Attention Into Products

Nathan Barry discusses how to maximize the value of audience attention by creating owned products rather than relying on sponsorships. This strategy focuses on building equity through product ownership instead of taking one-time sponsorship payments.

Key Points:

• Core Strategy:

  • Direct audience attention to owned products instead of selling sponsorships
  • Build equity long-term rather than taking short-term sponsorship payments
  • Create and own products rather than promoting others' products

• Notable Examples:

  • Jessica Alba: Leveraged acting fame to build her own company
  • Ryan Reynolds:
    • Bought Mint Mobile and Aviation Gin
    • Became his own spokesperson
    • Gets equity instead of cash payments
  • Mark's Primal Kitchen:
    • Started with health blog (100,000 email subscribers)
    • Created paleo-friendly food products
    • Sold to Kraft for $200M while retaining his audience
  • Kylie Cosmetics:
    • Built $1B brand instead of taking sponsored posts
    • Transformed potential sponsorship revenue ($25k-$2M per post) into owned brand equity

• Key Advantage:

  • Can sell the product business while retaining the original audience
  • Products can scale beyond personal brand limitations
  • Higher potential upside than sponsorship revenue