The state of the creator economy (the May REPORT)
plus, supercommunicators and summer reading programs
Welcome to The Content Brief š¼, your roadmap to creating a newsletter you love *without* the overwhelmādelivered in brief, straight to your inbox.Ā
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āŖ Last time, I asked Claire Venus questions about creativity and joy in the latest Creator Briefing. That's here.
ā© Today, a curated report of content I found worthy of a dog-ear page corner over the past month. ā”Ģ
Hereās whatās in store in this REPORTā
š¤© What creators are creating over short-form video.
š The book series taking up all my time.
š§ How to unlock the secret language of connection.
š«¶ In defense of motherhood.
š£ Summer reading programs were not just a 90s thing.
š¤ Your first official invitation to the Content Spark Summit.
I could never say it enough, but I am SO grateful for you. Thanks for being here. š«¶Ā
š¤© Ā Reveling
Was just casually reading ConvertKitās State of the Creator Economy Report 2024 š¤, and get this:
In one year, among those surveyed, the rate of creators making short-form videosĀ cut in halfĀ (from 45% in 2022 to 23% in 2023). š¤Æ
What did they create?
ā½ļø Emails or newsletters 58%
ā½ļø Articles, blog posts or books 51%
ā½ļø Educational courses 30%
Creators are turning to the inbox to build a more engaged relationship with their audience. š And thatās where they get the highest audience engagement, too.Ā
š
Enjoying
Listen, I mentioned in a previous REPORT that Iād found a new book obsession but it was brand new to me back then.Ā
Now, I am fully sunkĀ ā¦ like simply cannot stop reading the Magnolia Parks series. And while Iām just starting on book four (of five), Iām already sad about it eventually coming to an end. Are these people completely unhinged and more dysfunctional than that word can possibly elicit? Yes. And am I so wrapped up in this series I feel like I now live among Londonās high society and criminal underground? Also yes.Ā š«
(Might have even started watching Buying London as a result.)
Ā š§ PlayingĀ
Because of the aforementioned reading binge, other books may be landing on my TBR pile, like this one: Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg.
While I havenāt read it just yet, I heard Duhigg on a recent Armchair Expert podcast episode and, given the topic, was obviously intrigued.
As a Pulitzer-winner and best-selling author, he talks about some of his reporting for the book and how to loop conversations as a show of wanting to connect (not convince). Every dialogue we have has quiet negotiation, he says, and super communicators as about 10x more questionsāand ones that get to your experience and values.
Safe to say, Iām excited to read this one next. ā”ļø
š«¶ Obsessing
I *love* this essay by
, āIn Defense of Motherhood.ā It felt like a rallying cry of the best kind.ĀIn short: āMotherhood has a terrible PR team.ā
Hereās some of the lines I loved:Ā
āAs a mother and a general consumer of pop culture, I feel like weāre living in a sort of Golden Age of Motherhood MediaTM. There are all kinds of moms depictedĀ everywhereā¦But when I look around, Iāve noticed thereās a narrative about motherhood thatās missing: happy moms.ā
ā¦
āIām not saying itās always perfectānot even closeābut every day is guaranteed to contain at least a moment or two that make it all worthwhile.ā
ā¦
āMany of us also find that having children inspires us to try to make the world a better place. Becoming a parent has not dulled my ambition but sharpened it. No one should underestimate a mother with a mission.
ā¦
āRaising a child can be so silly and sweet, and yes, some doors close, but also your world expands in a million ways.ā
And how good are these lyrics from the Maggie Rogers song āDonāt Forget Meā that Lindsey said also reminds her of motherhood:
Take my money, wreck my Sundays
Love me 'til your next somebody
Oh, but promise me that whŠµn it's time to leave
Don't forgŠµt me.
Seriously, amen.
š£ RecommendingĀ
If your house is anything like mine, youāre deep in summer prep modeāplanning the weeks, coordinating trips, and tracking down info for the camps your kids will attend (like the one I stayed up until midnight in February to secure a spot forātrue story).
As a kid, one of my favorite summer activities was going to the library with my mom to get the fresh new summer reading program card. (I would eventually *love* to get a new syllabus on the first day of class, too, what can I say?) Each week, Iād check off books from the list and earn a small prize from the librarian. But what I loved most was the feeling of accomplishment at the end. I was proud of myself for completing the challenge. āØ
And did you know, summer reading programs were not only a 90s thing? They still exist in most libraries AND this one earns you a free pizza and this one a free book.Ā
Do it for the kids. š
š¤ Teasing
You might remember I mentioned Iām planning a content summit? Well, consider this your first official invitationā¦ One day. Fourteen speakers. And all right here on Substack. Grab your free seat now!Ā š
ā”ļø Finally, ICYMI:
Your favorite content researcher for hire,
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