In this episode of Creator Toolbox, Colin and Jacob share their strategy for growing the podcast over the next 6-12 months. We discuss shifting to a "newsletter-first" approach, where the podcast generates content that then flows into newsletters, blog posts, and social media. We explore how this approach feels more future-proof in an environment where SEO is becoming less reliable, and how it gives us more creative freedom. Throughout the conversation, we share our plans for improving social media presence with more effective video clips, professionalizing our self-promotion efforts, and bringing back guest collaborations to help grow our audience.

We also talk openly about what we're NOT going to focus on right now - specifically paid advertising and building a community platform. While both are valuable, we know we need to establish our content infrastructure first before investing in these areas. The episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at our planning process and how we're balancing ambition with focus to avoid overwhelming ourselves.

Key Takeaways

🟢 Newsletter-first content strategy: We're shifting from SEO-dependent blog content to building a newsletter as our primary content hub, giving us more creative freedom and a direct connection with our audience.

🟢 Repurpose content strategically: Create podcast episodes with 2-3 solid topics that can be expanded into newsletter content and blog posts, while saving some exclusive content for each platform.

🟢 Experimenting with video clips for social growth: Short-form content on YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and TikTok is crucial for discoverability, even when your main content is long-form.

🟢 Professionalize your self-promotion: Treat yourself as a paying sponsor with proper tracking links, polished ad reads, and clear calls to action - don't be shy about promoting what you've built.

🟢 Say no to grow: We're intentionally NOT pursuing paid advertising and community building right now to ensure we can fully focus on content infrastructure.

Resources Mentioned

🟢 Beehive newsletter platform - https://beehiiv.com/

🟢 ConvertKit (now called Kit) - https://kit.com/

🟢 Opus clipping tool - https://www.opus.pro/

🟢 Alitu podcast maker app - https://alitu.com/

🟢 Circle community platform - https://circle.so/

🟢 Publish Press newsletter - https://www.thepublishpress.com/

🟢 Morning Brew newsletter - https://www.morningbrew.com/

🟢 14 Ways to Collaborate with other Podcasters - blog post & YouTube video

Chapters

00:02:24 Newsletter-first publishing workflow

00:05:44 Creating value across multiple platforms

00:08:05 Why newsletters feel more future-proof

00:12:01 Using Beehive for growth tools

00:14:14 Our social media strategy with clips

00:19:26 Adding guest collaborations back

00:23:01 Professionalizing our self-promotion

00:27:52 Treating ourselves as a sponsor

00:31:47 What we're NOT focusing on right now

00:36:31 closing thoughts