Creator Playbooks

Hosted by Callum Mcdonnell

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Oct 2026

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Stories behind some of the world's best creators & entrepreneurs. Hosted by Callum McDonnell. Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtecnleIYyODepmiC-c7PQ

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60 recent

October 21, 202655 min

My Story: How I Built a 7-Figure Podcast Agency in 4 Years

This time I'm in the guest seat. ATOMIC had me on their show Don't Work Harder to break down how I built 7xContent to 7 figures in just over 4 years, bootstrapped, with a team of 16. When I started, I had no track record, no portfolio and no testimonials. In this episode, I share exactly how I built credibility before I had any, and the client acquisition strategies that changed the trajectory of the business. We get into: - How I landed my very first clients with zero reputation - Why cold outreach failed me, and what I did instead to get high-profile clients to reply - How one successful client turned into referrals, bigger deals and long-term retainers - How my own podcast guests became paying clients - The painful hiring lesson Steven Bartlett taught me - The reel that landed Red Bull, and the formula I use for brand content - Why saying NO more than YES was my biggest unlock on the way to 7 figures 00:00 From Startup to Seven Figures 05:16 Meet Callum, Founder of 7x 06:44 Building an Agency That Scales 09:55 The Skills Every Founder Needs 13:48 Landing Your First Big Clients 17:04 The Mindset That Changed Everything 20:11 Why Most Agencies Stay Small 24:22 Learning From the Best in the World 27:22 How to Measure Real Client Success 29:29 Choosing the Right Clients 33:15 The Power of Saying No 34:17 Building a Brand That Attracts Opportunities 37:33 The Reel That Landed Red Bull 39:35 Why Visibility Creates Leverage 41:34 What Not to Share Online 43:02 Stepping Out of Delivery 44:04 Building a Business Without You 45:25 The Podcast Strategy That Opened Every Door 47:35 Finding Time to Think 48:48 How to Build a Great Podcast 50:35 The ATOMIC Clock: Business Advice 51:52 Books Every Founder Should Read 53:10 Host Takeaways Originally recorded on Don't Work Harder by ATOMIC. Make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#apply Follow Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell/

October 18, 20266 min

Chris Williamson's Short Form Strategy Nobody Talks About | Ben Hancock

October 14, 202634 min

I Asked Steven Bartlett’s Team How To Build A $400M Podcast

Get a FREE breakdown of the 11 DOAC growth rules in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4z4uoNw Start or grow your own Podcast with me: https://bit.ly/4zbvKq5 The Diary Of A CEO just hit 20 million YouTube subscribers and is a top 10 podcast globally. I’ve followed its journey and got to know the team behind it since the show had just 10,000 subscribers. In this episode, I break down the 11 rules Steven Bartlett’s team shared with me, with insights from Grace Andrews (former Marketing Director), Anthony Smith (the editor behind the trailers) and Tom Lewis (Steven’s paid media partner). This is a podcast growth masterclass. We get into: • The 10-second change that had a 300% impact on subscribers • Why DOAC tests up to 100 thumbnails before every episode • The clips experiment that backfired when they doubled output • Why their short form isn’t built to push people to the full episode • The four-part formula behind every DOAC trailer Produced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#apply Follow Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:13 Rule 1: Have a really clear mission 03:38 Rule 2: Don’t copy other podcasts 06:10 Rule 3: The 10-second change behind 3x more subscribers 09:47 Rule 4: Make learning someone’s job 10:02 The clips experiment that backfired 12:21 Rule 5: Testing 100 thumbnails before every episode 14:32 Testing packaging on Meta ads before release 16:46 The golden rule of running experiments 17:32 Rule 6: The short form strategy 19:58 The biggest mistake short form editors make 22:47 Rule 7: The guest strategy 24:19 Rule 8: Win the first hour after publishing 27:47 Rule 9: Stop judging episodes on views 29:59 Rule 10: The secrets behind DOAC trailers 32:29 Rule 11: The podcast is not the product

October 8, 202610 min

Chris Williamson’s Producer Reveals His YouTube Strategy

Get a FREE breakdown of Ben's 9 podcast growth principles in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4rBd4NI Start or grow your own Podcast with me: https://bit.ly/4hA1wpi Ben Hancock was one of the first hires at Modern Wisdom, where he spent four and a half years working alongside Chris Williamson as the show grew from 150,000 to 4.3 million YouTube subscribers. In this clip, he breaks down the YouTube strategy behind Modern Wisdom, including the mid-length clips that even people at YouTube hadn't seen before. This is a YouTube growth masterclass. We get into: • Why going from two to three episodes a week was massive • How mid-length clips released before each episode built anticipation • How Chris plans scroll-stopping moments into his interviews • The MrBeast reinvestment principle Chris brought to podcasting • Why Modern Wisdom keeps everything on one channel Follow Ben: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingaryhancock Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benhancock98 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@forallthesaintspod Produced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#apply Follow Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Timestamps: 00:00 The inflection points on Spotify and YouTube 01:06 The mid-length clips YouTube hadn't seen before 02:46 Planning scroll-stopping moments 04:05 MrBeast's reinvestment principle 06:28 The news doc Chris reads before big episodes 07:52 More shots on goal from every episode 09:39 One channel vs a separate clips channel 11:06 Why mid-length clips reach a new audience

September 30, 20261 hr 59 min

Meet The Podcast Genius Behind Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom | Ben Hancock

Get a FREE breakdown of Ben's 9 podcast growth principles in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4rBd4NI Start or grow your own Podcast with Callum: https://bit.ly/4hA1wpi Ben Hancock was one of the first hires at Modern Wisdom, where he spent four and a half years working alongside Chris Williamson as the show grew from 150,000 to 4.3 million YouTube subscribers. In this episode, he breaks down the 9 principles he learned from Chris, and the levers that took Modern Wisdom from a bedroom podcast to one of the biggest shows in the world. This is a podcast growth masterclass. We get into: • The Joe Rogan bump that kicked off the hockey stick growth • Why moving to Austin was the smartest growth move Chris made • How the show went from Chris's bedroom to a 100K+ cinema shoot with Matthew McConaughey • How mid-length clips released before each episode built anticipation • Why going from two to three episodes a week changed everything Follow Ben: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingaryhancock/ Produced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#apply Follow Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell/ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Ben 02:23 The hockey stick inflection 04:56 Why Chris didn't quit and the Joe Rogan bump 08:29 The smartest growth move: moving to Austin 12:38 Data is useful, but don't compromise your tone of voice 17:28 The best will always rise to the top 18:43 The David Goggins cinema shoot (and the smoke alarm) 21:42 Should creators invest in sets? Why 95% of podcasts quit 25:12 Cultivate an audience you love creating for 33:05 Why no researcher can replace the host's preparation 35:36 How guests get booked and why 90% was outbound 42:51 Chris's obsession with the small details 52:26 Enjoyment first 54:25 Success is on the other side of cringe 56:30 Why the comments section beat every other metric 59:47 Create something beautiful 1:02:29 Why they waited so long to do short form 1:12:10 Three episodes a week and the volume inflection 1:13:33 Mid-length clips before the episode drops 1:21:37 One channel vs a separate clips channel 1:27:35 How Modern Wisdom makes money 1:37:51 Interviewing as a craft 1:42:52 Is podcasting still worth starting in 2026? 1:48:50 Why video-first shows are the blue ocean 1:52:29 Who Ben is watching right now

September 28, 202635 min

How to Get Ahead of 99% of Podcasts in 2026

Get the full 2026 podcast growth playbook in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4d5O9uN Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/4uCJw2E In this episode, Callum breaks down his 21-step playbook for growing a podcast in 2026, based on years of working behind the scenes with some of the biggest shows in the world generating millions of views and listens every month. Most podcasts fail not because the host is bad, but because the show was never engineered for growth. He unpacks what actually moves the needle, from format and retention to the distribution stack that compounds attention across YouTube, Spotify, and social. Plus the volume, tracking, and double-down principles that separate podcasts that scale from podcasts that stall. If you're starting a show or trying to break through a growth ceiling, this is the episode to save and come back to. Connect with Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallumX: https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent - make and grow a podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/ Timestamps 0:00 Why 99% of podcasts fail in 2026 1:00 Know the goal of your show 1:30 The problem your show solves & your ICP 2:30 Format, signature segments & unfair advantage 6:00 Episode planning with proven topics & guests 7:30 Signature feeling & brand 8:00 Briefing & packaging every episode 9:30 Engineering a 5-star guest experience 10:30 Meta testing titles & thumbnails 12:30 Trailer structure & open loops 15:30 Distribution: YouTube first 16:00 Distribution: Spotify video 17:30 Native social content per platform 20:00 TikTok as a clip testing platform 21:30 YouTube mid-length clips channel 22:30 The guest launch plan 23:30 Fan accounts, theme pages & press 25:30 Calls to action that actually convert 27:30 The newsletter flywheel 30:30 Volume & posting frequency 32:00 Reactive & emergency episodes 33:30 Track your numbers every week 34:30 Double down on what works

September 16, 20261 hr 3 min

PAW Patrol Founder: 11 Principles That Built a $2 Billion Empire | Ronnen Harary

Get a FREE breakdown of Ronnen's frameworks in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4dosm2j Start or grow your own Podcast with me: https://bit.ly/4r1fhSi Ronnen Harary is the co-founder and chairman of Spin Master, the company behind PAW Patrol, Bakugan and the Rubik's Cube. In this episode, he breaks down how a toy company started making its own TV shows, and how that decision built some of the biggest kids' brands in the world. This is a brand-building masterclass. We get into: • How a 4am drive to Detroit landed a 48,000-unit Kmart order two months in • Why Spin Master started producing its own TV shows • The Beyblade deal he passed on and what it taught him • How Bakugan took sales from $450M to $1B, then back down again • Why PAW Patrol was born at the lowest point in the company's history Ronnen also shares: • The birthday cake test he uses to spot a hit • How to expand a brand without losing its tone and tenor • Why he turned down a $100M live-action film (and still regrets it) • How he pitches without ever using a PowerPoint • Why Spin Master bought the Rubik's Cube Plus: YouTube vs Netflix, making money from content beyond merch, how fast you can tell a product has failed, no-blame culture, top grading, and building a company that outlives its founders. Follow Ronnen: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnen-harary-99b13370/ No Experience Necessary (book): https://www.ronnenharary.com/projects/no-experience-necessary Produced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/home#apply Follow Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell/ Timestamps: 00:00 The toy and TV playbook behind PAW Patrol 01:21 Step one is deciding to bet on yourself 04:20 Spotting a proven product in Israel and bringing it to Canada 06:02 Driving to Detroit and pitching the wrong Kmart buyer 09:30 The 19-year road to PAW Patrol 11:43 Why 26% of toys come from TV and film 12:40 Passing on Beyblade (a $3B miss) 14:35 Bakugan and the $6M bet on a TV show 17:23 Why the toys and the show launch on the same day 18:32 How eight years at MIPCOM opened the door to TV deals 20:05 The lowest point that produced PAW Patrol 22:25 The birthday cake test for a hit 24:40 Storytelling fundamentals for creators and brands 27:16 YouTube, Netflix and why there's no clear path today 30:17 No-blame culture and why doubt kills luck 34:19 Why you can't replicate a hit 36:13 Why Spin Master bought the Rubik's Cube 43:10 Hatchimals and letting go of product development 47:06 Turning down a $100M live-action film 49:24 What makes a great pitch (and the Banana Boy story) 54:43 Top grading and why culture is Spin Master's moat 59:04 Quick-fire questions 1:02:43 Where to find Ronnen + No Experience Necessary

September 2, 202628 min

Life Update: Hitting £1M A Year, Becoming A Dad & Selling My Business

Get weekly content growth playbooks in my FREE newsletter: https://bit.ly/4iMG1DV Work with me: https://bit.ly/4cziyCu It's time for the mid-year update. So far, this has been one of the most challenging years of my life, but also one of the best for the business. I love it when founders do these transparent updates, and I try to do them every 3 to 6 months.I’m sharing how I crossed the £1M ARR mark. Turning down a serious conversation about selling the business. Hiring mistakes. Losing team members. Client partnerships I'm incredibly proud of. And preparing to become a dad! Follow Callum on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum X: https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent - make your own Podcast with us here: https://www.7xcontent.com/ Timecodes: 00:00 – Intro: The Mid-Year Update 00:19 – Reflecting on a Tough But Rewarding Year 01:19 – Personal News: A Baby on the Way 02:42 – Business Update: Crossing £1M ARR 03:49 – Landing New Clients 04:25 – Growing Shows With US and Global Creators 05:40 – A Night at 10 Downing Street 07:01 – The Failures: Hiring Mistakes 08:09 – Losing Team Members 09:37 – The Biggest Lesson: Slowing Down My Own Development 11:01 – Talking Numbers: Revenue and Margins 13:19 – A Serious Acquisition Conversation 14:36 – Why I Turned It Down 16:14 – What I Learned About Founder Tax and Structuring 19:46 – Health and Fitness Check-In 21:29 – The Podcast: What's Working, What Isn't 26:44 – Priorities for the Rest of the Year 28:23 – Books, Podcasts, and What I'm Watching

July 23, 202615 min

Founder Vlog: 10 Downing Street, Private Jet Shoot & Podcast Strategy Day

Get weekly content growth playbooks in my FREE newsletter: https://bit.ly/3T7VV13 Work with me: https://bit.ly/4hbeLhc A look inside a week running a content led business, from 10 Downing Street to a private jet shoot and a full team strategy day. In this vlog, I take you behind the scenes of a visit to 10 Downing Street, a private jet shoot for a new podcast, and a day spent with the team mapping out our next strategy moves. A real look at what it takes to build a content led business, from client work and recording sessions to networking and creative strategy. Follow Callum on socials: Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallum X, https://x.com/mcdonnellcallum LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell Produced by 7xContent - make your own Podcast with us here: https://www.7xcontent.com/ Timecodes: 00:00 – Intro: A Week in the Life 00:58 – Heading to London for the Private Jet Shoot 01:23 – On Set: Private Jet Business Interview 02:56 – Inside the Showroom: Building a Standout Business 03:32 – The LinkedIn Play: Meeting Lara Acosta 04:24 – Why Most People Get Their Market Wrong 05:15 – The Real Reason People Start a Podcast 05:57 – What C-Suite Clients Actually Want 06:23 – Team Day Begins 07:09 – Packaging Teardown: What Makes a Thumbnail Work 07:30 – CTR Benchmarks You Need to Hit 08:05 – From 100K to 14M Subscribers 08:44 – Rating Hooks and Trailers 09:43 – Heading to 10 Downing Street 10:35 – Walking Through the Corridors of Power 11:48 – Inside Number 10 12:36 – Meeting the Prime Minister's Wife (and the Cat) 13:26 – A Surreal Evening 14:26 – Wrapping the Week

June 24, 20261 hr 32 min

World’s No 1 LinkedIn Creator: I’ll 10x Your Reach in 92 Minutes | Lara Acosta

Get the FREE breakdown of Lara's frameworks in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4w4oRVK Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/3SgmP6z Lara Acosta is a founder, creator, and personal branding strategist who built a 7-figure business through LinkedIn. With 320K+ followers and thousands of students, she’s become one of the fastest-growing voices in personal branding - known for turning content into authority, attention into opportunity, and audience into revenue. In this episode, she breaks down the exact frameworks behind her growth - and why most people fail on LinkedIn (even if they’re consistent). This is a full personal branding masterclass. We get into: Why most people aren’t growing (and it’s not the algorithm) The SMPV framework to 10X your reach How to structure content that actually converts The difference between creators and real operator-buildersWhy storytelling beats “educational content” Lara also shares: Her 4-3-2-1 content system (and how to apply it) The SLAY storytelling framework that drives engagementHow to build an audience that actually buys Why email is her highest revenue channel How to monetise a personal brand without brand deals Plus: content strategy, LinkedIn growth, building a community (not just followers), and why most founders are over-optimising the wrong things. Follow Lara: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laraacostar/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraacostar/ Produced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.com/contact Follow Callum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell/ Timestamps: 00:00 Storytelling vs educational content (what actually works) 01:00 Why most people aren’t growing on LinkedIn 02:00 The SMPV framework (skill, market, problem, value) 03:30 How to find your skill + what to post about 05:00 Selling to the right audience (and why most creators are broke) 06:30 Content that drives leads vs content that gets likes 08:00 Why LinkedIn is different from other platforms 09:00 The 4-3-2-1 content framework explained 10:30 Ideal client vs ideal follower (underrated growth lever) 12:00 Why email is the real monetisation engine 13:30 Educational content: broad → narrow → niche strategy 15:00 Why storytelling is the most powerful format 16:30 ICP vs IFP content (and how to balance both) 18:00 Going viral vs growing in your niche 19:00 The “one” strategy: lead magnets + email funnels 20:00 The SLAY framework (story, lesson, action, you) 22:00 Writing posts that actually get engagement 23:30 The psychology behind LinkedIn formatting 25:00 Likes, comments & what actually matters 26:00 Why you shouldn’t ask for likes or follows 27:00 Building brand equity vs constantly selling 28:30 What makes a high-converting lead magnet 30:00 How to plan content without batching 32:00 Why most content feels the same 33:00 Using AI to write better content (properly) 35:00 Best formats on LinkedIn (and why it depends on you) 37:00 Finding your unique content style 39:00 Metrics vs “vibes” (what to actually track) 40:30 AI comments & fake engagement 41:30 Why Lara does everything herself 42:30 The importance of commenting daily 44:00 Building community through comments 45:00 Why you shouldn’t outsource your personal brand too early 47:00 Scaling vs authenticity (founder trade-offs) 49:00 Over-optimisation and why it kills growth 50:00 LinkedIn algorithm changes + profile importance 51:30 How to position your profile properly 53:00 Optimising your featured section for revenue 54:30 Why niche matters (and “you are the niche” is wrong) 56:00 Banner, profile & conversion tips 57:00 Monetisation: content → email → sales 58:30 Newsletter strategy + launch model 01:00:00 Using trends + storytelling in emails 01:01:30 Building trust through long-form content 01:02:00 Final thoughts + full playbook recap