Creator Science

Creator Science

Creating content has never been easier—but breaking through the noise has gotten harder. The only reliable way to grow as a creator is through systematic observation, experimentation, and iteration. This podcast is your weekly guide to evidence-backed strategies you can test in your own business. Each episode features candid conversations with creators like James Clear, Ali Abdaal, Tim Urban, and Codie Sanchez. We explore what's actually working for them: the experiments they're running, the data they're tracking, and the frameworks they use to grow their audience, build trust, and increase income. We dig into why it worked, how you can adapt it, and what constraints or anti-goals helped them stay focused and avoid burnout. Hosted by Signal Award-winner Jay Clouse, this is a show about the business of content—from a place of curiosity, transparency, and a commitment to sustainable growth. It's growth for creators, down to a science.

Episodes

#288: He gained 190K Instagram followers in 508 days…but wouldn’t do it again | Yoni Smolyar

January 6, 2026 • 45 mins
A few weeks ago, I came across a post on X from a user named Yoni Smolyar. It said posting a video on Instagram every day for 508 days in a row taught me that I never want to do that again. I realized that I had seen and followed Yoni on Instagram, where he has over 190,000 followers. In the process, Yoni built an iPhone app called Brainrot, which had a $10,000 launch that he credits to his social media presence that he built duri...
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#287: Reflecting on a year of parenting (and how that’s impacted me as a creator)

December 30, 2025 • 68 mins
Today I am sharing an episode between Josh hall and myself. Josh hall is a good friend of mine, a business owner, and a creator here in Columbus, Ohio. His business is all about web design and he has a podcast called Web Design Business with Josh Hall, and I was a recent guest. So this is a conversation with Josh as friends, talking about what I've learned over the last year. Plus as a new father, how that has impacted my work a...
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#286: How To LEGALLY Pay Less In Taxes (And Invest It Instead) — Ankur Nagpal

December 19, 2025 • 49 mins
In 2020, Ankur Nagpal sold his course platform, Teachable, for around $250 million. But he knew that the sale would come with a giant tax bill. So Ankur became obsessed with the tax code, and he wanted to make it easier for everyone to legally operate within it. That led him to discover Solo 401(k)s. So he built a new company called Carry that helps you legally keep more of what you earn and invest it the way you want. This podcas...
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#285: Personal branding, building trust, and why most creators fail | Influence Anyone

December 9, 2025 • 63 mins
Before I went on my current podcast guesting hiatus, I sat down with Howie Chan. I met Howie in person earlier this year at Matt McGarry’s Newsletter Marketing Summit. I thought he was fun, friendly, and thoughtful — just like he is in his podcast, Influence Anyone. This podcast is all about applied influence psychology. Each episode, Howie sit downs with experts and practitioners to uncover the hidden psychology that helps you in...
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#284: I helped a YouTuber design his membership

November 30, 2025 • 43 mins
Meet Tommy. Tommy has a YouTube channel dedicated to helping Americans retire in France. Tommy’s done an incredible job attracting nearly 30,000 subscribers and 2 million views on his channel, but he needed help dialing in his product offer. Tommy is a member of The Lab, my invitation-only membership community for 6-and-7-figure creators. He scheduled a coaching call with me to work out how he can take his growing audience and de...
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#283: I’m launching my new offer TODAY!

November 25, 2025 • 18 mins
Today, I’m launching my first-ever Signature Product Bootcamp: A four-week, live course for developing YOUR signature product (that you can sell with confidence for years). Program Dates: December 4, 2025 — December 29, 2025 Registration closes Dec. 1 at 11:59pm PT. → Enroll Now in the Signature Product Bootcamp → Learn More about the Signature Product Bootcamp → Join The Lab ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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#282: David Altizer — How to Make Great Thumbnails (For Non-Designers)

November 18, 2025 • 51 mins
David Altizer is the co-creator of Thumbnail Academy and has quickly become one of the most sought-after thumbnail designers around. David’s clients include Kurtis Connor, Jolly, Max Fosh, Hayden Hillier Smith, and now me. David’s thumbnails have earned nearly 350 million views—and in this video, he’ll show you why creating thumbnails is actually easier than you think. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hire David ...
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#281: A question about the future of this podcast... [Voice Memo]

November 11, 2025 • 4 mins
If you enjoy this episode, please leave a comment on Spotify or a review on Apple Podcasts! → Subscribe to the newsletter → Join The Lab
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#263: How To Succeed on YouTube Today feat. Colin & Samir [Greatest Hits]

November 4, 2025 • 58 mins
I interviewed YouTube legends, Colin and Samir. They are the most influential duo in the creator economy. Today, they talk about how to build a channel that stands the test of time. In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of formats in building a strong brand, how to set your channel up for financial success, and we vent about miscellaneous gripes we all have. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠ Colin and Samir's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Web...
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#280: How to LEGALLY Protect Your Channel (YouTube Lawyer Tyler Chou Explains)

October 28, 2025 • 45 mins
Tyler Chou spent nearly two decades as an entertainment attorney in Hollywood, with senior roles at Disney, Skydance, BuzzFeed, before starting her own YouTube channel, which brought her into this world of creators. And today, she helps clients like Sam & Colby, Andy Morris, and Jenny Hoyos stay on the right side of the law. Unfortunately, that’s getting harder (and scarier) all the time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yo...
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#279: How we navigate our different internal characters (and her experience as a first time author) | Amanda Goetz

October 21, 2025 • 55 mins
In today's episode, I am speaking with my dear friend Amanda Goetz. Amanda is my favorite kind of person. She works her butt off, but she's also sensitive and introspective. Her perspective on ambition and how to marry it with family life is baked into her new book, called Toxic Grit, How to Have It All and Actually Love What You Have. Amanda is a two-time founder, four-time CMO, and single mom of three. She inspires over 150,000...
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#278: How I’m Approaching The Rest of 2025 (Behind The Scenes)

October 14, 2025 • 44 mins
Today, I want to take you behind the scenes in The Lab this week. Every month I do a retro where I look at the months that just passed, things that went well, things that didn't go well, things that I'm changing because of that. I wanted to share a version of that here on the channel and on the podcast feed, and hopefully by learning more about what's going on in my head, not only do you feel a little bit seen and understood, but...
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#277: The best and worst income streams for creators (ranked)

October 7, 2025 • 20 mins
I’ve been a full-time creator for 8 years now and have earned $2,192,000 since 2022. I’ve spent a LOT of time and money experimenting with different ways to make money on the internet, so I’m going to rank them. The best and the worst. I show you 15 different revenue streams and rate them from S to F based on their potential versus the effort required. By the very end of the video, you’ll know which ones are right for you. And at ...
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#276: From self-publishing to traditional and becoming a NYT best-seller | Pat Flynn (Part 2)

September 30, 2025 • 45 mins
This episode is part two of my recent conversation with Pat Flynn. Pat, is an online business legend, and this is the third time he's been on the show. Pat is the founder of Smart Passive Income. In this episode, we dig into his experience publishing his latest book, Lean Learning: How to Achieve More by Learning Less. Lean Learning was a New York Times bestseller. Get Pat’s book, Lean Learning ⁠Deep Pocket Monster⁠ ⁠Short Poc...
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#275: From ignoring short-form video to 3.5 billion views | Pat Flynn’s Pokémon juggernaut (Part 1)

September 23, 2025 • 39 mins
Pat Flynn (also known as Deep Pocket Monster or the Should I Open It Or Should I Keep It Sealed Guy) is the man with the most famous thumbs on the Internet. Pat has been a staple in the online business community for over a decade. But it's his short form Pokemon card series, that launched him to new heights. Today, we're breaking down exactly how he did it from the very beginning. In this episode, we talk about embracing your uniqu...
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#274: Podcast growth strategies (paid and organic) with Jeff Umbro of The Podglomerate

September 16, 2025 • 64 mins
This week, I'm speaking with my friend Jeff Umbro. Jeff is the founder and CEO of The Podglomerate, which helps you produce, market, and monetize your podcast. The Podglomerate's worked with some of the biggest podcast clients in the world, from creators like me to major brands like Netflix, NPR, PBS, HubSpot, Harvard, Substack, and more. Since its start in 2016, The Podglomerate has grown to represent more than 70 podcasts, accoun...
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#273: How to create a scrappy industry report that elevates your brand | Jeremy Enns

September 9, 2025 • 78 mins
Today I'm speaking with my friend Jeremy Enns, the founder of Podcast Marketing Academy, an accelerator program that works with scrappy, ambitious creators and brands who are serious about podcast growth. Jeremy and I have a lot in common. We both care a lot about craft design and helping people who are already doing the work. For the last three years, Jeremy has published the Podcast Marketing Trends Report. This is a substantia...
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#272: Live from CEX: Book sales, book updates, and planning for the future | Justin Moore

September 2, 2025 • 55 mins
Welcome back to another episode of Creator Science. I'm back home now, fresh off a trip to Cleveland for the fourth annual CEX, Content Entrepreneur Expo. While I was there, I caught up with my good friend Justin Moore. Justin is the founder of Creator Wizard, the author of Sponsor Magnet, and the creator of Sponsor Games. He is the sponsorship guy. In this conversation, you'll hear us discuss his book experience. He published ...
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#271: Coaching: Helping a Lab member design their product suite | Hot Seat with John McBride

August 26, 2025 • 54 mins
Welcome back to another episode of Creator Science. This week, I'm sharing with you a coaching conversation with John McBride. John is the co-founder of Fatherhood Unlocked, which offers digital products and group coaching programs to help high-performing dads level up as leaders, parents, and husbands. This is exactly my jam right now. John is a member of The Lab, and this call is what I refer to as a Hot Seat in The Lab. Hot se...
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#270: Being a creator and a parent | Jay-Talking with Jay Acunzo

August 19, 2025 • 60 mins
Welcome back to another episode of Creator Science. We have a different type of episode this week. I recently shared some stories on my social media about being a dad, and my good friend Jay Acunzo reached out and said we should do an episode talking about being parents and creators. I thought that was a great idea because, as I have spent the last year as a father, it's become so much more obvious to me that the voices in the spac...
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