Read Time: 1 Minutes 25 Seconds

Hey — Ryan here.

In today’s edition we’ll be covering:

• The 3-Step Community Building Playbook any creator can follow

• How authenticity transforms casual viewers into die-hard brand advocates

• The strategic approach to launching products your audience actually wants

Let's be honest.

Most creators and brands struggle to build genuine connections with their audience. They make content that goes viral but fails to convert viewers into loyal customers.

Attention ≠ Conversions

Your TikTok might get a million views, but if people forget about you 5 seconds later, what's the point?

Let’s address the real underlying issue:

There's a massive trust gap in your content strategy.

So today, we're breaking down how this creator Ashley solved this massive issue on the internet and built a multi-million dollar CPG empire while doing so…

^{1. Personal Brand Strategy}

With 1.7M YouTube subscribers and 700K on Instagram, Ashley has built one of the most loyal communities in the creator space.

What makes her audience special is their devotion to Ashley as a person – not just her content. Creators and brands take notes.

She created a ‘cheat code’ to make any video of hers hit over 100k views minimum…

It was all by focusing on 3 key elements:

Value + Entertainment + Connection

Her content consistently provides:

• Personal development insights

• Health & lifestyle guidance

• Beauty recommendations

Here’s some examples

How to Get Everything You Want Out of Life

How to tame your FRIZZY hair

How to create a perfect Matcha Latte

But she delivers this value with entertainment that hooks viewers in the first 20 seconds (learn about the "cold open" technique).

^{2. Lifestyle Content That Builds Trust}

Ashley's secret weapon is authentic lifestyle content that establishes genuine connection.

Her videos follow 5 recurring themes:

1. Personal narratives (sharing her own experiences)

2. Problem-solving (taking viewers through challenges)

3. Emotional transparency (showing vulnerability)

4. Family relationships (featuring real people in her life)

5. Direct audience engagement (acknowledging viewers)

This approach differentiates her from creators who only show highlight reels – Ashley shows the messy reality of life alongside the wins.

^{3. Content-Product Fit: The Matcha Strategy}

Ashley didn't just randomly launch a matcha business. She strategically built authority in the space first:

1. She consistently featured matcha in her lifestyle content

2. She created educational videos about matcha benefits

3. She shared product reviews of different matcha brands

By the time she announced Nami Matcha, her audience already validated their demand for it.

The launch was so successful that she sold $100k of products in 45 minutes.

The Creator Founder Playbook is now to build an audience first then sell your product/service.

^{The Big Takeaway}

Ashley's success comes down to intention and authenticity.

Her audience cares about her – not just her content. The trust she built through transparency, family content, and genuine connection created a community that eagerly supports whatever she creates.

This is why every creator needs to be a brand, and every brand needs to be a creator.

Start by asking: What value can you authentically provide? How can you entertain while educating? And most importantly, how can you build genuine connections that last?

Thanks for showing up this week. We’ll see you in the next :).

Sincerely,

Ryan