Do This to Be Interesting Online

November 16, 2023

AI Summary

5 min read

The best way to be interesting online is to be going on a quest that will change you. Nathan Barry, founder of ConvertKit, argues that the most compelling content comes not from clever tactics or viral formulas, but from a genuine transformation that the creator is undergoing in real time. He points to his own origin story: the first post that eventually became ConvertKit was a public flag-planting. He declared he would build a SaaS company to $5,000 a month in recurring revenue within six months using only $5,000 of his own money. He called it the "web app challenge." He missed every goal—it took far longer than six months—but people showed up because the journey itself was worth following.

The quest framework: transformation over tactics

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What you'll learn

1 (00:06) **The Core Thesis: Be on a Quest That Changes You** - Nathan Barry introduces the central idea: the best way to be interesting online is to be on a transformative journey and invite people along.
2 (01:23) **The Creator Capitalist Model (Sieva Kacinski)** - Nathan highlights Sieva Kacinski (Enduring Ventures) as a non-obvious example of audience building.
3 (04:27) **The "Interesting Offline" Filter** - Nathan introduces a key filter: if AI could have written your content, it's not worth publishing.
4 (06:57) **The Fiction Editor's Test for a Good Story** - Nathan shares a story from a book editor about how to judge if a story is worth reading.
5 (09:32) **The "Web App Challenge" Case Study** - Nathan's own journey of live-blogging his quest to build ConvertKit.
6 (11:50) **The Small Difference: Adding a Quest to a Mundane Life** - How to apply the quest framework to a normal job.
7 (13:35) **The Two Levers: Compelling Journey vs. Compelling Storytelling** - Nathan breaks down the two variables for audience building.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Greg interviews Nathan Barry, founder of ConvertKit, which makes email, automation, and monetization tools for creators.

They talk about how to be interesting online, and different ways to monetize online content.

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LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:
Production Team:
https://PodFlow.com
Nathan Bary
https://twitter.com/nathanbarry
https://ConvertKit.com
http://nathanbarry.com

SHOW NOTES:
00:45 How to be interesting online

02:30 Combining education and entertainment

04:00 Storytelling for mundane stories

06:00 Improving comedy/storytelling skills

15:00 Video content spreads well

17:15 Studying comedy

19:30 Blending journeys and storytelling

21:45 Hiring out comedians

24:15 Learning monetization skills

27:00 Considering scalable business models

29:15 Running companies long-term

31:15 Building "skyscraper" products

34:00 Blending agencies and software