The Email Economy with ConvertKit’s Founder Nathan Barry - [Making Media, EP.13]

We are joined by the Founder and CEO of ConvertKit, Nathan Barry. Nathan might be the most transparent business builder we've ever encountered, and he's conveniently built one hell of a newsletter software business while operating that way. We dive into the various hype cycles of newsletters, the evolution of the creator economy, and Nathan's own approach to content and transparency. Whether you're a media executive at a major company, or an individual creator in the first innings of launching whatever you are launching, we truly believe you can learn a ton from Nathan.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities. ----- Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus  Show Notes (00:03:24) - (First question) - The problems as they existed a decade ago versus the problem ConverKit is trying to solve now (00:06:13) - Whether or not the TAM of email marketing is expanding  (00:09:14) - The value of an email subscriber compared to an RSS feed subscriber (00:11:25) - Differences between producing media as an individual and as a brand  (00:13:12) - Brands who have produced content well in the podcast space  (00:15:32) - Changes to the creator ecosystem and where creators should start today (00:17:56) - Timeless growth strategies to consider as a creator  (00:20:31) - What he uses his podcast for and being clear about the audience  (00:25:25) - Timely content, timeless content, and the trade off being made for either form (00:26:30) - The motivation for ConvertKit’s annual conference and measuring the ROI on customer acquisition (00:31:36) - The acquisition of FanBridge and the impact it’s had on their business (00:36:42) - Whether or not more acquisitions are on the horizon for him  (00:40:07) - Changes in email customizability and the runway for further innovation  (00:42:49) - Potential opportunities to innovate and expand on the RSS feed protocol (00:44:29) - The rapid expansion of the creator economy during the pandemic (00:46:12) - Being open and transparent and a possible tipping point for overdoing it (00:55:55) - Reflecting on working so hard for a decade and lessons learned from it (00:56:47) - Launching a local newspaper and how it fits into his grander vision  (00:59:43) - Debrief