About the Episode‍

Jay Clouse is the founder of Creator Science, a media company that offers advanced creator education through newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube. With over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and a successful podcast interviewing content creators and strategists, Jay has established himself as an expert in the creator economy.

In this episode of “Uploading…,” we explore Jay’s content strategy that spans newsletters, podcasts, and social media. Jay shares insights on the underspoken art of packaging in content and its impact on performance. He also shares podcasting strategies, covering topics such as balancing scripting and spontaneity, effective interview techniques, and the importance of active listening.

Today, we'll cover:
- Jay's background and journey as a content creator and founder of Creator Science
- The importance of email and social media in building audience ownership and discoverability
- Strategies for creating engaging content across various platforms, including newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube
- Tips for conducting effective podcast interviews and packaging episodes for maximum impact
- Jay's diversified business model and how he leverages content for audience growth and product promotion

3 Strategies for Success From Jay Clouse

1. Master the art of irresistible packaging

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Your content is only as valuable as its ability to captivate and intrigue your target audience.

Clickable titles and thumbnails are the gateway to your ideas—and without a compelling reason to click, even the most transformative insights will go undiscovered.

The secret to irresistible content packaging lies in blending curiosity with emotional triggers like fear, desire, or excitement. Some tips:

• Make bold claims
• Use specific numbers
• Leverage social proof (especially of influential figures in your space)

For YouTube in particular, put yourself in the shoes of your ideal viewer. Imagine what would make them stop scrolling and take notice.

Experiment with different title formulas and thumbnail designs until you find the winning combination that skyrockets your click-through rates.

Make it a priority to continually split test and refine your titles and thumbnails across all platforms.

Remember, mastering the art of packaging is an ongoing process but one that pays dividends in increased visibility, engagement, and ultimately, business growth.

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2. Cultivate genuine curiosity

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The hallmark of a great interview is an authentic sense of discovery—for the host, guest, and listener alike.

As a podcast host, your role is to be the curious guide, leading your audience on a journey of exploration. That means resisting the urge to over-prepare and allowing yourself to ask the "obvious" questions that your listeners are thinking.

Approach each conversation with a beginner's mind, ready to actively listen and follow the threads that pique your genuine interest.

Trust that by staying present and engaged, you'll naturally uncover the insights and stories that resonate most with your audience.

Ultimately, the best interviews feel like a shared adventure, with the host, guest, and listener learning and growing together in real-time.

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3. Design a holistic content ecosystem

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In today's creator economy, success hinges on your ability to meet your audience where they are with the right message at the right time.

That means building out a diverse content ecosystem that leverages the unique strengths of each platform.

Use social media platforms like YouTube to attract new leads with searchable, snackable content. Deepen those relationships over time through long-form mediums like podcasts and email.

The key is to design content with a clear purpose at every stage of the funnel. Top-of-funnel content should educate and entertain, while middle and bottom-of-funnel pieces nurture trust and guide audiences towards a buying decision.

Don't forget to create systems that automatically promote your paid offers and put your content to work for you.

With a holistic approach to content creation, you'll be well on your way to building a thriving, multi-faceted creator business.

Episode Timestamps‍

00:00 From product management to content
03:25 Email, social media, audio podcasting
05:18 Content ecosystem; channels and cadence
06:27 Content strategy; how to keep content fresh
09:48 Content packaging and performance
11:43 Elements of YouTube video packaging
15:01 The role of social proof in good content
17:39 How to package audio podcasts
20:54 Scripting vs non-scripting in podcasts
26:28 Tips for recording a podcast remotely
29:46 Podcast post-production best practices
32:10 How to turn content into business
34:43 What’s next for Creator Science

Importance of Packaging in Content: “There are elements of a piece of content that people engage with, interact with, before they make the decision to actually go deeper into that thing. So on YouTube, title, thumbnail, and kind of the idea that's inherent in those things. If you go to a bookstore, it's the title and the cover of the book, it's even the spine of the book. An email, it's the subject line. Audio podcast, it’s the title of that episode. So, every form of content has some bit of packaging that you can think about or you can't think about. But if you do think about it, you're going to be more successful because if you intentionally design the package for that medium to be inherently clickable, compelling, where people are like, I need to know more about this, then it's going to be more successful as a piece of content. — Jay Clouse, 00:10:50 → 00:11:41

Podcast Hosting and Active Listening: “To be a great interviewer, you really have to have good active listening skills. And so the act of prepping questions is more priming my own mind than it is like a structure that I have to follow. I'm very intentional about where I start, and I'm good at leading us to the area of discussion that I want. But often I would say at least half the questions that I asked were not, you know, quote unquote, prepped. They, they come from what happens. And I think, I think that's the right balance because even if you have a two display system, as I do here, if I have the interview doc on my right hand display and I have questions there, if I'm looking at that and trying to think about which one of these questions should I ask next, I'm not listening. And a guest is opening some door that inevitably I won't walk through. And as the listener of the final product, you're going to be saying, ‘Why didn't you follow up on this thing that person just said?’ And the answer is, because you weren't listening. You were looking at your display.” — Jay Clouse, 00:21:42 → 00:22:42