Best and Worst INCOME STREAMS For Creators In 2026

In today's episode, Matt and Kolby break down Alex Hormozi's three big content bets, his CAA signing and reality-show push, and Jessi Jean's $297 "Yap on Camera Challenge" that reportedly made $1.2M in a single day — pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and what every media founder should take notes on.Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:25 The $1.2M Launch in 72 Minutes07:34 Why Cohorts Are a Superior Business Model11:54 Inside the Hybrid Cohort Format17:15 Public Homework as a Viral Engine17:57 Do You Even Need a Community?20:22 Don't Sleep on Instagram24:43 How Jessie Could Scale to $1M/Month32:44 Hormozi's Content Bets: Show, Don't Tell36:14 Bet #2: Netflix-Level Production ("Scale or Fail")41:00 Bet #3: Live and Interactive Content43:24 Replicating It Without a Big Budget46:30 Legacy Media: CAA, Netflix, and Radio50:07 Distribution Is King📌 Resources:Jessi Jean — Yap On Camera ChallengeAlex Hormozi — "Scale or Fail" Starter Story (acquired by HubSpot)Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

This episode is brought to you by Circle — the all-in-one platform to run your community, courses, and memberships in one place. Try it free 👉 https://circle.so/eclipse In today's episode Matt and Kolby break down Forbes' 2026 Top Creators list, the surprising revival of luxury print media, and Kit's biggest product launch ever—pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and what every media founder should take notes on. Timestamps:00:00 Forbes Top Creators 202601:14 The $1B Milestone & MrBeast's $300M02:10 Breaking Down the Top 1005:44 YouTube-to-Hollywood Crossover06:41 Mark Rober's Subscription Box Playbook09:42 Cody Sanchez & the Creator Capital Allocator11:42 Hot Takes: Who Forbes Missed14:36 Streamers & the Entrepreneurship Score Debate17:35 Is Print Back? The Mountain Gazette Story22:41 Why Print Is the Next Vinyl: Firecrown & Colossus28:05 Building Fandom With Physical Products30:38 New Media Summit 2027 in Austin31:25 Kit's Craft + Commerce Launch: SMS & Subscriber Signals37:29 Beehiiv's July Launch & the "Everything App" Trap43:02 Circle's Focused Launch & Wrap-UpResources:Forbes ListMountain GazetteFirecrown MediaColossusNew Media Summit

In this episode, Matt McGarry, Ryan Carr, and Kolby Hatch analyze the recent beehiiv summer release, discussing new features like community, podcast integrations, and ad networks, and sharing insights on how to effectively leverage these tools for business growth.

In today's episode Matt and Kolby break down historic media disruptions—from cable TV's ESPN and CNN to Joe Rogan's $250M Spotify deal—pulling out what's working, what's being left on the table, and who actually has a real thesis on AI today, from The Rundown's $10M+ newsletter to HubSpot's media buying spree.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro: AI Anxiety and Plateauing Founders03:59 The Framework: How Founders Should Respond to AI05:14 Is This an AI Bubble? Cable TV's ESPN and CNN Bet08:35 Web 1.0: Huffington Post's $315M Exit and Motley Fool's Billion-Dollar Run09:32 Viral Video Era: BuzzFeed's Rise, Barstool's $551M Sale12:23 Mobile Wave: Industry Dive's $525M Exit14:12 Axios's Smart Brevity and $525M Sale17:27 The Athletic's $500M Sale, Joe Rogan's $250M Deal, and Mr. Beast19:54 The Common Thread: Every Disruptor Needs a Thesis22:40 Who Has a Real AI Thesis Today?24:59 The Rundown AI's $10M+ Newsletter and Its PE Deal29:31 HubSpot's Strategy of Buying Up Media Companies34:55 Local News, AI-Generated Content, and 6AM City46:06 Breaking Points, Ground News, and the Rise of Trusted Filters53:03 Owning a New Category: Latent Space's AI Engineer Events59:13 Every's Bundled AI Tools and Software-Funded Media📌 Resources: The Rundown AIEveryGround NewsLatent SpaceEnjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

This episode is brought to you by Circle — the all-in-one platform to run your community, courses, and memberships in one place. Try it free 👉 https://circle.so/eclipseChandler Bolt (SelfPublishing.com) joins Matt to break down how one niche book generated $7M in 12 months, why "the riches are in the niches," how to turn tactics into ownable frameworks, and the value ladder that grew SelfPublishing.com past $80M.Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:25 Can a Niche Expert Really Write a Book?03:59 Why a Book Is the Ultimate Lever06:36 "I'm Not a Good Writer" — Write Like You Talk09:06 Is My Idea Too Niche? Strategies vs Tactics11:05 How "Published" Made $7M in 12 Months13:37 Turning Tactics Into Frameworks17:19 Does a Book Have To Be 250 Pages?19:55 Selling Books Without a Huge Audience24:13 Book Royalties Explained (20–70%)25:47 Amazon Discovery + Vertical SEO28:19 How To Use AI To Write a Book33:37 Will a Book Cannibalize My Course?38:09 One-to-One vs One-to-Many: Packaging Expertise42:12 Are Courses Dying? The Services Pivot48:03 Where To Find Chandler📌 Resources:SelfPublishing.comBook a call with the teamSign and Thrive by Bill Soroka🔗 Connect with Chandler Bolt:LinkedinWebsiteYouTube

Build a community product with nothing but a prompt, try Circle AI free 👉 https://circle.so/eclipseKolby and Matt rank 25 creator income streams and reveal the simple consulting-call-to-agency funnel that took Growletter to 7-figures.Timestamps:  02:28 Is Speaking Worth Your Time? 06:03 One-on-One Coaching's Underrated Upside 10:29 Sponsorships and Brand Deals 14:32 Programmatic Ads and MrBeast's $20M Month 20:00 Affiliate Marketing's Race to the Bottom 24:02 Digital Products in the Age of LLMs 29:02 Vibe Products: AI's New Frontier for Creators 34:50 Subscriptions vs. Memberships 44:34 Live Cohorts vs. Group Coaching 51:41 Why Courses Fell to F Tier 55:48 Done-for-You Services and the Funnel That Built Growletter 1:04:09 Licensing Deals: Feast or Famine 1:08:36 Masterminds and Peer Groups 1:13:53 Should You Write a Book? 1:20:41 Events and the Final Tier List📌 Resources: New Media Summit The Lab (Jay Clouse) StoryBrandEnjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.This episode is sponsored by Circle.

Daniel Bustamante (Velocity, Ship 30 for 30) joins Matt and Kolby to break down the email launch tactics that add 20% to every launch—the mid-launch bonus that kills the dead middle, the $99 product that made $25K in 48 hours, the post-launch downsell, and the feedback email that makes your next launch better.Timestamps:  00:55 Expiring Mid-Launch Bonuses (Kill the U-Shape) 03:18 What Bonus to Offer & Ideal Launch Length 07:36 The 48-Hour Flash Sale: $25K From a $99 Product 12:24 Hormozi's "Sold Out" Email & Waitlist Flywheel 16:24 Should You Cap Enrollment? 18:46 The Post-Launch Downsell (+15–20% Revenue) 22:15 Downsell Ideas & Checkout Upsells 24:12 When to Offer Payment Plans 28:44 The "Why Didn't You Buy?" Email 30:49 AI Hyper-Personalized Lead Magnets 35:39 Quiz Funnels Done Right 36:45 Why Cohort Courses Work (Ship 30 Lessons) 43:01 One Piece of Advice for Launching a Cohort 44:22 Where to Find Daniel📌 Resources: Kit (email platform) ScoreApp (quiz funnels) Ship 30 for 30🔗 Connect with Daniel: LinkedIn Website NewsletterEnjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

Daniel Berk (Moneywise Podcast by Hampton) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about why the local newsletter isn't the business—the audience is, how AI services are the untapped green space for local brick-and-mortars, why the viral Substack tweet got email wrong, and how an X DM with Sam Parr turned into a podcast hosting gig.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:00 Palmetto Parents: Three Local Newsletters 06:40 How Local Newsletters Actually Make Money 11:00 "Own The Town" — Arbitraging Your Audience 14:30 Axios, 6AM City & The Big-Metro Model 17:00 Local AI Services: The Untapped Greenspace 23:15 The Nonprofit (501c3) Newsletter Play 26:15 Is Email Dead? The Viral Substack Tweet 33:00 What "Owned Audience" Really Means 37:30 Moneywise & Two Dads In Tech 40:00 How A Twitter DM Became The Moneywise Gig 45:30 Command The Room Like A Nine-Figure Podcast📌 Resources: Palmetto Parents Moneywise by Hampton🔗 Connect with Daniel Berk: LinkedIn X / Twitter NewsletterEnjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

Justin Moore (Creator Wizard) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how Sponsor Games lost ~$10K in year two but still turned a profit, why 22% of his challenge attendees upgrade to VIP every single time, the great event food debate, and how to find your real ICP with a book funnel.Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:26 Sponsor Games Year Two: A $10K Loss and a Reality Show03:50 How the Mastermind Offer Made It Profitable04:15 Marketing a Novel Event With No Speakers05:56 Changing the Date and Venue for Year Three09:30 Should the Event Go on Tour?11:50 Pre-Selling 20% of Next Year's Tickets12:09 Ryan Deiss's 3 Types of Events16:15 The Halo Effect of Hosting an Event22:56 The Great Event Food Debate26:14 Do You Actually Need a VIP Tier?30:16 Inside the 10K Brand Deal Challenge36:09 The Partner Challenge That Flopped42:00 Book Funnels and Finding Your Real ICP50:07 The Case for Focus Over Shiny Objects51:42 Where to Find Justin📌 Resources:Sponsor GamesSponsor Magnet🔗 Connect with Justin:LinkedInNewsletter

Matt Paulson (MarketBeat) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about the SMS playbook that's now 25% of MarketBeat's revenue, why he pays Twilio $400K a month to make it work, and the case for treating digital media as a depreciating asset he'll shut down at 65 rather than sell. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:30 SMS Is The New Email 06:00 SMS Is Now 25% Of MarketBeat's Revenue ($1.5M+/Month) 10:00 Promoting Advertiser Offers Over Your Own 13:30 $100 Paid Webinars That Sell $2,500/Month Coaching 14:30 SMS Sunsetting, Short Codes, And Deliverability 17:00 Confirming Phone Numbers To Avoid TCPA Lawsuits 19:00 SMS Tech Stack And Twilio's $400K/Month Bills 23:00 Why Newsletters Are Still Worth It (Gmail's March 20 Change) 28:00 Multi-Channel: Spending $500K/Month On Meta Ads 33:00 The Co-Reg Wars: IMS vs AfterOffers 35:00 Every Tech Company Will Eventually Buy A Media Company 38:00 Why MarketBeat Won't Be Sold Or Acquired 41:00 Beehiiv, Substack, And ESP Feature Bloat 46:00 Marketers Matt Watches: Hormozi, Sanchez, Deiss 50:00 Where to Find Matt Paulson 📌 Resources:MarketBeatAfterOffersThe Email Copywriter (Chris Orzechowski) 🔗 Connect with Matt Paulson: LinkedInTwitter/XLeave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email [email protected] or [email protected] with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.