Notes on building creator apps.
Essays on paywalls, retention, release QA, and running an app for an audience instead of just shipping one.
Build & Launch
Digital products vs. a subscription app: what to sell first
A one-time digital product and a subscription app solve different problems. Here's which one to build first, and what each actually costs to run.
·4 min read
Monetization
Brand sponsorships vs. subscriptions: which pays more a year from now
Sponsorship deals pay fast but rarely repeat. Subscriptions pay slower but compound. Here's what the data says about which one actually builds a business.
·5 min read
Monetization
Every way creators make money in 2026, ranked by effort and payout
Coaching, sponsorships, digital products, subscriptions, affiliate: here's what each monetization path actually pays, and what it costs a creator to run.
·5 min read
Monetization
Newsletter or app: which one actually converts readers into payers
Substack's median free-to-paid conversion rate is 3%, and Gmail inbox placement has dropped to 53.7% in 2026. Here's what that means for creators.
·6 min read
Community
Discord and Twitch built your community. Neither collects your subscription cleanly.
Twitch keeps up to half of every subscription by default and Discord has no billing at all. Here's the ceiling both platforms put on a creator's revenue.
·5 min read
Monetization
YouTube membership vs. your own subscription app
YouTube keeps 30% of every Channel Membership dollar with no small-creator discount. Here's how that compares to running your own subscription app.
·5 min read
Strategy
Why creators are hedging against the TikTok algorithm
TikTok reach fell 29% and views fell 31% in early 2026 even as posting volume grew 80%. Here's why smart creators build owned monetization alongside it.
·5 min read
Strategy
Do you need an email list if you already have Instagram?
Instagram posts now reach just 3.5% of followers on average, down from 10-15% in 2020. An email list is the cheapest insurance against that decline.
·5 min read
Strategy
Where should creators build their audience in 2026
65% of creators worry a platform ban would hurt their income, and 49% are already spreading their presence wider. Here's where to actually put that effort.
·5 min read
Monetization
You just hit 100,000 followers. Here's why your income didn't move
Instagram nano-influencers average 6.23% engagement versus 2.80% for accounts over 1.5M followers. Scale isn't what converts a following into income.
·5 min read