Should You Attend Content Entrepreneur Expo?
In 2021, entrepreneur, author, and content marketing expert Joe Pulizzi—known for, among many other things, coining the phrase content marketing—launched The Tilt. Named for Joe’s idea of The Content Tilt, The Tilt educates and supports content creators and entrepreneurs. If your goal is to build a successful, sustainable, and profitable content business, The Tilt has the advice, guides, and resources to help.
But while newsletters are invaluable, nothing compares to an immersive in-person opportunity to connect with other creators and learn from some of the best experts in the business. And that’s where Content Entrepreneur Expo, or CEX, comes in.
CEX is a three-day conference—one day of immersive workshops followed by two days of keynote and breakout sessions—designed for content entrepreneurs. We put time and intent into finding speakers who will bring expert insights and actionable steps towards growing your brand.
Back in 2021 when Joe Pulizzi first launched CEX, Lulu signed up as an event sponsor. We had such a good time connecting with the attendees that we went back in 2022. And in 2023, when Joe was ready to take a step back, Lulu stepped in and acquired both The Tilt and CEX.
Why Should I Attend CEX?
When we talk about CEX, we call it “THE learning and networking event for content entrepreneurs.” But what does that actually mean?
For one thing, it means that when planning the conference agenda, we focus on putting together a well-rounded program bringing together industry experts that specialize in subjects like audience growth, content monetization, email marketing, and brand strategy. CEX has hosted innovators like Jesse Cole, marketers like Ann Handley, and strategists like Jay Baer, and has a stellar line-up of new and returning speakers for 2025.
But good sessions are only half the value of attending an in-person event like CEX. The rest comes from attendees like you.
Because when you attend a conference like CEX, you’re not just spending all your time in stuffy, windowless rooms frantically taking notes from speaker presentations. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to connect with authors, bloggers, podcasters, newsletter writers, speakers, coaches and consultants, freelancers, and creators, all with the same goals.
“CEX is like coming home. It’s the one conference where everyone is focused on building a profitable content-based business.”
- Melanie Deziel, Content Marketing Expert & Author
Whether you’re participating in hands-on workshops, attending expert-led sessions, networking with industry professionals, or collaborating with creators from around the world, the place for you to be is “one of the best events for content creators today” (Jay Clouse, Author & Entrepreneur).
Who is CEX For?
Everyone! No, just kidding. Because in reality, an event for everyone is an event for no one. To bring the best value to attendees, it’s important for the session tracks to really niche down into educational topics with actionable takeaways. If a speaker keeps their session so broad and high-level that it appeals to an audience of “everyone,” there isn’t going to be much for anyone hoping to dig in and learn something new.
So CEX isn’t for everyone. But it is for anyone serious about…
- Looking for new ways to monetize their content
- Building a stable content business in their industry or niche
- Connecting with new audiences and fostering authentic relationships with fans, clients, and customers
- Exploring strategies for sustainable, long-term brand growth
- Taking their content creation and content marketing to the next level
CEX for Content Creators
No matter what kind of content you create—podcasts, videos, blogs, newsletters, online courses, social media—you’re probably facing the same challenges as other content creators:
- Monetizing your content
- Reaching out to new audiences
- Creating new content
- Keeping up with trends
- Connecting with other creators in your niche
- Playing the algorithm game
- Building a foundation for your brand on owned land, not a platform that could be taken away any day
- Finding the time to do it all and the tools to help
And, maybe most importantly, balancing all of that without burning yourself out.
CEX 2025 has sessions and workshops hand-picked to help you tackle every one of those challenges, and more. Tune in for Austin L. Church’s session, Simple Ops: How to Create Systems & Processes for Your Creator Business for practical, actionable tips to streamline the operations side of your business, leaving you more time to create. Or join Robbie Fitzwater’s talk on using your data (trust us, it’s important) to drive your content.
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CEX for Entrepreneurs
Whether you’re looking for sustainable ways to expand your business, inspiration from the industry’s leading marketing experts, or ways to inject life into your brand strategy, there’s no better option than learning from those who have done it best.
Want to take your business to the next level? Don’t miss Chenell Basilio’s keynote as she walks through Reverse Engineering the Most Successful Creator Businesses in the World. Ready to be inspired, and maybe even do some inspiring of your own? Learn How to Deliver Better Talks to Bigger Audiences, Online and In-Person with Jay Acunzo. And if you aren’t already using a book as a lead magnet, authority builder, or revenue stream, our very own Matt Briel and Lali Szumowski are hosting an immersive workshop on Book Publishing A to Z that will have you writing your book before you even leave Cleveland.
Like publishing, business growth isn’t a solo adventure. CEX is a great opportunity to connect with other attendees and to connect with CEX sponsors. Learn how Mighty can help you build a community of true fans from your customers, or how Thinkific can support your online course creation.
CEX for Authors
The most successful authors making it in the publishing industry today—both traditional and indie—aren’t just authors. They’re savvy entrepreneurs, marketers, and content creators. Even before Lulu was involved in the programming for CEX, they were bringing in prolific indie authors like Emilia Rose to share her expertise on the CEX stage, and spoiler alert: it wasn’t an author-specific session.
If you’re an author intent on building a long-term, successful brand from your books, you need to be as serious about your entrepreneurial efforts as you are about your writing. And if you’re not sure how to do that, what better place to learn than a content creator event built by marketing experts and hosted by a publishing company?
Learn how to build A Successful Social Media, Email, and Podcasting Strategy Without Burning Out with Katie Brinkley, and supercharge your audience growth efforts. Or learn how to harness the power of adding in a new content channel, like Unlocking the Power of Newsletters with EJ White or Leveraging YouTube with Jay Clouse. Maybe even join Andy Crestodina for an immersive workshop on Marketing Your Content and get a new perspective on sharing your books with the world.
And don’t forget, many of the speakers and attendees at CEX are successful authors themselves. If you don’t think that nonfiction and fiction authors have a lot to learn from each other… come to CEX and let us prove you wrong.
As Matt Briel, Lulu’s Chief Marketing Officer and co-host of Publish & Prosper, put it on a recent podcast episode, “There's an identity of a creator. There's an identity of an entrepreneur. There's an identity of an author. In my head, they're all three the same… if there was a Venn diagram of those three identities, there is overlap right in the middle. And I think that's a content entrepreneur.”
So, whether you’re a content entrepreneur, or an author, or a content creator, or an entrepreneur, or an authorpreneur, or one of the dozens of other kinds of business-savvy creators out there, the answer is the same.
If you’re serious about finding new ways to grow your brand, boost your revenue, reach new audiences, and learn from the best, then CEX is for you. Can’t wait to see you there!
