Heads up! We're putting new mastermindgroups together in The Lab this week. This is available only to Standard or VIP members and is one of our most popular membership benefits.
If you want to join a small group of professional creators specifically matched to YOU, your business, and your goals, apply to join us today! We'll keep an eye out for new applications, because mastermind matching is happening this week.
Oren's smart, observant, and far better at playing the attention game than I am. I wrote last week about how I've never quite been fast or intense enough to capture "alpha" opportunities—Oren is the total opposite.
When I set up my Clawdbot (I guess we're calling it Moltbot Openclaw now), one of the first things I did was create a fun little workflow that:
Noticed when I published a new a.) Kit broadcast or b.) podcast transcript
Identified key insights from them
Threw it together with some short-form instruction + voice guide (made from my previous writing samples)
Added 8-12 short form content ideas to a Notion database formatted specifically for a.) Instagram and/or b.) X
It's not bad! Here's a post my bot drafted for X from last week's essay:
You don't win arbitrage games with FOMO.
You win them with obsession and intensity.
If you have that level of obsession toward something—follow it. That is an incredible compass.
But if you are acting from FOMO? You will always be a step behind the people who are truly obsessed.
And when the window closes, you will be the one holding the bag.
It self-rated this 94/100 for its confidence in performing on X.
I think it's OK. These are my words taken directly from the essay. It's tighter and more intense than I typically write—and frankly, maybe if I wrote more like this, I'd do better on X!
So, to Oren's point, Clawdbot Openclaw did a good job of creating midslop here.
I didn't post this. I haven't posted much of what my bot has drafted for me—but I'm actually not sure why. Because, as Oren pointed out, instead of posting this, I posted...nothing.
Is posting this midslop better than posting nothing?
They're my words, put together a little differently. It would keep me top of mind. Building a following (distribution) will only get harder over time.
So why can't I pull the trigger?
The reality is I've always deprioritized short-form content (to my detriment). And when I create for short-form, I'm not putting my best effort into it.
I create midslop myself—even without AI!
I think Oren's last sentence is particularly important. That midslop adds "a noiselayer to everything that is going to desensitize consumers to basically anything that isn't amazing."
When I'm on social media, I linger on far fewer posts. I'm spending more time scrolling than I am actually watching/reading. Few things are really pulling me in—it feels like more noise than ever before.
We (as individuals) can't be making "amazing" content for every platform every week—let alone every day. We see examples like Alex Hormozi or Codie Sanchez and think it's possible, but we're missing critical information. In 2024, Codie Sanchez shared at Craft + Commerce that she spent $2.9 million on content. That's how she creates amazing content across so many platforms—she's resourcing it like crazy!
There are a few exceptions here. Kevin Parry (a member of The Lab!) creates incredible videos that perform well on virtually every platform. One video → content that performs everywhere. You can try Kevin's approach and see how it goes, but increasingly, these platforms seem to be drifting apart in terms of subtle viewer preferences. TikTok wants very raw, direct-to-phone recordings. Instagram wants a little more polish. YouTube seems to skew a little younger.
So, I'm afraid I don't have an answer to this question of midslop yet. Is it worthwhile? Do the incremental gains of daily midslop content add up to a net positive for you as a business owner? The answer may very well be yes. I think it comes down to whether that's the day-to-day experience you want with your brand.
But what I do feel more certain of is that effort, pride, and genuine care put into your work matter more than ever. We feel it. We crave it. And I think you can give yourself permission to focus your attention there.
My advice is to a.) stick to 1-2 platforms you truly love and/or b.) hire talent to run the platforms you don't.
For me, it means a return to my roots: I'm putting more time, effort, and care into writing and (audio) podcasting again. My wife has become my official Head of Instagram, and I have another team member helping on Instagram as well.
You're allowed to focus on what you know and love. You're also allowed to hire help to compensate for weaknesses and limitations. There's no black and white, right or wrong answer here. But failing to commit and do your best work—wherever you feel the most at home—will keep you trapped in the noise.
You built something people actually want to read and visit. Now let advertisers compete for it.
With Google AdSense, you're connected to millions of advertisers from around the world, so your ad space always goes to the highest—and most relevant—bidder.
Hooda Math, a free games site that creates equitable and engaging learning experiences for students and teachers, put it best: "AdSense has consistently kept our income flowing."
#292: Chenell Basilio — The state of email in 2026, growing your list without social media, and new predictions
This week I'm joined by my good friend Chenell Basilio, creator of Growth in Reverse and one of the most thorough newsletter analysts in the space.
We spent over an hour diving deep into what's really working in email right now—from the death of newsletter hype to the opportunity hiding in recommendation networks. Chenell shared her framework of "insanely valuable content" (the one thing that matters more than any growth hack), and we got surprisingly honest about using AI to create short-form content from our long-form work.
We also tackled the big question: how do you grow an email list if you refuse to use social media? Turns out there are more options than you think, from public homework challenges to old-school guest posting making a comeback. Plus, I introduced a new segment called "Unhinged Questions" where we played kiss, marry, kill with Kit, Beehiiv, and Substack.
