Creator Science

This week I'm joined by my good friend Chenell Basilio, creator of Growth in Reverse and one of the most thorough newsletter analysts in the space. We spent over an hour diving deep into what's really working in email right now — from the death of newsletter hype to the opportunity hiding in recommendation networks. Chenell shared her framework of "insanely valuable content" (the one thing that matters more than any growth hack), and we got surprisingly honest about using AI to create short-form content from our long-form work.

We also tackled the big question: how do you grow an email list if you refuse to use social media? Turns out there are more options than you think — from public homework challenges to old-school guest posting making a comeback. Plus, I introduced a new segment called "Unhinged Questions" where we played kiss, marry, kill with email platforms.


Growth in Reverse (Chenell's newsletter)


The Dink (pickleball newsletter with great referral program)


Lenny's Newsletter (guest posting example)


Ship 30 for 30 (public homework example)


Tweet 100 (my old challenge that drove email growth)

⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Introduction

(02:21) Email maturity and the end of newsletter hype

(05:16) Why CPC advertising doesn't work for small creators

(06:08) Chenell's focus: turning recommendation subscribers into fans

(09:01) James Clear had 250K subscribers in 2012 (email inflation is real)

(11:20) "It's never been easier to reach someone, harder to sustain a relationship"

(12:33) "Insanely valuable content" — the one metric that matters

(15:28) The struggle with AI-generated content that performs well

(20:11) Short-form repurposing: employee vs. AI debate

(24:18) What's no longer working: recommendations (before the reframe)

(24:53) YouTube to email is massively underrated

(29:25) How to grow without social media (5 strategies)

(34:50) Public homework challenges (75 Hard, Tweet 100, Ship 30)

(43:31) Unhinged Questions: Kiss, Marry, Kill email platforms

(44:44) Operating on hunches without data

(45:31) "I hate that I'm not doing deep dives every week"

***

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE

→ #147: Chenell Basilio – How the best newsletter operators grow to 50K+ subscribers

***

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WHEN YOU'RE READY

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Over the last 48-72 hours, I completely fell down the rabbit hole with a new AI tool called Clawdbot (rebranded TODAY to Moltbot). Instead of my planned episode about what's on my mind in January 2026, I decided to share my raw, unfiltered experience setting up this AI assistant that runs 24/7 and integrates with all my tools. This isn't your typical AI chat interface—it's an always-on assistant I can text through Telegram that proactively handles research, automates workflows, and maintains institutional memory of all my content.

I'll walk you through exactly how I discovered it, my security-first setup approach using a virtual private server, the learning curve (spoiler: it took me until 1:30 AM), and the specific ways I'm using it now. From automated guest research and fitness tracking to content ideation from my 300+ podcast transcripts, this tool is changing how I think about AI assistance. But I'm also wrestling with bigger questions about what this means for content creation, human creativity, and where we draw the line on AI-generated work.

→ Alex Finn video
→ Learn about Clawdbot
→ Setup video from Neil Stephenson
→ Setup video from VelvetShark

Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Discovery Through Alex Finn's Video

(02:50) What Actually Is Clawdbot?

(05:46) Security-First Setup on Virtual Private Server

(09:48) Current Integrations: Notion, Oura, Fathom, and More

(14:15) Guest Research and Automated Workflows

(16:48) Writing Style Analysis Exercise

(19:13) Privacy Controls and Fathom Integration

(22:54) Security Threats and Ongoing Protection

(25:05) Future Plans: Show Notes and Automation

(28:38) Should You Use Clawdbot? Technical Requirements

(33:16) Costs, Setup Time, and What Can Go Wrong

(35:24) The Content Creation Philosophy Question

(40:02) Five Types of Content I Still Consume

(42:36) How Creators Need to Adapt to AI Reality

***

ASK CREATOR SCIENCE

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WHEN YOU'RE READY

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Every month inside The Lab, I do what I call a monthly retro. It's short for retrospective. The idea is that, on a regular basis, you look back at what you have just done to learn from it, course-correct, and move forward.

So in my monthly retros, I look at the good things that happened, how I performed against my goals, the concerns I currently have, the changes I'm going to make moving forward, and my goals for next month.

→ Join The Lab

→ Subscribe to the newsletter

→ Read my 2025 Year In Review

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Reflecting on Growth and Challenges

(05:27) Strong Year-End Revenue Insights

(07:37) Signature Product Lab Launch

(13:35) Life-Changing Chair Experience

(16:23) Christmas Joy and New Nanny

(19:32) Video Podcasts Drive Higher Engagement

(20:53) Podcast Reflections and Hosting Challenges

(26:13) Social Detox and Podcast Focus

(29:04) Refining Strategy and Delegation

(30:51) Prioritizing Quality Over Schedule

(34:02) Exciting Updates and Reflections

***

ASK CREATOR SCIENCE

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WHEN YOU'RE READY

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Paul Millerd is the author of The Pathless Path, which has earned Paul $325,000 in royalties to date. In the process, Paul turned down a publishing offer from Penguin, one of the major publishers in the industry. Then, in December, Paul decided to double down and produce a new version of The Pathless Path, an ultra-premium hardcover book that is just beautiful.

So in this episode, we talk about that decision, the dark side of traditional publishing, the book deal Paul WOULD have taken, and when traditional publishing actually makes sense.

→ Get The New Hardcover Pathless Path

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Paul's Website / Twitter

***

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro

(05:53) Why He Self-Published

(08:01) Designing Books Beyond the Obvious

(13:13) Money Isn't A Reason to Write

(16:54) Book's Success and New Opportunities

(20:30) Rejecting Penguin

(22:00) Redefining Self-Publishing Potential

(25:00) Author Rights and Publishing Deals

(30:29) Reviving Unpublished Books

(31:33) Publishing Challenges and Opportunities

(37:11) Write a Book You Love

(39:38) Inside The Pathless Path Hardcover

(43:02) Overcoming Doubts, Achieving Success

(46:23) Inspired by Steel Brothers

(48:43) Direct Sales for Higher Margins

(53:04) Amazon Book Bundling Limitations

***

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE

→ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#182: Noah Kagan — Behind the scenes of writing (and marketing) Million Dollar Weekend

→ #163: David Moldawer — Diving deep into book publishing with an industry insider

***

ASK CREATOR SCIENCE

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WHEN YOU'RE READY

📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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A few weeks ago, I came across a post on X from a user named Yoni Smolyar. It said, "Posting a video on Instagram every day for 508 days in a row taught me that I never want to do that again." I realized that I had seen and followed Yoni on Instagram, where he has over 190,000 followers.

In the process, Yoni built an iPhone app called Brainrot, which had a $10,000 launch that he credits to his social media presence that he built during this daily Instagram posting challenge.

In this conversation, you'll hear Yoni's approach to Instagram, what worked for him, why he ultimately says he wouldn't do it again, and why he believes his ex-audience of 20,000 may be more valuable.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Yoni's Website / Instagram / Twitter / Brainrot App / YouTube / TikTok

***

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) 508 Days of Daily Videos

(05:08) Building Habits: A Month In

(08:55) From Hesitant Posts to Viral Storytelling

(12:35) Documenting My Entrepreneurial Journey

(14:07) Speak Your Mind, Hit Record

(19:38) Entrepreneurial Journey: Transparency & Growth

(21:19) Brainrot: Tackling Phone Overuse

(24:42) Overcoming Cringe Through Posting

(30:37) Seasons of Steak and Sizzle

(32:12) Origins of Social Media Sharing

(34:58) Trapped by Public Perception

(38:48) Short Form Video's Negative Impact

***

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE

→ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#275: From ignoring short-form video to 3.5 billion views | Pat Flynn’s Pokémon juggernaut (Part 1)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

ASK CREATOR SCIENCE

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***

WHEN YOU'RE READY

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