Creator Bootcamp Week 2 Learnings

Week 2 Creator Bootcamp Learnings

If you want to access the replay videos of these workshops, join the Discord Community (it’s free) by clicking the button below.

6️⃣ Day 6: How to Choose an Agent with 3 Creator Agents

Who were the guests?

• Adam Ferguson → CEO of Ellify

• Ben Smith → Creator Partnerships Lead at Smooth Media

• Mike Curtis → Founder and CEO of Proud Management

Our 3 Biggest Takeaways

1. Always shop around for an agent. Never blindly go with the first agent who approaches you. (See questions to ask agents before signing in the replay in Discord.)

2. Start shopping for an agent if you meet these two conditions:

   1. You’re consistently producing content, have a consistent audience, and there’s an industry related to that content that can support you financially.

   2. You view time as your most valuable asset. Handing off brand negotiation to someone to gain time back matters to you.

3. Have a plan for growth—agents want to see this. Be professional (read the dang briefs!).

7️⃣ Day 7: How to Launch a Great Product with Internet Shaquille

Who is Internet Shaquille?

• YouTube cooking creator who provides hacks for home cooks

• Founder of Barkley Ceramics, a line of handmade dinnerware

Our 3 Biggest Takeaways

1. The first few people who buy your product are likely your super fans. Make sure to give them A+++ customer experience. If you don’t, you risk not only losing a customer but a supporter. Respond to their email inquiries, be generous (ie. free replacements, returns, etc.).

2. Make sure your product stands on its own. If you tie it to your image, you can never sell it without being the face of it. This is important for the longevity of the company.

3. Prepare for the long haul. It takes a lot of research, development, and trial and error to launch a good product.

8️⃣ Day 8: Creator Taxes 101

Who were the guests?

• Eric Wei → Founder of Karat

• Kevin O’Connell → Founder of C3FO, a creator-focused biz management and tax service firm

• Amanda Marcovitch → COO of Youshaei Studios

• Varun Bhuchar → CEO of Boring Stuff, a firm that helps creators with the “boring” back-office tasks

Our 3 Biggest Takeaways

1. Kevin recommends creators hire a CPA once they’ve reached around $200k in revenue. Before that, it might be easy enough to keep track of yoru income and expenses on your own.

2. The most common write-off creators take is their home office. You can deduct a portion of rent/mortgage. There are a lot of free calculators online that can help you determine what this amount is. You can also write off certain expenses related to your niche, as long as it was only used for your content creation (not personal).

3. You do have to pay taxes on gifts.

9️⃣ Day 9: Landing Incredible Sponsors with Justin Moore

Who is Justin Moore?

• Creator

• Sponsorship Coach

• Founder of Creator Wizard, a company that’s helped creators earn over $5M in brand deals

Our 3 Biggest Takeaways

1. When pitching yourself to brands, use Justin’s ROPE Method:

   1. R - Relevant. Make your pitch relevant to a campaign that the brand is currently running or has run in the past.

   2. O - Organic. Showcase organic work that demonstrates how your audience has an affinity for that brand.

   3. P - Proof. Show how you’ve helped other brands achieve these results.

   4. E - Easy to execute. Pitch to the brand exactly what content you’re going to provide them and what rights that brand will have to that content.

2. Pitch a package, but not based on quantity. Pitch on the brand’s goals.

   1. Example: Their goals are awareness and conversions. Pitch 3 packages, one tied to awareness, one tied to conversions, and one (highest priced one) that gives the brand both.

3. Make your profile as attractive to the brand as possible. Have these 3 elements—your unique edge in comparison to other creators, how you serve the people/brands that follow you, and how you’re helping people achieve that transformation.

🔟 Day 10 (part 1): Creator Mental Health

Who were the guests?

• LonnieIIV → comedy content creator with a passion for mental health

• Hannah Dam → Strategic Partnerships Manager at Healthy Gamer, a mental health coaching and support agency

Our 3 Biggest Takeaways

1. Find your North Star. Know your “why” behind creating content.

2. Create boundaries between yourself and your work. If you’re getting too bogged down in metrics, have a manager or VA review them for you. Set timeblocks for certain tasks, so you don’t spend hours driving yourself nuts.

3. Recognize the signs of burnout—emotional exhaustion, physical tiredness, and lowered self-worth.

🔟 Day 10 (part 2): The Future of the Creator Economy with Jack Conte

Who is Jack?

• Co-founder and CEO of Patreon

• Musician and creator behind Pomplamoose and Scary Pockets

Our 3 Biggest Takeaways

1. The creator economy is shifting back power to individuals. More protocol-based platforms like BlueSky are popping up.

2. If you want longevity in your creator business, try to convert as many people into super-fans as possible. Take them from people who are just aware of your existence as a creator to people who follow everything you do online.

3. It isn’t easy to convert a casual viewer into a super fan, but that’s what short-form is for. Short-form is great for discovery, and creators should use it to drive people to their longer-form content (where you have a higher change of high-value engagement from your audience).

Quick Links

😬 TikTok banned Stan Store links from bios, but looks like they might be back up?

🎵 Forbes releases an in-depth plan for creators awaiting TikTok ban results.

📉 10 Youtube mistakes that k!ll new channels (from experts).

See ya next week,

Karat