APRIL 18, 2023

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

Never Forget Your Upper-Deck Fans

The New York Yankees took great pride in giving the media a tour of their new ballpark before it opened. They took them to the seats behind home plate – some of the most expensive real estate in New York – and highlighted all the great amenities.

As they wound their way to the “cheap” seats in the stadium – the upper deck area – some in the media noticed what wasn’t there – concession stands. Where would a fan have to go to buy their beer and hot dogs?

One lone media rep voiced the question to the Yankees. By opening day, the stadium added concession kiosks in the upper deck and eventually added permanent stands.

ESPN’s Ryan McGee shared that story (he had been on the tour in 2009) on the Marty & McGee show this past weekend, and it got me thinking.

If that can happen to an organization like the Yankees, it also can happen in your content business. You can become so focused on one segment that you forget your “upper-deck” fans.

But you can take steps to prevent that from happening by understanding and involving all tiers of your audience in the content business.

Sell an entry-level content product: Some content entrepreneurs build and grow their audiences in hopes of converting them into buyers of their premium product(s). You may miss the opportunity to retain audience members who can’t afford the premium prices (yet).

Sure, you should offer free content (i.e., content marketing for your content business), but also add entry-level priced content products. For example, an entrepreneur who charges three or four figures for their online courses might add a quarterly class offering for just one or two figures. (You don’t even have to create the class from scratch, just reconfigure some existing content into the short format.)

Create an editorial advisory board: When I worked in newspapers years ago, the editorial board had a once-a-week meeting with a group of interested community members. They would give their perspectives on a multitude of current events topics. It worked well because the editors could hear directly from voices that they didn’t hear in the newsroom.

Content entrepreneurs can do something similar. Ask your community their thoughts on your editorial plans, content products, pricing, etc. Be intentional and assemble a group of people who represent multiple facets of your audience. You should look to be as inclusive from both demographic and socioeconomic perspectives. But make sure to be inclusive from your audience perspective, from newcomers with mild interest to your most rabid fans.

Bring the group together at least quarterly. Set an agenda for each meeting and let them know ahead of time so they can reflect on what you plan to discuss. It helps to stick with a singular topic (or maybe two) to have a more valuable conversation.

In between meeting times, you can follow up with the group or individual members to get their reactions when you need gut checks on your business activities.

Think about the whole of your audience – not just those who can make you the most money. In doing so, you build a stronger business where all people interested in your content tilt have a place. You also will have created an expansion model where the audience can increase their investment (time and money) with your content.

And that’s a grand slam.

– Ann Gynn​

​Get one more idea about developing a content experience for all tiers of your audience in the full story.​

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Entrepreneur: Stan Price

Business: Stanimus (formerly PapaStanimus)

Tilt: Reactions to videos to make viewers laugh

Scene: YouTube (1.75M), Twitter (4.9K), Discord (31K), Instagram (429), Facebook (132K), merch

Snack Bites:

• Stanimus quit Twitch after six successful years and moved to the more creator-revenue friendly YouTube (where sponsors and ads, not just viewers, pay up.)
• On YouTube, he started with a new tilt – talking about internet pop culture. But it was the response to his reaction videos that led him to refine the tilt that now has over 1.75M subscribers.
• He tells other creators to keep working at their other job(s) until they make more money at their content business than their “day” job.

Why We Stan: We love a content entrepreneur who takes a well-evaluated risk – giving up their existing audience – when they don’t see a future in the business model. Stanimus also recognizes researching and understanding his target audience is the key to success.

– Ann Gynn

​Read more about Stanimus and how much he earns a month now.​

Know a content creator who’s going full tilt? DM us. Or email tilt@thetilt.com.

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Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Pam Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony.