Uploading – Details, episodes & analysis

About the Episode:
Chris Savage is the co-founder and CEO of the video marketing platform Wistia. He is a key figure in the video content space and personal brand, having famously scaled his company to over $50M a year in revenue, without outside investors. 

Chris is also a content creator, regularly sharing insights from his entrepreneurial journey on LinkedIn and hosting the podcast Talking Too Loud.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” Chris discusses the evolution of video content, the impact of AI on content creation, and the enduring importance of authentic storytelling. He also shares lessons learned from Wistia's growth, his content creation process and workflow, and strategies for building a strong personal brand as a founder.

Today, we'll cover:
- The evolution of video content and the impact of AI on content creation
- The significance of trustworthiness and authenticity in an AI-driven content landscape
- Adapting to audience expectations and leveraging various content formats
- Chris Savage's journey as a content creator and the value of personal branding for founders
- Strategies for creating engaging content, setting realistic goals, and avoiding burnout

What You'll Learn
1. Evolution and Future of Video Content
2. AI’s Impact on Content Creation
3. Personal Branding for Founders
4. Content Creation Strategies
5. Content Workflow
6. Podcast Content Strategy
7. Strategic Goal-Setting

Timestamps
00:00 Chris Savage’s background and company
04:51 Evolution of video tech and production
06:59 Impact of AI on video content creation 
13:53 Importance of content creation for founders
17:44 Chris Savage’s content funnel 
20:14 Tips on getting started as a content creator
22:41 Creating content for personal brand vs business brand
25:34 Chris Savage’s content workflow and team
27:27 Strategies for growing a podcast
31:44 Importance of goal framing on success

Evolution of Video Tech: “Basically what keeps happening is that new technology comes out that makes it tremendously cheaper and easier to make video. And then the uses of video magnify and the expectations magnify." — Chris Savage, 00:05:17 → 00:05:27

Role of Founders in Business Growth: “I think there's a good question every founder should ask themselves, which is like, what's the thing that I can uniquely do that is going to add value?” — Chris Savage, 00:15:22 → 00:15:35

Trust in the Age of AI: "So I think while you should be using AI to aid in your content creation, you need to find ways to make sure that human beings that you can connect with are still really there." — Chris Savage, 00:10:10 → 00:10:23

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Chris Savage - Co-Founder & CEO of Wistia

About the Episode:
Jay Yang is a content creator with over 100,000 followers and the Head of Content for Noah Kagan, founder of AppSumo. At only 18 years old, Jay has already made a significant impact in the world of content creation while still attending university.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” Jay shares his journey from experimenting with various online projects to landing an opportunity to work with Noah Kagan using his TAG method. He discusses his content creation process, balancing his work with education, and overcoming imposter syndrome. Jay also shares insights into his upcoming project on creating accessible social content templates for beginner creators.

Today, we'll cover:
- Jay Yang's content creation and audience growth frameworks
- How to land high-profile opportunities using Jay Yang’s TAG method
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and embracing the learning process in content creation
- Benefits of social content templates for beginner creators

What You'll Learn
1. Target-Audit-Gift Method
2. Importance of Empathy and Pre-Work
3. Content Creation and Repurposing Strategies
4. Content Testing and Metrics
5. The “Name Test”
6. Top-Down Approach to Content Creation
7. Bottom-Up Approach to Content Creation
8. Benefits of Using Content Templates

Timestamps
00:00 How Jay Yang got into content creation
03:03 Jay Yang’s “portfolio of failure,” TAG method
06:42 Key learnings from working at Beehiiv
09:59 How to land an opportunity with your favorite company
14:38 Optimizing Noah Kagan’s content workflow
17:27 Quantitative approach to marketing; content testing
21:10 From experimentation to building a content engine that works
24:13 Overcoming imposter syndrome in content creation
28:02 Benefits of using social content templates

Mastering Empathy in Business: “I think the greatest skill you can learn as a marketer, a creator, an entrepreneur, even just as a person, is empathy and being able to place yourself in someone else's shoes.” — Jay Yang [00:08:00 → 00:08:10]

Keys to Building Professional Relationships: “I think that strategy of where most people ask, how can I help you? Or what can I do to work for you for free? The problem with that approach is that by asking, without showing, you're actually making the other person do more work to figure out who you are and if you're any good and what you can actually help with... And so the question that I ask myself, and I encourage people listening to this to ask is, how can I make this a no brainer for the other person? And that kind of ties back into that empathy, right? Putting yourself in the other person's perspective... To work with your favorite entrepreneur or company, basically, you need to show two things, that, number one, you want the job, and number two, that you can do the job. And the best way that I believe you can do that is to do the work upfront, to use the TAG method, to do what I like to call pre-work. And I think the coolest thing about this approach is you don't have to have any experience or, you know, credibility or a degree." — Jay Yang [00:12:46 → 00:13:13]

Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Content Creation: "I only have to be one chapter ahead of the textbook of life. Like, you don't have to be the guru preaching at the top of the mountain. You just have to be one or two steps ahead of the people behind you and the people you're sharing content to. So that's kind of what I'm realizing is, as I grow my brand, I'm not trying to be the professor at the front of the class. The way I like to view myself is as that kid in the back sharing his notes with the rest of his classmates." — Jay Yang, [00:25:21 → 00:25:49]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Jay Yang - Head of Content at AppSumo

About the Episode:
Chase Barmore is an Account Executive at Hyros, an ad tracking & AI optimization software for 3000+ global businesses with $3.5B in ad spending. Some of their clients are Tony Robbins, Click Funnels, Playboy, and Grant Cardone.

Chase is also the co-host of Sales Players, a podcast for top players in the B2B sales space.

In this episode, we explore how you can create and track top-performing ads for your info products, coaching, and consulting services. We also tackle why creating a podcast in the B2B space is a great idea and how can you leverage your job to create content.

Today, we'll cover:
- Chase Barmore's journey from burning cash on ads to streamlining ad attribution with Hyros
- Why understanding ad attribution is critical for content creators and how Hyros solves common challenges
- The power of using content, like a podcast, as a tool for strengthening sales and networking
- Insights on building a sales strategy in today’s content-rich environment and why inbound leads are crucial
- Actionable steps for content creators to transition into successful course and product offerings

What You'll Learn
1. Ad Tracking and Attribution
2. Inbound Marketing and Sales Strategies
3. Sales Process and Integrated Tracking
4. Leveraging Podcasting for Business Growth
5. Leveraging LinkedIn for Sales and Networking
6. The Intersection of Content Creation and Sales
7. Roadmap for Content Creators in Sales

Timestamps
04:07 About the ad tracking and attribution software, Hyros
05:53 Identifying top-performing traffic sources and conversion points with Hyros
07:38 Essentials for creators running an ad for the first time
11:04 Getting into podcasts about SaaS sales with Jesse Woodbury
11:52 Networking, building a personal brand on LinkedIn
13:10 Leveraging podcasts for ICP relationships and content creation
19:59 Approaching sales conversations as a content creator
21:55 Collecting prospects’ emails, learning from other content creators

The Importance of Server-Side Tracking in Advertising: "I had gotten into actually running my own ads and I had, I burned a lot of money, um, with ads. And something I didn't realize is having a server-side tracking tool and the importance of actually having a tool like this, uh, because you get a lot of ads in your internal feeds from Instagram, YouTube, and everybody makes it seem like it's really simple, uh, but it is a lot more complex. And with a tool like Hiros, I think, uh, it really can help those looking to run ads." — Chase Barmore [00:01:45 → 00:02:21]

Impact of Privacy Updates on Digital Marketing: "So he had seen issues before the iOS 14 update and the GA4 update and these different updates with privacy before anything was happening, because he was running so much with ads. And so really the thing that we saw for is attribution, missed attribution, really understanding where your, uh, leads are coming in from." — Chase Barmore [00:04:10 → 00:04:34]

Monetization Strategies for Content Creators: "What a lot of these creators are doing is basically they're running ads to a low ticket offer. So let's say some sort of, could be a $7 course, could be a $27 course. Then when the actual person comes into the funnel, they're going to have a mid-ticket offer, then a high ticket offer." — Chase Barmore [00:06:03 → 00:06:23]

Optimizing Digital Marketing: "So I would first make sure that you have tracking set up, that you have some sort of CRM, you have some sort of call booking funnel in that it, it's not all over the place. You want to use some sort of CRM that could be go high level, that could be HubSpot, and then basically you. I wouldn't start with every platform. Uh, I would start mainly with either Facebook or Google, and then I would start to understand my funnel and get that one page of, okay, what is my offer? Intro. Offer page. Get that page done, get some basic creative and start running ads to getting people to the page and seeing if they start to opt in. The issue that you were talking about, Ramon, was a lot of times what happens if somebody clicked on your ad and then maybe six months later they purchase? You're not going to know that that person found you through that ad." — Chase Barmore [00:07:38 → 00:08:37]

The Power of Networking: "LinkedIn and networking is so important for creating content. It's not about the amount of viewers or followers, especially. You can do these one-to-one conversations and really niche into your audience and start to help people." — Chase Barmore [00:12:14 → 00:12:30]

Testing Online Courses Viability: "If you're not already like selling a course or you're an affiliate marketer or you have some sort of offer, is testing your audience if they're going to buy something from you and just create a course, you can go on school like Alex Hormozi’s deal." — Chase Barmore [00:20:03 → 00:20:22]

Key Marketing Strategies: "The most important thing you can get from your prospect is their email. So any way that you can capture an email, if you're not already capturing your clients' emails, start doing that." — Chase Barmore [00:22:02 → 00:22:13]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Chase Barmore - Strategic Account Executive at Hyros

About the Episode:
Ashley Grant shares her journey from accidentally adopting the nickname "famous Ashley Grant" to becoming a successful freelance writer. With experience dating back to 2007, she narrates the evolution of her career, from writing for newspapers to crafting online content for businesses. 

Ashley discusses why it's essential to prioritize readers when creating content and offers insights on balancing user value with SEO. As AI continues to shape the digital content landscape, Ashley advises writers to focus on authenticity, relatability, and addressing user needs. 

Today, we'll cover:
- The power of storytelling in personal branding
- Key tips for creating engaging and valuable written content
- Strategies for balancing SEO and reader value
- The evolving blogosphere and the impact of AI on content creation
- Leveraging AI to repurpose authentic content

What You'll Learn
1. Characteristics of Great Content
2. Optimizing for Search Engines and Readers
3. The Impact of AI on Writing
4. Repurposing Content with AI
5. Authenticity in Content Writing
6. Evolving Writing Strategies

Timestamps
02:34 Becoming a full-time freelance writer
05:36 Characteristics of great content
07:40 Balancing SEO and value in content writing
10:22 How to drive reader engagement through storytelling
13:20 The role of storytelling in building a personal brand
17:04 The importance of prioritizing customer needs
19:16 Leveraging AI tools for repurposing content
23:45 Authentic, relatable content and why they matter

Content Writing Philosophy: "Unless it's your story that you're writing about, you cannot make it about you. You have to speak to your audience. Because if you're talking about, oh, I, me, that's all about me, every single time you're writing a piece of content, you need to be thinking, what is in it for them? What is in it for your reader? Because if you're writing about yourself, then it's very clear that you don't care about what they want." — Ashley Grant [00:05:40 → 00:06:04]

The Future of Content Creation: "I think that what we're going to see a lot more is people trying to connect more with their audiences. They're not going to write these generic pieces that just answer the question. They want more than that. Though they do want the question answered." — Ashley Grant [00:10:28 → 00:10:41]

The Power of Personal Story in Branding: "I think that with personal branding, it needs to be, again, not just about you, but also your story, because that's one thing that nobody can replicate. Not any AI, not any person." — Ashley Grant [00:13:20 → 00:13:32]

Content Marketing Insights: "Of the clients I work with, the ones that are doing the best and hitting it out of the park with their content are the ones that aren't trying to make the sale. And I know that sounds counterintuitive because most of the time. All you're thinking about in business is, well, how do I move the needle? How do I make more money? But if you're caring more about the transaction than the person who's buying it, you've already lost them." — Ashley Grant [00:17:08 → 00:17:29]

Efficient Content Creation: "Take the amazing piece of long-form content you created, whether it be a YouTube video or a Facebook live, or heck, even a meeting you had internally with your own people, put it into a program, and then spit out some awesome content that you can then turn into other pieces of digestible content." — Ashley Grant [00:20:52 → 00:21:08]

Using AI to Produce Authentic Content: "Absolutely. The biggest reason is it's your content, it's your words, it's your voice. And so if you go to a ChatGPT or a Claude or a WordHero or whatever your favorite AI tool is, if you're just asking it to spit out something random, it's going to spit out something generic." — Ashley Grant [00:21:31 → 00:21:49]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ashley Grant - Freelance Writer

About the Episode:
Eugenio Castro has worked with numerous creators and entrepreneurs, including Sam Parr, David Perell, Colin and Samir, Nik Sharma, Ramon Berrios, Blaine Bolus, and Justin Mares.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” he distills his wealth of experience down to a potent strategy, emphasizing efficiency, credibility, and the transformative power of research, which you can leverage to elevate your own content to new heights.

Today, we'll cover:
- Eugenio Castro's perspectives on the necessity of credibility and trust in the field of research
- The pivotal role of research in developing content and making informed decisions
- How research content can be repurposed to reach a wider audience and increase impact
- How research can streamline workflow and increase efficiency in the creative process
- Ways to monetize research content in the digital age

What You'll Learn
1. The Impact of Research on Content Strategy
2. Repurposing Research Content
3. Effective Research Practices
4. Traits of Successful Content Creators
5. The Value of Research in Content Creation
6. Research Methodologies and Client Work
7. Practical and Theoretical Research
8. Monetizing Research
9. Research in Dialogue and Interviews
10. Research’s Role in Efficiency and Scale

Timestamps
03:37 How research supports content creation
06:35 Building trust and increasing reach as a researcher
08:59 Eugenio Castro’s research process
10:28 Condensing research notes based on the client's objectives
14:48 Three ways to use research to monetize content
18:15 How research informs content strategy
21:34 Repurposing research to create more content
25:11 The difference between good and bad research
30:09 The importance of research for impactful content creation

The Role of Research in Content Creation: "And I think any person or company that has a media machine, the moment that that media machine starts generating content about something that is not just about the company or the person, like their stories and their value props, but they want to talk about something external to them. That's when research comes in, because research helps capture what that is factually, precisely." — Eugenio Castro [00:02:22 → 00:02:45]

The Power of a Personal Brand on Social Media: "I used to have, like, an artwork as an image, and he said I should put my face on it. And, yeah, so I'm sample arts researcher, and from there, from sending that name on my bio. I mean, I get like weekly DM's people wanting to work with me." — Eugenio Castro [00:05:21 → 00:05:36]

Researching Digital Personalities: "You put them on YouTube, on Spotify, on Apple podcasts, and then you gather all the relevant interviews, all the relevant links from those platforms, put them on a Google Doc, and then you enter that subject's name on a tool like Perplexity or Google." — Eugenio Castro [00:09:43 → 00:10:00]

Crafting Content with Purpose: "Because again, if you just stop at that or do something very generic, it's got to be of no value. So you need to repurpose it to something very, very specific." — Eugenio Castro [00:10:40 → 00:10:48]

Effective Communication in Research: "You want a very high signal and very low, like serial noise. And counterintuitively, my clients pay me for what I leave out of the document, not so much for what I put in, because again, they didn't go to Perplexity, they didn't go to Google, but they have to sift through the noise, so they just want to get the signal." — Eugenio Castro [00:11:44 → 00:12:04]

Trends in Monetizing Research: "How you monetize research is by putting it behind a paywall and saying, this is what you get with what you pay, and then having that on the other side." — Eugenio Castro [00:15:45 → 00:15:55]

Content Creation Strategy: "What research, like a good research assistant or a good Jamie ensures that you'll sort of talk about the best things possible and you don't repeat things that have already been asked or talked about." — Eugenio Castro [00:19:21 → 00:19:36]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Eugenio Castro - Founder of Information Dealers

About the Episode:
Join us as we explore the vibrant realm of tech stacks and workflow optimization with our expert guest, Sara Loretta.

In our conversation, we peel back the layers of interacting with tech tools and optimizing operations for content creators and companies alike.

Today, we'll cover:
- How Sara conducts full tech audits to streamline a company's tech stack and optimize remote team dynamics
- Sara's approach to internal training and the pivotal role it plays before considering outsourcing talent
- Sara's personal journey with content creation, her battle with consistency, and the challenges of scaling returns
- How to strike the right balance between automation and hiring and decide where to invest energy and resources effectively
- Strategies for evaluating roles within your business, the importance of long-term virtual assistant planning, and the benefits of a team audit

What You'll Learn
1. Tech Audit and Optimization
2. Cultural Development for Teams
3. Training and Role Comprehension
4. Content Operations Management
5. Tech Consultancy and Platform Expertise
6. Content Workflow Optimization
7. Utilization of Virtual Assistants (VAs)
8. Self-Reflection and Business Therapy
9. Team Productivity and Dynamics

Timestamps
00:00 Transitioning from employee to freelancer
04:37 Becoming the 10th Certified Notion Consultant in the United States
09:01 Conducting thorough tech audits and optimizing processes
11:14 The pitfalls of outsourcing content
15:50 YouTube success and the challenges of expanding content niche
20:12 Simplifying platform switching and customization
22:58 Developing an innovative workflow to increase content production
24:49 Business automation and virtual assistants
28:17 Reflecting on project outcomes, consulting with a business therapist
33:08 Using personality tests to improve productivity

Successful Business Turnaround: "By the time I left, we had just everything automated and systemized, and we went from owing the city almost 100 grand a year because reporting was wrong to being one of the top-performing organizations in the city because of the work that I did." — Sara Loretta [00:02:45 → 00:03:01]

The Myth of Indispensability in Business: "Everyone's replaceable, and it just is what it is when we are building businesses or building products. Yes, we are emotionally attached to that. But at the end of the day, if you want to take a sabbatical, if you up and decide one day, hey, I'm done, I don't want to work here anymore, the company's still going to move forward and we have to build businesses with that in mind. A lot of people just don't do that." — Sara Loretta [00:04:14 → 00:04:37]

Pioneering Notion for Business: "I was kind of the first person to talk about having a design business and using Notion for it. That video popped off. Notion came to me a couple of months later, and I then became the 10th Certified Notion Consultant in the US." — Sara Loretta [00:04:49 → 00:05:01]

Corporate Miscommunication and Culture Issues: "And this is where a lot of the culture comes in, is because you have this massive disconnect between the CEO and the low-level assistant coming in to support projects and there's no true line of succession, there's no communication plans." — Sara Loretta [00:08:12 → 00:08:32]

Optimizing Business Processes with Technology: "We find where the overlaps are that an entire team can utilize a tool. Then we go into the culture piece. So what is the internal expectations of working with a remote async team versus what is the external expectations?" — Sara Loretta [00:09:21 → 00:09:37]

Navigating Productivity Tools: "And so I actually started building out a little cheat sheet of each tool and what's possible on each. So that way I don't have to go into ChatGPT and be like, ‘How do I do this? How do I write this formula?’ And I can just easily, when I'm on a sales call or a strategy call verbatim, just drop and say, this platform is going to work for you, or this one isn't." — Sara Loretta [00:20:37 → 00:20:58]

Innovative Workflow Improvements: "And so we built this really cool workflow that auto triggers the next person in that flow when something's marked as complete." — Sara Loretta [00:22:58 → 00:23:05]

Efficient Business Automation: "I don't touch onboarding. It's one click to send an email to a client after a sales call, and the entire thing is completely automated." — Sara Loretta [00:24:57 → 00:25:05]

Client Reviews and Self-Reflection: "So after the end of every project, I sit down and I look at what skills did I learn? What red flags were there in the client? Did I charge what I said I was going to? What skills did I learn? What do I want to keep exploring?" — Sara Loretta [00:28:21 → 00:28:34]

Team Management Insights: "She had her whole team take the Myers Briggs assessment, take, I think, the Enneagram and some personality quiz, and she plugged them into ChatGPT and said, ‘What role, what tasks fit these personalities best?’ She said she just did little tiny tweaks. And her team is the best productive, smooth sailing environment that she's ever curated." — Sara Loretta [00:33:32 → 00:33:50]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Sara Loretta - Founder of SYSTMS

About the Episode:

Welcome to today’s episode of Uploading. Today we have the pleasure of talking with Stephanie Garcia. 

A seasoned digital marketing expert with an impressive 15-year career at top agencies, Stephanie Garcia is a live video strategist with a proven track record, and the host of Lights, Camera, Live a show dedicated to empowering small business owners to step into the spotlight with live streaming. Her work has been recognized and awarded by Forbes, Online Marketing Media and Advertising, PR Daily, Forrester, and Gartner 1to1 Media. She has spoken at Social Media Marketing World, VidCon, Podcast Movement, and many more.

Are you thinking of starting live streaming this 2024? Want to know how to get more viewers in your streams? Or how to repurpose content from your live streams?

Love this episode? Be sure to join Stephanie on April 24th at Leap by Ecamm Live for her keynote Creators: The Next $1B Business

Today, we'll cover:
- Stephanie's innovative strategies for repurposing live stream content across various platforms
- The importance of distinguishing content levels for different audiences and leveraging social media for real-time engagement
- How dedicating a long-form live stream to platforms like YouTube can enhance discoverability
- Stephanie's 10x10 content formula for generating fresh and relevant video ideas
- Stephanie's insights on approaching live streams with the right mindset, the role of teleprompters, and effective audience interaction
- A closer look at the success behind Stephanie's live stream for the MasterChef cookbook, which garnered 178,000 downloads in a single day

What You'll Learn
1. Technical Aspects of Live Streaming
2. Content Creation and Repurposing
3. Discoverability and Engagement
4. The Power of Live Streaming
5. Building a Content Engine
6. Successful Live Streaming Campaigns

Timestamps
00:00 Transitioning from ad agency to consulting, live streaming
04:42 How to get people excited to join a live stream
08:58 Different frameworks for live streaming
10:33 Expert tips for B2B live streaming
15:26 How to drive 178,000 book downloads in 24 hours through live streaming
16:42 Generating content ideas with Stephanie Garcia’s 10x10 Formula
18:49 The mindset you need to become a successful live streamer
19:32 How to choose the right platform for your live streams
22:01 Leveraging social media for better discoverability
24:54 Repurposing live stream content with Castmagic
26:13 Keeping old live streams on YouTube for clients

Navigating Digital Marketing Careers: "And so I left that ad agency world, started my own consulting agency, and to my surprise, fellas, everyone was calling themselves, like, a social media strategist. And I was like, well, how do I separate myself from the sea of sameness?" — Stephanie Garcia [00:02:26 → 00:02:40]

Innovative Engagement Strategies: "It's one of those things where you just have to do a pattern interrupt in social media to get people to stop, look, and listen to what it is that you have to say." — Stephanie Garcia [00:03:35 → 00:03:41]

Engaging Audiences with Social Media Polls: "So a lot of times I'll do polls. What do you think about this? If you could change one thing about Castmagic, what would it be? And so you get people involved in those conversations." — Stephanie Garcia [00:06:28 → 00:06:36]

The Importance of Prep in B2B Livestreaming: "And I think what also makes a B2B livestreaming show suck is if you don't do a tech rehearsal with your talent, right? So, like, all of us, we showed up, we're like, oh, hey, check your mic, right? Because we know that we're going to repurpose this content." — Stephanie Garcia [00:11:59 → 00:12:15]

Viral Marketing Success: "And so within that, within 24 hours, we had 178,000 downloads of her book. The client came back and was like, we've never seen this much engagement before. We've done live streams and no one showed up. But how did you get these people to show up? And that's really, that's the fascination fast track." — Stephanie Garcia [00:15:54 → 00:16:10]

Successful Live Streaming Strategies: "It's not about the gear. It's about the gears up here. How do you connect and engage with your audience? Create a run of show where, yes, you are going to engage with your audience in real-time, but you're also going to deliver value, and then at that point, hit the live stream button and run with it." — Stephanie Garcia [00:19:59 → 00:20:13]

Leveraging Social Media for Discoverability: "Yeah, I would say if you want to leverage the social media platforms, the benefit to it is that it gives you better discoverability. So it's easy for people to find you." — Stephanie Garcia [00:22:01 → 00:22:10]

Catering to Different Audience Expertise Levels: "And so knowing how to differentiate your content from beginner, intermediate and advanced is one of the best ways. So I would say, like, hey, hang out with me on YouTube, and this is like your getting started tutorial, but oh my gosh, if you want the full framework and the case studies, then you have to go into the community." — Stephanie Garcia [00:23:35 → 00:23:51]

The Power of Longevity in Social Media Content: "Oh, it still lives in perpetuity on social media platforms. So I still have people watching videos from three or four years ago, still wanting to learn how to go live on Facebook." — Stephanie Garcia [00:26:21 → 00:26:26]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Stephanie Garcia - Live Streaming Producer at Lights, Camera, Live

About The Episode:
Max Hertan joins hosts Ramon Berrios and Blaine Bolus to decode the art of content creation and personal branding. Max has co-founded multiple agencies and is currently the co-founder of Alto Studios with Sahil Bloom. We break down his strategies to grow personal branding initiatives, YouTube channels, and more.

Today, we'll cover:
- Max Hertan's journey from scaling a marketing agency to becoming a content expert.
- The significance of "solving it" in content – discovering the right mix of pillars, market fit, and production strategies.
- The allure of short form content and the tactical approach to premium visuals and unique branding.
- Insights on content budgeting, starting on social media, and the underestimated time investment in content channels.
- Max's pivot in content strategy and evaluating the long-term ROI of content creation for business growth and talent attraction.

What You'll Learn
1. Content Creation and Time Optimization
2. Content Market Fit Importance
3. Personal Brand Impact on Equity
4. Short Form Content Strategy
5. Content Budget Deployment Approaches
6. Consistency in Content Creation Efforts
7. ROI of Content Creation Investments

Timestamps
00:00 YouTube channel challenges, backflip attempts, stand-up comedy.
05:44 Performance social media and paid Google Ads.
09:08 Finding content pillars and market fit effectively.
11:12 Content market fit requires finding unique perspectives.
14:03 "Stand out with unique, engaging storytelling strategies."
16:23 Ran Doris grew on YouTube, emphasizes action.
20:58 Paused YouTube channel, focusing on written content.
25:34 Focused on animation, unique branding, premium visuals.
26:28 Creating unique brand style and professional appeal.
29:35 Observed their rise and strategy to success.

Persistence in Content Creation: "I had to land it by the end of the month, so I would just bandage it up and just keep going."
— Max Hertan [00:03:13 → 00:03:18]

The Power of Content in Brand Strategy: "I'm also a massive believer in content as a strategy for businesses, personal brands, brands. I think it's like if you can solve it, it's this unbelievable asset. It's challenging to solve for a lot of people, but once you get traction and content market fit and like a system to actually build out content, then it's building like defensibility mode for you."
— Max Hertan [00:08:32 → 00:08:56]

Content Market Fit Strategy: "But solving it to me means you found some content pillars that are working and you found content market fit and you've kind of found the overlap of something that's valuable to you, something that you're interested in, and something that the audience wants as well."
— Max Hertan [00:09:17 → 00:09:32]

Content Market Fit: "And I think you can either be an expert and share things from your own life and reflect on what's interesting from your own life. And if there isn't that much that's know, one way I think about it is how many standard deviations are you away from the norm and where are you most standard deviations away from the norm? And if you're sharing from your own life, then that's going to be interesting."
— Max Hertan [00:11:29 → 00:11:48]

Content Creation Strategies: "If you want to be like a storyteller or a researcher or things like that, then you might go down a different kind of line to try to find something that you're interested in as well. So, yeah, I think it's like analyzing what's working... figure out, are you an expert in certain areas that are kind of getting traction? Can you add your own spin on it? And then also, if you're not, is there something that you're really interested in that you want to research in, or that you want to learn the pillars of what makes really good content, like the storytelling pillars, and then take that to a content format where you can find something unique."
— Max Hertan [00:12:32 → 00:12:52]

Viral Content Strategy: "But if you're entering a competitive field and you're not so interesting, that alone should be able to go viral. Then you need to think more about what is the thing that's going to separate you? Is it the level of research? Is it the level of understanding the platform and get it the storytelling, right? Or is it finding something unique from your own life that you can pull forward? That's like drawing that attention."
— Max Hertan [00:14:23 → 00:14:47]

The Strategy for Growing on YouTube: "My friend Ran Doris, who's actually just blown up on YouTube, gone to like 200,000 subscribers in the last six months. One of his frameworks that he uses is like, there's a period of thinking and there's a period of immense action."
— Max Hertan [00:16:27 → 00:16:41]

Content Strategy and Brand Differentiation: "One of the other unique things around content is it's not as fast to get results as many of the other channels."
— Max Hertan [00:18:18 → 00:18:25]

Video Animation Trends: "The other thing that we're seeing is almost everyone has kind of homogenized to five different styles of animations. There's like the Alex Hamozi and then people just do like a 10% spin on the Alex Hamozi subtitles. And so there's kind of like just a few very clear, obvious styles."
— Max Hertan [00:26:07 → 00:26:28]

Innovative Branding in Digital Media: "So we'll be doing like a fresh brand book and new graphics and animations and things like that, where you can pioneer your own style so that people are copying your style as opposed to you're copying someone else's style, but also just making sure it's like above the threshold of professionalism where it looks really kind of cool and fresh and interesting."
— Max Hertan [00:26:28 → 00:26:48]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Max Hertan - Co-Founder of Alto Studios

About The Episode:
Scott Millard is the Founder at Videospark, one of the first digital media agencies to specialize in motion video services for SaaS, App, Platform, and Web3 technology companies.

If you have been creating content or even considered creating content online, you have probably thought about posting videos on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube.

Creating video content is one of the fastest ways to grow your audience.

That is why today we’re talking with Scott Millard. He is the founder of Videospark an Online animation studio specializing in creating short videos for independent and VC-backed SaaS companies.

He basically helps companies make more money by creating videos for them.

We wanted to talk with Scott so we could get the inside scoop on how his agency works and how content creators could leverage similar video tactics to skyrocket their growth.

Today, we'll cover:
- The strategic impact of incorporating intentional video content in your marketing efforts.
- The pivotal role of narrative and scripting in producing standout videos amidst a saturated digital landscape.
- Tactics for audience building and its significance beyond mere financial gain.
- Insights on transitioning from Twitter engagement to sustainable YouTube growth for long-lasting personal brand relationships.
- The correlation between niche-specific video content creation and the expansion of Scott's agency and personal influence.

What You'll Learn
1. Power of video in marketing
2. Intentional video creation and messaging
3. Audience building and retention strategies
4. Cross-platform brand growth techniques
5. Short vs. long-form content effectiveness
6. Monetization of built audiences
7. Niche focus for business growth

Timestamps
00:00 Creating videos for online growth and profit.
04:04 Marketing success hinges on clear intention and messaging.
08:43 Focusing on niche, using video to grow.
13:35 YouTube provides lasting content; Twitter is ephemeral.
14:39 YouTube offers personal connection, builds trust effectively.
19:52 UGC builds trust, suitable for e-commerce.
24:39 Creating tutorials and launching a video podcast.
26:21 Audience size matters less than audience engagement.
29:29 YouTube strategy: mix of tutorials, stories, tips.

The Importance of Intention in Marketing: "Yeah, I mean, really, intention should be in front of everything you do marketing wise."
— Scott Millard [00:04:04 → 00:04:08]

Product-Led Strategy: "So yeah, it's really showing these are product led companies. So what is relevant in their product for the problem they're solving? If it's like a sales led strategy or something like that, then it would be less about features and more about really digging into the pain points of the customers."
— Scott Millard [00:08:07 → 00:08:28]

Building a Personal Brand: "I tweeted something a year ago and it was like my first viral thing. And that's when I really saw the potential of just building a personal brand and putting stuff out there, because we tweeted a thread and we booked 50 calls in like two days and that was for free."
— Scott Millard [00:10:50 → 00:11:59]

The Power of YouTube Over Twitter: "If a video goes viral on YouTube, it does not stop almost ever. The algorithm just keeps putting it in front of more and more and more people."
— Scott Millard [00:14:27 → 00:14:37]

The Power of YouTube in Building Relationships: "And so you're building what's called a parasocial relationship, where they're starting to feel like they know you as a person and then they are more likely to trust you, work with you, buy from you, learn from you, like, whatever your goal is."
— Scott Millard [00:15:10 → 00:15:25]

The Strategy Behind Short-Form Content: "The purpose of short form is to get people to take the next step and stop watching your short form as fast as possible."
— Scott Millard [00:18:28 → 00:18:37]

The Power of User-Generated Content: "The reason UGC works and is so popular is because it's very trusted by the audience. Because it's like someone who is like them using selfie mode on an iPhone and promoting a product, but not really promoting it."
— Scott Millard [00:20:18 → 00:20:33]

The Importance of Content Strategy and Editing: "So the very scripted and strategic stuff, that's what's going to go viral. But when that goes viral, people are going to click on your profile and be like, who is this? What are they talking about? All this stuff? And that's where kind of, this kind of content comes in, where it's like the longer form stuff that's clipped up, because the intention of that is not to go viral. The intention of that is to take a little bit of that rapport building and put it into a clip."
— Scott Millard [00:22:35 → 00:23:01]

Emerging Content Creator Strategies: "And then another thing I'm starting in the next, basically, week is pretty much a podcast, like an in person thing, where I'm going to be going around and interviewing industry leaders in the video space and really asking them about what their journey was, how they got started, how they're monetizing video as a skill and as a service so that I can just bring this information to the public."
— Scott Millard [00:25:09 → 00:25:38]

The Value of Audience Building: "Because it's like pouring jet fuel on a fire is really what it is comparative to. If someone has 100,000 followers on Twitter, I mean, you can make a lot of money, even 10,000. You do not need a big audience at all. [...] So my perspective has actually shifted from two years ago, where I kind of ignored the audience building thing, and I was doing it because I thought I could make a quick bag in my business. But now I've flipped it to where the real asset is not the money you're making from the audience, it's the audience themselves. Because that will really take care of the rest."
— Scott Millard [00:27:00 → 00:27:27]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Scott Millard - Chief Revenue Officer at Videospark

About The Episode:
This episode is all about how to grow podcasts and the power and inner workings of podcast networks. Carly Baker, who has worked across community, creator partnerships, and audience developement for Hubspot Podcasts joins us to break down the ins and outs -- including how to grow through strategic partnerships, niche audiences, and diverse monetization paths. We uncover strategies to better leverage your podcast's potential, understanding audience behaviors, navigating the podcast SEO landscape, and provide a blueprint for emerging creators aiming to amplify their reach and impact.

Today, we'll cover:
- The inside track on joining a podcast network and how it can benefit emerging creators.
- Crucial tips for understanding and negotiating network deals to safeguard your creative control.
- How to use the 'network effect' to expand your podcast's reach and create a buzzing private membership.
- Carly's professional take on what makes a podcast stand out to networks like HubSpot.
- Unpacking the rise of YouTube-first podcasts and the impact of SEO on your show's visibility.

What You'll Learn
1. Podcast network benefits for creators
2. Legal implications in network deals
3. Leveraging network effects for growth
4. Vetting criteria for HubSpot network
5. Podcast discoverability and SEO strategies
6. Evolving podcast monetization methods
7. Social selling on B2B platforms

Timestamps
00:00 Increased focus on partnership-based growth in industry.
05:53 Brands struggle with reach vs. trust, audiences.
07:24 Serving diverse audiences, intentional growth, niche content.
11:23 Podcasting monetization is a slow burn.
15:01 HubSpot has a YouTube network and accelerator.
20:02 Advocate for yourself, understand deal terms. Be cautious.
21:16 Leveraging creator networks for podcast monetization strategy.
27:24 Focus on audience, high production value on YouTube.
28:28 Exploring video content tips for beginners.
32:25 TikTok star stays authentic despite rapid fame.
35:00 LinkedIn will be future platform for B2B.

Partnership-Based Growth Strategies: "What I'm loving seeing now is just larger focus in general on partnership based growth. So whether it's partnering with brands, whether it's partnering with other creators, whether it's having sort of more of a holistic, comarketing approach to shows that have guests, all of these levers are really just rooted in less growth being one sided, or depending on other parties to push you forward and betting and depending more on yourself and leveraging others to help you grow."
— Carly Baker [00:03:09 → 00:03:45]

Content Strategy for Brands: "So I think when it comes to starting a new show, it's much harder to have a very broad audience. You should have three kind of audiences or personas that you're thinking about. So you have the core audience, which should be the audience that you want all of your content to resonate with... the secondary audience, which has some overlap with the core, but might be straying a little bit further... and then you have what we like to call the transformational audience... And those are folks where if you can serve the core and the secondary and bring those transformational people into those inner circles, that's really where you're going to see explosive growth."
— Carly Baker [00:07:12 → 00:07:24]

Growth Strategies in Podcasting: "So not only thinking about audiences as one person, but thinking about it as many people and trying to serve and always iterating on that, I think is going to be a really good way to continue with growth."
— Carly Baker [00:07:24 → 00:07:38]

The Evolution of Podcasting in Content Marketing: "We have a YouTube network. We have an entire team of people that are kind of functioning as a media company within HubSpot as a whole. And a lot of this was of course built on the acquisition of the hustle, which is what brought my first million to us. And with that acquisition and with having my first million, the conversation was, well, we should start a network, why should we not start a network?"
— Carly Baker [00:15:01 → 00:15:28]

Joining a Podcast Network: "So for anyone that's considering joining a network, I think having intentionality behind it is really important. So really sitting down and thinking about, okay, what do I not have the capacity to do for my podcast or for my podcast business that I know would make a difference? That should be number one. Number two, what are some initiatives or marketing plays or strategies that I have that are going on that are kind of working, kind of not working and could use the help of a team to optimize and make these work for me? And number three, what do I want help with? What would I want to offload and be fine giving someone else and having them take full ownership of doing on my behalf. Right. And so once you kind of have those three big pillars, then that's going to help you filter out networks."
— Carly Baker [00:18:15 → 00:19:13]

Navigating Content Ownership in Media Deals: "You need to think about if you want to maintain ownership of your content, if you want to own the ip, if you want a license deal, if you're okay with working in a network where if you leave, you can't take any of the content that they produced on your behalf."
— Carly Baker [00:20:24 → 00:20:39]

Maximizing Creator Networks: "So if you're trying to monetize your podcast without doing revenue sales, if that's not a part of your network, and you're really looking to build a private membership, and you see a network where six out of ten of the shows, those folks have very successful private networks or private memberships, that's a network you should be interested in, because you can learn from the people that are in there, and in return, you can give them something back."
— Carly Baker [00:21:35 → 00:22:00]

Evaluating Podcast Partnerships: "Are they bringing on diverse voices? We look at production stuff. Is their production value really high? What kind of social channels do they have? Are they like a thought leader in their industry, those different types of things?"
— Carly Baker [00:23:37 → 00:23:52]

Content Strategy for Emerging Platforms: "And if there's not an audience on YouTube for what you have going on with your content, because a lot of people are doing it, doesn't mean you should do it."
— Carly Baker [00:27:30 → 00:27:38]

The Evolution of Content Creation: "Right? Like they're seeing you, they're seeing your set, they're seeing your mannerisms. It's kind of taking that one step further, but that can also be distracting. I think in some ways opening up the floodgates to direct comments and feedback on the content that you're making. But I think ultimately there's lower lift, lower barriers of entry to sort of explore what video could look for you."
— Carly Baker [00:28:28 → 00:28:53]

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Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Carly Baker - Listener Acquisition Manager at HubSpot