The Creator Spotlight Podcast

• How to build a local newsletter people actually read ft. Tomo Chien

  This week on Creator Spotlight we’re joined by Tomo Chien, the founder and editor of ‘Morning, Trojan’, a newsletter aimed at engaging USC students with local news. He highlights the competitive landscape of student publications, the importance of original reporting, and the strategies used to grow the audience. Read the newsletter __ Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense __ Tomo Chien Morning, Trojan LinkedIn Twitter/X Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Tomo Chien  01:08 Disrupting the local media scene  05:10 The freedom to be controversial  08:57 The one change that brought 10k subscribers  14:30 Finding the stories people want to read  20:02 How long does aggregating content take?  25:02 Tomo’s high school news project  28:55 Why he’s shutting down the newsletter  32:22 Future plans after the newsletter  37:28 Defining creator journalism

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• He’ll teach you how to make $100k+ writing online ft. Nicolas Cole

  This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we’re joined by digital writer, author, and serial writing entrepreneur Nicolas Cole. Nicolas is the co-founder of a $600K+ per month online writing education business. He shares the principles, systems, and mindset shifts that turned simple online writing into a scalable company. __ Nicolas Cole Website LinkedIn Twitter/X Instagram YouTube Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Nicolas Cole  05:23 Scaling to $600k+/month  12:00 Growing an educational product  17:15 The demand for ghostwriting in 2025  28:04 The hardest part of scaling a business 35:05 How to never run out of content  40:05 Rejecting the ‘artist vs entrepreneur’ dichotomy  50:00 How to earn more as a creator  55:27 Education with accountability  57:15 New rules for writing online in 2026

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• Most creators will not make it 3+ years ft. Lia Haberman

  Lia Haberman is a social media strategist, creator economy expert and writer behind one of the industries leading newsletters, ICYMI (In Case You Missed It.) Lia breaks down why most creators only last 3–4 years, how to spot real platform trends, where creators should focus in 2026, and how to build a business that survives algorithm shifts. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Lia Haberman ICYMI LinkedIn Twitter/X Instagram Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Lia Haberman 01:20 The 3 year shelf life of a creator 08:45 Knowing which platforms to invest in 16:21 7 signs of a good platform feature 25:52 The most valuable platforms for creators 34:35 Defining the 7 formats of content 39:24 Why are marketers spending on Instagram? 41:25 Keeping content free vs paid 47:03 Social media trends of 2025 54:27 How to grow online in 2026

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• Ep. 85: Why beehiiv is betting big on the "content economy" ft. Tyler Denk

  This week on Creator Spotlight we’re joined by the co-founder and CEO of beehiiv, Tyler Denk. Following beehiiv’s highly anticipated winter release event, Tyler and Francis discuss the company’s approach to becoming the operating system of the “content economy”. __ Catch up on beehiiv’s Winter Release Event Full event video Event in 90 seconds __ Tyler Denk Twitter/X LinkedIn Instagram Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter __ Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Tyler Denk 00:01:45 The next step in the content economy 00:07:20 Scaling past the education gap 00:12:40 Becoming the tool, not the brand 00:16:52 Lowering the barrier to entry for creators 00:21:25 What is the “content economy?” 00:26:29 Building a world class ad network 00:33:48 Growing a newsletter to 120k subscribers 00:46:46 Finding the gap in the content economy infrastructure 00:57:29 Building features for every type of user 01:01:53 Knowing your customer

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• Ep. 84: DIY YouTuber reveals her seven income streams ft. Nastja Mohren

  Nastja Mohren is a content creator, designer, and sewing educator who’s built a community of more than half a million followers across platforms — all around her love of making things by hand. In this episode, she talks with Francis about turning creativity into a business, balancing authenticity with brand deals, and how she built a sustainable creator by diversifying her revenue into seven different streams. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense __ Follow Nastja YouTube Blog Instagram TikTok Facebook Pinterest Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timstamps 00:00:00 Introducing Nastja Mohren 00:01:37 Going full-time on YouTube 00:06:08 The 7 revenue streams 00:12:14 The art of integrating brand deals 00:22:49 Which platform is most valuable? 00:24:30 The value of a blog in 2025 00:32:27 Why choose Google AdSense? 00:37:31 Building packages for advertisers 00:40:57 Crafting a specific audience 00:52:00 The 80/20 principle of video production 01:00:08 Collaborating with the creator community

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