“I’ve only been aTrends Pro member for a week but I’m already impressed with the community and stand-up approach. I’ve been looking for a place like this with like-minded people for a long time. I’ve already had valuable discussions with other Trends Pro Members who asked the right questions that helped me improve the strategy for my app. I can’t wait to join the mastermind group and be able to chat and exchange ideas with others in this amazing community!”
Jakub is building Languive, a mobile app that helps people learn spoken English via text and voice conversations with an AI chatbot. Jakub is also working with his brother on FitBuilderz, recording a course and writing an ebook for people starting their adventure with the gym.
What’s your most important habit? Daily exercise (cardio or strength training) helps me clear my mind and stay healthy despite spending most of the day in front of the computer.
Fun fact: I’ve been reading this book once a year for the last 4 years because it really changed my life (in every area) and I always recommend it no matter what you do. I am sure it will improve the quality of your life and the lives of the people you surround yourself with.
What product or service do you wish existed? I wish there was an app that could help inexperienced investors choose the best investment options based on their preferences, risk tolerance and geographical location.
What product are you obsessively using right now? Paper notebook and pen. For the past 3 months, I have been starting my day by writing down my thoughts and ideas. I have noticed that after a morning like this I am more focused on my goals for the day.
What are you bullish on? Documenting what I’m working on, the problems I’ve encountered and the things that helped me solve them. I started doing this a few months ago on my blog, Failsome. I’m thinking of making a YouTube vlog out of this. Recently, I found a couple of solo entrepreneurs on YouTube who, by sharing weekly updates from their journey, found their first beta testers and also had more business opportunities (like running a paid newsletter or finding a co-founder).
What are you bearish on? While I am a big fan and beneficiary of the increased availability of AI tools in recent months, I think there are many people who overestimate their capabilities. In my opinion, for example, discussions about AI taking over all programming tasks make people depressed instead of encouraging them to use it as a tool that can help with boring, repetitive work and free up time for more fascinating and creative things.
This report opened my eyes to the solutions to the problems of the recruitment market. In every company I worked as a programmer, there was always a problem matching the candidate for the position. Even though a lot of job boards are currently being created, it seems to me that we are at the beginning of this trend.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
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Samba and Beyond • Learn brazilian music history, impact, evolution and artists
What are the benefits of email courses for creators?
Email courses help you find and engage with your ideal customers by offering valuable content that fits their needs and interests.
By offering free, high-quality content through an email course, you can build trust and establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Email courses are an effective lead generation tool, as students will give their contacts to sign up. Which you can use to nurture leads and convert them into paying customers by upselling higher-end offers.
You can build personal bonds with students by sending regular emails and engaging with them.
Email courses are great for repurposing existing content, such as blog posts, books, videos and more complex courses. Which lets you spend less time and energy on building an email course.
Email courses are scalable. They can be automated to send lessons to thousands of students without additional time or resources.
What are the benefits of email courses for students?
Email courses are flexible as they are delivered directly to students’ inboxes. Which makes them accessible anytime, anywhere. Students can also learn at their own pace by studying the lesson now or later.
Many email courses are free or low-cost. This makes it easier for students to learn new skills without investing in expensive, complex courses.
Email courses deliver content in bite-sized lessons, making it easier for students to learn and retain information.
Email courses often have exercises or resources that help participants practice what they learn.
Some email courses let students engage with each other and the instructor via dedicated communities, social media groups or simple email replies.
What are the 7 top tips for creating an email course?
Define your audience: Define your target audience, their interests, needs and ultimate goals.
Choose a clear and specific topic: Focus on a clear and specific topic that is relevant to your target audience.
Break content into bite-sized pieces: Send content in bite-sized pieces that are easy for participants to digest and apply.
Include actionable content and resources: Add actionable content and resources to help students practice what they learned. This may boost engagement and student success.
Encourage interaction and engagement: Let students interact with each other and with you as the instructor via dedicated communities, social media groups or simple email replies.
Stick to a schedule: Informational courses can be short. Practical courses should give more time between the lessons to complete tasks. This will help to establish a routine for participants and keep them engaged throughout the course.
Follow up and follow through: After the end of the course, follow up with students to collect feedback and ensure that they have achieved their desired outcomes. This will help to build more trust and give insights for improving future email courses.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
Here are some general cost estimates for starting a podcast:
Microphone: A good quality microphone is crucial for producing a professional-sounding podcast. You can find decent microphones for as little as $50, while more high-end microphones can cost several hundred dollars.
Audio Interface or Mixer: If you plan on recording with a microphone that connects via XLR, you’ll need an audio interface or mixer to connect it to your computer. These can cost anywhere from $50 to $500, depending on the features you need.
Recording and Editing Software: There are numerous free and paid options for recording and editing software. Audacity is a popular free option, while Adobe Audition and Logic Pro X are more expensive but offer more advanced features.
Web Hosting: You’ll need a hosting service to store and distribute your podcast episodes. Services like Libsyn and Buzzsprout offer plans starting at around $12 per month.
You can expect to spend anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars to start a podcast, depending on your equipment and software choices. However, it’s also possible to start a podcast with minimal equipment and a shoestring budget if you’re willing to compromise on some of the bells and whistles.
Editing and Production Services: If you don’t have the time or expertise to edit your podcast, there are editing and production services available like Alitu.
What are the most popular platforms to host a podcast?
Libsyn: Libsyn is one of the most popular podcast hosting platforms, offering plans starting at $5 per month. It provides advanced statistics, unlimited storage and bandwidth and automatic distribution to various podcast directories.
Buzzsprout: Buzzsprout is another popular podcast hosting platform, with plans starting at $12 per month. It provides detailed analytics, easy-to-use publishing tools and automatic distribution to popular podcast directories.
Podbean: Podbean offers plans starting at $9 per month and includes features like customizable podcast websites, monetization options and analytics.
Anchor: Anchor is a free podcast hosting platform owned by Spotify, which includes tools for recording, editing and publishing. It also offers monetization options and analytics.
Simplecast: Simplecast offers plans starting at $15 per month and includes features like customizable podcast websites, automatic distribution and detailed analytics.
What kinds of podcast formats are there?
Interview: In this format, the host interviews a guest on a particular topic or theme. This is a popular format for educational and informational podcasts.
“WTF with Marc Maron” – Host Marc Maron interviews celebrities and notable figures in the entertainment industry.
“Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” – Host Dax Shepard interviews guests from various industries, including entertainment, sports and politics.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” – Host Joe Rogan interviews a wide range of guests, including scientists, authors, athletes and comedians.
Narrative: Narrative podcasts tell a story or series of stories, often with a journalistic or documentary-style approach. They can be fictional or non-fictional and are often highly produced with music and sound effects.
“Serial” – Host Sarah Koenig tells a true crime story over multiple episodes, diving deep into the details of the case and exploring the various angles and perspectives.
“Radiolab” – Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich present stories that blend science and philosophy, exploring the human experience in surprising and thought-provoking ways.
“S-Town” – Host Brian Reed tells the story of a man who contacts him to investigate a murder in his small Alabama town, only to uncover a web of secrets and mysteries.
Solo: In a solo podcast, the host speaks alone on a particular topic or theme. This is a good format for opinion-based podcasts or those that are focused on personal development or self-help.
“The Daily” – Host Michael Barbaro presents daily news updates and in-depth analysis of current events from The New York Times.
“The GaryVee Audio Experience” – Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk shares his insights and advice on business, social media and personal growth in a solo format.
“Hurry Slowly” – Host Jocelyn K. Glei explores the intersection of creativity, productivity and mindfulness in a series of solo episodes.
Panel: In a panel format, the host and a group of guests discuss a particular topic or theme. This can be a good format for podcasts that want to offer multiple perspectives on a topic.
“Pod Save America” – A political podcast hosted by former Obama administration staffers Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, featuring guest experts and analysts.
“The View” – A daytime talk show on television featuring a panel of women discussing news and current events, as well as celebrity interviews and pop culture discussions.
“The Weeds” – A political podcast featuring Vox journalists Matthew Yglesias, Jane Coaston and Dara Lind, who discuss policy and politics with guest experts and analysts.
Roundtable: In a roundtable format, the host and guests have a more casual discussion on a particular topic or theme. This format is often used in comedy or entertainment podcasts.
“The Roundtable Podcast” – Hosted by Dave Robison, this podcast features roundtable discussions with authors and other creative professionals on various writing and publishing topics.
“The Film Roundtable” – Hosted by film critics and journalists, this podcast features roundtable discussions on current and classic films, as well as interviews with filmmakers and actors.
“The Table Round” – Hosted by journalist Rachel Thomas, this podcast features roundtable discussions with experts and analysts on topics related to the future of work, including remote work, automation and the gig economy.
How to find the first listeners for your podcast?
Leverage your existing network: Share your podcast with friends, family and colleagues and ask them to share it with their networks as well. You can also promote your podcast on your personal social media accounts and in relevant online communities.
“How I Built This with Guy Raz” – Host Guy Raz leveraged his existing network of contacts as a journalist to invite successful entrepreneurs onto his podcast, which helped him build a large and engaged audience.
“The Tim Ferriss Show” – Host Tim Ferriss used his network of high-profile guests, many of whom are successful entrepreneurs, authors and athletes, to help promote his podcast and grow his audience.
“Entrepreneur on Fire” – Host John Lee Dumas used his network of successful entrepreneurs to invite guests onto his podcast and then encouraged those guests to share their episode with their own networks, helping him rapidly grow his audience.
Collaborate with other podcasters: Reach out to other podcasters in your niche and explore opportunities to collaborate, such as guest appearances or cross-promotion.
“Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” – Host Dax Shepard invites celebrity guests onto his podcast, many of whom have their own large and engaged audiences, helping him to attract new listeners to his show.
“Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” – Host Conan O’Brien invites celebrity guests onto his podcast, leveraging his existing network of contacts in the entertainment industry to attract listeners who are fans of his guests.
“SmartLess” – Hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett invite celebrity guests onto their podcast, using their existing networks in the entertainment industry to attract listeners who are fans of their guests.
Optimize your podcast for search: Make sure your podcast is optimized for search engines by including relevant keywords in your title, description and show notes. This will help potential listeners discover your podcast when searching for related topics.
“Entrepreneur on Fire” – Host John Lee Dumas optimized his podcast for search by focusing on specific keywords related to entrepreneurship and business, which helped him to rank high in search results and attract new listeners who were searching for that type of content.
“The GaryVee Audio Experience” – Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk optimized his podcast for search by using keywords related to marketing, social media and personal development in his titles and descriptions, which helped him attract new listeners who were searching for those topics.
“Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield” – Host Amy Porterfield optimized her podcast for search by using keywords related to online marketing, social media and business in her titles and descriptions, which helped her attract new listeners who were searching for that type of content.
Offer incentives: Consider offering incentives, such as exclusive content or discounts, to encourage people to listen and subscribe to your podcast.
“Stuff You Should Know” – Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant offered listeners exclusive access to ad-free episodes and bonus content through a membership program, which helped incentivize fans to sign up and grow their audience.
“Radiolab” – Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich offered listeners exclusive access to live events, as well as bonus episodes and behind-the-scenes content, through a membership program, which helped incentivize fans to sign up and grow their audience.
How can podcasts be monetized?
Sponsorships: One of the most common ways to monetize a podcast is through sponsorships. This involves partnering with a company or brand that pays you to promote their product or service on your podcast.
The Rich Roll Podcast – Hosted by ultra-endurance athlete and wellness advocate Rich Roll, this podcast features interviews with a wide range of guests and has been sponsored by companies like Thrive Market and Four Sigmatic.
Code Switch – A podcast about race and identity in America, Code Switch has been sponsored by companies like Indeed and The Great Courses Plus.
The Daily Stoic – A podcast that explores the philosophy of stoicism. The Daily Stoic has been sponsored by companies like LinkedIn and Skillshare.
Advertising: You can also monetize your podcast through advertising, either by selling ad space directly to businesses or by using an advertising network like Advertisecast or Midroll.
“Reply All” – Hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman monetize their podcast through advertisements, with sponsors paying to have their products or services promoted on their show.
“Pod Save America” – Hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor monetize their podcast through advertisements, with sponsors paying to have their products or services promoted on their show.
“The Bill Simmons Podcast” – Host Bill Simmons monetizes his podcast through advertisements, with sponsors paying to have their products or services promoted on his show.
Paid subscriptions: Some podcasters offer exclusive content or early access to episodes to subscribers who pay a monthly or yearly fee. This can be a good option if you have a loyal fanbase and produce high-quality content.
“WTF with Marc Maron” – Host Marc Maron monetizes his podcast through a paid subscription service called “The Marc Maron Premium Content Club,” which gives subscribers access to exclusive episodes and other bonus content.
“Slate Money” – Hosts Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski monetize their podcast through a paid subscription service called “Slate Plus,” which gives subscribers access to ad-free episodes and other bonus content.
“Criminal” – Host Phoebe Judge monetizes her podcast through a paid subscription service called “Criminal: The Membership,” which gives subscribers access to bonus content, merchandise and other perks.
Crowdfunding: You can also monetize your podcast through crowdfunding platforms like Patreon or Kickstarter, where listeners can support your show by making a donation.
“99% Invisible” – Host Roman Mars monetizes his podcast through crowdfunding platform Patreon, where listeners can become monthly supporters and gain access to exclusive content and other rewards.
“Chapo Trap House” – Hosts Will Menaker, Matt Christman and Felix Biederman monetize their podcast through crowdfunding platform Patreon, where supporters can access exclusive bonus content and other perks.
“The Adventure Zone” – Hosts Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy monetize their podcast through crowdfunding platform Maximum Fun, where listeners can support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content and other rewards.
Live events: Hosting live events, such as meet-and-greets or live shows, can also be a way to monetize your podcast.
“Welcome to Night Vale” – Creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor monetize their podcast through live shows, where they perform their show in front of a live audience and sell tickets for the event.
“The Moth” – Hosts Dan Kennedy and Catherine Burns monetize their podcast through live events, where storytellers share their personal stories on stage in front of a live audience.
“How Did This Get Made?” – Hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas monetize their podcast through live shows, where they perform their show in front of a live audience and sell tickets for the event.
How can podcasts be used for marketing?
Establish thought leadership: By hosting a podcast that focuses on industry trends, best practices or thought leadership, you can establish yourself or your brand as a thought leader in your field.
“Harvard Business Review IdeaCast” – This podcast features interviews with top thinkers in business and management and offers insights on leadership, innovation and other topics.
“Akimbo” – This podcast is hosted by bestselling author Seth Godin, who offers insights on marketing, leadership and creativity. The podcast also features interviews with other thought leaders in these fields.
Increase engagement: Podcasts offer a unique opportunity to engage with your audience in a personal way. By creating valuable content that resonates with your audience, you can increase engagement and build loyalty.
“Reply All” – This podcast often features listener questions and feedback in its episodes and has a segment called “Yes Yes No” where the hosts explain internet memes to each other and to their audience.
“Radiolab” – This podcast frequently encourages listener participation, through contests and opportunities to submit stories or ideas for future episodes.
“Death, Sex & Money” – This podcast often solicits listener responses to questions or prompts related to the topics of death, sex and money and features listener stories and feedback in its episodes. The podcast also has a popular “Listener Letters” segment where the host reads and responds to letters from listeners
Cross-promotion: You can use your podcast to cross-promote other marketing channels, such as social media, email marketing or webinars.
“Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” – This podcast often cross-promotes other podcasts on the Armchair Umbrella network, such as “Experts on Expert” and “Monica and Jess Love Boys.”
“Binge Mode” – This podcast, which explores the world of Harry Potter and other pop culture phenomena, has cross-promoted with other podcasts on The Ringer network, such as “The Watch” and “The Rewatchables.”
“My Favorite Murder” – This true crime podcast has cross-promoted with other podcasts on the Exactly Right network, such as “Do You Need A Ride?” and “This Podcast Will Kill You.”
Collaborate with influencers: Collaborating with influencers or industry experts on your podcast can help you reach new audiences and build credibility.
“Unlocking Us with Brené Brown” – Brené Brown has collaborated with other influencers in the personal growth and wellness space, such as Glennon Doyle and Jay Shetty, to create engaging and informative episodes that resonate with her audience.
“The School of Greatness” – Host Lewis Howes frequently collaborates with influencers in the personal growth and wellness space, such as Tony Robbins and Marie Forleo, to provide insights and inspiration for his listeners.
What are examples of AI-produced podcasts?
Nimo and Willy built PodBot. It generates entire podcast episodes about your topic of choice with a generated host.
Eric created Podcast.AI, an AI-generated podcast. The episode “Joe Rogan interviews Steve Jobs” went viral because of how realistic it sounded. He explains how.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
ProductPrompts.fm • Daily prompt hacks and music to write prompts to
Prompt Engineering Use Cases
Programming • Write, test and debug code
Writing • Find writing prompts, generate stories and perfect your writing style
Research • Find, analyze and cite scientific papers
Image Generation • Generate abstract and real-life objects and settings
SearchEngineOptimization • Research keywords and write SEO-optimized articles
Marketing • Build marketing strategies
🔮 Predictions
We’ll use text-to-audio models to create music. We’ll prompt the style, tempo, instrumentation and more.
WavTool lets you use prompts to make, edit and compose tracks.
MusicLM is an unreleased text-to-music model by Google that can generate consistent short and long tracks.
Cassette lets you create royalty-free music by prompting genre, mood, length, instrumentation and more.
Text-to-video will democratize animation and filmmaking. People will craft the story, lines, characters and locations. AI will take care of the visuals.
Hallucinations • ChatGPT lies. It accused a law professor of harassment and cited a fake article as evidence. You may miss inaccuracies or inconsistencies if you don’t know what a quality answer looks like.
Platform Risk • OpenAI’s rate limits can block you in the middle of solving problems.
🔑 Key Lessons
A prompt consists of the task, instructions, context and parameters. “Task” is an action. “Instructions” are the steps needed to do the “task”. “Context” helps to understand the background and the end goal of a “task”. “Parameters” are settings that directly affect the result.
Use detailed prompts to do complex tasks. Share specific context, format and style that the result should have. Justin Fineberg says if your prompt is only one sentence long, your output is never going to be good.
“Prompt engineering is not programming.” Backend-GPT is a language model that handles database and backend business logic. Similar to programming languages, you can prompt functions to work with data. Anyway, it’s too early to say that prompt engineering is programming. That’s why it’s a hot take.
“Prompt engineering will become obsolete once AI learns how to build its own prompts.” We’re on track to this. AI can perfect itself without relying on human guidance. Tools like AutoGPT turn AI into an autonomous prompt building and execution robot.
“Tools built on top of APIs are just wrappers. They have no moat and can’t form a sustainable business.” This critique has been around since the release of GPT-3. Danny Postma says if you can generate years of revenue in weeks or months, seize the opportunity.
“Marketplaces are winner-take-most markets. Why would we need more prompt marketplaces?” These are micro-marketplaces which can optimize for niche use cases and audiences. While a micro-marketplace might not be the best option for most users, it’s best for some. That’s what matters.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
Litquidity uses its brand to market content services, a job board and angel investing.
Parik Patel and John W. Rich create content on finance. They attract audiences with viral content based on their characters.
Youtubers like Dream attract millions of followers fascinated by anonymity. His voice was known but his looks were only recently made public.
Personal and professional brands will merge. People want to feel that they can trust you on a personal level.
Shaun White uses his personal brand to market Air + Style and WHITESPACE. Both brands reflect his energetic and avant-garde spirit.
Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the foremost marketing influencers. His famous personality helped him build a massive content business.
Ariana Wolf’s “personal professional brand” helps use authenticity to grow her design business. Yet she keeps strict boundaries about sharing her personal life.
☁️ Opportunities
Build tools to help creators automate aspects of their personal brands.
Creators use Synthesia to turn scripts into video content read by a realistic avatar.
SayHi generates thoughtful intro messages personalized to who you’re messaging on LinkedIn.
Virtual Youtubers allow a single ‘persona’ or channel to be a whole team. The actual gameplay and commentary no longer need to be done by a real person.
Use social proof to grow your personal brand. Mimetic desire shows that people are more likely to trust you if someone they admire trusts you.
Benjamin got many venture capital connections after a prominent investor followed him.
Therapist Phil Stutz and his tools for ‘life transformation’ are a trending topic. Jonah Hill featured his positive experience with ‘Stutz’ on Netflix.
Katelyn Bourgoin became “the customer whisperer” by helping and teaching marketers. She uses her reputation to get customers for Customer Camp.
Build a content production system to stay consistent.
Easlo uses Notion to manage his TikTok, Twitter and Youtube content in one place.
Dileep Karri wrote 30 essays in 30 days to boost his writing and build a content production system.
Jonathan Hawley published the framework he uses to lower friction when managing his ideas.
Build in public. Share your story to build trust and grow your audience.
Atul Anand built an audience for his Notion templates by tweeting about the process.
Art Lapinsch built his brand around Biz Ops by asking for feedback on courses he makes.
Oliver Martinez hit $2,000 MRR and 40,000 Twitter followers by tweeting about his apps’ progress.
Kieran grew his audience of no-code students by tweeting about his learning process. He’s gone from non-technical founder to solo builder.
🏔️ Risks
Key-Person Risk • Some businesses are nothing without their Influencer-in-Chief. Learn how to make your business work even without you at the helm.
Platform Risk • Social media websites can suspend or shadow-ban your account. Diversification helps to avoid being de-platformed.
Legal • Beware of the legal implications of what you do online. Especially if you offer advice or run giveaways.
🔑 Key Lessons
Help people. The simplest way to build an audience is by offering real value. Share advice, tools and insights to get trust.
Start creating now. It can be scary to ‘launch’ your personal brand. Don’t let fear stop you from achieving your end goals.
Consistency matters. Nothing you do is as important to your personal brand as showing up on a regular basis. Learn what works by keeping the content flowing.
🔥 Hot Takes
You don’t need a plan. Many of the most successful personal brands started with creators enjoying themselves. Engage with your favorite communities and see what happens.
People will become impossible to cancel. There is a subculture for everyone. Especially those shunned by the mainstream.
Most personal brands were obsessed with conforming to social expectations. Now they will try to differentiate themselves.
😠 Haters
“I’m uncomfortable posting such personal content. Loss of privacy scares me.” Lots of people feel this way. Building a personal brand doesn’t mean you need to share intimate details. There are many ways to add value and earn peoples’ trust without getting too personal.
“Building a personal brand takes too much time for an ROI that’s unclear.” Just because you can’t measure the outcome like a paid ad doesn’t mean it’s not driving results. If what you’re doing is working, you’ll grow your network one person at a time. Your personal brand is a lifelong investment. Don’t chase immediate ‘sales’ and follower counts.
“Personal branding is a way for people to promote themselves and their own interests. It’s not helpful for their company or organization.” Why not both? Instead of stopping your team from building a reputation, support them! Feature the people behind your business and help them grow their brands. Everyone wins when your team has respect in your industry.
“I want to grow my personal brand, but I don’t know what to talk about. I don’t have any expertise that people would find valuable enough.” What do you enjoytalking about? Write what you are most passionate about. Even if you lack a certain talent or knowledge, you can share your learning experience. It can be both entertaining and insightful to others.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
What are 7 success stories of people earning money through affiliate programs?
Ilir Salihi made $2,000 for individual sales of high-ticket items. He used his niche financial blog promoting alternative investments to rank for related search terms which had an existing audience. He made $4,000 from two sales in two months.
Spencer Mecham from Buildapreneur makes $80,000 MRR from his affiliate business. His content takes advantage of algorithms to make go viral. He’s made millions from companies like ClickFunnels and Builderall.
This is Why I’m Broke is the internet’s mall, with 728,000 monthly visits. They use the Amazon Associate’s program and smaller affiliate partnerships to catalog items. They use funny articles and interesting products to get people’s attention for interesting content. They make well over $20,000 MRR..
Matthew Woodward makes $20,000 MRR from his award-winning marketing blog. He’s creating a strongly branded blog solely focused on ranking in SEO without using link building.
TechRadar added affiliate marketing to its in-depth reviews of technology products to help turn the tides of its business. They make millions each year in affiliate income from the products they review. Their edge is the trust and respect that the publication has for the quality of reviews.
Adrian Brambila made $1,000,000+ in revenue for LadyBoss, a women-centric fitness brand. He leveraged his sizeable following from dance tutorial content to share links about similar fitness programs.
Tom Dupois makes $150,000 ARR from his site onlinemediamasters.com. He writes content and tutorials about plugins and other web hosting and development content with high commissions for relevant content and product recommendations.
How to find affiliate programs? What tools/directories help you find affiliate programs?
You can visit industry-specific websites or forums to find affiliate programs, or check with industry organizations. Affiliate networks and niche directories provide access to a wide range of affiliate programs from various merchants. You should also compare your own audience with others to find comparable marketers. See what other people in your industry are affiliates for, and determine if the program makes sense for you too.
Affiliate Hunter and Affiliate Corner are useful tools for matching your content and audience with the right affiliate programs and networks.
What factors make a good affiliate program?
A good affiliate program is one that is reputable, offers competitive commission rates, provides marketing materials and tools to help affiliates promote the product and has dedicated support for affiliates. Additionally, a good affiliate program should provide accurate and timely tracking and reporting of sales and commissions, as well as a variety of timely payout options for affiliates.
From a high-level, what are the different types of affiliate marketing structures?
Recurring: In a recurring affiliate program, the company pays the affiliate a commission on a regular basis. Examples of companies with recurring affiliate programs include Etsy, Zazzle, and AliExpress.
One-time: In a one-time affiliate program, the company pays the affiliate a commission only once, typically when the customer makes a purchase. Examples of companies with one-time affiliate programs include Fiverr, GetResponse, and Convertkit.
Cost per action (CPA): In a CPA affiliate program, the company pays the affiliate a commission based on a specific action that the customer takes, such as filling out a form or making a purchase. Examples of companies with CPA affiliate programs include the eBay Partner Network, the Home Depot Affiliate Program, and the Crate and Barrel Affiliate Program.
Percentage-based: In a percentage-based affiliate program, the company pays the affiliate a percentage of the sale price of the product or service. Examples of companies with percentage-based affiliate programs include Groupon, Expedia, and Priceline.
Recurring for first 12 months: In a recurring affiliate program that is limited to the first 12 months, the company pays the affiliate a commission on a regular basis for the first 12 months after the customer makes a purchase. After that, the commission payments may stop or may continue on a different basis. Examples of companies with this type of affiliate program include Process Street, Make.com, and N8N.io.
What are the top affiliate networks (sorted by popularity)?
What are your top 3 predictions about how affiliate marketing will change in the next 10 years?
Live video and integrated shopping will become the primary channel for affiliate marketing.
AI will transform affiliate marketing by making it easier for affiliates to tailor their content for the most relevant audience.
Microinfluencers will take over. They offer better targeting for niche communities and products with higher conversion rates at lower costs.
What are the risks of using affiliate marketing to sell your product?
You may not have control over the quality of the marketing efforts of your affiliates. If your affiliates are not effectively promoting your product, it may not reach a large enough audience to generate significant sales. Additionally, some affiliates may engage in unethical marketing practices like spamming or making false claims about your product, which can damage your reputation and hurt your sales.
The rise of ad-blocking technology and increasing concerns about online privacy may affect the effectiveness of affiliate marketing, as fewer people may be willing to click on affiliate links or share their personal information with affiliates.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
💲 The Psychology of Money shared by Nirav Multani A book about our relationship with money, with insights for better financial decisions and fulfillment
💻 Phind shared by Reme Ekoh An AI search engine for technical questions that provides code snippets and sources for its responses
🛍️ Affiliate SEO shared by Kevin Deol A deep-dive analysis of 10,000 affiliate- related keywords
“I have loved the experience in Trends Pro since I jumped in. It has the right mix of content, curiosity and gamification. It feels like what the alumni of Seth Godin’s AltMBA should have been but never was. For me it has exceeded expectations.“
Dale is building connecteddale.com. Supporting businesses in tackling two elusive things: a crystal-clear vision of the future and a team that’s aligned to make it a reality.
What’s your most important habit? Power yoga every morning for an hour.
Robert Greene opened me up to the powerful stories of people who have and haven’t mastered human nature in his books Mastery, Power and The Laws of Human Nature. I love using an understanding of psychology and personality to understand others and in the process better understand myself.
What product or service do you wish existed? A simple way to manage a portfolio of global assets without paying an advisor a percentage of NAV.
What product are you obsessively using right now? A 5’6″ 90-liter Reflex Carbon Phazer Foilboard from AK Durable Supply Company with 4, 5 and 6-meter wings. I check the wind and tides multiple times daily and get out on the water whenever possible. Totally addicted.
What are you bullish on? A non-unipolar world where power is more balanced because, as Lord Acton says, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
There is tremendous creativity in curating the existing into new forms. And we are fortunate to be exposed to diverse, thoughtful and challenging ideas, products, and services every day. Curation is the ultimate value creation in a crowded and complex world.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
From using a sharp knife to saying hello to your neighbors. There are small things that can improve your mood, health and relationships with little effort.
“I started being more active in the Trends Pro Community recently. I love the way people help each other. There’s an excellent vibe here.“
Vin is building Brandhero. A strategic design outfit which helps people move forward faster and acquire more customers with effective UX design strategies, product design and user-centric web experiences.
He’s also building template libraries to help founders launch websites faster on Webflow, Bubble, Framer and other no-code tools. Along with a UI/UX Audit productized service.
Vin is also a member of Trends Mastermind #0010.
What’s your most important habit? Going into deep creative work. Reaching flow state each day for 1-3 hours.
What product are you obsessively using right now? Learning to build in Framer. I love the way we can make responsive websites, with customizations, in a no-code way. I am also learning Bubble. I like the way it gives you freedom to build anything without knowing how to code.
What are you bullish on? The evolution of the digital design industry, async communication and remote work culture.
What are you bearish on? Writing skills and services seem to be slowly becoming a commodity (with constantly improving AI/GPT models).
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
“Trends Pro is an interesting place to engage with founders at various points of their journey. I’m looking forward to getting to know more founders.“
Rachel is building Rachel’s English for more than 4,500,000 subscribers, helping people all over the world feel confident speaking English. “It’s the gym for your English: you’ll learn about the sounds and musical characteristics of American English. You’ll have a specific method for training your voice, and you can get personalized feedback from our teachers.”
What’s your most important habit? Fitness — It keeps me in line with diet, sleep, parenting, and being a kinder person.
The reporting is top-notch, the writing fantastic, and when I need something different I can flip to the fiction piece.
What product or service do you wish existed? I get motivated by my fitness tracker, and I wish I could provide similar stats to my students for how much time they spend studying on my website each day, how many days in a row, etc. With charts and graphs. As well as being able to share with other students and compare averages. I use Thinkific and they don’t have this functionality. I haven’t heard of any course platforms that do.
What product are you obsessively using right now? An under-desk treadmill. It gets me through the afternoon slowdown, stops the back pain from creeping in.
What are you bullish on? The Creator Economy. I went to YouTube’s Creator Summit this year. The ways that creators are coming up with to grow and engage their community (and sell products to them) is inspiring.
What are you bearish on? Meat. Have you tried some of the vegan products out there lately? WOW.
Through that report, I took a couple of meetings and just hired a CMO advisor. I expect great things for the coming year.
Exclusive Deal: Rachel is offering Trends.vc readers up to $50 off of her English Academy. Use the code TRENDS5 to get your first month for $5 or TRENDS50 to get $50 off your first year.
You have at least one bottleneck that limits your progress in business and life. Theory of Constraints helps you achieve your goals by finding and fixing that bottleneck.
🔧 Try This
Daily Scorecard
I’m always looking for habits that lead to continuous improvement.
One of my best habits is a nightly scorecard for different aspects of life.
Some things that I track:
Diet
Sleep
Growth
Exercise
Peace of Mind
I score each aspect based on a scale of 1 to 10.
If anything is less than 10, I add action items that, if done, would improve the score.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
TopMusicPro helps music teachers build music studios and grow their music teaching business.
Next Gen Men teaches positive masculinity, mental wellness, healthy relationships and gender equity among young boys.
We’ll see more market networks. They will combine marketplace and social network features. Such as branded profiles, product listings and direct connections.
Microns lets you connect with startup buyers and sellers.
HerHouse is a community of female hosts and solo travelers.
Foster connects writers and editors that contribute to text drafts.
Houzz connects homeowners and home designers with Houzz Pro.
SoleSavy connects members who want to buy, sell or trade sneakers.
Mylance is a community and a marketplace of tech and startup consultants.
Modern Mastery shares marketing strategies, content frameworks, sales scripts and more.
🏔️ Risks
Negative Network Effects • Engagement drops as niche communities grow without a way to efficiently sort contributions and content.
Key-Person Risk • If you are the sole source of value for the community, you may face burnout and/or the inability to sell the community as an asset.
Platform Risk • You are subject to the platform’s terms, outages and roadmap. Slack is a popular, but not an ideal choice for running paid communities.
🔑 Key Lessons
Build an audience to solve the chicken-and-egg problem. Trends.vc reached 20,000+ subscribers before Trends Tribe meetups were launched.
Show appreciation by highlighting active members. Trends.vc highlights contributors at the end of each report.
Online communities suffer from participation inequality. The 90–9–1 rule says that in most online communities, 90% of users lurk, 9% contribute a little and 1% create content. While this is a well-known phenomenon, it can look like your community is stagnant.
🔥 Hot Takes
Paid communities will let members review new applications. WIP is not paid, but it’s an invite-only community. If nobody knows you, WIP will share your application with existing members. They will decide if you can join the community.
We’ll see hyper-niche paid communities. MAP Community is a community of museum professionals who aim to build more inclusive and innovative museums.
Paid communities should use scarcity tactics. Use limited-time offers to tap into people’s fear of missing out. Sophia Amoruso made her paid community part of her Business Class cohort-based course which opens twice a year. You can join the waitlist to not miss it.
😠 Haters
“The 90–9–1 rule has been challenged. It’s not accurate anymore.” We said this rule applies to most online communities. Not all. Remember negative network effects. You can expect higher engagement in small communities and lower in big ones.
“Paid communities are exclusionary.” So are cohort-based courses, paid newsletters and top universities. Great things cost money. It can be wise to join a paid community if you can’t find the value it gives anywhere else.
“I have a free community. Members won’t be happy if I lock it behind a paywall.” You don’t have to lock everything. Freemium is a viable option if you don’t want to upset existing members.
“Most of your examples are online communities. How to get started with an offline paid community?” While starting an online community is easier, you can apply most of the tactics to offline communities. Host offline events and masterminds. Vet members and run cohort-based courses. These are common among offline paid communities.
🧠 Founder Mastermind Groups • To share goals, progress and solve problems together, each group is made up of 6 members who meet for 1 hour each Monday.
📈 100+ Trends Pro Reports • To make sense of new markets, ideas and business models, check out our research reports.
💬 1:1 Founder Intros • Make new friends, share lessons and find ways to help each other. Keep life interesting by meeting new founders each week.
🧍 Daily Standups • Stay productive and accountable with daily, async standups. Unlock access to 1:1 chats, masterminds and more by building standup streaks.
💲 100k+ Startup Discounts • Get access to $100k+ in startup discounts on AWS, Twilio, Webflow, ClickUp and more.
