Getting started as a content creator should be a fun and exciting journey. You’re finally deciding to put yourself out there and create an online community based on your interests. So many people have built massive audiences, which has changed their lives. There are 4.6 Billion internet users worldwide and it’s growing. It truly is a massive space filled with so much information and content. Having access to even a small portion of those billions of users is worth so much to advertisers. It’s turned into an amazing opportunity for anyone who has access to a smartphone and internet.
We know it can feel daunting when you get started as a content creator and the key is remaining consistent and thoughtful. In this guide, we’ll explore essential steps to help you launch your career as a content creator, from defining your niche to crafting compelling content and building a loyal audience. Here are five ways you can get started:
- Choose a niche– The internet is a massive space and you can create many different types of content for different audiences. The first step is to decide the type of content you’d like to create. It’s important to be authentic. It’s important to understand your audience, and where they consume their content. This will allow you to be as effective with your content as possible. You should also stay on top of any changes in trends and viral news that might be relevant to you and your audience. Here are some ways you can narrow down a niche:
- Look at the content you’re consuming now: If you’re stuck on finding a niche, you can just take a look at the content you’re already looking at. Your algorithm is so connected to what interests you that it does a great job of prioritizing the best content for you.
- Understand what that space looks like now: It’s important to take a look at the current landscape of the niche you’re planning on creating content in. You’ll be able to better understand the landscape and where you can come in and fill any gaps in the market. New niches pop up all the time, who imagined carpet cleaning could be mesmerizing?
- Choose a platform- It’s easy to think of every social media platform as the same but they each serve their own purpose. Popular platforms for content creators include YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, blogs, and podcasts. Choosing a platform will dictate the kind of content you’ll produce. We recommend trying to produce content for as many platforms as possible and that’ll require creating different kinds of content. Some creators can recycle content for multiple platforms (ex. IG reels and TikTok) while others treat each platform differently. You can also leverage one of these platforms to drive traffic to the other ones. A lot of content creators will make long-form videos for YouTube and then take some highlights and post them to IG reels and TikTok. If people want to see more, they can go to the full video on YouTube.
- Equipment- Depending on the content you’re creating, you may need to purchase some equipment. For example, if you’re starting a podcast, you might need to purchase sound equipment to ensure your audio quality is up to user expectations. While equipment can be costly, you can always start small with a mini microphone and portable ring light to start, or just use your smartphone. Purchasing equipment shouldn’t stop you from creating content because most people have smartphones. Take a look at the equipment other content creators are using and try to do the best with the budget you have.
- Start Creating Content- Be yourself and test content on a few different platforms to see what sticks. The more you do, the more you’ll learn about what works for you. Consistency is key to building an audience and keeping them coming back for more. Some creators track their content schedule and set goals to push themselves to make more. You should aim to maintain a regular presence on all platforms you choose. It’s a balance between quality and quantity and it can be a lot! Other creators use a batch content strategy where they block out time to create content for the entire week or month and post it on a schedule. Establish goals for each post and make sure it’s conveying what it needs to.
- Learn and Adapt- As we mentioned before, it’s important to stay on top of trends and your industry. You should also consider how different types of content are performing so you can replicate success as much as possible. We recommend being as data-driven as possible so you can track performance and measure success with confidence. You can also seek feedback from your audience and ask what kind of content they’d like to see or prefer. A lot of influencers do this through polls or comments. If you’re not seeing success, you can always pivot and switch your strategy. The important thing is to stay flexible and continue to experiment and innovate.
- Trust the process (and the algorithm!)- Success is never a straight track upwards. You’ll have some videos that do well and some that don’t and it will come in waves. You’ll have to look at growth from a longer perspective to assess how you’re doing. Figure out what key metrics you want to track for success, it can be the number of likes, followers, views, comments, or even revenue growth. Take into account what are the most important metrics for where you are at in your journey. You might want to increase followers in the beginning but focus on comments as you try to engage your audience about different subjects.
There are so many other things you can do before getting started but the most important thing is to just start. You can do all this research and preparation but you don’t start building an audience till you post content that resonates with people. Once you have an audience engaged with you, you can then work on strategies to promote and grow it even more. You can also partner with other creators who are in a similar niche or expand into other niches. When you do deviate from your normal content, you should communicate why to your audience.
Although not necessary, some creators will start by finding User Generated Content (UGC) opportunities to understand how campaigns are planned and measured. They’ll also get a good idea of what performs and what doesn’t. You can find opportunities from the brands we work with here.
Don’t be hard on yourself, it can be scary! Stay patient, stay creative, and keep learning and growing along the way. We hope we can help get started as a content creator.
