DECEMBER 20, 2024

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Welcome to The Tilt, the newsletter for content entrepreneurs from Tilt Publishing. Together, we're redefining what it means to be a publisher.

Count Down the Top 10, So You Count Up in 2025

As the year counts down, The Tilt counts down, too, with the top 10 Full Tilt articles of 2024 based on your reading consumption. Some we expected, and others surprised us. But they all reflect your commitment to building a thriving content business with multiple revenue streams.

10. How To Navigate a Second Career as a Content Entrepreneur [Feb. 26]

Carl Landau and Bernie Borges host podcasts about “second acts.” In the I Used To Be Somebody podcast, Carl speaks to people who retired from one career and pivoted to new and sometimes surprising careers. In The Midlife Fulfilled Podcast, Bernie speaks to people who have had a lightbulb go off and transformed their lives to do what they love.

In all those interviews and personal experiences, they have learned a lot about career pivots and post-retirement. Now, they share what they’ve learned for expert creators interested in a second (or third) career as a content entrepreneur.

9. Out-of-the-Box Subscriber Benefits [Oct. 4]

Paid subscribers require care and attention. Content entrepreneurs can’t just sit back and watch that recurring revenue come in every month.

But what can you do to take that paid subscriber model to the next level without spending a ton of time – and develop a strategy that makes your free audience want to hand over their hard-earned money? ​​Simon Owens​, a newsletter creator with a successful subscription model, has some thoughts. Read more about what subscriber benefits to consider.

8. Gain Freedom in Your Content Business by Planning for a Vacation [June 18]

Freedom. It’s the most common reason creators turn into content entrepreneurs. The Tilt research finds that 79% say it’s independence, 77% value the flexible work hours, and 39% say it allows more time for non-work activities.

But in reality, as you well know, freedom doesn’t mean you can do anything (or not do anything) when you want to do it. So, how do you plan to do what you need to do and still enjoy the freedom content entrepreneurship provides? Plan and work like you’re taking a week or two away from the business. And start by reading this article.

7. Entrepreneur Starts AI-Image Educational Newsletter That Earns $30K a Year [June 4]

How do you discover (or refine) your content tilt? Content entrepreneur Marshall Atkinson shares his first-person story (and it started with a bolt of lightning at CEX 2023). Read the article.

6. From Keynote to Published Author [Oct. 25]

Andrew Davis published an interesting confession. He is a speaker and author of multiple books, including The Referable Speaker: Your Guide to Building a Sustainable Speaking Career—No Fame Required, and a previous keynote speaker at the Content Entrepreneur Expo.

His reveal revolved around his earliest books, Brandscraping (2012) and Town Inc. (2015). He wished he had written the books after he created the keynote presentation on those subjects. Read more of what he said and get the five things to do to make speaking a marketing or revenue tool.

5. Make a 1-Page Marketing Strategy [July 19]

If it isn’t written down, it’s not a real plan. Marketing is a serious part of your content business, and content entrepreneurs who don’t take the time to outline their plans can easily find themselves thrown off course.

Does that mean you need to spend days detailing a strategy that would fill a binder to stay on track? Hardly. Here’s how to create a one-page marketing plan in 40 minutes + a free template.

4. Go for Paid Subscribers [Sept. 27]

Paid subscriptions sound like a dream model for content entrepreneurs. Just like a traditional media company, your audience pays monthly or annually to engage with your content products.

But subscription models aren’t a dream to operate. You can’t just launch the program, deliver the content products, and forget about it. You must actively work the model to avoid subscription fatigue and churn. Find out the five things to do to get started.

3. Pricing Strategies When Your Audience is Small [Sept. 20]

How do you earn that “meantime” money when you have a small audience and not enough revenue to support your life? Austin Church, consultant and Tilt Publishing author of Free Money: Nine Counterintuitive Moves for Life-Changing Freelance Income, says you need to set strategic prices. Then, on the content side, you should start charging for what people will likely buy – advice. Read the five things he suggests you do.

2. Author Joe Pulizzi Has Used 3 Publishing Models: Traditional, Self, and Hybrid [Sept. 24]

Tilt founder Joe Plizzi has published nine books using three publishing models – traditional (McGraw-Hill Education), self-publishing, and a better hybrid model (Tilt Publishing). He thought he’d share his story to help you, the content entrepreneur, learn about the publishing paths in case you want to add a book to your content product lineup. Read the article.

1. AI Can’t Do This: Build an Online Community [Sept. 13]

You can do something that AI can’t: Build an online community. “AI might have suggestions, but AI can’t replace you – your connection with people, your connection with your topic, how you feel about it,” says Bonnie Paulson, bestselling author and co-owner of the Indie Book Academy.

“Community is all about being a leader and serving the people you’re trying to get in touch with,” she says. Learn how to build a community by doing these five things.

– Ann Gynn

Adding a book to your 2025 revenue stream? We at Tilt Publishing would love to talk about how to help you publish it.

Next Friday, we’ll put the spotlight on the content entrepreneurs who made our headlines in 2024.

• Art of AI publishing? … Catch this interesting conversation about AI’s impact on book publishing, and the explosion of startups in 2024. [Arts Hub]
• Ask them … Your book can become a quiz (a marketing tool for your brand) with this advice. [Lulu]
• So you want to write a book … This step-by-step guide can help, and if you’re already operating a content business, you’re a few steps ahead. [The Creative Penn]
• Sum it up … Describe your book in less than 500 words with this help on synopsis writing. [Lulu]

• ​How to Defend Against AI Agents Hurting Your Business (Content, Inc.)
• ​Breaking Down the Latest Social Media Stats and What they Mean​ (This Old Marketing)
• ​Did Indie Authors Publish and Prosper in 2024? (Publish & Prosper)
• Registration for the 4th Annual Content Entrepreneur Expo is now open. Save your seat today at 2024 prices! Prices go up Jan. 1, 2025.
• ICYMI: Take an Intelligent Approach to Business​