Week 2 Creator Bootcamp Learnings

If you want to access the replay videos of these workshops, join us in Creator Studio (our private Discord community for creators)!

Workshop 1: Brand Deals

This workshop was led by Thatcher Andreas, who has made over $1.5M from brand deals. Here are his top tips for landing and maximizing brand deals:

1. Build a Media Kit: Your media kit should include your audience demographics, engagement rates, past brand partnerships, and what makes you unique. Keep it clean and visual. Update it every quarter.

2. Cold Outreach Works: Thatcher landed his first six-figure brand deal through cold email. He recommended a 3-step sequence: value-first email, follow-up with a creative pitch, and a final check-in. The key is personalizing every pitch to the brand’s current campaigns.

3. Negotiate Usage Rights Separately: Most creators forget to charge for usage rights. If a brand wants to use your content in paid ads, charge 20–50% on top of your base rate, per month of usage.

4. Anchor High, Then Negotiate: Start with a rate higher than your floor. It gives you room to come down while still landing at your target number. Never reveal your minimum first.

5. Build Long-Term Relationships: One-off deals are less valuable than recurring partnerships. After your first deal, over-deliver and ask for a 3 or 6-month retainer. Brands prefer predictability too.

Workshop 2: Mindset and Motivation

This workshop was led by Kelsey Herd, a mental performance coach who works with athletes and creators. Key takeaways:

1. Separate Identity from Metrics: Your view count is not your worth. Kelsey emphasized that creators who tie their self-esteem to performance metrics burn out faster and make worse creative decisions.

2. Use “Process Goals” Over “Outcome Goals”: Instead of “I want 100k subscribers,” focus on “I will post 3x/week and improve my hooks each month.” Process goals are fully within your control.

3. Build a Morning Routine That Protects Creative Energy: Kelsey recommends avoiding social media for the first 60–90 minutes of the day. Protect your mental bandwidth before it gets pulled in every direction.

4. Reframe Failure: Every piece of content that underperforms is data. Ask: what can I learn from this? That mindset shift—from failure to feedback—is what separates creators who last from those who quit.

5. Community > Solo Creation: Creators who have accountability partners or communities outperform solo creators. Find your people.

Workshop 3: Monetization Beyond Ads

This session was facilitated by our team and covered 5 monetization models beyond AdSense and brand deals:

1. Paid Communities: Platforms like Discord, Geneva, and Circle let you charge $10–$50/mo for exclusive access, Q&As, and community. A 500-person community at $20/mo = $10k MRR.

2. Digital Products: Notion templates, Lightroom presets, eBooks, swipe files. One-time creation, recurring revenue. Many creators do $5k–$20k/mo from a single product.

3. Cohort-Based Courses: Live courses that run 4–6 weeks, with a cohort of students. Higher price points ($200–$2,000), higher engagement, and a built-in community. Maven and Kajabi are common platforms.

4. Consulting / Coaching: Once you have expertise and proof points, 1:1 or group coaching can generate $5k–$30k/mo from a handful of clients.

5. Licensing Content: If you create original music, photography, illustrations, or templates, license them on platforms like Artlist, Getty, or Creative Market for passive income.