Creator Science with Jay Clouse
Science & Ideas
About
The best creators experiment. Creator Science goes inside the strategies, systems, and decisions behind the world's most successful creator businesses. Practical, specific, and grounded in what's actually working today—not what used to. Each episode features candid conversations with creators like James Clear, Ali Abdaal, Tim Urban, and Codie Sanchez. We explore the experiments they're running, the data they're tracking, and the frameworks they use to grow their audience, build trust, and increase income. Jay Clouse is the founder of Creator Science, a multi-million dollar creator business, and was named Content Entrepreneur of the Year by The Tilt in 2023. 300+ episodes. Ne...
Episodes
- #304: Sam Vander Wielen’s Beautifully Elegant Business: $8M+ From One Product. No Pivots. No New Offers. No Down Years.
Sam Vander Wielen, an attorney turned entrepreneur, built a legal template shop that has generated over $8 million in revenue. Her flagship product, the Ultimate Bundle, is a package of fill-in-the-blank contracts and video trainings. She…
- #303: Riley Brown — The AI Content Creator Who Doesn’t Write With AI
Riley Brown, co-founder of a startup and content creator, shares his strategies for content creation, audience building, and business growth. He explains his methods for creating viral content, managing a content operation, and leveraging…
- #302: Coaching Session: Overcoming My Delegation Problems with Michael Bungay Stanier
In this episode, Jay Clouse receives a live coaching session from Michael Bungay Stanier, author of "The Coaching Habit," focused on addressing Jay's delegation problems. The session explores the Immunity to Change framework to uncover und…
- #301: How To Stop Limiting Yourself (Backed By Science) with Nir Eyal
Nir Eyal, author of "Hooked" and "Indistractable," discusses his research into why people struggle to act on what they know. He introduces the Motivation Triangle and explains the difference between limiting and liberating beliefs. Eyal al…
- #300: I Spent Three Days With A Dozen New York Times Bestselling Authors
Jay Clouse recounts his experience at an authors mastermind in Franklin, Tennessee, attended by a dozen New York Times bestselling authors. He shares tactical takeaways, memorable quotes, insights on event structure, and reflections on aut…
- #299: What Nobody Tells You About Publishing a Book—with Award-Winning Podcaster Eric Zimmer
Eric Zimmer, host of The One You Feed podcast, discusses his experiences publishing his first book, "How a Little Becomes a Lot." He shares insights on the writing and proposal process, the realities of promotion, and the evolution of podc…
- #298: 9 Things I'm Doing Differently in My Business
This episode of Creator Science with Jay Clouse discusses nine priorities for the Creator Science business. Topics include the 1,000 True Fans model, educational content, building AI tools, and updating member onboarding.
- #297: Joy Sullivan — How She Built A Living As A Writer On Instagram and Substack
Joy Sullivan, a poet and writer, built a creative business through her work on Instagram, Substack, and a writing community. She shares insights into her unique approach, including how she grew her Instagram predominantly through writing a…
- #296: Meet The Man Who Solved YouTube (With Data)—Richard from 1of10
Richard from 1of10 shares his four-phase YouTube ideation system, which includes audience identification, outlier research, idea remixing, and validation. He provides data-backed insights on optimizing YouTube content.
- #295: Community Building Trends for 2026 with Becky Pierson Davidson
Becky Pierson Davidson and Jay Clouse discuss community building trends for 2026. The conversation covers the shift from course-based businesses to membership models and the increasing importance of community for member retention.
- #294: Rob Walling — SaaS godfather turned creator talks team building and vibe coding
In this episode, Rob Walling, founder of multiple companies, discusses his business operations, team building, and his evolving role as a content creator. He also offers insights into the concept of "vibe coding" for SaaS products.
- #236: Mike Michalowicz – How the author of Profit First stays lean by licensing his ideas [Greatest Hits]
This episode features Mike Michalowicz, author of "Profit First" and "Clockwork." He discusses his unique model of licensing his book frameworks and his process for writing multiple books quickly.
- #293: 12 Ways To Stand Out In 2026
This episode explores 12 opportunities for creators in 2026. Topics include the resurgence of long-form writing, the importance of online community, and the value of live learning experiences.
- #292: Chenell Basilio — The state of email in 2026, growing your list without social media, and new predictions.
Jay Clouse and Chenell Basilio discuss the future of email marketing, including predictions for 2026, strategies for growing an email list without social media, and current effective email practices.
- #291: 48 Hours With Clawdbot: How I’m Using It and Initial Reactions
Jay Clouse recounts his initial 48-hour experience with Clawdbot, an AI tool renamed Moltbot. He shares details on its setup, integrations, and how it assists with research, automation, and content creation.
- #290: Behind The Scenes: My End of Year Retro
Jay Clouse shares his end-of-year retrospective process, which involves looking back at past performance to learn and plan for the future. He discusses good things that happened, performance against goals, current concerns, changes for the…
- #289: Paul Millerd — The Truth About Traditional Publishing (And The Deal He Would’ve Taken)
Paul Millerd, author of The Pathless Path, discusses his decision to self-publish and decline an offer from Penguin. He also shares insights into traditional publishing and when it might be a viable option.
- #288: He gained 190K Instagram followers in 508 days…but wouldn’t do it again | Yoni Smolyar
Yoni Smolyar shares his journey of gaining 190,000 Instagram followers in 508 days and the lessons learned from this intensive period of content creation. He discusses his strategies, the launch of his app Brainrot, and his reasons for not…
- #287: Reflecting on a year of parenting (and how that’s impacted me as a creator)
In this episode, Jay Clouse and Josh Hall discuss the challenges and insights gained from balancing parenting and a creative career. They reflect on how fatherhood has influenced Jay's work as a creator and business owner.
- #286: How To LEGALLY Pay Less In Taxes (And Invest It Instead) — Ankur Nagpal
Ankur Nagpal discusses how he learned about tax codes and built a company called Carry to help others legally keep more of what they earn and invest it. The episode covers Solo 401(k)s, S-Corp tax benefits, and tax loss harvesting strategi…
- #285: Personal branding, building trust, and why most creators fail | Influence Anyone
Jay Clouse and Howie Chan discuss personal branding and building trust. They cover what it means to build a trust-first creator business and offer insights for creators starting out in the current landscape.
- #284: I helped a YouTuber design his membership
This episode features a coaching call between Jay Clouse and YouTuber Tommy, who sought help in designing product offers for his audience. They discuss strategies for structuring Tommy's membership, cohort-based courses, and retreats.
- #283: I’m launching my new offer TODAY!
Jay Clouse is launching a new program called Signature Product Bootcamp. It is a four-week live course designed to help participants develop their signature product. Registration for the program closes on December 1, 2025.
- #282: David Altizer — How to Make Great Thumbnails (For Non-Designers)
This episode features David Altizer, co-creator of Thumbnail Academy, who discusses how to create effective thumbnails. He covers topics including composition, text strategy, and how to get more clicks.
- #281: A question about the future of this podcast... [Voice Memo]
This episode of Creator Science with Jay Clouse discusses the future of the podcast. The host encourages listeners to leave comments or reviews.
- #263: How To Succeed on YouTube Today feat. Colin & Samir [Greatest Hits]
This episode features an interview with Colin and Samir, who discuss how to build a successful and lasting YouTube channel. Topics include brand development, financial success, and future monetization strategies for creators.
- #280: How to LEGALLY Protect Your Channel (YouTube Lawyer Tyler Chou Explains)
Entertainment attorney Tyler Chou joins Jay Clouse on Creator Science to discuss legal strategies for protecting YouTube channels. The conversation covers topics such as navigating copyright strikes, understanding fair use, and securing ch…
- #279: How we navigate our different internal characters (and her experience as a first time author) | Amanda Goetz
Amanda Goetz joins Jay Clouse to discuss navigating different internal characters and her experience as a first-time author. She also shares her perspective on ambition and family life, which is featured in her new book, 'Toxic Grit.'
- #278: How I’m Approaching The Rest of 2025 (Behind The Scenes)
Jay Clouse discusses his business approach for the rest of 2025, including a quarterly review. He shares insights into his business performance and future direction for The Lab and his book.
- #277: The best and worst income streams for creators (ranked)
This episode of Creator Science with Jay Clouse discusses and ranks 15 different income streams for creators, from best to worst, based on potential and effort required. It aims to help creators identify suitable revenue streams for their…
- #276: From self-publishing to traditional and becoming a NYT best-seller | Pat Flynn (Part 2)
This episode features Pat Flynn on Creator Science with Jay Clouse. He discusses his experiences with traditional publishing and his New York Times bestselling book, "Lean Learning."
- #275: From ignoring short-form video to 3.5 billion views | Pat Flynn’s Pokémon juggernaut (Part 1)
Pat Flynn, also known as Deep Pocket Monster, shares his journey to achieving 3.5 billion views with short-form Pokémon videos. He discusses embracing uniqueness, finding inspiration, and strategies for short and long-form content.
- #274: Podcast growth strategies (paid and organic) with Jeff Umbro of The Podglomerate
Jeff Umbro, CEO of The Podglomerate, a company that helps produce, market, and monetize podcasts, shares his insights and experience in podcast growth strategies. The discussion covers both organic and paid growth methods for podcasts as w…
- #273: How to create a scrappy industry report that elevates your brand | Jeremy Enns
Jeremy Enns, founder of Podcast Marketing Academy, discusses how he creates his annual Podcast Marketing Trends Report. He explains the steps involved in producing this independent research and its impact on his business.
- #272: Live from CEX: Book sales, book updates, and planning for the future | Justin Moore
Jay Clouse and Justin Moore discuss book sales, updates on Moore's book "Sponsor Magnet", and future planning for books. This conversation covers topics including book reviews, publishing industry nuances, marketing strategies, and the imp…
- #271: Coaching: Helping a Lab member design their product suite | Hot Seat with John McBride
In this episode of Creator Science, Jay Clouse coaches John McBride, co-founder of Fatherhood Unlocked, on designing his product suite. The conversation focuses on prioritizing options and strategizing the path forward for Fatherhood Unloc…
- #270: Being a creator and a parent | Jay-Talking with Jay Acunzo
Jay Clouse and Jay Acunzo discuss the unique challenges faced by content creators who are also parents. They share insights on balancing creative work with parental responsibilities and time constraints.
- #269: Moments I wanted to quit, AI-proofing, what’s changed on social, and whether I’d ever sell the business [Ask CS Pt. 2]
This episode is the second part of a Q&A series for Creator Science, addressing listener questions from LinkedIn. Topics include business challenges, AI-proofing strategies, social media changes, and considerations for selling a business.
- #268: Meet the Appliance Repairman Making $1.8 Million on YouTube Shop | Benjamin Schlichter
Benjamin Schlichter, an appliance repairman, discusses his success on YouTube Shop, earning $1.8 million. He shares strategies for selling products through videos and advice on when to develop your own products.
- #267: When to use low-ticket offers, refund policies, how much I earned in the last 12 months, and my 5-year vision [Ask CS Pt. 1]
This episode of Creator Science answers listener questions on topics including low-ticket offers, refund policies, content strategy, business strategy, and personal questions. The host discusses various aspects of running a creator busines…
- #266: The key to more sales and referrals + a personal win [Weekend Update]
This episode focuses on the key to more sales and referrals. It also includes a personal win update from the host.
- #265: How I Built A Community-Driven Business ($500K/yr) | Niche Pursuits Crossover
This episode of Creator Science discusses building a community-driven business. Jay Clouse details how his 200-member community became a $400,000+ business property.
- #264: The paradox of book writing AND other things I'm working on [Weekend Update]
In this episode, Jay Clouse explores the paradox of writing a book and shares updates on his current work. He also mentions other projects he is developing.
- #263: Colin & Samir on the future of their channel and the creator economy
This episode features an interview with YouTube duo Colin and Samir, discussing the future of their channel and the creator economy. They cover topics such as building a strong brand, achieving financial success, and monetization within th…
- #262: I was falling into this negative loop – watch out! [Voice Memo]
In this voice memo, Jay Clouse discusses experiencing a negative loop. This episode is part of the Creator Science podcast.
- #261: Before you do that new thing [Voice Memo]
This episode of Creator Science with Jay Clouse discusses the considerations before starting a new endeavor. It is presented in a voice memo format.
- #236: Mike Michalowicz – How the author of Profit First stays lean by licensing his ideas [Greatest Hits]
Mike Michalowicz, author of Profit First, shares his unique model for licensing frameworks from his books and his process for writing multiple books. The discussion covers how he writes books quickly and determines which ideas to develop i…
- #260: Detailed Breakdown: Our First Offline Event (And What We’ll Do Differently Next Time)
This episode of Creator Science with Jay Clouse details the planning and execution of the first in-person event, Lab Offline. Jay Clouse discusses the event's logistics, financial aspects, and key takeaways for future gatherings.
- #259: My numbers from May 2025 [From The Lab]
In this episode, Jay Clouse reviews his business performance for May 2025, sharing revenue numbers, growth strategies, and reflections on team building and business structure. He discusses key metrics, goals, and challenges, offering insig…
- #258: Q&A: Goals for our YouTube videos, determining when a new offer is a distraction, validating a product idea, and more
In this episode, Jay Clouse and a panel of creators from The Lab discuss various aspects of growing a creator business. Topics include setting goals for YouTube videos, evaluating new offers, validating product ideas, and strategies for mo…