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Why Chasing the Paul Brothers’ Model Is a Trap for Content Creators
If Logan and Jake Paul can teach content creators anything, it’s how to get attention. Another thing they can learn is that getting attention and building a career worth having aren’t the same thing. That’s an important distinction in today’s creator economy. I’ve spent years creating content, writing for different publications, researching unfamiliar subjects, interviewing…
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Don’t Tell Me the Facts. Tell Me the Story.
I’ve been freelance writing long enough to remember when researching an article meant opening a ridiculous number of browser tabs. It took digging through search results, hunting for the right study, emailing sources, and occasionally staring at your screen wondering if the information even existed. Over the years, I’ve written about technology, business productivity, personal…
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Dave Portnoy Is a Chud, But His Content Strategy Works.
I can’t stand Dave Portnoy. But as creators, we shouldn’t let our distaste for someone blind us to how their media machinery really operates.
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Why Creators Should Stop Drinking the Gary Vee Kool-Aid
This might ruffle some feathers. But I’ve got some criticism about Gary Vee. To be fair, over the past decade, Gary Vaynerchuk — better known as Gary Vee — has been an inescapable force for online entrepreneurs and content creators. Whether he’s screaming into a camera about all the micro-content you’re not creating or “shaking…
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Rigid Content Calendars Are Killing Your Creativity
One of the hardest things about being a freelance content creator isn’t writing, designing, or pitching. It’s about managing your own time. This becomes painfully true when you’re juggling multiple clients, keeping up with active projects, and trying to find a spare hour to work on your own business — you know, the administrative tasks,…
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The Rise and Fall of WatchMojo: A Masterclass in Why You Can’t Outsmart the Algorithm Forever
You’ve likely seen a video from WatchMojo over the last decade. And for good reason. It was a YouTube juggernaut. There was no better place to find the “Top 10 Movie Villains of All Time” or the “Top 10 Most Disastrous Live Musical Performances.” Recently, though, the crown has fallen. Once unstoppable, the channel has…
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How to Make Your Own Stealth Camping Video (Without Ever Leaving Your Desk)
Don’t ask me how it happened. But years ago, the YouTube algorithm recommended a video of a guy camping in a patch of bushes right next to a highway ramp. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it. And I was instantly hooked. That man was the one and only Steve Wallis, aka Camping With Steve.…
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The Glorious Decline of The Daily Wire and Ben Shapiro’s Media Empire
I know as a creator you always want more. You want more subs, more reach, more verticals—eventually becoming a “mogul.” Unfortunately, we equate success with aggressive advertising and a diverse portfolio. But creators have to face the harsh truth: Souls can’t be bought, and authenticity can’t be measured. An example of how a strategy used…
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Content Editing as a Superpower: How to See the Flaws in Your Own Work
There’s a place we’ve all been. You finish a draft, the cursor blinks at the end of a “brilliant” closing sentence, and you feel like you’ve just captured lightning in a bottle. Just to be sure, though, you give one more read, think, “Yeah, this is gold,” and hit publish. But, something’s off. Your gut…
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The Culture Club of One: Why Boy George is the AI Mentor You Didn’t Know You Needed
Almost every day, I hear someone in the creative community critique AI with skepticism and existential dread. I’m sure you’ve also seen headlines like “Is AI Killing the Writer?” or “The End of Human Art,” or have discussed this with others. But while many are freaking out and losing their collective minds, a legendary icon…