Content creation is huge in today's age. With a variety of platforms and advanced technology to create rich content, there is a huge market opportunity to be had. But how do you do it successfully? Here is a guide on how to become a content creator.
Do you want to become a content creator by using the creative ideas bottled up in your head?
Did you chicken out because of the scary and uncertain world of being a digital content creation?
We get it – it’s pretty daunting to start doing something that you don’t know will be worth it in the end or not. But the truth is, with the right strategies and mindset, just about anyone can become a successful content creator.
There are several mediums in which people are hungry to consume, which creates a huge opportunity for content creators to make money online.
In this article, we will discuss some tips and strategies that will tell you how to become a digital creator, and will also help you make the most out of creating content you love!
Read on.
Table of Contents
What is a Content Creator?
So what exactly is a content creator? It’s anyone who creates, edits, markets, and manages the content on any platform, especially digital platforms.
You could be creating videos on YouTube or posting entertaining or useful stuff on Instagram or Snapchat.
You could be writing blog posts or making music and sharing it on Soundcloud.
Simply put, anyone who has creative, informative, or entertaining content to share can become a content creator.
How Does a Content Creator Make Money
There are so many ways you can earn money by creating content.
You can earn money through one or more of the numerous ways, depending on the type of content you want to make.
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Blogger
One of the most common ways content creators earn money is through ads. For instance, bloggers use links all over their posts that lead clickers to the website of the company, which is advertising their product.
Want to start a blog? Here is a few tips on how to come up with your blog name.
The people who clicked on the link then buy the products from that company, if they want it. This revenue that the company makes through that link on the blog is then shared with the blogger.
Starting a blog is easy in today's age, I've used Bluehost to build a variety of blogs from scratch. I can host unlimited websites for a low cost of $3.95/month.
They will even give you a free domain name if you use my link.
See Related: How to Make Money on Medium
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Video Content
YouTube is another good example of how you can earn money through advertising. For instance, after you pass the criteria that makes you eligible for monetizing your videos, you get ads on your videos through YouTube Adsense.
This way, you get paid for the number of people who watched that ad through your video. On average, a 10 minutes video can earn you $5 for 1,000 views.
There's plenty of other ways to monetize outside of display ads to make money as a video creator.
Things like sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, courses and even selling your own products are great ways to monetize your YouTube channel.
Here are 3 awesome YouTube secrets you'll never hear from the professionals.
See Related: Best Books About Affiliate Marketing
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Social Media Influencer
Another way you can earn money is through working with companies who pay you to promote their product or brand.
When you create content that people love and enjoy, you gain popularity, and people trust you. In simple words, you become an influencer.
After this, brands may approach you to sell their product to your audience. Have you heard of Instagram influencers? This is exactly what they do.
You may also make money through selling your unique and creative merchandise, as many YouTubers so often do. You can even earn money by selling tickets for meet and greets.
The point is, the money-making possibilities are wide and endless here. Here is a guide on how to create a blog on Instagram.
But how much can a content creator make? This depends on the popularity of their content and the appreciation it gets.
This is why you must manage and strategize your plan of creating content smartly, so you can make the most out of it.
The next section of this article will give you some useful tips for this.
See Related: Does Follow and Unfollow on Instagram Work?
Tips for Becoming a Successful Content Creator
So, you’ve finally decided to get started on making your content? Great! Here are a few tips that you should keep in mind:
Pick the Right Platform
After you have a clear idea of the kind of content you want to create, you’re going to have to pick a platform to share and promote it.
For example, if you want to share your photography with the world, you may want to go for Instagram, which is mostly a visual-based platform.
For video-based content, becoming a YouTube content creator may be the best idea.
The point is, starting at the right platform can help boost the number of people who engage with you. It also makes it easier for brands to recognize you and approach you.
If you want to start blogging here is a guide on how to pick the best blogging platform.
Keep the Target Audience in Mind
Whenever you’re creating new content, keep your target audience in mind. Creating fans by posting about the things they enjoy is what keeps a content creator or an influencer going!
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The benefits of growing my email list were tremendous. This resulted in the following:
- More pageviews,
- More engagement and
- Overall more growth.
- Leads to… more profit.
Those three things equal more profit to your bottom line as a blogger.
Ask yourself questions like:
- What age group is attracted to my content?
- What kind of content do they want?
- Who is my competition?
The best way to answer these questions is to closely follow your audience's comments, responses, and opinions.
Having a good idea about what your audience wants from you and what changes you need to make to your current style helps you serve your audience much better.
For further insights, engage with your audience!
Ask them questions through polls, like on Instagram, or request them to perform an online survey.
Or simply drop down a picture on your platform (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or wherever you have the most following) and ask your audience to drop down comments about what else they would like to see from you.
The questions should focus on whether they liked your recent post, what are their thoughts about it, and what else do they want from you.
Not only does this help you with your future posts, but it also lets your audience know that their feedback, opinions, and appreciation matters to you.
Hence, you build trust and create fans who support you.
Catering to your audience's needs and wants will help build fans and a large following, which will, in turn, help your business in the future by getting more ads, more sponsors, and generate more revenue.
Stay Current
One of the most important things you must do to become a successful content creator is to stay current. You must have a sound knowledge of what’s happening currently in your industry, or this fast-paced digital world is going to leave you far behind!
For instance, let’s take the example of the most subscribed Youtube content creator, Felix Kjellberg, more commonly known as ‘Pewdiepie’.
He has a cult following of over 100 million subscribers, which any other individual YouTuber is not even near to at the moment.
But what made him so popular?
Well, he started out playing video games, when that niche wasn’t very popular.
Then, he played the game “Slenderman” that just came out, and no one else was making videos over it.
That’s when his channel blew up.
This is because he was the first to play the very popular game that had just been released.
Since then, he has maintained his status as the most subscribed channel by playing the latest games, talking about the current issues and drama revolving around YouTube, and much more.
What you should learn out of this example is that being very up to date with your content can truly help you grow and become a popular content creator, no matter what type.
Got a food blog? Go ahead and review the new restaurant in your town.
Have some gifted vocals? Cover the latest and most popular songs on the charts.
Got makeup skills? Test out that new Kim Kardashian eyeshadow palette on your page or channel.
From making music to being a content creator for social media, no matter what type of a digital creator you are, it's important to stay in touch with what’s happening in your industry currently and producing content accordingly.
See Related: Free Ad Revenue Calculator – Determine Content Profitability
Create Content Regularly
Posting new content regularly is one of the keys to growing your business. You can’t post once and come back after ages and expect the same response from your audience.
You need to keep posting and keep your blog/channel/page up to date with new content.
This will not only grow your audience but also give you more chances of getting sponsors and other opportunities to make revenue. Moreover, posting at set intervals will give something to look forward to for your audience.
Hence, you can expect a good level of engagement each time.
However, posting regularly doesn’t mean you put out sub-standard content.
This can greatly affect your business! If you don’t have an inspiration for a new blog post or a new video yet, take some more time to create and post one rather than posting low-quality content for the sake of your posting schedule.
A good example of this is the famous YouTuber Shane Dawson, who went from making videos every single day to posting once every six months only. But his content is worth the wait for his audience, and that keeps it all going!
On the other hand, the famous beauty blogger, Huda Beauty, posts multiple useful blog posts like beauty hacks and makeup tutorials every single day and gets a lot of engagement on them too.
It’s all about finding your balance and maintaining the posting schedule that works with your audience. Whatever you do, make sure you post regularly.
Moreover, keep your audience informed about your upcoming post for maximum engagement!
See Related: A Guide to Starting a Media Company
Check Your Analytics
Another key factor for achieving success in the world of content creation is considering your analytics. Without it, you won't know what you should be putting out there!
Keep a close check on your Google Analytics account, or if you're on a platform like Twitter, use Twitter audience insight, etc.
Now, take a good look at what type of topics drove the most traffic on your website or page, and what didn't do well. Try to do more posts revolving around the genres that did well.
Also, you can look at earlier posts that did well and link more often to them. This is because it's not always necessary to create new content.
Rather, you may need to refine and republish older content that was once popular.
Furthermore, older posts that did well can also have a second part. Or, you can create a series of posts revolving around the same topic to get the most out of it!
If you are a blog content creator and wrote over a new topic that did well, publish a follow-up post about it.
For instance, let's say, you wrote about how a healthier diet can have a positive impact on your body's appearance, and it was very popular amongst your subscribers.
Your next post can be how a certain diet can improve your skin.
Use similar or the same keywords as in the previous post. If you're a video content maker, let's say, a gaming channel and a certain game got a lot of views, then post another video of you playing that game.
This way, you give the audience what they want and grow your business using your analytics as a guide.
See Related: How to Make Money on Steam
Be Authentic and Unique
There are millions of blog posts, and thousands of videos posted each day on the internet. So what can you do to make sure that people read or view what you have to say? Be real and be unique!
Don’t just try to copy what’s popular in your industry. Choose the latest hot topic and give the audience your take on it. Also, try to find unique ways to present it, because your audience wants to know your opinions and thoughts over it.
If you just say what the next most popular blogger or influencer is saying, your audience won’t have something new to read or watch!
This brings us to the second point, which is, don’t be afraid to try out something new.
Try a different niche, or something you don’t do but would like to do. See a list of some of the top untouched niche markets to help spur your brainstorming.
Who’s to say you can’t post makeup tutorials on YouTube if you have a blog where you write about health? We say, go for it!
You can gather a larger and wider segment of the audience this way.
You also have more companies to monetize your content and have more opportunities to grow as a digital creator in general.
See Related: List of 18 Free Traffic Sources You Should Use
Freelancing as a Content Creator
Next, what if you don’t want to start and commit to something as big as a personal blog, page, or channel? In this case, you can be a content creator as a freelancer.
This way, you can sell your skills as a writer, video editor, social media content creator, and much more, to different companies.
Sign up on websites like FlexJobs, Freelancer, SolidGigs or Fiverr (there are tons of options), showcase your skills there, and you can easily get work whenever you want some.
Here is a guide on how to become a successful freelancer. Freelancing is great because you can start making money right away with no upfront investment.
You should determine the value of your time by using our free freelance rate calculator.
See Related: 14 Best Freelance Apps to Use
Conclusion on Content Creation
No matter what your set of skills are, with the right type of content and effective optimization and marketing, you, too, get those brand sponsors and companies to monetize your content.
Content creation is not a get rich overnight scheme. It takes a ton of hard work, promotion and persistence. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you focus on quality you'll make a difference in your respective niche.
Follow these simple yet crucial tips and get your big break!