Today's YATM newsletter is brought to you by...
The Lunch Club Special, Fri 6th June, a collab with Bournemouth University.
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Hi YATMers, I’m Sarah Gane a Marketing & Communications Specialist.
Clients and advertising agencies come to me for strategic copywriting, service design and creative content (everything from campaign concepts, messaging matrixes, email nurture journeys to ad copy, scripts and more).
You might say I’m like a human Swiss Army Knife… or a polymath.
I like variety, so I work across sectors like sustainability, tech, FinTech, engineering, industrial design and aviation. I’m passionate about people, the planet, the arts and independent businesses.
I love helping raise the profile of anyone doing brilliant work in their communities. I've lots of recommendations for you today.
Watch: Digging for Britain or Abstract: The Art of Design
Read: Book of Delights by Ross Gay or Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
Listen: On Being by Krista Tippett, The Adam Buxton Podcast or Great Women Artists
See you around. And stay radical!
Let's make sure we connect today
Here I am on LinkedIn
Where I work here
People remember what they helped create and were a part of.
In business and marketing, it’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing people as numbers: subscribers, ticket sales, conversions, attendees.
For generations, we have approached this in a way that makes everything seem tidy and measurable. However, this mindset takes away from our true purpose, to build something together.
If success is measured only by attendance or payment, we overlook the more human and meaningful indicator of success: whether people felt included.
Is it better to have people in the room, or in the team?
What Happened Last Week
Last week was a big week in so many ways.
It was Creator Day, but during the week, we also tested out additional events that complemented the main occasion.
We started the week with a Hall of Fame and ended it with a live podcast, which was something we had never done before.
As an aside, the Live Indie Busines Club, received the highest download for first day release, here is Mel's post yesterday (Wednesday)
We also refined our Working Together section of the day. This is our close where people come together to create a piece of work they promise to bring to life, but may have put to the side.
Having other people on your side is about accountability, motivation and also encouragement.
By the end, I was exhausted, but it was worth it. People stepped up and participated. Whether they were delivering a presentation or attending the full week, everything felt worthwhile.
When attendees bring energy, warmth, kindness, and good feelings, it transforms an event into a collective act of making.
We are excited to announce that for Creator Day 2026, we are transforming it into Creator Week.
It Can Be More Than Bums On Seats
The traditional event model is built on transactions: you pay for a ticket, you receive a set schedule, you meet people and you leave with notes from the day.
The best events, the ones people don’t stop talking about, aren’t built like that. They feel different because the people in the room are part of something bigger than just sitting and listening.
I’ve learned over the years that it doesn’t work where you keep a distance between you and your audience. This creates a hierarchy and only egos want to create fan clubs. I used to think that was the way I had to approach everything.
When you bring everything right back, your audience is your team.
It’s your audience who will ultimately decide if what you are doing is right for them. When it resonates, they feel more compelled to join in. A sense of ‘team’ is much better than simply spoon-feeding people.
When People Feel Ownership, Everything Changes
There’s solid evidence behind this participatory approach.
I’ve seen it for myself, people don’t want to just passively consume, when it feels right, they want to contribute.
I spend a lot of time asking people and getting feedback. This is what I am seeing when you invite people in, rather than hands off. Engagement deepens when people feel they’re building something, not just attending it.
Those who contribute and know they are getting input back, could be as simple as a reply that isn’t from the company LinkedIn page, are more likely to return, share and stay connected long after the event good feeling has disappeared.
When we help make something together, we care more about it. We advocate for it. We remember it.
We are currently considering the idea of producing a newspaper for Creator Day 2026. The attendees will become the contributors to this newspaper. Together, we can all be the stars of the show.
You don’t need a community of influencers. You need a team of insiders. Over the years I thought that if you get a B2B celebrity it’s going to bring in hoards of people, that isn’t the case.
The Small Interactions That Make The Big Difference
The message I want to share is that this is what it takes to make an occasion feel lived in.
The whole experience is shaped and interpreted by each individual.When it comes to treating everyone as part of a team, not the transaction, it sounds east on paper.
How do you build that, practically? This is what I’ve learned.
1) Start With Participation, Not Just Performance
You have to build in chances for people to be involved. Whether it's submitting a story for a newspaper or asking others who have a creative project (podcast, events, community) to bring their format in front of a new audience. You have to make it easy and low-risk for someone to raise a hand and step forward.
2) Make The Contributions Visible
Don't bury people's input. Thank people publicly. Give space for people to be seen. For instance, in the round up emails from this years Creator Day, the posts from others take centre stage so people can read. This means that an algorithm doesn’t determine who gets to see.
3) Keep The Feedback Loop Open
The input from the community becomes fuel for the next delivery. For instance, comments can turn into articles. You can have deeper dive sessions from aspects of the day at a future date (we’re doing that in YATM Club). People can suggest ideas that they want to bring into the mix for a future gathering. It becomes one big loop of belonging.
Over the years, I know I want to deliver and design with people, not just for them.
Let’s Round Up
What we’re building here isn’t just a better conference. It’s easy to say you want to make each year better than the next, why not focus more on how you build momentum with everyone involved?
It’s a mindset you can take into your own business too.
Whether you have a newsletter, a consultancy or a personal trainer, ask yourself:
- Are people just “customers”? Or are they part of the story?
- Are you broadcasting at them, or building with them?
- Do people feel invited, or involved?
When you stop viewing people as transactions, you create something far more powerful than any marketing tactic: trust, commitment, and contribution.
Share this with someone else 💌
https://www.youarethemedia.co.uk/you-need-teammates
Time Wasting
I bought 6 Krispy Kreme's for £4.65 yesterday. They all went, I discovered this company on Tuesday...
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This Week Around The Web
GROWTH, CREATION & YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Finishing isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning - from Matt King
Effort v value - from Seth Godin
THE COMMUNITY YOU CAN BUILD
How to friend - from How To Live
How Creator Day '25 looked - from Liam Toms
GROWING YOUR NEWSLETTER
Started with zero followers, but a bold idea - from Claudia Faith
Avoid bland value prompts like ‘curated news’ - from Dylan Redekop
Slow & Steady Is Ok
The slow, sometimes haphazard progress shapes your skills and how you see things.
Being ready to start small, make mistakes, and keep trying is what lets you create something important in the end.
Whether you’re writing your first article, or hosting an event, what matters most is being there and to keep going.
Last Week Was The Best Time
Last weeks Creator Day was part of a week I will never forget.
If you have seen the posts, the commentary, the videos, the take aways and you liked what you saw, I'd love you to come to Poole in May '26.
The EarlyWhirlyBird is available until Friday 30th May for £145.
For all attendees, I will start a fortnightly weekend email from me on the main themes for next year (it's on community) and the challenges and the wins of this live experiment we've all been on since 2013.
Check out this vid from Becky Greaves if you need convincing.
Come and join in
There's always activity for you in YATM.
🙌 It's Work Together in YATM Club today at 9.15am BST, join us here
💥 It's the YATM Lunch Club Special on Friday 6th June, read more and the gift
✏️ Matt King shares how he made 'that' video in YATM Club on 11th June, book in
Click here to watch the end of newsletter video. See you soon.
