Making a living out of content creation is something many aspire to but often wonder where to start.
In order to learn more about creators for our Vexels Creator program, we took a dive into what it takes to get started and gathered a few gold nuggets that might help you on your own journey.
If you’re interested in becoming a full-time creator or just doing it for fun, check out this list of 6 beginner tips for content creators.
1. Define your message
2. Define your content and platform
3. Manage your content process
4. Don’t get too caught up on analytics
5. Promote, promote, promote
6. Enjoy the ride
1. Define your message
Among the very first things that you have to define when taking up content creation is your message. As Simon Sinek would say, start with why. Having a good reason for creating content is the heart of it all, and this will help you figure out what your message will be. Even if you’re doing it as a hobby, having a clear idea of what your message is will pave the way for the process of making the content itself.
2. Define your content and platform
Another great tip for beginners is to figure out what your main media will be, and which will be your primary content platform. Pinpointing the very best type of content and platform is impossible from our end, as it depends entirely on the creator. That being said, there are many different places to start: if you’re into essays, YouTube can be a great place to host your content as it’s currently the best platform to share and monetize long-form content; if you love engaging with your audience, then live streaming on platforms like Twitch can be the perfect place for you. While audiences are important, it’s more important that you feel at home on the platform you’ll be devoting most of your time.
3. Manage your content process
Content ideas are only as good as your ability to create them (don’t take it from us), so be sure to keep an eye on how you manage your content process so you make the most out of it and don’t end up burned out. Once again, it all boils down to the creator: long-form essay videos like the ones you find at Folding Ideas are very nuanced and take a long time to produce, whereas other types of content are easier and faster to create, such as the case of tiktoks. Whatever your type of content is, figuring out the production framework that works best for you is a key component of your overall activity as a content creator.
Check our video about how Content Creators monetize
4. Don’t get too caught up on analytics
For many up-and-coming content creators, analytics take a large portion of their attention, and according to seasoned creators, this should never be your main concern. They stress that constantly checking your data can seriously affect the way you create content and even the way you carry yourself as a creator. Analytics are great tools to understand what’s working and what’s not, and the degree to which you manage this information will either make or hinder your progress.
At the end of the day, the reason to be of your content should stay above your channel’s analytics, and learning about how to read and apply this data to your objectives can become a great asset for years to come.
Speaking of useful assets, every month we hand our subscribers a strategy guide about print-on-demand and the content creator industry. It’s called the Vexels Digest, follow the link to learn more about it.
5. Promote, promote, promote
The more you participate in the social discussion, the more attention you will draw to your channels and content. Platforms like Reddit are excellent places to start discussions and distribute content if the subreddit is right. Some social platforms are better than others for active dialogue and for different types of content. Content creators are normally very active on social media and care about how to make every interaction count. Every tweet or post is an opportunity to make your content available to others!
Even as a beginner, creating your own merch collection is another great way to raise awareness and interest in what you do, either by way of follower giveaways or setting up your own eCommerce store or print-on-demand storefront. This is easier than ever with today’s technology. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to find good t-shirt designs or to create original merch designs on your own with online tools.
6. Enjoy the ride
There are multiple factors that may cut a creator’s journey short, one of them being a feeling of stagnation or ‘not making it’, especially at first, when getting traction is the hardest thing. Some of the largest channels out there have been through years of no growth only to figure out what the best type of content is for them and what they enjoy the most doing. Some channels just don’t make it, and if this ever happens to be your case, it doesn’t mean you should quit! Remember why you started making content in the first place, and get back to the drawing board.
Boost your channel: Product giveaways
As mentioned earlier, running Merch giveaways is a simple and affordable way to make your channel grow.
Print-on-demand platforms like Merch by Amazon and Redbubble are both marketplaces and selling platforms where you can upload your artwork to products and users can buy your products from your store.
Creating designs is extremely easy using a t-shirt creator! You can create the artwork yourself from scratch or use an editable template and get a print-ready PNG design in just a few minutes.
Once you have a small following, try running a giveaway promo to boost engagement and push your channel even further!
