Creator Toolbox: The Nuts & Bolts Behind your Creator Business Colin Gray & Jacob Anderson

In this episode, sponsorship expert Justin Moore shares his insights and strategies for creators looking to build successful sponsorship partnerships. Justin discusses how he narrowed his focus to specialize in sponsorships, gives us a couple of great frameworks to help us improve our approach, and also highlights two key tools he uses in his creating: Help This Book for getting early feedback on his book manuscriptand Senja for collecting and showcasing testimonials from sponsorship partners.

He dives deep into the importance of testimonials, both from customers and sponsorship partners, and explains his "Sponsorship Continuum" framework for tailoring your sponsorship pitch based on the size of your audience. Justin also shares the "Audience First Offers" approach, which helps creators prioritize serving their community over just promoting their own products.

Throughout the conversation, Justin emphasizes the importance of transparency, vulnerability, and resilience in the creator journey. He shares lessons learned from building a multi-million dollar sponsorship business, as well as advice on improving video production quality to impress potential brand partners.

Whether you're just starting to explore sponsorships or are looking to level up your existing partnerships, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiration from a leading creator economy expert.

In this episode, Colin shares his experience with Tella.tv, a versatile video production studio for screen recorded (and wider!) content, and discusses his interest in LearnCraft's unique approach to Spanish learning content. Jacob, on the other hand, talks about his use of AudioPen as a tool to transform messy ideas into coherent thoughts and shares his fascination with homesteader and short-form video creator Nate Petroski. Then, they both delve into the idea of writing and recording in quick succession to be able to create more content in less time, and better content at that!

Tune in to discover how these tools and creators are shaping the landscape of learning and content creation.

Hey everyone, welcome back to "The Creator Toolbox." Colin here with Jacob, and today's episode features the brilliant Amanda Webb from Spider Working.

We're chatting about how we each use Apple Notes to stay organized (or, in some cases, not so organized). Then, we'll explore Amanda's top recommendations and insights on digital marketing tools and strategies, including the power of personalized content.

Analytics are up for discussion too, with a look into the new Elgato prompter and whether it's a must-have for your setup. Plus, Amanda shares her experiences with the perks and quirks of Google Analytics 4.

We're also highlighting some standout social media strategies from the likes of the Woodstock Hotel and Sean Casey Fitness.

So, get ready for an episode packed with tools and tips that will inspire your next creation. Let's get started on "The Creator Toolbox with Amanda Webb."

In this episode of the Creator Toolbox, I, Colin Gray, along with my co-host Jacob, dive into the world of content creation tools and strategies that can help creators streamline their workflow and enhance their business. We're joined by our special guest, Gavin from Yatter, who shares his insights and experiences with various tools that have significantly impacted his content creation process.

Key Tools Discussed:
Asana for Project Management
Gavin kicks off the discussion by highlighting Asana, a project management tool that has revolutionized the way his team at Yatter handles content creation. He walks us through their content board setup, which tracks ideas from inception to completion, including filming, editing, and publishing. Asana's ability to assign tasks, set dates, and provide guidelines has been instrumental in streamlining their creative process.

Agorapulse for Social Media Management
Later in the episode, Gavin introduces us to Agorapulse, a social media management platform that simplifies content distribution across various channels. He praises its scheduling features, the ability to manage comments from ads, and the convenience of having a unified inbox for all social interactions.

AI and the Future of Content Creation
We also delve into the exciting realm of AI-generated content, discussing a new video model from SORA that promises to offer creators the ability to produce high-quality videos with simulated physics. The potential for creators to generate content quickly and on a budget sparks an enthusiastic conversation about the future of AI in the creative industry.

Mindset and Models for Product Design
I share a mindset model that has helped me design a new product for our podcast education and coaching business. The "what's next" model encourages creators to think about the subsequent problems their audience might face and design solutions that are action-based rather than purely educational.

Embracing Vlog-Style Content
Gavin shares his shift towards a vlog-style approach to content creation, which has led to higher engagement with less effort. By capturing authentic, behind-the-scenes moments, his team has been able to produce relatable and engaging content that resonates with their audience.

Creator of the Week
Gavin introduces us to Jake Hughes, a creator who cold calls businesses live on Instagram, offering website services. His authentic approach and real-time interactions make for compelling content that's both educational and entertaining.

Final Thoughts
As we wrap up the episode, we reflect on the importance of adapting to new content styles and the potential of AI to transform the creative landscape. We also touch on the challenges and rewards of transitioning from a solo creator to leading a team and how it can open up new opportunities for growth and creativity.

For more insights and tips on improving your creator business, be sure to check out the full episode and visit us at thepodcasthost.com and alatoo.com for all your podcasting needs.



And the unnamed Insta mentioned by Gavin - viralvideo.club

In this episode of the Creator Toolbox podcast, Colin and Jacob are joined by Arielle Nissenblatt, the community manager for Descript and creator of the EarBuds podcast recommendation newsletter. They discuss various creator tools, including AI writing aids and personal assistant services. Jacob expresses dissatisfaction with ChatGPT and recommends Google Gemini for its conversational writing style. Ariel shares her experience with Duckbill, a personal assistant service that helps her stay productive by handling tasks like doctor searches and travel planning. She also discusses her journey as a creator, her content production processes, and how she monetizes her newsletter and podcasts. 

In this episode of the Creator Toolbox, we're joined by our inaugural guest, Ian Anderson Gray. We're talking organising our creator lives, the PARA method, time blocking for consistency, building a 2nd brain, communities for creators and a whole lot more! Chapter Markers:

00:00 - Introduction04:32 - The Power of Notion for Organization and Productivity12:46 - The Para Method for Building a Second Brain20:54 - The Benefits of Time Blocking and Planning21:38 - Consistency and Prioritizing Content Creation33:10 - Creator of the Week: Tiago Forte and the Second Brain Community39:22 - Creator of the Week: Mark Schaefer and the Rise Community47:12 - Creator of the Week: Rob Walling and the Startups for the Rest of Us Podcast

Resources Mentioned:

Notion: https://www.notion.so/Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/ Tiago Forte's Second Brain: https://www.fortelabs.co/ Mark Schaefer's Rise Community: https://www.businessesgrow.com/rise/ Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us Podcast: https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/