MAY 21, 2024

Welcome to The Tilt, a twice-weekly newsletter for content entrepreneurs.

full tilt

Celebrate Every Win

Celebrate with confetti as frequently as possible.

That’s the advice from James Ferguson, author of The Confetti Culture Playbook.

“Celebrate every step of the way, not just the touchdowns but the first downs, too,” he says.

Content entrepreneurs aren’t known for doing a lot of celebrating. After all, most of you are or were solo businesses. It can seem awkward to throw confetti when you’re alone, but you should do it or devise another celebratory act that works for you.

James says it’s just about taking time to appreciate the wins.

Infants, he says, are conditioned to need and seek encouragement, approval, and praise as a motivator in the process of learning through failure. But as you get older, you suppress that foundational need and don’t want to brag or boast in fear of judgment.

“If you put more energy and focus on seeking the good moments throughout each day rather than exhausting the bad, then you will find and focus on the good in each day,” James says.

You should celebrate that DM from someone who likes the content you created. Cheer for a milestone number of impressions achieved by a piece of content. Or maybe you celebrate finishing an article or reading a book that elevates your expertise.

“There are so many things worth celebrating throughout the day and week if you choose to seek them. It’s all about self-talk and celebrating small wins,” James says.

But the key to celebration is not getting caught up in the comparison game with fellow entrepreneurs and content competitors. Always focus on you against you, he says.

How to celebrate: James really uses confetti to celebrate everything with his teams and encourages you to throw confetti daily.

We have more suggestions for those who don’t want to add “clean up confetti mess” to your lengthy to-do list.

I like to correlate my celebrations to the effort involved. For example, I reward myself with a 30-minute internet surfing break when I complete an article by my self-imposed deadline. Sometimes, I celebrate the end of a successful week by purchasing and reading one of my favorite magazines. I know one person who celebrates by compiling all the positive comments and feedback into a notebook she looks at whenever she feels imposter syndrome.

The key is to create celebrations and celebratory rituals that will motivate you to appreciate your small and big accomplishments and move on to what’s next.

Ella Ritchie of Stellar Communications recently celebrated uniquely. She and a colleague created a lead magnet to celebrate Ella’s invitation to be a guest on a podcast.

“I provided the content, and she provided the design. We’re both using it as a giveaway on podcasts and as a freebie on our websites to build our email lists. We share a target audience, so it’s a win-win for both of us,” Ella says.

But a lead magnet as a celebratory act? Most definitely, Ella says.

“It’s the perfect way to celebrate a business milestone. It is on the heels of a win that, no matter how small, recharged me as a business owner,” she says. “Being invited to a podcast inspired me to brainstorm a new way to serve my audience, build my email list, and seek a win-win collaboration with a colleague.”

“Each new milestone breathes life into me and my business, and the products or services inspired along the way serve as both celebrations of what has been accomplished and launching pads for what is possible.”

– Ann Gynn

How do you celebrate a win? What wins do you celebrate? Reply to this email or [email protected], and we’ll share it in a future newsletter.

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content entrepreneur spotlight

Entrepreneur: Latasha James

Biz: Latasha James

Tilt: Teaching how to build freelance businesses and leverage social media and video

Primary Channel: YouTube (199K)

Other Channels: Podcast (5K to 6K per episode), Instagram (37.4K), newsletter (30K), LinkedIn (1K), X (4.3K), TikTok (4.7K), Facebook (3.1K)

Time to First Dollar: 12 months

Rev Streams: YouTube, courses, paid community, affiliates, sponsorships, brand deals

Our Favorite Actionable Advice

Slow growth is OK: Latasha’s YouTube channel didn’t see a slew of subscribers in the first years, but her content did attract a request to consult.
Don’t be scared to make tough decisions: She recently shut down her free community to focus on her paid community. And she wanted to return to the freedom of a solo business, so she isn’t renewing her team members’ contracts.
Create consistency: Do it not just for your audience but for yourself. Once she started the podcast, she had a deadline. It made it easier to have a weekly target to hit.

– Marc Maxhimer

Read the story of Latasha James.

Know a content creator who’s going full tilt? DM us. Or email [email protected].

things to know

Money

Bundle boo: Spotify can pay a lower royalty rate by reclassifying individual, duo, and family subscriptions into bundled offerings. Now, some, like Sony Music Publishing, are considering legal action. [Music Business Worldwide]
Tilt Take: Even if you don’t make music, it’s a sad song for creators who depend on third-party platforms for their revenue.
New tale: Cartoonist Jason Chatfield lost his job of 16 years drawing a comic strip. But that didn’t end his story. He turned to Substack and now has over 100 paid subscribers. “It’s the difference between this being a side hustle and something I can honestly dedicate my time and energy to,” he says. [Daily Cartoonist]
Tilt Take: We love creators turned entrepreneurs.

Audiences

Dubbing: YouTube says it’s working to integrate Aloud AI for dubbing into YouTube Studio along with its continued rollout of multi-language audio. [YouTube Liaison]
Tilt Take: Very helpful for expanding your audience reach.
Share is not a like: Instagram says the likelihood people will share your post is more important in its surfacing algorithm than watch time or other engagement forms. [Social Media Today]
Tilt Take: Popularity reigns on social media.

Tech and Tools

Nano nano: Google says Patreon is one of the first brands to experiment with Gemini Nano, its smallest AI tool. Patreon is building a feature to let creators rapidly catch up on unread messages with a summary feature. [Tech Crunch]
Tilt Take: Help with an overflowing inbox? Yes, please.
Bye-bye blue: Elon Musk says it’s all X from now on. Tweets are now posts; blue is gone in favor of black-and-white branding. [The Economic Times]
Tilt Take: No matter what, we expect “tweets” to remain in people’s vernacular.

And Finally

Community in real life: Jesse Marez opened Libros Lincoln Heights, a bookstore where self-published and award-winning books come together, and local authors can share their stories. [LA Times]
Tilt Take: Print is definitely not dead, and it can rejuvenate in-person conversations.
Lead: Jay Baer, 2023 CEX keynote, has added a new line to his tequila content business – The Spirits Guide podcast. He goes behind the scenes to see how ordinary people became influencers and entrepreneurs in the world of spirits, from whiskey wizards to rum rebels and bourbon buffs to tequila teachers.
Tilt Take: Worthy of listening, downloading, and following.

the business of content

Our dedicated team at Tilt Publishing is here to take the hassle out of publishing so you can keep creating the content you’re passionate about. Whether you’re a blogger, a podcaster, or a vlogger, we tailor our services to fit your unique needs.
6 Things I’d Do If I Were You (Content Inc.)
Live from CEX 2024, with special guest Philip Hernandez (This Old Marketing)
Author Branding 101: Building a Brand Beyond Your Books (Publish & Prosper)
You’ve got a lot of notes. How do you act on them? Join the conversation at 12 p.m. EDT Tuesday for Tilt Your Business: A Mastermind for Content Entrepreneurs.

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Celebrate That Win – May 21, 2024