Welcome To The Newsletter We Almost Couldn't Launch

Thank goodness you’re here.

My biggest fear after death is sending an email that nobody will read, what could be more discouraging? Death, obviously. But it’s pretty close.

You probably signed up for this newsletter a while ago, and we kept you waiting. Not because we never got round to it, or couldn’t pin down exactly what we wanted to do… no, no. We kept you waiting to build anticipation. It’s marketing genius. 4d chess. Every week you probably looked at your inbox and said… “Wow, still no newsletter from those guys at Creator Toolbox, eh? They really must be cooking something”.

You likely found our blog, or listened to our podcast, and thought… aye — these guys, they know… things. Something, anyway.

So I have good news for you dear reader. This is very first edition of Creator Craft Weekly! It is finally here, dripping in fanfare! Rejoice!

I'm Jacob, I don’t actually talk like that, and if you've been following our podcast, you'll know we just went through a name change from Creator Toolbox to Creator Craft. More on that embarrassing story in a moment...

This newsletter is where Colin and I are going to share the practical tools, tactics, and strategies that are working for serious creator businesses right now. In particular, our creator business! Or, Colin’s creator business… But I help! And he pays me. It’s a good deal.

We’re going to avoid fluff, we’re not that interested in "creator economy" hot takes, just actionable stuff you can use right now.

Let's goOoOo!

💡 Steal This Tactic: How to spot & leverage emerging trends before everyone else with “micro-newsjacking”

A few weeks ago, we published an article about "vibe coding" that went semi-viral, netting 17,000 readers and 200+ backlinks. The success came from spotting an emerging trend at precisely the right moment and executing quickly.

Here's how you can apply this "micro-newsjacking" approach yourself:

1. Look for the data mismatch

When I first checked our SEO tools, "vibe coding" showed zero search volume – typically a deal-breaker. But Google Trends showed steadily growing interest. That gap between SEO tools (which update periodically) and real-time buzz is your opportunity window.

2. Find your unique angle

I didn't just explain vibe coding; I connected it specifically to content creators. Generic coverage gets ignored, but a fresh perspective on an emerging trend stands out. Ask: "What can I add that no one else is saying?"

3. Know where the conversation is happening

I submitted the article to Hacker News, where tech topics often gain initial traction. It shot to #1, driving massive initial traffic. Every niche has its watering holes – identify yours.

4. Don't fear controversy

The comments on Hacker News were brutal! The upvote-to-comment ratio was terrible because tech people got mad about the concept. But that controversy actually drove more engagement and distribution. Sometimes a little friction is exactly what content needs.

5. Move quickly, but not sloppily

I spent a full day on the article rather than my usual half-day. Speed matters with trends, but quality can't be sacrificed – that's what makes your content share-worthy.

👉 Want the full step-by-step guide including how we promoted it? Read the complete article here.

❓ Creator Question: "How do you manage ideas without getting overwhelmed? I seem to have too many, all the time, and none of them get my attention!"

Here's Colin with the answer:

“I completely overhauled my task management system recently, because I was really struggling with managing and logging content ideas. What was happening is that whenever an idea came up, I'd put it directly into Asana with a date attached. It felt organized at the time. With a date on it, I'd always have to review it at some point. But it really just resulted in a completely choc-a-bloc calendar, constantly filling up, and no real organisation or prioritisation to it.

The solution was to separate everything into three distinct spaces:

1. My inbox: This is where every new idea goes first, no exceptions. No dates needed. But, I wont forget about them because I review the inbox once a week.

2. My backlog: Things that are good, but lower priority, move here. These are validated ideas that I do plan to work on eventually, just not right now. I review the backlog monthly during cycle planning to see if anything should move up to active. Maybe it's become more timely, or it ties into something else we're working on.

3. My scheduled calendar: Only contains 1-2 realistic tasks per day. Nothing appears here unless it's been processed through the inbox first.

The absolute key to making this work is a couple of strict rules. First, Monday-planning-me is the boss. I take an hour or two then to set my priorities. The most important impactful things I should do this week to make progress. That's my plan, and I have to stick to it.

Which leads to the second rule: if I have an idea or something new comes up, it should NEVER be scheduled straight away. It always goes to the inbox first. Otherwise, I'm just completely contradicting Monday-me. I'm disobeying the boss! Instead, get the planned week out of the way, then I can review that inbox on Monday, as the boss, and schedule the new idea then, if it's still hot.

The reason this works is that it separates me into two modes: planning and execution, and I think this is so valuable. Because execution-me thinks great ideas should be done right away - it's a great idea after all!

And execution-me will do anything to avoid that existing set of tasks, even though I set it for myself on Monday. Because the most important tasks are often the meatiest, the hardest, the "Frogs", if you've read "Eat that frog". And having to work a list of Frogs is just... haaaard. I know it's the right thing to do, though - I calmy, deliberately figured that out on Monday. So, I stick that idea in the inbox, revisit it on Monday, and get on with what Boss-me wisely decided I should do on Monday.”

🎥 Tool Review: Battle of the gimbals - should you buy the DJI Osmo Mobile 7, or 7p?

First, what the heck is a gimbal anyway? It's essentially a stabilizer for your camera (or phone) that uses motors to keep everything smooth and steady while you move around. Remember those shaky walkthrough videos that make you feel seasick? A gimbal solves that problem.

Colin learned this the hard way when he filmed some early walkthrough videos for our YouTube channel. He thought steady hands would be enough, but when he watched the footage back, it looked like Scotland had started experiencing earthquakes! Every tiny movement was amplified, and our viewers were more likely to feel motion sickness than learn anything.

Colin's been testing both the DJI Osmo Mobile 7 (£85/$89) and the 7P (£135/$149) to figure out which one is worth your money. Here's what he discovered:

The big difference: The 7P comes with a "multifunction module" that includes a mic receiver, person tracker, and a light. Sounds great in theory, but...

The mistake Colin made: He bought the 7P thinking the mic receiver would work separately from the gimbal. It doesn't! The receiver only works when mounted to the gimbal, so you can't use it for other recording scenarios without the whole setup.

For most creators: Save your money and get the basic Osmo Mobile 7 at £85/$89. In fact, that's the one Colin recommends. The only reason to get the 7P is if you specifically need to record in native apps (like YouTube Shorts or TikTok) with tracking. Otherwise, the DJI Mimo app that comes with the basic model has tracking built in anyway.

👉 For the full comparison of the DJI models, including how I'm using them for gear demos and quick social media content, check out the detailed review.

Until next week,

Jacob

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