JUNE 21, 2024

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

Follow the Rules and Make Your Own Mold

Making a successful content business is a balancing act. You need to generate attention while fulfilling the actual needs of your audience and eventually turning a profit. Accomplishing all that with limited time and resources takes more than hard work. It requires finesse.

That’s the message from Luis D. Camejo, co-founder of BIZ BROS and co-host of Content Is Profit. He presented at CEX 2024 on the video profit levers to maximize profits in modern media. But his advice works for any medium.

Follow these five recommendations from Luis on what to do for your content business:

1. Provide value to your audience: Finding your topic (or content tilt, as we like to say) can often be the most difficult task. Luis suggests combing through old content, audience questions, and online tools such as Feedly and Answer the Public to come up with options. Then, ask some questions: What would your audience most like to hear? How can that topic present them with valuable information? What single solution will this piece of content provide your audience?

2. Get the most out of your collaborations: Guests and content collaborators present potential opportunities in their own right. They can introduce you to clients, subject matter experts, and other collaborators who might help further your content. The key is to make their experience working with you as easy as possible. Ask yourself: What are they looking for out of this collaboration?

After you connect, keep them updated throughout the process, and don’t forget to send them a message after your content goes public.

3. Avoid friction in production: You may feel pressure (self-induced or otherwise) to make your content fit the standard mold and get burned out trying to meet imaginary standards. Ask yourself: What kind of content do you like to create? Don't put yourself through the headache of learning video editing if you prefer blog writing. Don’t overextend yourself with a rigorous recording schedule if you don’t have the time or the money. Make your schedule fit your needs.

If you struggle with a part of the process, hire a person or a service to handle it as soon as it's financially reasonable. Luis hated video editing, so that became the first role they hired.

4. Follow the one-for-one rule: If you spend one hour creating a piece of content, spend about one hour promoting that content. Your content’s quality does little to help your business if no one sees it, so make sure to keep your mind on how your audience will find it.

Promoting your content could mean appearing on another creator's podcast, sending out an email, or even popping on Instagram Live to share a takeaway from your latest episode or post.

5. Try the 80-20 rule: You don’t need to change up your entire production model just to avoid being stale. Luis has used the same content model for four years because it works for him and his team. Still, trying new things can help every once in a while. Luis recommends producing 80% of your content under one model that works for you and testing other practices with the remaining 20%. You may find something you like to use.

-Leo Bonacci

Helpful Resources:

• ​How To Collaborate With Creators To Add Their Audiences to Yours​
• ​Yes, Even Content Entrepreneurs Need To Do Marketing​

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• New Tilt Publishing Author Launch! Check out Michael Becker's CONTENT CAPITALIST: How to Create a Content Business So Exclusive Customers Beg to Buy.
• Join the conversation about how to grow a strong content business with Michelle and Ann at 12 p.m. US EDT Tuesday during the Tilt Your Business podcast.
• Too many content entrepreneurs open up their sponsor opportunities to anyone and everyone. This generally doesn't work. Here's a better way to sell your content assets. (Content Inc.)
• Joe and Robert discuss the surgeon general's new social media warning recommendation. Will it help or is it too late?. (This Old Marketing)
• Matt and Lauren debate the distinctions between author and reader communities, discuss the value of participating in either, and share some suggestions for how to bridge the gap between them. . (Publish & Prosper)