The Creator Spotlight Podcast

• 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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• Ep. 83: He left ESPN to make YouTube videos ft. Joon Lee

  This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by former ESPN journalist Joon Lee. Joon shares how he turned a layoff into a creator career, breaking down his 22-month YouTube study, and how he is building an independent sports media brand that puts storytelling and trust first. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Follow Joon YouTube Twitter/X Instagram TikTok Website Follow Francis LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Joon Lee 01:15 From tech YouTuber to sports journalist 06:49 Preparing to be a YouTuber 13:02 Indie creator bootcamp 17:05 What should new creators focus on? 22:58 The process of making high-quality YouTube videos 33:19 Making revenue and maintaining ethics 40:56 The most valuable asset as a creator is trust 44:55 Building relationships in the creator economy 50:30 The hardest part of YouTube

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• Ep. 82: The systems that made him a millionaire solopreneur ft. Ken Yarmosh

  This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by Ken Yarmosh, founder of The Remote Solopreneur. Ken is a creator who’s been building online businesses long before the creator economy had a name. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Earn with Google AdSense: https://goo.gle/earnwithadsense __ Ken Yarmosh YouTube Website LinkedIn Francis Zierer LinkedIn Twitter/X __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Ken Yarmosh 01:16 Becoming The Remote Solopreneur 04:29 Redefining 'creator' 08:20 The creator to entrepreneur spectrum 12:15 How Ken runs a solo business 16:51 The importance of community in business 22:13 The 4 C's of the creator economy 29:42 Are all creators solopreneurs? 34:50 DTA: The framework for all entrepreneurs 41:58 Is the LinkedIn gold rush over? 47:15 The best time to be a creator is now 50:11 Advice for newsletter creators 53:20 Creating a personal brand in 2025

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• Ep. 81: Building a $500k+ local newsletter business ft. Geoff Sharpe

  This week on Creator Spotlight, Francis is joined by Geoff Sharpe, founder of Lookout Media — a network of local newsletters collectively generating almost $500K a year. Geoff shares how he built a profitable, subscription-first media business, why trust and real journalism still win, and the systems he’s using to scale local news across Canada.Read the newsletter__Tired of explaining the same thing over and over again to your coworkers? It’s time to let AI do the explaining for you. The Guidde extension is completely free. Go check it out at Guidde.com__Geoff SharpeLookout MediaLinkedInTwitter/XFrancis ZiererLinkedInTwitter/X__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Geoff Sharpe01:40 Making $500k+ with paid subscriptions07:16 Don't listen to your audience12:00 The merging of editorial and business16:20 Running a media company sustainably21:01 Building trust through food27:06 How to get people to pay for your content37:43 What do people not pay for?40:44 Don't scale too quickly43:41 The difficulties of local newsletter ad sales49:11 How to grow a local newsletter52:40 A bullish and bearish take on local media57:50 Best advice for entrepreneurs

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