New Media

Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch
  • 5.0 (40)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

New Media is a podcast for founders and creators building independent media businesses. We explore how to grow and monetize audiences without depending on algorithms, advertising, and platforms you don't control. Each episode shares practical insights on building profitable media and education businesses.  A GrowLetter podcast, hosted by Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch. 

  1. 5D AGO

    Inside a Top 10 Spotify Podcast Business, Local Newsletters To Agency Funnel, Will AI Change Email Marketing Forever?

    In today's episode, Ethan Brooks (Austin Business Review), Alyssa Dulin (Kit), and Jonathan Barshop (Modern Wisdom) join Matt and Kolby to discuss how to monetize a local newsletter with services instead of ads, what AI is actually doing to email deliverability, and the unconventional growth tactics that move a podcast in 2026.  Timestamps:  00:00 Intro 03:00 Ethan Brooks on Austin Business Review and Local Media 07:30 Why Local Newsletters Are Best Monetized as Services (Not Ads) 10:40 Selling Austin: $300K From Under 1,000 Readers 13:00 The $25K-in-8-Weeks Concrete Leads Side Business 22:00 Ethan's Two Frameworks: Valuable Audience + Media Monetization 32:00 Alyssa Dulin on AI in the Inbox 35:00 The New Curator in Town — How AI Is Rewriting Deliverability 46:00 The One-Word Reply Tip That Beats Every Other Engagement Tactic 52:00 Google Postmaster Tools: The Most Overlooked Deliverability Tool 1:01:00 Jonathan Barshop on Building a Podcast That Actually Grows in 2026 1:11:00 Why Premise Beats Production 1:18:00 The Cross-Promo That Supercharged My First Million 1:25:00 Engineering "Viral" Moments — The Tim Ferriss + Edward Norton Trick 1:42:00 Modern Wisdom's Tour Model and 12-Partner Sponsorship Strategy 📌 Resources Mentioned:  Austin Business ReviewGoogle Postmaster Tools Modern Wisdom 🔗 Connect with Ethan Brooks:   LinkedIn Newsletter🔗 Connect with Alyssa Dulin:  LinkedIn 🔗 Connect with Jonathan Barshop:  LinkedIn

    1h 50m

  2. APR 27

    Life Update

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    6 min

  3. APR 23

    This Free Site Makes More Than His $10M Course (w/ Neville Medhora)

    In today's episode, Neville Medhora (Swipefile, Copywriting Course, ex-AppSumo) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how good copy delivered AppSumo's first $10,000 day, why his flagship Copywriting Course business is being eaten by AI while Swipefile.com is soaring, Neville's content workflow, and why selling software is dead in 2026. Timestamps: 01:19 House of Rave and Dropshipping in High School03:21 Finding Copywriting and AppSumo's First $10K Day05:53 Copywriting Course Dying, Swipefile Soaring11:27 Brand, Style, and Standing Out From AI16:33 How Swipefile's Business Model Works18:44 Why Selling Software Is Dead22:51 The Hybrid Sponsorship Model That Actually Pays26:45 Custom Content and Evergreen Sponsorship Deals33:47 Acquired's $4.8M Pre-Rolls and B2B Ad Math35:57 Why Blogging Is Social Media Now37:15 Neville's Content Flow: Swipefile → Newsletter → Social40:43 Growing a Newsletter in 202645:00 Why Neville Won't Sell Claude Skills (Yet)52:34 Where To Find Neville 📌 Resources Mentioned: The Gary Halbert Letters — https://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com Wait But Why (Tim Urban) — https://waitbutwhy.com 🔗 Connect with Neville Medhora: LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/neville-medhora-654749/ Swipefile — https://swipefile.com YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSN1tlH1nvAXkv9nnBCmfiQ 🍿 Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@growletter

    52 min

  4. APR 16

    He Raised $4M in 4 Hours With One Email

    Walker Deibel (Buy Then Build) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how he wrote a category-defining book, built a newsletter to 300,000 subscribers, and used that list to raise $4 million in four hours. They cover his grassroots book launch strategy, why he believes newsletters are the most impactful asset any entrepreneur can build, and his framework for navigating private capital markets as what he calls the "new family office." Want to get your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days? Go here 👉 https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe Apply To Work With My Agency 👉 https://www.growletter.com Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:53 The Shift from Startups to Acquisitions 05:36 How Buy Then Build Changed Entrepreneurship 08:33 Grassroots Marketing and Book Launch Strategy 12:18 Creating a Movement and Defining a New Category 16:15 Frameworks for Exceptional Content 19:14 Writing the Book and Defining Entrepreneurship 22:29 Monetizing the Book and Building Community 29:14 Why In-Person Events Still Matter 35:43 Transitioning from Acquisition Lab to New Ventures 36:59 The Power of Email Lists in Investing 39:33 Building a Private Market Investing Community 43:15 Creating Value Through Direct Investments 46:35 The Economics of Being a Family Office 48:04 Newsletters as the Most Impactful Business Asset 48:59 Where to Find Walker 📌 Resources Mentioned:  Buy Then Build (book) Acquisition Lab Good to Great by Jim Collins 🔗 Connect with Walker Deibel:  LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/walkerdeibel/  Website — https://walkerdeibel.com  Newsletter — https://wealthstack1.com/

    49 min

  5. APR 14

    The Real Reason OpenAI Acquired TBPN for $100M+

    Matt and Kolby break down OpenAI's acquisition of TBPN for over $100 million and what it actually means for media. They dig into why the deal was less about audience size and more about an aqua hire of founders John Coogan and Jordi Hayes, how tech companies consistently use media as a PR and storytelling asset, and what lessons indie creators can take from TBPN's 18-month run to a nine-figure exit. Want to get your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days? Go here 👉 https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe Apply To Work With My Agency 👉 https://www.growletter.com Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 05:29 Why the Founders Were the Real Asset 11:03 Editorial Independence Concerns 16:29 The Future of Infotainment in B2B 22:54 Media as a Tech Acquisition Strategy 28:43 Focus on Your Core Thing 📌 Resources Mentioned: TBPN (Tech Business Programming Network)  🍿 Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@growletter

    46 min

  6. APR 9

    How to Build a Creator Business Worth Acquiring

    Taylor Cromwell (Creator Diaries) joins Kolby to talk about what it actually takes to go from creator to founder — and what makes a media business acquisition-ready. They break down the Starter Story and Salary Transparent Street deals, how to eliminate key-face risk, why IRL events are the next big creator play, and the surprising business Taylor's mom accidentally built in Italy. Want to get your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days? Go here 👉 https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe Apply To Work With My Agency 👉 https://www.growletter.com Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:00 Creator Diaries and the Creator-to-Founder Gap 03:44 The Starter Story Acquisition — What Creators Can Learn 05:23 Are Big Companies Still Buying Creator Brands? 07:32 How to Make Your Creator Business Acquisition-Ready 09:45 Key Face Risk — How to Build a Brand Beyond Yourself 13:27 IRL Events and Why Every Creator Should Think About Them 18:21 The Business Models Behind Creator Events 24:12 Scaling Pains — What Creators Avoid (But Shouldn't) 31:47 Taylor's Mom Accidentally Built a Business in Italy 37:21 Where to Find Taylor 📌 Resources Mentioned: Starter Story, Salary Transparent Street, StoryArb 🔗 Connect with Taylor: LinkedIn Creator Diaries

    38 min

  7. APR 7

    Is Mr. Beast The Next BuzzFeed?, SMS Is The New Email, Durable Creator Businesses

    In today's episode, Matt and Kolby dig into what's actually working in audience building right now — fandom vs. impressions, the channels that actually build real community, and why frameworks are the ultimate cheat code for creator brands. Chenell Basilio (Growth in Reverse) joins to talk pop-up newsletters, cross-promotion strategy, and what's next after email. Plus, the guys debate whether Mr. Beast is the next BuzzFeed and what the rise of AI slop means for creators who actually give a damn about their craft. Want to get your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days? Click here: https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe Watch on YouTube Timestamps: 00:00 Stardew Valley and the Indie Creator Model  05:31 Fandom vs. Impressions: What Actually Builds an Audience 10:52 Cross-Promotion Strategy with Chenell Basilio 16:09 Pop-Up Newsletters and Re-engaging Churned Subscribers 30:01 Why Every Creator Needs a Framework 41:17 What's Next: SMS, Live Events, and YouTube 46:55 The Case for Live Streaming in B2B Media 01:02:05 Is Mr. Beast the Next BuzzFeed? 01:12:15 Betting on Emerging Creators 01:17:32 The Culturalist and the Future of Thoughtful Content 🔗 Connect with Chenell:  https://growthinreverse.com/  Chenell's Podcast 30 Days of Growth 🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link: https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=matt-mcgarry

    1h 26m

  8. APR 2

    How Trade Shows Make Millions

    Brent Davidson built a 500-person trade show for HVAC contractors from scratch — and in this episode, he breaks down the business model behind it: how exhibitors and sponsors pay the bills, how to design attendee flow, and why in-person marketplaces are more durable than anything algorithm-dependent. Matt and Kolby dig into the operational side of running a trade show — from booth pricing and venue logistics to speaker strategy and influencer relationships. If you're thinking about events as a media business model, this is the blueprint. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & What Is the US Heat Pump Summit 02:12 Why Build a Trade Show  05:15 Trade Shows vs. Conferences 07:03 Ticket Pricing, Booth Costs & Revenue Model 09:39 Balancing Attendee Tickets With Exhibitor Value 11:29 Vendor Tickets 13:13 The Role of Media & Content in Growing the Event 17:41 How Brent Sells Tickets 19:26 Post-Purchase Surveys  21:27 HVAC Influencers  24:28 Should Influencers Attend the Event to Drive Tickets? 26:34 Promo Codes, Measurability & Implied Endorsement 28:35 Audience-Event Fit 30:29 Getting Your First Sponsors & Exhibitors 32:35 Proving ROI to Sponsors  35:02 What Other Trade Show Opportunities Exist Right Now 37:35 Hosted Buyer Programs & The Hidden Revenue Model 38:16 How Big Can the Heat Pump Summit Get? 41:24 Exit Strategies & Building an Event Conglomerate 43:52 Private Equity in the Trades & the Blue Parachute Idea 44:10 Mike Rowe & the Role of Celebrity at Trade Events 47:23 Final Advice 🔗 Connect with Brent Davidson: LinkedIn US Heat Pump Summit 🐝 Looking for the best newsletter and email marketing platform? Beehiiv is what I use and recommend: Click here to get a discount through my referral link.

    52 min
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5
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

New Media is a podcast for founders and creators building independent media businesses. We explore how to grow and monetize audiences without depending on algorithms, advertising, and platforms you don't control. Each episode shares practical insights on building profitable media and education businesses.  A GrowLetter podcast, hosted by Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch. 

Information

  • Creator
    Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    104
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Grow Letter Media, LCC
  • Show Website
    New Media

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