What platform is best for a new creator?

Summary

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Episode Summary: "What platform is best for a new creator?"

MarTech Podcast™ // Marketing + Technology = Business Growth
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Danielle Peterson, CMO of Amaze
Date: December 5, 2025

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Overview

In this episode, the MarTech Podcast dives into one of the most frequently asked questions in the creator economy: “What platform is best for a new creator?” Host Benjamin Shapiro welcomes Danielle Peterson, CMO of Amaze, to discuss practical strategies for those starting out, including platform choice, building an audience authentically, and monetization tactics—from merchandise to sponsorships. The episode provides real-world insights for creators aiming to make their first $100,000.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Importance of Authentic Audience Building

• Building Connections Over Platform Choice
  Danielle Peterson emphasizes that, for new creators, it’s less about the specific platform and more about being authentic and connecting with an audience.

  • “It’s really about building an audience. And the building an audience piece comes from being authentic and from being able to talk about something that you really care about.” (Danielle Peterson, 01:28)
  • Creators should focus on subjects they are passionate about; this connection is what resonates with audiences.

• Find Your Format Strength
  Benjamin Shapiro suggests that creators leverage their personal strengths when picking a content type:

  • “You’re great at video editing, … Be a YouTuber. ... You want to sit at home and talk in front of a microphone. Start a podcast, right? You’re a great writer—okay? Be on Substack.” (Benjamin Shapiro, 02:11)

2. Platform Selection: No One-Size-Fits-All

• Danielle reiterates that any platform can work, provided the creator brings value and authenticity.
• The initial goal should be engagement and organic growth, which can later be monetized, regardless of platform.

3. Turning Audience into Revenue

• Merchandising as a Monetization Channel
  Danielle discusses the role of merchandise and platforms like Amaze in helping creators earn income:

  • “You come in, you design products based on whatever vertical that you create content in … you sell them to your fans. And the idea is that you’ve created such a connection with them … they would want to buy them from you.” (Danielle Peterson, 02:48)

• Other Monetization Options
  Benjamin outlines several common creator monetization streams:

  • “There’s sponsorships, there’s advertising revenue … some people have products and services and they’re using their content as an ad.” (Benjamin Shapiro, 03:30)
  • He distinguishes between consumer-focused content (merch & sponsorship) and B2B content (brand building, service selling).

4. The Role of Authenticity and Relationships

• Monetization is presented as a byproduct of strong, genuine relationships with the audience:
  • “If you have a connection with your audience, the monetization part happens naturally.” (Danielle Peterson, 04:14)
  • Both guest and host agree that the relationship creators build—with both their audience and collaborators—drives real success.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Danielle Peterson on Authenticity:
  “It’s really less about the platform to me and more about how they’re able to build connections with people that are online. That’s really all that people are looking to do online is build those connections.” (01:38)

• Benjamin Shapiro’s Audience-First Guidance:
  “Have a clear position. Build an audience. Be authentic. Now you’ve got an audience. How do I turn that into dollars?” (02:20)

• On Monetization:

  • “That's one of the main ways that we help creators monetize their fans.” (Danielle Peterson, 02:56)
  • “In my world, it is ABM. Build a brand, sell your service.” (Benjamin Shapiro, 03:40)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:25–01:15 | Episode setup & Topic Introduction
• 01:15–02:11 | The key question: “Which platform should a new creator use?”
• 02:11–02:48 | Choosing platforms based on creator strengths and passions
• 02:48–03:25 | Monetizing audiences: merch and Amaze’s role
• 03:25–04:14 | Other revenue options: sponsorships, ads, products, ABM strategy
• 04:14–04:26 | Final thoughts on authenticity and natural monetization

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Episode Takeaways

• Platform choice matters less than having a clear, authentic voice and a genuine connection to your audience.
• Start where your strengths and interests lie (video, audio, writing).
• Once a community is engaged, creators can monetize through merch, sponsorships, services, and more.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships—with fans or business partners—drives long-term creator success.

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Guest Contact:
Danielle Peterson, CMO, Amaze – LinkedIn | Amaze Website

Listen to more at: martechpod.com

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Transcript

[A]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

[B]

From advertising to software as a service to data across all of our programs and clients clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate. Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising. Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours. If we're reaching out to the right person with the right message and a clear call to action, then it's just a matter of timing.

[A]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that you technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.

[B]

All right, we're going to keep it in the creator realm. I want to ask you, what platform would you suggest a new creator who is starting from square one use to make their first hundred thousand dollars As a creator?

[C]

It's really about building an audience. And the building an audience piece comes from being authentic and from being able to talk about something that you really care about. And so I suggest that any creator who is starting out at square one really find the thing that they're passionate about and that they can be authentic about because that comes through in their content. It's really less about the platform to me and more about how they're able to build connections with people that are online. That's really all that people are looking to do online is build those connections. And so I would say start from there and, and then once you get some traction and your audience is growing, you can come to our platform and we can help you monetize the fan base that you've built.

[B]

Talk to me a little bit about that. You know, I totally agree with you in the sense of the platform has to be a fit for who the creator is. You're great at video editing, you got a beautiful face, you're traveling around, there's always good scenery. Be a YouTuber. Sure, you want to sit at home and talk in front of a microphone. Start a podcast, right? You're a great writer. Okay? Be on substack. Like that stuff. Just keep doing. Do something great. Do authentic. Have a clear position. Build an audience. Be authentic. Now you've got an audience. How do I turn that into Dollars?

[C]

Yep. Well, that's where Amaze comes in. You come in there. Well, there's multiple ways that you can turn that your audience into dollars. One of those ways is launching your own merch line and selling products to your fans. So you. You come in, you design products based on whatever vertical that you create content in, and you add those designs to products and you sell them to your fans. And the idea is that you've created such a connection with them and they've been so excited about the things that you post that they would want to buy them from you. Um, and that. That's one of the main ways that we. That we help creators monetize their fans.

[B]

So I need to start making Martech T shirts to. To make my first.

[C]

Did you sign up?

[B]

Well, there. There's that. And I honestly, I think of the merch aspect and, and what Amaze does very specifically focused on primarily consumer content. Right. Uh, and there's sponsorships, there's advertising revenue. Uh, you know, and then some people have products and services and they're using their content as an ab. So on the consumer side, I totally agree with you. Merchandising, advertising, that's the sponsorship seems to be the way in my world, it is abm. Build a brand, sell your service. And a lot of that has to do with not only the relationship between you and the audience, it's the relationship with the person that you're. You're talking to and creating the content with as well.

[C]

A hundred percent. It's very similar for content creators, though. It's really about authenticity and connecting with your audience across all those things. If you have a connection with your audience, the monetization part happens naturally.

[B]

And that wraps up this episode of the Martech podcast. Thanks to Danielle Peterson, the CMO of Amaze, for joining us. If you'd like to contact Danielle, you can find a link to her LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on martechpod.com, or you can visit her company's website, which is Amaze Co. If you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, and hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or subscribe on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed in the next week. All right, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.

[A]

Thanks for listening to the Martech Podcast, and I hear everything. Production. Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand then visit Iheareverything. Com.