Glossary
Creator Hotline
A format where a creator sends a voice note with a question and Tom answers it properly, lit and on proper cameras, as a real service.
Why does it matter?
It proves the advice in public. Each answer is a real service to a real creator, so the format also becomes the top of the funnel for a paid tier.
How does it work?
- Answer the question that was asked.
- Give one thing they can do this week.
- Name the tradeoff.
- Film four to five a week, on the same studio day as the fake pods.
Where has Tom used it?
The first questions were written by Tom and recorded as voice notes by friends, so the format was proven before it opened up. The hotline then got through 60 callers in one sitting, and one studio hour gave 59 clips.
Related terms
- Fake pod: A podcast built for the clip: real answers to questions written in advance, recorded in one sitting in a studio, with a guest who is there to ask.
- Recording day: One booked studio, one person asking and a bank of questions written in advance, turned into clips and tickets.
- Clip bank: One long recording turned into a bank of short clips, each one idea at 40 to 75 seconds, mapped beat by beat and handed to an editor as a ticket.
Where is it explained?
Where else does it come up?
- Shape two, the Q&A cutdown, Clip anatomy
- Long form to short form, How I work