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October 3, 2025
Welcome to The Tilt, a newsletter for content creators and entrepreneurs in search of meaning, freedom and wealth.
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From Joe: A New Chapter for The Tilt
Today begins a new chapter. After more than 425 issues, The Tilt is evolving into Joe Pulizzi’s Tilt Newsletter.
Why the change? Over the past four years, The Tilt has become a go-to resource for content entrepreneurs. But as I looked ahead, I felt it was time to align this newsletter more directly with my mission: to help creators and entrepreneurs build lives of meaning, freedom, and wealth.
I’ll be stepping in as editor moving forward. At first, you’ll notice only small tweaks...a slightly different voice, a stronger focus on tying each story back to our new mission. Over time, I’ll continue to experiment and refine.
What won’t change is the promise that every Friday you’ll get practical insights, curated news, and strategies to help you grow your business and your freedom.
I’m excited to take this journey with you. As always, I’d love your feedback...reply to this email and tell me what you’d like to see in the new Tilt.
— Joe
P.S. My deep and sincere thanks to Laura Kozak, Ann Gynn, Marc Maxhimer and the entire Lulu/Tilt Publishing team for making this newsletter an incredible resource for content entrepreneurs. I am, as always, in your debt and service.
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Meaning
Job Hugging: I'm fascinated with this term coined by Korn Ferry. In short, they found more and more Americans are holding on to jobs that provide no satisfaction because it's "too risky" to move.
I get it. Paying bills and caring for your family is real. But staying in a role you hate? That’s not security. That’s a quiet drain on your soul.
Naval Ravikant said it best:
“Don’t do something you don’t want to do. Why are you wasting your time? There’s so little time on this earth.”
Life is short. Why spend it hugging a job that doesn’t hug you back?
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Freedom
AI will change all jobs: Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMilllon announced last week that "AI is going to change literally every job."
A few months ago, companies like Walmart were fairly silent on how jobs would be impacted. Now, they are sending a warning to all employees to "get with it" or be gone (that's my take).
The current system being built doesn't favor human beings. Content creators have a significant advantage moving forward by not being tied to big corporations while being able to control their business models. Those working in the corporate world should think about burning the outdated playbook most workers are playing by (hence my new book).
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Wealth
Is $200,000 at retirement enough?: According to the Federal Reserve, the average America (median) has approximately $200,000 in savings at retirement.
Now, if that person retires at 65 and lives to 85, that covers about $700 per month (considering 4 percent growth). Ouch!
And...that isn't considering any major health issues that may occur.
We cannot rely on social security. Either plan for never retiring or put the work in now (get your financial house in order) so you won't have to worry about money post 65.
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I wrote Burn the Playbook with Lulu because I wanted complete control...over my words, my profits, and access to my readers. That’s what Lulu gives creators: the ability to publish on your own terms, while still tapping into a global print-on-demand network. If you’re ready to turn your ideas into a book that builds your business, Lulu can help you do it.
Publish with Lulu.com today!
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The 3 Forces That Drive Every Creator
When I launched The Tilt in 2021, the goal was simple: help creators build real businesses around their content. Four years and 425+ issues later, that mission hasn’t changed...but it has sharpened.
Today begins the next chapter: The Tilt becomes Joe Pulizzi’s Tilt Newsletter. And with that change, I want to share the foundation that will guide every issue from here on out. It’s the same framework I write about in my new book, Burn the Playbook. At its core, every successful content entrepreneur I’ve ever studied, and my own entrepreneurial journey, comes down to three key forces: Meaning, Freedom, and Wealth.
Let me explain.
1. Meaning: Your Tilt and Your Why
Meaning comes from your Tilt - that unique angle, perspective, or worldview that sets you apart. It’s not just what you do; it’s why you do it. Without meaning, your work will eventually feel like a grind. With it, you have fuel to keep going through the inevitable setbacks.
Action steps:
- Write down your Tilt in one sentence. If someone asked, “What do you stand for?” could you answer in less than 15 seconds?
- Audit your content this week. Does every piece connect back to your Tilt? If not, cut or reframe it.
- Ask three trusted readers or listeners why they follow you. Their answers will tell you if your meaning is shining through.
2. Real Freedom: Choices in Work, Time, and Health
Most creators start because they want independence. To make their own decisions, control their time, and break free from someone else’s playbook. But freedom isn’t only financial. It’s also how you take care of your health and how you design your day. If your business traps you in the same stress and exhaustion as a corporate job, you’ve missed the point.
Action steps:
- Take one task you dread doing and either automate it, delegate it, or stop doing it. Freedom grows from subtraction.
- Block 30 minutes a day for movement, reading, or reflection. Your health is the foundation of your independence.
- Do a “freedom audit”: Where in your business do you still feel like an employee? What change would give you more ownership of your choices?
3. Wealth: Money, Service, and Legacy
Wealth is often misunderstood. It’s not just about the size of your bank account. Wealth means you can provide for your family, support your community, and create assets that outlast you. True wealth is about service as much as money. The two are often connected.
Action steps:
- Build one product or service this quarter that earns while you sleep. Courses, memberships, books. These are assets, not one-off projects.
- Schedule a conversation with your family about what wealth means to them. Their answers may surprise you and help you align your business goals with what really matters.
- Commit 5% of your time or revenue to service...whether that’s mentoring, donating, or building something that makes the world a little better.
Bringing It All Together
The reason I’m tying this newsletter to these three freedoms is simple: creators don’t just need more “tactics.” They need a framework that ensures the work matters (meaning), sustains their life (freedom), and builds something lasting (wealth).
That’s the heartbeat of Burn the Playbook. And starting today, it’s also the heartbeat of The Tilt Newsletter.
So here’s my challenge to you:
- Pick one action step from each of the three freedoms and start this week.
- Reply and tell me which one you’re committing to.
We don’t need more noise. We need more meaning, more freedom, and more opportunities at generational wealth. On our terms.
Let’s build that together.
JP
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