Creator Craft: Tools, Mindset and Workflows for Content Creators

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Podcast by Colin Gray and Jacob Edgar-Anderson

Creator Craft: Tools, Mindset and Workflows for Content Creators

Creator Craft is all about the nuts and buts behind every creator business. We'll cover the gear and tools you need to run your creator business, and dig into how to stay consistent, how to monetise, and how to start to take your creator business seriously. Join Colin Gray (Founder of Alitu and The Podcast Host, a $1m+ creator business) and Jacob Anderson (Head of Growth at Alitu) as they dig into their experience in running a creator business since 2010.
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Latest episodes

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09 May 2025

How to Create a Voice-Clone Podcast Episode (& Whether you Should!)

In this episode, Jacob and I discuss the AI-powered episode Jacob created last week - a fascinating experiment using Eleven Labs to clone his voice. He walks through his entire workflow from capturing voice notes and using Claude to help refine ideas, to the challenges of making the AI voice sound natural. We also chat about the ethics and concerns around voice cloning technology.

Let us know what you thought of the AI episode here. Would you listen to more content like that?

👉 What did you think of the AI Episode?

Later, I share insights from a recent trip - particularly how challenging it was to create content while traveling with family, balancing capturing moments versus actually experiencing them. I also provide honest feedback on travel gear like the DJI Osmo Mobile gimbal and DJI Mic Minis.

Some of the Things We Cover 👇

🟢 Eleven Labs voice cloning requires verification and paid plans, taking about 5 hours to process the audio samples you provide

🟢 Creating an AI voice that sounds natural in conversation is much harder than for scripted content - Jacob's voice clone worked well for documentary-style narration but wouldn't work for natural conversation

🟢 When traveling and creating content, consider batch processing rather than trying to publish on the go - capturing journal-style voice notes for later refinement works better than trying to create finished content while traveling

🟢 Convenience beats quality when creating content on the move - simpler tools that are quick to set up (like your phone) often win over specialized equipment that takes time to configure

🟢 Consider whether gear purchases like gimbals match your actual content style - they're great for filmmaking but overkill for simple travel documentation

Resources

🟢 Eleven Labs - AI voice cloning platform Jacob used to create his voice clone (https://elevenlabs.io)

🟢 Claude - AI assistant used to help refine ideas and create content

🟢 VoicePal - App for recording and expanding on journal entries through AI questioning

🟢 DJI Osmo Mobile 7/7P - Smartphone gimbal for stabilized video (https://www.dji.com/osmo-mobile-7)

🟢 DJI Mic Mini - Wireless microphone system (https://www.dji.com/uk/mic-mini)

🟢 Alitu - Our podcast maker app with recording, editing and hosting (https://www.alitu.com)

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and catching up

02:05 Jacob's AI-powered episode experiment

05:20 How Jacob created his voice clone with Eleven Labs

08:02 Voice cloning quality and accuracy

14:11 Content workflow with AI assistance

20:15 Script development and voice generation challenges

25:43 The threat of AI voice cloning for scams

30:56 Potential positive uses for AI voices

37:55 Colin's travel content creation experiences

41:44 The challenge of creating while experiencing

46:24 Finding time to edit during travel

51:37 Balancing documentation and enjoyment

55:52 Review of DJI Osmo Mobile gimbal

58:53 Experience with DJI Mic Minis

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59:53

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03 May 2025

The Paradox of AI Content Creation in 2025

In this experimental meta-episode, host Jacob explores the complex relationship creators have with AI in 2025. Using his own voice cloned with ElevenLabs, alongside two AI hosts named NotJacob and Eva, the episode examines how creators are simultaneously empowered and unsettled by AI tools—capable of producing more than ever before, yet questioning what it means to create at all.

The conversation follows the typical creator journey with AI: from that first moment of revelation, through experimentation with new workflows, into creative identity crisis, and finally toward finding a balanced approach that preserves human creativity while embracing AI assistance.

What makes this episode unique is that it's also a demonstration of the very technology being discussed: AI-generated voices discussing AI content creation, with occasional appearances from "Producer Jacob" sharing his real-world experiences building with these tools.

Key Topics Covered

  • The revelation moment when creators first realize what's newly possible with AI
  • How creators experiment with AI to develop workflows that work for them
  • The creative identity crisis that emerges when AI challenges traditional notions of authorship
  • Principles for finding balance between human creativity and AI assistance
  • How the creator-AI relationship differs across podcasting, writing, video, game development, and programming

Stories & Examples Mentioned

  • Jacob's AI Podcast Coach Project: Jacob describes building an AI system with two agents that can help coach podcast creators through a conversation.
  • Voice Cloning Experiments: Jacob shares his experience cloning his own voice with ElevenLabs using about two hours of audio, and his reaction to hearing "himself" read the opening page of The Hobbit.
  • Andrej Karpathy's "Vibe Coding": The AI researcher's description of coding by conversation, where you tell AI what you need in plain English and it generates working code.
  • Claire Silver's AI Art Process: How this artist, after a life-altering chronic illness, generated thousands of images in a burst of AI-assisted inspiration, then carefully curated her favorites as artworks that have exhibited in major galleries and museums.
  • ErgoJosh's AI Art Backlash: When YouTuber ErgoJosh mentioned using AI tools in his digital art tutorials, he faced intense criticism from portions of his audience who accused him of "cheating."
  • Kwebbelkop's AI Clone: Gaming YouTuber Jordi "Kwebbelkop" Van Den Bussche's project to "retire" himself by creating an AI clone trained on his voice, image, and style to continue his YouTube channel indefinitely.
  • Scott Dikkers on AI Writing: The satirist and Onion co-founder's critique that AI-written content "reads cold" and "fluffy, like a padded book report."
  • TikTok Creator's Content System: How one creator overcame content block by having ChatGPT generate "100 viral-ready TikTok prompts" to spark ideas when creativity ran dry.
  • Darknet Diaries Voice Clone: Jack Rhysider's experiment using an AI voice clone of himself to narrate part of an episode of his podcast.
  • Itch.io's AI Disclosure Field: The indie game platform's introduction of a "Generative AI Disclosure" field, asking developers to declare if their project contains AI-generated assets.

Resources Mentioned

  • ElevenLabs: Voice cloning and synthetic voice generation platform used to create the voices for this episode
  • Claude: AI assistant by Anthropic used for research and content organization
  • ChatGPT: OpenAI's language model used for deep research on creator experiences
  • Alitu: Podcast creation software that uses AI for audio enhancement and transcription

How This Episode Was Made

This meta-episode showcases a cutting-edge AI content creation workflow:

  1. Initial Planning: Jacob recorded voice notes describing his own experiences with AI content creation tools and his vision for the episode.
  2. Research Collection: ChatGPT's deep research capability was used to gather real stories, quotes, and examples from creators across different disciplines on how they're using and feeling about AI.
  3. Transcript Analysis: Jacob's voice notes were transcribed using AI transcription to capture his authentic thoughts about the topic.
  4. Content Organization: The transcripts and research were fed into a Claude project specifically set up with writing samples and instructions on content approach.
  5. Script Development: From these inputs, a podcast script was developed that weaves together Jacob's personal experiences with the broader research.
  6. Voice Creation: Jacob's voice was cloned using ElevenLabs voice cloning technology, which required about two hours of his audio recordings.
  7. AI Voices: Two additional AI voices (NotJacob and Eva) were created using ElevenLabs to serve as co-hosts.
  8. Production: The final podcast was assembled with Jacob's real voice for the intro and outro, with the AI voices carrying the main discussion.

This workflow exemplifies the "start with human concepts" approach Jacob describes in the episode—the ideas and experiences are authentically his, while AI tools helped with research, organization, and production.

Connect With Us

Have thoughts about this experimental format? Want to learn more about the AI tools mentioned?

Email us at: creator@alitu.com

Credits

Host: Jacob Anderson

AI Co-hosts: NotJacob and Eva (powered by ElevenLabs)

Research: ChatGPT (OpenAI)

Content Organization: Claude (Anthropic)

Production: Alitu

Creator Craft explores the tools, techniques, and trends shaping creative work today.

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25:35

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25 April 2025

3 Signs You Have an Amateur Creator Mindset (And How to Fix It) | PodCraft Special

In this episode, Matthew and Jacob discuss the telltale signs of an amateur creator mindset and provide practical strategies to overcome these common challenges.

Key Insights:

🟢 Writer's Block: Many creators struggle with not knowing what to say or lacking confidence in their ideas. The solution lies in gaining clarity about your audience and purpose.

🟢 Motivation Dependence: Amateur creators often wait for inspiration to strike rather than developing consistent creation habits. Professionals show up regardless of how they feel.

🟢 Fear of Idea Theft: Being overly protective of your ideas can prevent you from creating or sharing your work. Ideas without implementation have little value.

Practical Strategies:

Overcoming Writer's Block:

  • Get crystal clear on who you're creating for and what value you're providing
  • Develop ideas away from your desk - walking, doing chores, or simply changing environments
  • Use voice memos to capture thoughts when they flow naturally
  • Consider AI tools like Voice Pal to prompt your thinking through questions
  • Maintain an idea bank so you're never starting from scratch

Breaking Motivation Dependence:

  • Create rituals that signal to your brain it's time to work
  • Change your environment to boost productivity - try cafes or co-working spaces
  • Remember Chuck Close's quote: "Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work."
  • Leave yourself "breadcrumbs" for the next day by ending mid-sentence or saving a fun task
  • Recognize flow state as a bonus, not a requirement

Overcoming Fear of Idea Theft:

  • Acknowledge that ideas themselves have little value - implementation is everything
  • Publish your work as you go to establish ownership while building in public
  • Document your process to create content while developing your idea
  • Realize most people are too busy with their own ideas to steal yours
  • Use public documentation as validation and feedback gathering

Final Thoughts:

The difference between amateur and professional creators isn't talent - it's mindset. Professionals develop systems and habits that allow them to create consistently regardless of feelings, fears, or blocks. By identifying these amateur mindset pitfalls, you can take practical steps to develop a more professional approach to your creative work.

Resources:

Ready to shift your mindset? Send your questions or experiences to creator@alitu.com!

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18 April 2025

How To Stop Being a Consumer And Become a Creator

In this solo episode, Jacob tackles one of the most common struggles for aspiring creators: how to make the leap from passively consuming content to actively creating it. He shares practical strategies and a 7-day challenge to help overcome the psychological barriers that keep us stuck in consumption mode.

Key Insights:

🟢 Creation Paralysis: The fear of judgment and exposure prevents many would-be creators from taking their first steps, even when they feel a deep urge to create.

🟢 The Perfection Trap: We compare our beginner efforts to highly polished professional content, setting unrealistic expectations for our early work.

🟢 Starting Small: Personal creation begins as a selfish act for yourself before it becomes something for others. The key is setting extremely low barriers to begin.

🟢 Learning from Experience: Jacob shares his story of a failed podcast project (Hell's Theater) where overthinking and not publishing early enough killed the momentum.

5 Practical Strategies:

1. Set an Input to Output Ratio

  • For every hour of consumption, commit to creating for 15-20 minutes
  • Start with simple acts like voice notes, journal entries, or rough sketches
  • Take back some of the time that platforms fight for with an act of self-love

2. Consume with Intent

  • Be selective and deliberate about the content you consume
  • Choose content that feeds your creative needs and inspires you
  • Study how creators you admire structure their work
  • Remember: you are the algorithm, not the platforms

3. Start with Small, Private Acts of Creation

  • Begin with low-pressure formats like voice memos or private journals
  • Consider creating content on an anonymous blog with no analytics
  • Focus on the act of creation rather than audience reaction
  • Watch how the "what-ifs" dissolve when you take action

4. Design Your Environment for Creation

  • Change your physical space to escape consumption habits
  • Break the automatic cycle of reaching for your phone
  • Consider writing in cafes, co-working spaces, or different rooms
  • Pay attention to your overall headspace and morning routine

5. Break Down Big Dreams into Small Steps

  • Divide overwhelming goals into manageable milestones
  • Recognize the space between where you are and where you want to be
  • Accept that the journey takes time and requires building progressive skills
  • Dream Plotter tool (dream.itwasjacob.com) can help map this journey

7-Day Challenge to Start Creating:

Day 1: Identify your big dream and honestly assess where you are now

Day 2: Create something tiny related to your dream for just 15 minutes

Day 3: Find a new environment and create there for 20 minutes

Day 4: Audit your consumption habits - what are you consuming and why?

Day 5: Increase creation time to 25 minutes and try a different format

Day 6: Share something you've created with one trusted person

Day 7: Reflect on the week and plan sustainable next steps

Final Thoughts:

The benefits of creation come primarily from the act itself rather than distribution. Focus on going from 0 to 1, not on building an audience or making money immediately. The goal is to start spending some of the time you use for endless scrolling on creation instead.

"The magical creation isn't actually in the act itself, not necessarily in the distribution... The personal benefits, the fulfillment, the growth, developing your own voice, that all comes just from the acts of creation."

Resources:

🟢 Dream Plotter: Free tool at dream.itwasjacob.com to help break down creative goals into manageable steps

🟢 Share something you made: email creator@alitu.com

Coming Next Week:

Join Jacob and Matthew as they discuss the difference between amateur and professional creators - but remember, you need to start creating first to have the privilege of figuring out how to become a professional!

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11 April 2025

Will Content Sites Still Exist in 5 Years? (PodCraft Special)

Will Content Sites Still Exist in 5 Years?

In this special crossover episode between Creator Craft and Podcraft, Matthew and Jacob dive into a pressing question for all content creators: will content sites still exist in five years? With search habits changing and AI reshaping how people find information online, what does this mean for blogs, podcasts, and other content platforms?

Read Jacob's full article with sources on the stats mentioned, How To Survive The Death of Search Engines And Thrive In 2030

Key Topics Discussed

🟢 The Evolution of Search: How zero-click searches and AI are changing the way people discover content, and why this isn't a sudden change but an acceleration of existing trends

🟢 The Content Barbell Strategy: Why creators need to focus on either high-utility, data-rich content or deeply human, experience-based content—and avoid getting caught in the mediocre middle

🟢 Changing Distribution Channels: How every platform is becoming its own universe with algorithm-based discovery replacing traditional search

🟢 The Future of Podcasting: Whether podcasting's open ecosystem will remain an anomaly or eventually centralize like other media

🟢 Building Direct Audience Relationships: The importance of email newsletters and owning your audience connections rather than relying solely on platforms

Takeaways

🟢 Content sites aren't disappearing, but they are evolving - creators need to adapt their approach to remain relevant

🟢 Focus on either end of the "content barbell" - either highly structured, fact-rich, utility content OR deeply human, experiential content that AI can't replicate

🟢 Distribute your content across multiple platforms rather than relying solely on search traffic

🟢 Build direct relationships with your audience through channels you control, like email newsletters

🟢 Be authentically human in your content - personality and genuine experiences will become increasingly valuable

Jacob's 5 Key Recommendations

  1. Adapt your SEO: Maintain fundamentals but optimize for snippets and AI summaries
  2. Diversify discovery channels: Don't put all content eggs in one platform
  3. Build owned audience connections: Email newsletters are more important than ever
  4. Pick your side of the barbell: Expert/structured content OR human stories and experiences
  5. Be loudly, unmistakably human: Personality and authentic voice will be crucial differentiators

Resources Mentioned

🟢 HubSpot - Example of a major content site that recently took a significant traffic hit 🟢 Perplexity - Next-generation search engine using AI with emphasis on sources 🟢 WeChat - Example of a "super app" that centralizes multiple functions 🟢 ChatGPT and Claude - Current AI tools changing how people find information

Want more podcasting insights? Check out Podcraft, our show all about creating and growing a successful podcast, hosted by Colin and Matthew!

Looking for a hassle-free way to make your podcast? Try Alitu, our podcast maker app that handles recording, editing, and publishing with minimal tech hassle. Use code "CREATORCRAFT" for 50% off your first month!

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04 April 2025

AI image text finally doesn't look drunk! Here's how to do it 🛠️

In this episode, we get into a couple of AI tools which we've been playing with for content creation. We kick things off discussing ChatGPT's updated image generation capabilities, which finally solved the text legibility problem that's plagued AI image creation for years. Jacob shows the steps you can take to finally create professionally designed assets like cheat sheets, social media graphics, and podcast artwork where the text is perfectly rendered. The key is following a specific set of steps, being specific with your prompts, providing exact copy, and including reference images for style and layout inspiration.

Colin then shares his exploration of dictation and voice-to-text tools. He highlights TalkText for basic dictation and VoicePal (created by Ali Abdaal), which goes beyond simple transcription to become a thinking partner that asks intelligent follow-up questions about your ideas. This makes it perfect for content creators who want to develop their thoughts while on the go, with the added bonus of being able to repurpose those conversations directly into various content formats like LinkedIn posts or newsletters.

Takeaways

🟢 When using ChatGPT's new image generation, provide the exact text you want displayed rather than expecting it to generate copy - treat it like working with a designer

🟢 Use Markdown formatting when providing text for AI image generation to help it understand what should be headlines, bullet points, etc.

🟢 Include sample images as references for both layout inspiration and style/color palette to get more consistent, professional results

🟢 VoicePal can transform your thinking process by not just recording your spoken thoughts but actively prompting deeper exploration through intelligent questions

🟢 Consider dictation tools as a way to overcome writer's block and generate content more efficiently while walking or on the move

Resources

🟢 ChatGPT image generation - Available in the ChatGPT interface with GPT-4 model (click the "Create Image" button)

🟢 How to Generate Text in Images in ChatGPT - Jacob's detailed guide on using ChatGPT's image generation with example prompts

🟢 TalkText - Web-based dictation tool that transcribes and tidies up your speech into well-written text

🟢 VoicePal - iOS Mobile app by Ali Abdaal that functions as a "ghost writer in your pocket" ($7.99/month or £70/year)

🟢 Alitu.com - Our podcast maker app with recording, editing, publishing and now video capabilities

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Creator Craft

00:43 Introduction to ChatGPT's improved image generation

06:34 Tips for providing text for AI image generation

23:10 Style transfer capabilities

27:08 Introduction to dictation tools

30:34 TalkText for simple speech-to-text

33:02 VoicePal as an AI thinking partner

40:50 Closing thoughts and Alitu updates

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