Build a community -> ask for money later
Let’s do a quick exercise.
Think about a stranger or group that you have found yourself following religiously almost on accident because their content is so great.
Okay no not celebs like famous comedians, talk show hosts, rockstars, or politicians.
I am talking about someone whose content you follow on Twitter, engage with on LinkedIn or keep watching on your For You Page on TikTok.
Maybe it’s a podcast that you enjoy listening to or a blog that you look forward to reading their insights.
Or perhaps it’s a video game streamer on Twitch or sketch comedy group that does bits you watch on Instagram.
Got your person? Good stuff.
Whether they know it or not, this person is part of the creator economy and they are more than happy to have you as a part of their community.
The good ones are focusing on putting out content, but the all-stars are focusing on leveraging this community they have built to offer paid experiences in order to earn from this following they’ve created.
Creators can be broken down into many groups but it’s easiest to think of them based on the medium used to connect with their audience.
- On-Camera Talent
- Photographers & Graphic Designers
- Up & Coming Musicians
- Seasoned Writers
- No Code App Developers
- Voice Stars on Podcasts & Clubhouse
No matter the category, they curate an audience in a genuine way on one platform and then typically move to another platform to monetize the audience they have built.
Let’s break down some creators who are earning in a previously unconventional way and the platforms they use to add cash in their pockets.
___
Weekend Hack Tracks COVID vv Well
Product & Creators: The Coronavirus App built by tech team Kevin Basset, Gyubin Byoun & Maxime Michel
Community Platforms: Progessier
Helping Pay the Bills: Buy Me a Coffee & Donations on Platform
Over a weekend in January 2020, this Taiwan-based team built a simple app that made it easy to track COVID-19 from their phones FO’ FREE
16 months and millions of global users later, the app is still free of charge with an option to donate through the tool.
Take the Guys Out to Coffee (kinda)
In addition to asking for small donations on the free site, the team has linked up with a platform called Buy Me a Coffee which is a fun way to donate to creators that aren’t making a buck in other places.
For a creator, those coffees can really add up – today The Coronavirus App has 3,226 supports donating ~$12.50 each on average.
*pulls out calculator*
That’s over $40k in donations just from Buy My Coffee alone.
Not bad for a weekend project that’s helping millions around the world.
___
Newsletters Don’t Have to Be Boring
Product & Creator: Not Boring written by Packy McCormick
Community Platforms: Twitter & Substack
Helping Pay the Bills: Newsletter Ads & Investment Syndicate
I have been following Packy since Not Boring first launched and chatted with him briefly over Twitter DMs. Side note: DM openness is consistent across all strong creators no matter the platform.
Ever since then I have been a big fan of what his team has built which is a community of curious people across industries like finance, design & real estate looking to learn about business in a well, Not Boring way.
Build It and the Startups Will Come
As a combination of their previous connections and the community of now 43k+ subscribers, Not Boring has launched a syndicate dedicated to make investments and provide insights to some of the top startups today.
Direct from their syndicate page hosted by AngelList
The Not Boring Syndicate is the first to use a newsletter to generate dealflow, think in public, and bring the power of a targeted community to bear on early stage fundraising…
…Not Boring will work directly with founders to write public investment memos that explain their company – and the markets they operate in – to both potential investors and customers…
…provide founders with a unique way to raise capital and drive awareness during the fundraising process. We plan on using the newsletter as a proprietary channel to generate high quality deal-flow for member LPs, and the community as a unique resource to support the success of our portfolio companies.
So instead of just running a paid ad to the newsletter which already runs companies from $1-7.5k per post, Not Boring is getting in on the action themselves by making deeper connections with high potential startups.
All this to say, it’s definitely Not Boring.
___
TikTok Helps Us Laugh at the Corporate BS
Creator: On-Camera Talent Corporate Natalie
Community Platforms: TikTok, Instagram & Podcast
Helping Pay the Bills: Sponsored Ads & Cameo
Her rise to fame was the result of employees having to work from home and the meteoric rise of TikTok where people like Natalie unintentionally became well-known creators.
By consistently posting funny content inspired by her day job, she has amassed over 250k followers combined on TikTok & Instagram and has transcended from video to a podcast as well.
Get Natalie to Tell Your Directs They’re Crushing It
In addition to running paid ads for millennial-focused brands like Warby Parker, Budweiser, Crunch Bar, Twisted Tea, and Nutiliti, she’s also joined celebrity video messaging app Cameo.
Cameo recently raised $100M at a $1B valuation (is unicorn really still a thing?) enabling creators like Natalie to charge for a personalized video to her biggest fans.
Currently charging $35 per video and sitting side by side with B to D List stars like Vanilla Ice, Dennis Rodman & Lindsay Lohan, she’s found an easy to both deepen the relationships with her fans and make some cash along the way.
___
Of course the social platforms are hating that this revenue is slipping away from them so action is being taken across the board by some of the biggest players
- Twitter announced Super Follows, paid subscriptions for premiun content
- LinkedIn introduced Creator Mode highlighting the content of members
- Facebook is building a Substack competitor
…just to name a few so keep your eyes peeled for past free services starting to ask for your credit card info
___
Thanks to Growth Berries subscriber Bradley Smith for the topic reccomendation! Would love to hear what else you want to learn about feel free to email me directly at dan@growjuniper.com
