I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
Building the best brand in your niche
Hey Reader,
It's been a crazy week. Here's what's going on in my world:
- I finished the 5k I was training for hitting a personal best of 21:50 (my goal was under 22 minutes).
- We hosted Craft + Commerce, our 4th annual gathering of creators in Boise, Idaho. It was amazing. So good to be back in person. More notes below.
- We launched the ConvertKit Sponsor Network. Creators are going crazy for it. The response is incredible.
- Today's my 32nd birthday! I'm taking the afternoon off to go wake surfing with friends.
FROM THE PODCAST
Laura Roeder - Building the best brand in your niche
Laura and I have been friends for more than 9 years. I’ve learned so much from her, and it’s great to have her on the podcast.
Laura started an online community and a course called Creating Fame, built and sold the SaaS company MeetEdgar, and is now working on Paperbell (a software company for coaches).
I love her direct, blunt style. She’s given me great advice over the years, and you get to tune in as we jump on a call, hit record, and start catching up.
NEW AT CONVERTKIT
ConvertKit Sponsor Network
This one has been hard to keep secret. Mostly because I believe it's going to unlock a lot of earning potential for creators on our platform, and that's our whole mission as a company.
With the Sponsor Network, we will connect you with brands who love your work and want to reach your audience to sponsor your newsletter. All the sales, reporting, payments, negotiations, and logistics are handled by our team so you can focus on doing what you do best: creating.
We are kicking this service off with newsletter sponsorships, so to be eligible for the ConvertKit Sponsor Network, you need to:
- Have 10,000+ subscribers with good engagement.
- Send a consistent newsletter at least once a week.
And to further live out our mission of helping creators earn a living, we will be taking the 20% + 3.5% processing fee and reinvesting it back into the creator ad network and shifting away from ad platforms like Facebook and Google.
Speaking of the sponsor network... it might make more sense why I've been including a few great sponsors lately:
SPONSORED
LEX markets
Do you know what my second highest income source is? It's also where I have most of my personal wealth outside of ConvertKit: Real estate.
That is one of the many reasons I asked LEX to sponsor my newsletter.
LEX turns individual buildings into public stocks via IPO so you can invest, trade, and manage your own portfolio of high-quality commercial real estate. Any US investor can open a LEX account, browse opportunities in various asset classes such as multifamily and office buildings, and buy shares of individual buildings. LEX opens up direct ownership in an asset class that has previously been inaccessible to most investors. Sign up today. *
CRAFT + COMMERCE RECAP
Building momentum after a couple of years away
This is my favorite weekend of the year, but to be honest, I felt apprehensive going into this Craft + Commerce. It’s been three years since our last event and a lot has changed. We needed to rebuild the momentum from a standstill after two cancellations, and I wasn't sure we could do it.
Would attendees still love the event? Would it be fundamentally different? Would people just long for how it was before? Would the speakers we booked 3 years ago still deliver and be a good fit for our attendees?
Well, the event blew me away. It was a smashing success. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
One of the things I love about C+C is that speakers and attendees really get to know each other. It's a smaller, more casual event where people can connect and share directly with each other. A few highlights were Mike Pacchione's talk at the mastermind and Glo Atanmo tearing it up on the dance floor at the closing party.
Thanks Matt for sharing your awesome sketch notes!
I'm a big believer in conferences, for learning and most importantly for making connections with other creators who will help you in your business. If you're interested in coming next year, tickets are on sale now and the prices will go up soon.
Have a great week,
Nathan
*Potential investors are encouraged to consult with professional tax, legal, and financial advisors before making any investment into a securities offering. This investment may not be suitable for all investors. Distributions and liquidity not guaranteed. Property performance and performance of property tenants are not guaranteed. All investment services are offered by LEX Markets LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
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