20 Takeaways from the 2023 Creator Economy Expo
Creator Economy Expo is a conference designed for content entrepreneurs who are building audiences - and businesses - via podcasts, blogs, newsletters, and social media. This year’s event was full of aha moments and takeaways. In this blog post, I’ve distilled twenty of those moments down for you so you can make the most out of what you’re publishing. Plus, you’ll find out how to get the replays from sessions!
What is Creator Economy Expo
Creator Economy Expo (aka CEX) is a conference where bloggers, podcasters, content creators, and content entrepreneurs (not to mention the people who market them) get together to discuss issues and ideas in the landscape right now. Not meant for influencers, makers, or artists, it’s geared towards those in the expert / educational space.
CEX is run by The Tilt, which was started by Joe Pulizzi, the same person who initially started Content Marketing World. He’s the person who has coined the phrases, “content marketing” as well as “content entrepreneur” and has written and spoken extensively on the topics. Books written by Joe Pulizzi and other speakers from CEX.
This year, CEX took place in Cleveland from May 1-3. Downstage Media was happy to be a media sponsor for the event.
Nuggets from Speakers, Sponsors, and Attendees at CEX
1. Make CTAs more specific to get more subscribers - Andy Crestodina and Karen Hopper
Andy Crestodina and Karen Hopper gave a special workshop on Day 1 that discussed how to optimize your website to get more subscribers. One simple takeaway? Make your call to action buttons more specific. Instead of a CTA that says “subscribe” have it say “sign up for weekly insights.”
2. 26% of Americans deal with some sort of a disability that impacts how they use the web - Karen Hopper
During this workshop, Karen Hopper discussed how by making your website more accessible, you can improve conversions and get more subscribers. At any time up to a quarter of the population is dealing with some sort of disability. Maybe it’s temporary (they had eye surgery, for example) - or permanent (they are colorblind). But whatever it is, but being aware of the colors and readability of your page is a start in making it easier for everyone to understand what you offer.
3. Most content entrepreneurs have 4000 people in their audience. - Joe Pulizzi
Sharing research from The Tilt’s Content Entrepreneur 2023 Benchmark Research, Joe Pulizzi discussed how recent findings show that many people who are earning incomes from the content they creator have a mere 4000 people in their audience. Between newsletter, podcast, YouTube and blog subscribers, as well as social media followers, the numbers is way smaller than you’d think. More research from The Tilt.
Couldn’t make it to CEX this year? Access to all the amazing sessions and learning opportunities from CEX 2023. Use code DOWNSTAGE100 to save $100 on the digital pass.
4. It takes about 18 months to earn a full time income from your content - Joe Pulizzi
If you are working on your content regularly, it will take around 18 months to earn a full time income. And when you do start earning income, that income usually comes in the form of coaching and consulting. This is really important to remember when planning your finances and making revenue goals. Learn how to double your revenue in 6-12 months.
5. Your writing can rise above AI by giving it voice and style - Ann Handley
Ann Handley, author of Everybody Writes discussed seven ways to get your words to stand out amidst AI-written copy. One of those tactics was to play with repetition. Repetition, you say? One of those tactics was to play with repetition. (See what I did there? Now you know that I’m not an AI bot writing this blog post)
6. “From” matters more than subject lines - Ann Handley
Handley discussed how building trust with your audience is important so that when they see an email coming from you, they are eager to open it. Knowing this is more important than trying to game the system by writing a subject line that ticks all of the boxes for best practices.
7. Start a weekly newsletter - Jay Clouse
Jay Clouse, the founder of Creator Science, walked us through what he would do today if he started over. One of the first things he would do: start a weekly newsletter. If you don’t do this yet, he recommends choosing to build on the unique experience that you have or to follow a new obsession.
8. Go hard on Twitter, even if just to repurpose - Jay Clouse
Although I don’t recommend Twitter right now, Clouse makes an excellent case for it. If nothing else, right now there is a trend on Instagram and Linked where you showcase your tweets in other posts or carousels. By leveraging one platform to help another, you can make more content in less time.
Couldn’t make it to CEX this year? Access to all the amazing sessions and learning opportunities from CEX 2023. Use code DOWNSTAGE100 to save $100 on the digital pass.
9. There will always be more to do; set work boundaries. - Nora Dunn
Burnout and boundaries was a theme in Nora Dunn’s presentation. One takeaway? The work will always be there. So set boundaries and stick to them to avoid making yourself sick.
10. Become someone’s favorite creator - Jay Baer
Burgeoning tequila entrepreneur and esteemed B2B author Jay Baer shared this very simple tip: You cannot succeed unless you are somebody’s favorite creator. Stay consistent with what you do, when you do it, and how. And make it fun (more on that when we get to Jesse Cole).
11. Celebrate milestones. Even if you don’t think they’re milestones. - Alexis Grant
Did you ever stop to think about how much stuff you put out? How many blog posts, or social media posts, or podcast episodes? Because if you don’t, you should, says Alexis Grant. Alexis Grant is the founder & CEO of They Got Acquired, a media company that features acquisitions of online businesses and the founders behind them. By taking stock of what you are creating, it motivates you to keep going.
12. Overdeliver on experience - Chris Ducker
Make what you do memorable. Overdeliver on experience, says Chris Ducker, the author of Rise of the Youpreneur. Get people talking about you and sharing their experience - in real life and on social media - so you can build experiences and relationships.
13. Good storytellers vs effective storytellers - Jay Acunzo
One of my favorite moments of CEX was when Jay Acunzo (yes, the third Jay of the event if you’re counting. Wait, maybe the producers were channeling Ann Handley’s repetition notion with their speaker line up?) discussed the difference between a good storyteller and an effective one. Effective storytellers universalize their stories so other people can benefit from them. Try it. Tell a story, then tack on “that’s the thing about…” (how very Ira Glass of you!) and watch how you discover universal themes you and your audience can share.
14. The formula for luck - Daphne Gomez
We all know that luck isn’t just luck. When it comes to creating content that your audience is craving, it’s not just about hitting the viral jackpot. According to Teacher Career Coach Daphne Gomez, the recipe is timing + consistency + just enough know how. Do you need to be an expert? No. But paying attention to those key factors will help the pieces fall into place for your content business.
15. Have a conversation with your AI tools since you’re both learning. - Brian Fanzo
AI tools are constantly learning. By constantly pushing the boundaries of what you think they can do, they will start to learn more and be able to create different outputs. You can teach it what you need from it, “make me a style guide for my upcoming blog post based on my past blog posts.”
Annie and Jesse Cole of the Savannah Bananas.
16. Focus on fans first by eliminating friction and leading with empathy - Jesse Cole
The owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, Jesse Cole, took us through 5Es for thinking of your audience first. One of those Es? Entertain always. And that’s what his keynote was: super fun, very energetic, certainly entertaining. Did the message get lost? Not a bit.
17. Think about what people are there to do - and help them do it well. Evergreen Podcasts.
In the Evergreen Podcasts booth.
Knowing that many of CEX’s attendees were podcasters, sponsor Evergreen Podcasts set up a professional studio for anyone there to block off an hour of time. They would record the audio and video for anyone who signed up for an hour slot. Then they’d edit it, give you the raw footage and the produced footage, and send it to you in a week or so. Very impressive. I used my time as an opportunity to record a short audio piece about email marketing that I’m going to use as a content upgrade on some of my blog posts and email newsletters.
18. Content vs Great Content - Robert Rose
Many attendees are listeners of Robert Rose’s This Old Marketing podcast (guilty!) and this keynote speaker / author / thought leader did not disappoint with his breakout session. In it, he shared how you can elevate your content from good to great by making people care about what you think. And they care more about what you think when you take them on a journey and guide them towards a destination.
19. AI is a tool - Everyone
It was hard to go a few minutes without hearing someone talking about how they were using AI. Which means, that now is the time to dive in. Marketers and content creators have been playing with it for a few months now. So the early adopters have had at it. It’s time for you to start playing and seeing how this could help you in your work flow.
20. This is all, all about relationships. Marc Angelos
Dave Hertig, Marc Angelos, Rebecca Achen, and Annie Schiffmann at CEX after hours.
Like with many conferences, so much of the fun and the learning happens in the hallways. Marc Angelo is a member of the Tilt community, a fellow business owner (his sales strategies are superb), and an excellent networker. He taught me so much between last year’s event and this year’s that it’s all about the people that you meet. And how you help them. That’s the thing about conferences, they are great for building your network. But more importantly, they are great for building relationships. I love a good Zoom call. But I really love laughing in real time with someone who’s only a few feet away about something funny that we both saw happen. And those are the people who will ultimately help you build your business.
So....you couldn’t make Creator Economy Expo (CEX) this year.
No worries. You can get ALL the amazing content from CEX 2023 online. The CEX 2023 Digital Pass includes:
13 amazing keynote presentations from the likes of Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley on Writing for AI, Tequila Jay Baer, Jay Clouse from Creator Science, Teacher Career Coach Daphne Gomez, Alexis Grant from They Got Acquired, Creator Kitchen’s Jay Acunzo on Breakout Storytelling, Brian Fanzo on the AI Revolution, and (how could I forget?) Jesse Cole from the Savannah Bananas on how to create a Fans First Business.
32 in-depth, how-to breakout presentations in eight incredible tracks, including Podcasting, Web3, Revenue Growth, Subscriber Generation, Courses/Membership, SEO/Conversion, Content Operations and Video/Social Media.
That’s well over 40 hours of programming to help you grow and build your content business (from the comfort of your computer or phone). And you have access for the rest of 2023 to learn at your own pace!
Use code DOWNSTAGE100 to save $100 - bringing your one-time price to just $495.
Follow The Tilt for CEX ‘24
Creator Economy Expo ‘23 was very fun, informative, and inspiring. Would love to have you join me at it next year. To find out more info about CEX, the Creator Economy, and content best practices, subscribe to The Tilt’s newsletter.
