The Business of Creators
The Business of Creators podcast is for content creators and professionals in the creator economy. Each week we speak to the businesses supporting the creator economy with new tools and effective means of monetisation. Subscribe to the show to learn more about the people powering this amazing new industry. The origin of the show is actually a network I set up in 2017 called The Business of Influencers, back when everyone was talking about influencers and not creators. I built the network to bring people together and it grew to more than 500 people as the creator economy boomed. But I've never liked the word influencer.Having spent more than 20 years in the media industry, I am deeply passionate about supporting creative talent. Today I am the co-founder of a business called Electrify Video Partners which invests in creators. And I created this show to raise awareness of this great industry.
The Business of Creators
Inside HubSpot’s Media Machine with VP of Media & Content Jonathan Hunt
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HubSpot has built a media company inside its software business — powered by creators, YouTube, newsletters and AI, and reaching 50 million people every month.
In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd speaks with Jonathan Hunt from HubSpot Media about the strategy behind that growth, how HubSpot evaluates creator businesses for acquisition, and why video, diversification and AI are becoming increasingly important for creators.
Topics Discussed:
- How HubSpot built a media network spanning 17 YouTube channels, newsletters, podcasts and websites
- The strategy behind acquisitions including The Hustle, Starter Story, Mindstream and Futurepedia
- What HubSpot looks for when evaluating creators and media businesses
- Why HubSpot is investing heavily in video and YouTube
- How AI is being used to scale content production and distribution
Key Takeaways:
- How HubSpot decides whether to build a media brand from scratch or acquire an established creator business
- What makes a creator business attractive to a potential acquirer, from audience scale and ROI to diversification and trust
- Why relying on a single platform can create significant risk for creators — and how to build a more resilient business
- How one long-form video can be turned into content across YouTube, social, newsletters, audio and other platforms
- How HubSpot uses AI to research ideas, test titles, repurpose content and identify potential creator partnerships while keeping human creativity and taste at the centre
Listen to learn actionable strategies to grow your creator business — and don't forget to subscribe to the channel for more insights on the business of creators!
Timestamps
- 0:00 — Introduction: HubSpot Media and Jonathan Hunt
- 1:07 — What HubSpot Media is and how it reaches audiences
- 2:15 — Why HubSpot began investing in owned media brands
- 3:24 — Jonathan’s background at Vox, National Geographic, and Complex
- 6:12 — The build-versus-buy approach to media acquisitions
- 7:28 — HubSpot’s AI media acquisitions and strategy
- 8:35 — How HubSpot evaluates creator businesses
- 10:52 — Working with creators after an acquisition without changing their voice
- 13:48 — Creator-business valuations and the TBPN acquisition
- 14:59 — Why video is HubSpot’s priority format
- 17:25 — How HubSpot’s creator program works
- 20:13 — How the team uses AI in content production
- 22:43 — The size and structure of HubSpot Media
- 24:06 — What’s next for HubSpot Media
- 25:13 — Advice for creators: diversify across platforms