The concept of being an online “creator” has exploded in popularity over the last decade. Spurred by platforms like YouTube and Substack, millions of people now aspire to build audiences around their content and make it a business. However, sustainably monetizing content and turning casual hobbyists into full-time creators is easier said than done.I know better than anyone…In an attempt to consolidate the creator toolset, Automattic recently launched a packaged offering called Jetpack Creator. For $119.40 the first year, it bundles relevant parts of Jetpack into an all-in-one product targeting creators. To learn more, I spoke with one of the leads behind Jetpack Creator – Mike Stott.His startup produced a simple CRM plugin for small businesses called Zero BS CRM which was eventually acquired by Automattic. After being folded into Jetpack’s offerings, Mike now oversees product direction for various components like Jetpack CRM and the new Creator package.We had an insightful discussion on the goals, competition, and differentiation of Jetpack Creator compared to other options creators have available. We also debated the level of effort required for creators to successfully monetize content through WordPress, even with streamlined offerings available on the market.Key Takeaways:Jetpack Creator bundles existing Jetpack features at a discounted price, focusing on blocks, patterns, and creator networkingThe CRM feature in Jetpack emerged from Mike’s previous startup, with a goal of simple functionality for small businessesCreators need consistent content output to build an audience; Jetpack aims to streamline publishing but won’t replace that effortMonetization through WordAds, Stripe payments, and other tools can come later as traffic and subscriptions growThere is still fragmentation across WordPress products for creators; opportunities exist for more tailored user experiences3 Reasons to Listen:Learn how Jetpack Creator aims to compete with platforms like Substack and Ghost for creatorsUnderstand Mike’s vision for unifying WordPress creator solutionsGet insight into the origin story of Jetpack CRM coming from Mike’s startupChapters:0:01 Intro0:35 Mike’s background with Zero BS CRM1:52 Bundling existing features in Jetpack Creator3:29 Competing with other creator platforms5:16 Making money from creator content in WordPress7:21 The challenge of consistent content creation9:14 Unifying WordPress products for creators11:34 Who is the Jetpack Creator customer?13:52 Impact on the WordPress ecosystem16:31 Tools for repurposing and amplifying content19:14 Unlocking WordPress.com features for self-hosted sites21:29 Defining what a “creator” is25:54 The difficulty of creator sustainability27:49 Ad revenue challenges on platforms like YouTube30:25 Approaching content creation as a business32:16 Additional ways to share and monetize content34:09 Cryptocurrency payment options36:06 Wrapping up

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