out of it: We said you must be ready to work the merch side of the business. Now’s the time to go full force with that effort. Plan a launch as a new store owner might. Host an exclusive preview event for super fans or community members. Let the wider group know the merch store is open on your primary channel. Add merch links to your website, link-in-bio, social media channels, etc.

Create buzz: The challenge is to keep the merch store going and growing. Encourage your new merch owners to take selfies or other merch shots and share them using your hashtag on social. Ask to reuse those images in your online merch store – it’s helpful social proof. Schedule a promotional calendar so you don’t overwhelm (or underwhelm) your audience. Feature one product every week or month. Offer special discounts on products or to community members.

Long version: Are You Ready To Open a Merch Store? and 9 Ways To Promote Your Merch​

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• Content creators need this one thing. Listen here to find out what it is. [Content Inc. podcast]
• Is TikTok due a correction? Pulizzi and Rose think so. Listen in on why here. [This Old Marketing podcast]
• ICYMI: How To Make the Most of Your Content Business Time​
• Want one-stop shopping for all things contract-related? Sign up for the newest free mini-course, The Content Creator’s Essential Guide to Contracts.
• Need a refresher on all $TILT coin has to offer? Check this out and don't forget to give us your Rally Network ID (if you haven't already) so you can get your rewards!

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• The writers behind the alt text descriptions for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope images took them to new heights: “What proved unexpected was how poetically striking and scientifically accurate those descriptions ended up being.” Be inspired by their words to stop writing boring alt text.
• Challenged to get everything done? Listen to Beyond the To-Do List podcast by Erik Fisher. “I always get a few tips or ideas from the different guests and as it's about productivity, it's often very motivating,” says Michelle Peterson Clark in The Tilt Discord community.
• Interesting read about how crypto says it can transform the creator economy and why it hasn’t, according to PYMT. But it could with this one technique.
• Mitch Joel recently launched ThinkersOne, where experts are creating bite-sized and personalized experiences to keep your team members engaged, connected and growing in this new world of in-person, hybrid and virtual work, meetings, gatherings and events. Founder Joe Pulizzi is one of the Thinkers.
• Listen to the recipe for TikTok success in this Creator Generation podcast episode featuring Tigga_Mac and Katie (formerly Cake for Days). They talk monetization around 39 minutes.

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Please note: $TILT subscription and referral program is subject to change, at any time, without notice. The Tilt reserves the right to reject referrals at their discretion.

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Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Pam Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony, with an assist from Heath Dingwell, Robert Katai, and Marc Angelos.

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