Content Inc With Joe Pulizzi

For most Americans, the Big Beautiful Bill is destructionist legislation. But, I started to to look at it like any small business owner, entrepreneur should.  There is a silver lining for creators. Congress has just passed one of the biggest tax packages in recent history, billions in adjustments.  And there are four key areas that are critically important for content creators. 20% Qualified Business Income Deduction (QBI) No Tax on Tips (up to $25,000) No Tax on Overtime (within limits) 100% Bonus Depreciation This bill is a giant flashing neon sign that says: “We reward people who own things.” ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

If I am you, and I have a job working for someone else, I’d start moving plan B to plan A right now. Build something that only you can do. That’s your Tilt. Communicate that Tilt out in a regular way. Start building even a handful of followers. At some point, you’ll be able to make a living off of that. If you want to build IP for someone else, go do that…but why? Why not build something that leads to complete and total freedom. We talk about freedom in this country, but most of us don’t actually have it for many reasons. What’s your reason? Could it be self inflicted? ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

We think we need to keep reinventing the wheel. New idea. New angle. New take. But the truth is… if you’re doing it right, you’ll feel like a broken record. Repeating yourself as a creator is a necessary strategy for success. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

When we talk about creator content strategy, we usually cover audience building, monetization, consistency. But today, I want to talk about something rarely discussed in the creator world: silence. Not the dramatic kind. Not the “quitting social media forever” kind, although that has merits for sure. I mean intentional, strategic silence. Creative whitespace if you will. Here’s a question for you: when was the last time you sat in a room without a screen, a podcast, or a notification... and just let your brain drift? In a noisy world, clarity belongs to the ones who dare to unplug. Silence isn’t the opposite of content—it’s part of the process. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

A very special episode of Content Inc. - #500. In this episode Joe discusses the Content Inc. podcast origin story from 2014, why he stopped in 2017, and how he restarted in 2020. Joe goes into detail about two key issues: Four key thoughts from the previous 499 episodes. What went right and what went wrong. Four additional areas about content creation that changed Joe's thinking. This is an important listen for any podcaster or content creator. You don't want to miss this very special episode. Key Links: The Content Inc. Book - Second Edition Content Entrepreneur Expo (CEX) - August 24-26, 2025 ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

If I lost everything – the audience, the money, the reputation – and had to start over, here’s what I’d do. Step 0: Take Inventory What do I still have? My skills. My story. My scars. Just because the list is gone doesn’t mean the asset is. This helps frame that even starting from “nothing” isn’t truly nothing. Step 1: Cry I’d spend at least a week screaming into the void. “Why me Oh Lord, why me?” Then I would get down to business. I’d remind myself: “There’s never been a better time to start over. The tools are free. The gatekeepers are gone. The only thing missing is your plan.” Step 2: Pick a weirdly specific niche I’d need to spend time to really find my purpose…my Tilt. As Warren Buffett and Simon Sinek discuss, every successful person is really good at one thing. What am I really good at or know something about to truly differentiate? And it’s not about being louder or flashier. It’s about being more specific, more real, and more essential to a group of people who need exactly what I have. I’d need to

As difficult as it is, you must believe you are where you are because of the decisions you have made. You will get to where you are going based upon the decisions you will make. If we blame someone or something for our lot in life, then we make it true. If we do that, we lose our agency. If we lose our agency, we lose our souls. What you are about to undertake is hard. This is good news. If it was easy, everyone would do it. And it’s the journey you’ll remember in the end. “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill Register for Content Entreprenuer Expo at CEX.events today. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

You don’t build a business alone. You can try. And for a while, it might work. But the moment things get hard—and they always do—you’ll either have people to lean on… or you’ll collapse under the weight of your own ambition. Who you surround yourself with is one of the biggest factors in whether you grow, or burn out. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

Before you find your Tilt, activities will dart around you like they have no specific purpose. But if you lean into all these different activities, they’ll start to make sense to you, and you’ll begin to realize your true purpose. Once you accept this, you’ll be more open to who you can and will become. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

 Why do we fail? Most people don't fail because they're lazy. They fail because they're leaking energy in a thousand directions. Every half finished idea, every shiny new opportunity, every unread email and open tab, it all adds up. It chips away at your time and your clarity and your willpower.  Creators, especially content entrepreneurs fall into a trap.  ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

We've been doing side hustles wrong since they were first invented. Most people are in a job they hate, and do a side hustle they love. Time to flip the script. Immediately. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

The old model was simple: work 40 years, retire, live off savings. But in today’s world, career longevity is the new retirement strategy. And that doesn’t mean grinding away at a job into your 70s. It means owning things that let you work smarter, with freedom and purpose, for as long as you choose. If you’re a content creator, this is actually great news. You already have the tools to build real leverage. Here’s how: 1. Stop selling your time. Time-for-money income is a trap. Instead, own assets: a blog, podcast, email list, product, or community. These things can scale without more hours. 2. Build a personal media company. One platform. One audience. One mission. When you create consistent content and control the relationship (hint: email), you’re building something durable. 3. Specialize until you’re unforgettable. Be the best in a narrow category, not “pretty good” in a broad one. That makes you harder to ignore—and impossible to replace. 4. Think like an investor. Great investors look for compounding ret

If it succeeded exactly as it’s going now, would you be happy with where it takes you? If not, change it. You’re not too far down the road. You’re not locked in. The beauty of being a creator is you get to rewrite the rules. You don’t need to scale. You need to align. And that’s the difference between being busy and being free. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

For over 80 years, VOA has helped to build support (and fandom) for America. It's been one of our silver bullets for freedom and democracy that no one ever really talked about. Simply put, the Voice of America has been one of the greatest marketing vehicles for the United States ever created...and...perhaps... the best ever. Three weeks ago all funding for Voice of America was discontinued. Sadly, Voice of America no longer exists. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

Everyone has goals. I’m sure you have a few right now you are working on. But if goal setting were a skill, most Americans are failing…significantly failing. When you look at all the math, those who have goals and stick with them have NO competition. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.  

I learned about SMART Goals from Brian Tracy almost 30 years ago. SMART goals are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time-bound. How's your goal-setting going? Some background on Brian Tracy's method. My methodology on Record - Review - Remove. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.  

The original "three legs of the stool" for publishing was online, in print and in-person. For today's content creator it's still three legs, but they've changed. Here's a great example of Mel Robbins and her "three legs" content creation strategy: a book, speaking and a show. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

The craziest thing about humanity is that we are the only mammals that know there is a future and can set goals and achieve those goals, but most humans don’t do this. In this episode we break down Matthew McConaughey's Oscar award speech and see how we can become our own hero in 10 years. Matthew McConaughey Oscar Speech Snoop Dogg Acceptance Speech Snoop Dogg Thank Me Song ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.

A special episode this week with Marcus Sheridan, author of the new book "Endless Customers." Marcus teaches us about the four-step process for creating more trust with our customers, positioning us as the most known and leading expert in our industry. This includes saying what others aren't willing to say, leaning into video, selling differently and showing your human side.  You will get at least one amazing nugget that will change your business forever. Pick up Endless Customers by Marcus Sheridan today.  ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.  

Beginning or stopping a habit is difficult at best. Sometimes we overthink it and become overwhelmed. Well, anyone can do anything for seven minutes. Try out this seven-minute method for the next habit you want to start or stop. ------- Like this episode? SUBSCRIBE on Apple, Spotify or Google. See all Content Inc episodes at the Content Inc. podcast home. Get my personal newsletter today and receive my free goal-setting guide today.