Shiny Outcome Syndrome

Hey honeys and hustlers,

As of last month, we are officially a community of 100+ creative entrepreneurs here on Substack! We conducted a survey last month to determine what you would like to see from us in the future (stickers will be in the mail soon to all who answered), and now we’d like to know what rewards you’d like to see for continuing to help us grow this vibrant community.

HeyCreator Summit

I attended some of the sessions from the HeyCreator Summit last week, a free virtual conference featuring talks and interviews with some of the biggest creative entrepreneurs we know and love. I was really excited to hear Justin Welsh share more about his new digital product, the Creator MBA course (which is structured much differently than the one I’m creating, mentioned above). During his interview with Matt Ragland, Justin mentioned that one reason he made the course was because he saw a lot of people with “Shiny Outcome Syndrome.” A rather unfortunate desire that often comes from seeing the success, followers, or income that others have (especially online). While it’s easy to say that we don’t envy others, part of why career representation is so important is because it shows us what’s possible.

Take this newsletter, and many others like it, for example. When we look at traditional written media like newspapers and magazines, they created the blueprint for free and paid newsletters.

• They have an ads section, and ad sizes and locations are proportionate to how much the ads cost

• They have three main departments (and solo newsletters likely do the jobs of all three): writers, growth, and ad sales

• Print copies are delivered directly to consumers for a small fee (aka paid newsletters), some print copies are made available at large retailers (aka distribution deals), and digital copies can be seen online for free or with an unlimited subscription (aka reader donations highly encouraged, monthly giving option available)

Newsletters as a concept aren’t necessarily new, they’re building upon what’s been done. Newsletter writers and online creators often want the “shiny outcome” that is tons of viewers of their work, and often look to get featured by traditional media outlets (i.e. streaming and legacy media), creators with bigger followings, and brands with huge audiences. The reality is that there’s no shortcut to relationship-building with your audience, and while gaining mainstream attention could give your work a huge boost, the work to maintain that audience could be more costly than the invisible price tag appears.

Newsletters won’t save media journalism, and AI won’t replace human creators. The mass layoffs we’re seeing in the traditional news media space should alarm us. While the rise and presence of digital media has changed the revenue model and profit margins of many traditional media companies, the mass layoffs aren’t happening because media isn’t profitable – I believe they’re happening for two reasons.

• There are no regulations for monetizing the human input that is currently training AI. The same AI media CEOs and tech companies believe will write better than the humans training it.

• Two of the biggest tech giants (Google and Meta) don’t pay outlets adequately for the search traffic and social media content they generate. Google and Meta are essentially distribution networks, they don’t create the content people find on their search engines or platforms.

What’s a “shiny outcome” for a CEO? The same output for less money spent on workers. Quality varies or decreases, revenue margins increase, and Wall Street calls it a win.

Quality should come first. Human creativity should come first.

That’s where innovation and new ideas come from.

TL:DR support your local media outlets, indie creators, and journalists. Make the things only you can make. Avoid shiny outcome syndrome by making your own definition of success because half the stuff you see online is for show and giggles.

In Readworthy News

Podcast guesting can be hard

And this masterclass, created by Bethany Hawkins of Crackers in Soup, aims to make the process easier so that you and the podcast host get the most out of the experience. Crackers in Soup is an award-winning podcast production team so I have no doubt you’ll learn so much in this 90-minute class.

Smartless Podcast moves to Sirius XM

Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes are the hosts of Smartless Podcast, a podcast previously hosted exclusively on Amazon. They previously secured a multimillion and multi-year deal to host their show exclusively on Amazon, but now the comedians are proving that their podcast is more lucrative than ever. In a new 3-year deal with Sirius XM, the trio has agreed to a $100M exclusive rights deal. With all the tech layoffs, and seemingly dwindling interest in tech companies investing in human-centered anything, I think they made the right move.

WOC Podcasters find a new home

Danielle Desir Corbett, a previous guest on Creative Architects and an incredible podcaster in her own right, was the founder of WOC Podcasters. The community has gone through many phases - it started as a free community that moved to a paid membership. In our conversation on Creative Architects we discussed why Danielle wanted to transition from WOC Podcasters and how she hoped to find the community a loving home. It was announced this week that the torch has been passed to Boundless Audio, and I can’t wait to see what good things will come for this new phase of WOC Podcasters.

Kevin Frederick sells Churchy to BET+

The comedian popularly known as KevOnStage sold his first original series to BET+. BET+ is a streaming on-demand service and sister company to BET cable TV. This news comes on the heels of his announcement as one of the new hosts for Friday Night Vibes with Nina Parker on TBS. KevOnStage has been in comedy for years but has said he’s been largely unsuccessful with securing mainstream TV, hosting, and acting roles aside from guest appearances. Churchy will feature familiar faces like Lisa Beasley (aka Corporate Erin), and Kevin’s reaction to seeing the trailer for the show is heartwarming. I’m personally rooting for his success and hope to check out his first foray into long-form narrative film work.

It’s a new month with new opportunities. I’m rooting for you.

Please Hustle Responsibly,

🤙🏾✨

Here are a few ways you can support the Rootful team in creating the podcast episodes, videos, and articles we share each week.

Forwarded this message? Sign up here.

Have a question? Get direct creative or entrepreneurial advice from me. Ask a question here. 

Support the companies that support us. For a complete list of all affiliates, special offers, and discount codes click here.

Thank the team. I don’t do this alone. Send your love to me and the rest of the Rootful team of video editors, writers, designers, production assistants, and more with a voice message.