I returned to the IRL conference circuit last week with a trip to the inaugural Creator Economy Expo, a ground-breaking conversation for content entrepreneurs by content entrepreneurs. As for the “by” part, the gathering was organized and curated by content marketing pioneer Joe Pulizzi and his team at The Tilt, which in the last year-plus has established itself as the go-to source of expertise and community for the rapidly expanding creator economy movement.
The Tilt promised “to bring you the brightest minds and most vibrant voices that help content creators develop into successful entrepreneurs who build profitable digital businesses” — and they more than delivered. The keynotes and breakouts together provided a range of expert insights into big picture trends as well as high-value concrete tips on how to develop, launch, and grow a content business that were relevant to the broad universe of creators, from video-driven TikTok-ers to thought-leading Substack-ers.
For me, there were three highlights:
1) Rally Network CMO and Web3 expert Jeremiah Owyang gave a dynamite presentation to kickoff the conversation by charting the evolution of the web’s different phases and the progression from publishing platforms to content ecosystems, where creators and their audiences are directly connected in community as much as commerce, and explaining why Web3 won’t be a trendy fad but a lasting movement. If you’re looking to understand why NFTs are relevant to your work, check out Owyan’s speech when it becomes available on the Tilt site in a couple weeks. You can sign up for free access here.
2) Ann Gynn, the Tilt’s editorial director, offered her team’s experience in launching, refining, and growing their kickass newsletter as a case study that other content entrepreneurs can learn from. We would encourage you to check out some of her top tips here.
3) As a word nerd, my personal favorite was the untold story of how OG Creator Robert L. May — a copywriter for the Montgomery Ward department store — brought Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to life and to market, told with wit and wisdom by marketing writer extraordinaire Ann Handley. You can glean Ann’s key takeaways from May’s experience here.
