Dylan and I recently got back from Craft + Commerce in Boise, and honestly? It was incredible.
I flew out early for Jay Clouse’s offline lab event, and we both stayed for the main conference. What started as a trip to learn about growing our newsletter businesses turned into something way more valuable: real connections with creators who actually get what we’re going through.
The information was solid, but the real magic happened in the conversations between sessions, on hikes, and over dinners with people who understand the weird challenges of building an audience online.
Here are the 9 smartest pieces of advice we picked up that you can actually use in your newsletter business.
1. Introductions Are Make-or-Break Moments
Clay Hebert opened the conference with a keynote about introductions which was the session none of us realized we needed.
His main point: We absolutely suck at explaining what we do.
When someone asks “What do you do?” most of us launch into these verbose explanations that either confuse people or shut down the conversation entirely.
Clay’s framework was simple: “I help X with Y.”
But here’s the twist – your elevator pitch shouldn’t be a “story ender.” You want to leave room for some curiosity.
For example, when he referenced my work, he said, “I help creators grow in reverse.” That makes no sense to most people, but it opens the door for them to ask, “What does that mean?”
Compare that to “I write a newsletter about newsletter growth” – which is accurate but boring and leaves nowhere for the conversation to go.
This applies everywhere: your landing pages, your bio, your welcome emails. The goal isn’t to explain everything; it’s to make people want to know more.
2. In-Person Connection Is Insanely Powerful
This was the theme we kept coming back to all week. The actual sessions were great, but the real value happened in smaller groups.
I experienced this at Jay’s offline event, where they put people in random groups of six. Everyone got 18 minutes to share a major business challenge, and others would give feedback or ask questions.
Hearing from other people helped me more than them helping me with my problem. Just hearing one little reframe of an issue I’m dealing with made me realize it’s either not as big of a problem or there’s a simple fix I could implement tomorrow.
We had a similar experience in the pre-conference mastermind that Kit organized. Sitting around tables with people like Pat Flynn (who literally got me into this whole creator world back in 2013) and just being vulnerable about business struggles was incredibly valuable.
The lesson: Find ways to get into small groups with other creators.
Join communities, go to conferences, and organize your own meetups. AI can’t replace this kind of human connection and real-time feedback.
3. Quality Over Quantity (Especially With AI)
The word “authentic” was everywhere at this conference, mostly in response to AI making it possible to pump out 30x more content than ever before.
But everyone kept asking the same question: Just because you can, should you?
The answer from most successful creators was no. Jay Clouse talked about how he publishes something only when he has something genuinely valuable to say, not just to feed the algorithm.
Nathan Barry shared a story about how Steven Bartlett’s head of content looked at Nathan’s LinkedIn and said “You posted this 5 days ago? That’s not ‘just posted’ – what are you doing?” The top creators with huge content teams can publish daily, but most of us can’t match that quality at that frequency.
The focus should be on “insanely valuable content” – not “insanely frequent content.” Build your business around content that actually helps people achieve their goals, not content that just serves the algorithm.
4. Write From Your Current Position, Not Where You Think You Should Be
This came up in multiple talks, but really hit home when we interviewed ADHD Jesse afterwards. He talked about how he lost his authentic voice when he started trying to write like an “expert” instead of sharing his learning journey.
The key is writing with confidence from wherever you actually are. If you’re learning alongside your audience, lean into that perspective with confidence.
Even if you are an expert, you don’t have to write from that viewpoint. Share experiments or ways you’re using the things you’re talking about it real-time. People love that.
Jesse put it perfectly: “People felt really seen because they felt like I got them. I wasn’t trying to be the expert – I was just sharing my own journey of understanding my brain.”
Your readers want to connect with a real person, not a polished expert persona.
5. Turn Daily Life Into Business Lessons
Sam Vander Wielen absolutely nails this approach. She’s a lawyer who sells legal templates, but much of her content comes from everyday experiences that she turns into business lessons.
Instead of the cringey “My son was born yesterday, here’s what it taught me about B2B sales” approach, Sam tells full stories with real context.
She shared an example about a guy named Herman (that’s not his name, I just couldn’t remember his name when retelling this story) who sells sourdough at her local farmers market.
She’d always ask when he was opening his bakery, and he’d always say he needed to learn how to build walls, install outlets, get the refrigeration right, etc.
This was going on for years.
She told this story to let people know that you don’t have to do everything yourself and learn every piece of the puzzle before you start. You can lean on other people’s expertise and start sooner than you ever could have on your own.
And that was a natural lead-in to talking about her legal templates.
The difference between good and bad storytelling is whether you’re forcing a business lesson onto a random life event, or finding genuine connections between your experiences and what you teach.
6. Use Different “Lights” for Different Content Goals
Amanda Goetz had a brilliant analogy about creators being different types of lights:
- Lighthouse: Shining a broad light to attract people to you
- Flashlight: Shining a light on other people (like my deep dives)
- Porch Light: Creating a welcoming space for people to hang out
Understanding which type of content you’re creating helps you be more intentional. Sometimes you want to be the lighthouse drawing attention to your expertise.
Other times you want to be the flashlight highlighting others’ success. And sometimes you just want to create that porch light atmosphere where people feel welcome to engage.
Most successful creators use all three at different times, but knowing which one you’re using helps you craft the right message.
7. Host Your Own Events (Even Small Ones)
This was our biggest conference hack. I hosted a meetup with Tim Grahl from Story Grid, and it completely changed my conference experience.
As an introvert, it’s often easier to put something on and have people come to you rather than seeking out interactions. We spent a little money buying people’s first drinks, but the connections we made were incredible.
There were people there from all over the world, sharing stories, and just natural conversations that never would have happened otherwise.
You don’t have to buy drinks or spend money – just pick a spot, show up, and tell people where you’ll be. If you have any kind of audience and a relatable topic, people will come.
Tim and I are already planning next year’s meetup and thinking about coordinating outfits so people can easily find us. 🙂
8. Experiment, Measure, Iterate (Like Pat Flynn’s Pokemon Channel)
Pat Flynn’s keynote was basically a masterclass in lean learning (naturally, as that is what his new book is about).
He grew a Pokemon YouTube channel from zero to millions of subscribers using a simple formula: experimentation + results + iteration = growth.
The crazy part is that he knew almost nothing about Pokemon when he started. But he knew marketing and content creation, so he approached it systematically.
He’d try different video formats, analyze what worked, and iterate based on the data. When he noticed people dropping off whenever his face appeared on screen, he pulled himself out of the videos.
When his phrase “bad binder behavior” started trending in comments, he leaned into it and eventually got a sponsor.
The key is building the habit of actually analyzing results, and seeing what people are relating to, not just trying trying to learn everything before you get going.
Often, the insights just come from actually doing the thing, and most lessons will never be found in business books.
9. Masterminds and Small Groups Are Game-Changers
This kept coming up in different contexts all week. Whether it was Jay’s mastermind groups, Kit’s pre-conference session, or just informal conversations, the small group format was incredibly valuable.
There’s something about 5-6 people sharing real struggles and getting honest feedback that you just can’t replicate in larger settings or online.
We’re already thinking about incorporating this into Growth in Reverse Pro, and honestly, after experiencing it firsthand, I think every community should have some version of this.
The format is simple:
- 5-6 people maximum
- Everyone gets 15-18 minutes to share a real challenge
- Others share their experience, not advice
- No posturing, just honest vulnerability
It’s something AI definitely can’t replace, and the connections you make in these settings often turn into long-term relationships and business opportunities.
The Real Takeaway
Here’s what we keep coming back to a week later: the conference was valuable, but the relationships were invaluable.
In a world where AI can pump out endless content, the creators who win will be the ones who show up as real humans, build actual relationships, and create content that genuinely matters to their audience.
We’re already planning for next year, and if you’re thinking about going, I highly recommend it. Boise is ridiculously hard to get to, but it is beautiful.
And I almost wonder if the attendee quality is high because of the travel friction 🙂
No matter which event you go to, make sure to build in time for the unplanned conversations – that’s where the real magic happens.