New Media

Hosted by Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch

Business EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

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Episodes

110

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

New Media is a podcast for founders and creators building independent media businesses. We explore how to grow and monetize audiences without depending on algorithms, advertising, and platforms you don't control. Each episode shares practical insights on building profitable media and education businesses. A GrowLetter podcast, hosted by Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch.

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60 recent

June 10, 202647 min

Monetization Brainstorm with Justin Moore - Events, Paid Challenges, Books, Best Funnels For Creators, and More

Justin Moore (Creator Wizard) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how Sponsor Games lost ~$10K in year two but still turned a profit, why 22% of his challenge attendees upgrade to VIP every single time, the great event food debate, and how to find your real ICP with a book funnel.Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:26 Sponsor Games Year Two: A $10K Loss and a Reality Show03:50 How the Mastermind Offer Made It Profitable04:15 Marketing a Novel Event With No Speakers05:56 Changing the Date and Venue for Year Three09:30 Should the Event Go on Tour?11:50 Pre-Selling 20% of Next Year's Tickets12:09 Ryan Deiss's 3 Types of Events16:15 The Halo Effect of Hosting an Event22:56 The Great Event Food Debate26:14 Do You Actually Need a VIP Tier?30:16 Inside the 10K Brand Deal Challenge36:09 The Partner Challenge That Flopped42:00 Book Funnels and Finding Your Real ICP50:07 The Case for Focus Over Shiny Objects51:42 Where to Find Justin📌 Resources:Sponsor GamesSponsor Magnet🔗 Connect with Justin:LinkedInNewsletter

June 4, 202644 min

This Guy Makes $1,500,000 PER MONTH From Texting

Matt Paulson (MarketBeat) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about the SMS playbook that's now 25% of MarketBeat's revenue, why he pays Twilio $400K a month to make it work, and the case for treating digital media as a depreciating asset he'll shut down at 65 rather than sell. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:30 SMS Is The New Email 06:00 SMS Is Now 25% Of MarketBeat's Revenue ($1.5M+/Month) 10:00 Promoting Advertiser Offers Over Your Own 13:30 $100 Paid Webinars That Sell $2,500/Month Coaching 14:30 SMS Sunsetting, Short Codes, And Deliverability 17:00 Confirming Phone Numbers To Avoid TCPA Lawsuits 19:00 SMS Tech Stack And Twilio's $400K/Month Bills 23:00 Why Newsletters Are Still Worth It (Gmail's March 20 Change) 28:00 Multi-Channel: Spending $500K/Month On Meta Ads 33:00 The Co-Reg Wars: IMS vs AfterOffers 35:00 Every Tech Company Will Eventually Buy A Media Company 38:00 Why MarketBeat Won't Be Sold Or Acquired 41:00 Beehiiv, Substack, And ESP Feature Bloat 46:00 Marketers Matt Watches: Hormozi, Sanchez, Deiss 50:00 Where to Find Matt Paulson 📌 Resources:MarketBeatAfterOffersThe Email Copywriter (Chris Orzechowski) 🔗 Connect with Matt Paulson: LinkedInTwitter/XLeave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

May 27, 202645 min

HubSpot Spent $100M on Creators — Here's Why (With Jonathan Hunt VP of HubSpot Media & Head of The Hustle)

Jonathan Hunt (VP of HubSpot Media) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how HubSpot built a 50M-reach owned-media network, the four-part test they run on every acquisition (Hustle, Mindstream, Starter Story, Futurepedia), and why they killed every audio-only podcast on the network.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:33 Why HubSpot Buys Media Companies 04:45 What HubSpot Media Actually Is (65 People, 3 Pillars) 07:15 The Editorial Thesis Behind Every Acquisition 12:26 The HubSpot Acquisition Test: 4 Criteria 14:53 Inside HubSpot's 150-Creator Program 22:24 Co-Creating Brands With Creators 25:06 Why HubSpot Went YouTube First 30:41 The Ad Fatigue Problem (And How They Solved It) 33:01 Scott Galloway and the Native Lead Magnet Play 36:15 How HubSpot Reinvests Profits Into Growth 39:46 Minority Report-Level Attribution 42:00 Why HubSpot Killed Audio-Only Podcasts 43:12 Reactions: Puck, TBPN, Sherwood, A16Z 51:31 Why HubSpot Won't Launch a Net-New Live Show 53:47 Where to Find Jonathan📌 Resources: Mindstream Starter Story Futurepedia HubSpot Creator Program🔗 Connect with Jonathan: LinkedInEnjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

May 20, 202655 min

The Secret Behind $100M+ Personal Brands

Katelyn Bourgoin (founder of Unignorable) joins Matt and Kolby to break down the 6 types of ownable ideas, the 5-question framework she uses to engineer one, why courses are losing value to AI-enabled "brainware" agencies, and a live audit of Matt's ownable idea.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:39 The Why We Buy → Unignorable Rebrand 04:16 Ownable Ideas: Test Round (Sinek, Welsh, Sanchez) 09:30 What an Ownable Idea Actually Is 12:22 The 6 Types of Ownable Ideas 16:26 How to Create Your Own (and Why It's Hard) 18:55 The 5-Question Framework 22:10 Brené Brown Broken Down by the Framework 24:16 Lightning vs. Engineered Ideas 27:06 Live Audit: Matt's Overlap Effect Framework 39:58 Brainware: The AI-Enabled Agency Thesis 43:32 Productized Services as the New Course 50:37 Accountability as a Service 52:36 Sunsetting What No Longer Fits 54:38 Where to Find Katelyn📌 Resources Mentioned: UNIGNORABLEWhy We Buy newsletterBrian Balfour's Four Fits Framework 🔗 Connect with Katelyn Bourgoin: LinkedIn Website & NewsletterEnjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

May 13, 20261 hr 1 min

$100M Course Seller: Info Products Are Dead Forever (Here’s What’s NEXT)

Ryan Deiss (DigitalMarketer, Scalable.co) joins Matt to talk about why he killed an eight-figure course business, the 80% sales drop that forced the pivot, why AI is replacing courses faster than anyone wants to admit, and how to actually monetize expertise in a post-course world.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:28 Why Ryan "Retired" From DigitalMarketer 03:32 The Real Reason Course Sales Collapsed 06:37 Why AI Beats Courses Every Time 11:54 DigitalMarketer's 80% Revenue Drop 13:05 Why "Course Business" Is the Wrong Frame 16:53 Build Your Own Media First 21:19 The 4 Ways Media Companies Make Money 22:23 Sell AI Trained on Your IP, Not the Course 28:23 Why Coaching On Top of Courses Won't Save You 33:12 The Truth About Cohort-Based Programs 35:14 The 3 Event Business Models 41:36 Sponsorships, Exhibitors & Critical Mass 48:07 Sponsorship Tiers and Protecting the Stage 58:00 Activations, Meetups & Sponsored Experiences 1:02:28 Where to Find Ryan📌 Resources: The Scalable Company DigitalMarketer 🔗 Connect with Ryan Deiss: LinkedInNewsletter

May 7, 202654 min

The Media Trends Nobody Is Talking About

Brian Morrissey (The Rebooting) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about his three-archetype theory of modern media, why most TBPN streaming-show clones will fail, the real strategic value of SMS, and why aging out of LinkedIn is a bigger flex than flying private.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:06 The 3 Media Archetypes: Artists, Suits, Engineers 05:54 Streaming Media and MTS vs TBPN 08:00 Why Webinars Punch Above Their Weight 12:37 The Power of Parasocial Podcast Connections 16:09 Is Streaming A Fad? Neo-Traditional Media 20:18 The Underpants Gnome Problem With Clips 24:03 Is SMS The New Email? 26:45 The Hardest Part Is Having The Audience 29:51 Brian's Writing Process (No Audience In Mind) 34:36 Smart SMS Use Cases (Events, Subtext) 40:00 Building A Strategic Reserve Of Phone Numbers 42:59 Why SMS Crushes For Webinar Registrations 49:47 NoScroll And Anonymous X Accounts 53:22 Aging Out Of LinkedIn Is The Real Flex 54:05 Where To Find Brian📌 Resources Mentioned: The RebootingPeople vs Algorithms (podcast) Monitoring The Situation (MTS) Breaking Points 🔗 Connect with Brian Morrissey: LinkedIn Website & Newsletter Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

April 30, 20261 hr 50 min

Inside a Top 10 Spotify Podcast Business, Local Newsletters To Agency Funnel, Will AI Change Email Marketing Forever?

In today's episode, Ethan Brooks (Austin Business Review), Alyssa Dulin (Kit), and Jonathan Barshop (Modern Wisdom) join Matt and Kolby to discuss how to monetize a local newsletter with services instead of ads, what AI is actually doing to email deliverability, and the unconventional growth tactics that move a podcast in 2026. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:00 Ethan Brooks on Austin Business Review and Local Media 07:30 Why Local Newsletters Are Best Monetized as Services (Not Ads) 10:40 Selling Austin: $300K From Under 1,000 Readers 13:00 The $25K-in-8-Weeks Concrete Leads Side Business 22:00 Ethan's Two Frameworks: Valuable Audience + Media Monetization 32:00 Alyssa Dulin on AI in the Inbox 35:00 The New Curator in Town — How AI Is Rewriting Deliverability 46:00 The One-Word Reply Tip That Beats Every Other Engagement Tactic 52:00 Google Postmaster Tools: The Most Overlooked Deliverability Tool 1:01:00 Jonathan Barshop on Building a Podcast That Actually Grows in 2026 1:11:00 Why Premise Beats Production 1:18:00 The Cross-Promo That Supercharged My First Million 1:25:00 Engineering "Viral" Moments — The Tim Ferriss + Edward Norton Trick 1:42:00 Modern Wisdom's Tour Model and 12-Partner Sponsorship Strategy 📌 Resources Mentioned: Austin Business ReviewGoogle Postmaster Tools Modern Wisdom🔗 Connect with Ethan Brooks: LinkedIn Newsletter🔗 Connect with Alyssa Dulin: LinkedIn 🔗 Connect with Jonathan Barshop: LinkedIn

April 27, 20266 min

Life Update

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April 23, 202651 min

This Free Site Makes More Than His $10M Course (w/ Neville Medhora)

In today's episode, Neville Medhora (Swipefile, Copywriting Course, ex-AppSumo) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how good copy delivered AppSumo's first $10,000 day, why his flagship Copywriting Course business is being eaten by AI while Swipefile.com is soaring, Neville's content workflow, and why selling software is dead in 2026.Timestamps:01:19 House of Rave and Dropshipping in High School03:21 Finding Copywriting and AppSumo's First $10K Day05:53 Copywriting Course Dying, Swipefile Soaring11:27 Brand, Style, and Standing Out From AI16:33 How Swipefile's Business Model Works18:44 Why Selling Software Is Dead22:51 The Hybrid Sponsorship Model That Actually Pays26:45 Custom Content and Evergreen Sponsorship Deals33:47 Acquired's $4.8M Pre-Rolls and B2B Ad Math35:57 Why Blogging Is Social Media Now37:15 Neville's Content Flow: Swipefile → Newsletter → Social40:43 Growing a Newsletter in 202645:00 Why Neville Won't Sell Claude Skills (Yet)52:34 Where To Find Neville📌 Resources Mentioned:The Gary Halbert Letters — https://www.thegaryhalbertletter.comWait But Why (Tim Urban) — https://waitbutwhy.com🔗 Connect with Neville Medhora:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/neville-medhora-654749/Swipefile — https://swipefile.comYouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSN1tlH1nvAXkv9nnBCmfiQ🍿 Watch on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@growletter

April 16, 202649 min

He Raised $4M in 4 Hours With One Email

Walker Deibel (Buy Then Build) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how he wrote a category-defining book, built a newsletter to 300,000 subscribers, and used that list to raise $4 million in four hours. They cover his grassroots book launch strategy, why he believes newsletters are the most impactful asset any entrepreneur can build, and his framework for navigating private capital markets as what he calls the "new family office."Want to get your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days? Go here 👉 https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribeApply To Work With My Agency 👉 https://www.growletter.comTimestamps:00:00 Intro03:53 The Shift from Startups to Acquisitions05:36 How Buy Then Build Changed Entrepreneurship08:33 Grassroots Marketing and Book Launch Strategy12:18 Creating a Movement and Defining a New Category16:15 Frameworks for Exceptional Content19:14 Writing the Book and Defining Entrepreneurship22:29 Monetizing the Book and Building Community29:14 Why In-Person Events Still Matter35:43 Transitioning from Acquisition Lab to New Ventures36:59 The Power of Email Lists in Investing39:33 Building a Private Market Investing Community43:15 Creating Value Through Direct Investments46:35 The Economics of Being a Family Office48:04 Newsletters as the Most Impactful Business Asset48:59 Where to Find Walker📌 Resources Mentioned: Buy Then Build (book)Acquisition LabGood to Great by Jim Collins🔗 Connect with Walker Deibel: LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/walkerdeibel/ Website — https://walkerdeibel.com Newsletter — https://wealthstack1.com/