Creator Playbooks

Get a FREE breakdown of the 11 DOAC growth rules in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4i5BHPxStart or grow your own Podcast with me: https://bit.ly/4jwOSdeAnthony Smith was the Director of Trailers at The Diary Of A CEO, the editor behind the trailers that turn every episode into an event.In this clip, he breaks down the formula behind every DOAC trailer, from finding the perfect hook to the narrative structures he uses to get you to watch a two hour podcast.This is a trailer editing masterclass.We get into:The four ingredients behind every DOAC trailerWhy a trailer that is all cliffhanger just annoys peopleHow one shout from the Ramit Sethi episode became the hookWhy Simon Cowell getting emotional makes the perfect openingThe "defence lawyer" narrative structureHow long it really takes to make a DOAC trailerFollow Anthony:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyr.smithProduced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#applyFollow Callum:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnellTimestamps:00:00 The four ingredients of every DOAC trailer01:49 What makes an amazing hook05:38 Problem, cost, solution06:30 Editing music, sound and B-roll separately08:11 How long a DOAC trailer really takes

This time I'm in the guest seat. ATOMIC had me on their show Don't Work Harder to break down how I built 7xContent to 7 figures in just over 4 years, bootstrapped, with a team of 16.When I started, I had no track record, no portfolio and no testimonials. In this episode, I share exactly how I built credibility before I had any, and the client acquisition strategies that changed the trajectory of the business.We get into: - How I landed my very first clients with zero reputation- Why cold outreach failed me, and what I did instead to get high-profile clients to reply- How one successful client turned into referrals, bigger deals and long-term retainers- How my own podcast guests became paying clients- The painful hiring lesson Steven Bartlett taught me- The reel that landed Red Bull, and the formula I use for brand content- Why saying NO more than YES was my biggest unlock on the way to 7 figures00:00 From Startup to Seven Figures05:16 Meet Callum, Founder of 7x06:44 Building an Agency That Scales09:55 The Skills Every Founder Needs13:48 Landing Your First Big Clients17:04 The Mindset That Changed Everything20:11 Why Most Agencies Stay Small24:22 Learning From the Best in the World27:22 How to Measure Real Client Success29:29 Choosing the Right Clients33:15 The Power of Saying No34:17 Building a Brand That Attracts Opportunities37:33 The Reel That Landed Red Bull39:35 Why Visibility Creates Leverage41:34 What Not to Share Online43:02 Stepping Out of Delivery44:04 Building a Business Without You45:25 The Podcast Strategy That Opened Every Door47:35 Finding Time to Think48:48 How to Build a Great Podcast50:35 The ATOMIC Clock: Business Advice51:52 Books Every Founder Should Read53:10 Host TakeawaysOriginally recorded on Don't Work Harder by ATOMIC.Make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#applyFollow Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell/

Get a FREE breakdown of Ben's 9 podcast growth principles in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4rBd4NIStart or grow your own Podcast with Callum: https://bit.ly/4hA1wpiBen Hancock was one of the first hires at Modern Wisdom, where he spent four and a half years working alongside Chris Williamson and ran content as the show grew to over 4 million YouTube subscribers.In this clip, he breaks down Modern Wisdom's short form strategy, from why they waited until around 1 million subscribers to take it seriously, to the faceless clip accounts that pushed their content out to millions more people.This is a short form masterclass.We get into:- Why Modern Wisdom held off on short form for so long- How 150 faceless clip accounts became a secret distribution channel- The exact posting schedule across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X- Why short form was never a conversion piece for ChrisFollow Ben:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingaryhancockInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/benhancock98YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@forallthesaintspodProduced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#applyFollow Callum:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnellTimestamps:00:00 The 150 faceless accounts strategy01:40 Waiting until 1 million subscribers02:18 Why short form cannot save a weak podcast03:01 How much content should a top podcast post?03:55 The posting schedule across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X05:18 Why short form was never a conversion piece

Get a FREE breakdown of the 11 DOAC growth rules in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4z4uoNwStart or grow your own Podcast with me: https://bit.ly/4zbvKq5The Diary Of A CEO just hit 20 million YouTube subscribers and is a top 10 podcast globally. I’ve followed its journey and got to know the team behind it since the show had just 10,000 subscribers.In this episode, I break down the 11 rules Steven Bartlett’s team shared with me, with insights from Grace Andrews (former Marketing Director), Anthony Smith (the editor behind the trailers) and Tom Lewis (Steven’s paid media partner).This is a podcast growth masterclass.We get into:• The 10-second change that had a 300% impact on subscribers• Why DOAC tests up to 100 thumbnails before every episode• The clips experiment that backfired when they doubled output• Why their short form isn’t built to push people to the full episode• The four-part formula behind every DOAC trailerProduced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#applyFollow Callum:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnellTimestamps:00:00 Introduction01:13 Rule 1: Have a really clear mission03:38 Rule 2: Don’t copy other podcasts06:10 Rule 3: The 10-second change behind 3x more subscribers09:47 Rule 4: Make learning someone’s job10:02 The clips experiment that backfired12:21 Rule 5: Testing 100 thumbnails before every episode14:32 Testing packaging on Meta ads before release16:46 The golden rule of running experiments17:32 Rule 6: The short form strategy19:58 The biggest mistake short form editors make22:47 Rule 7: The guest strategy24:19 Rule 8: Win the first hour after publishing27:47 Rule 9: Stop judging episodes on views29:59 Rule 10: The secrets behind DOAC trailers32:29 Rule 11: The podcast is not the product

Get a FREE breakdown of Ben's 9 podcast growth principles in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4rBd4NIStart or grow your own Podcast with me: https://bit.ly/4hA1wpiBen Hancock was one of the first hires at Modern Wisdom, where he spent four and a half years working alongside Chris Williamson as the show grew from 150,000 to 4.3 million YouTube subscribers.In this clip, he breaks down the YouTube strategy behind Modern Wisdom, including the mid-length clips that even people at YouTube hadn't seen before.This is a YouTube growth masterclass.We get into: • Why going from two to three episodes a week was massive• How mid-length clips released before each episode built anticipation• How Chris plans scroll-stopping moments into his interviews• The MrBeast reinvestment principle Chris brought to podcasting• Why Modern Wisdom keeps everything on one channel Follow Ben: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingaryhancock Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benhancock98 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@forallthesaintspod Produced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#applyFollow Callum:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Timestamps: 00:00 The inflection points on Spotify and YouTube01:06 The mid-length clips YouTube hadn't seen before02:46 Planning scroll-stopping moments04:05 MrBeast's reinvestment principle06:28 The news doc Chris reads before big episodes07:52 More shots on goal from every episode09:39 One channel vs a separate clips channel11:06 Why mid-length clips reach a new audience