How to Become a Successful Content Creator

15 Sep How to Become a Successful Content Creator

A content creator is someone who creates written, audio, video, or visual content for a digital platform. Learn how to become a successful content creator in this guide

While many of us wish to be the next YouTube or Instagram sensation, being a content creator entails much more than just having thousands of followers.

Businesses all over the world hire content creators to create blog posts, videos, photos, ebooks, and other types of content in order to promote their brands and engage both new and existing customers.

In this post, we’ll look at what a content creator does, the various platforms they work with, a typical content creator’s salary, and how to become a content creator.

What is a Content Creator?

A content creator produces written, audio, video, or visual piece of information for digital platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or a blog.

A content creator could be employed by a company, an agency, freelancing, or running a private business.

What Does a Content Creator Do?

The following are the duties and obligations of a content creator whether self-employed or working in an organization:

1. They produce content.

2. Develop a content strategy.

3. Keep track of a content calendar.

4. Look for content ideas.

5. Create and edit visuals.

6. Make and edit videos.

7. Create podcasts.

8. Perform fundamental SEO.

9. Have a thorough understanding of the channels for which they create content, including the most recent updates and changes.

How Much Do Content Creators Make?

A content creator’s earnings are unrestricted.

However, how much you make depends on whether you work in-house, freelance, or on your own. You could also earn more money if you:

Have subject matter knowledge.

Have a sizable fan base on the platform where you publish your content.

Possess a well-known and respected brand.

According to Zippia, the median annual salary for a content creator is $52,000. Some content creators, on the other hand, have been known to earn six figures.

When Jon Morrow of SmartBlogger was freelancing, he used to charge up to $2.50 per word. That works out to $5,000 for a 2,000-word post. Jon earns six figures per year by writing one article per week.

Other examples are:

Nate O’Brien is a YouTuber who makes $444,000 per year.

Bill Bishop, earns six figures per year from Substack.

John Lee Dumas is a podcaster who earns six figures per month (!).

How to Stand out as a Content Creator

Looking back on my own career, I’ve identified a few key factors that influenced my decision to become a content creator:

1. Choose a Niche in which to Expand your Knowledge and Skills

To create content, you must first decide on a topic. It could be anything from finance to football to Pokemon cards.

In the end, it’s not about how beautiful your writing is or how magical your videos are. They, of course, play a role.

However, the heart of content creation is your ideas. It doesn’t matter how much time you spend perfecting your work if you don’t have anything to share or the necessary knowledge. People simply will not care.

To be a successful content creator, you must first choose an area in which you have existing knowledge/expertise or in which you can develop knowledge.

It’s fine if you don’t have any experience right now. On the contrary, it’s an excellent way to get started. Document your journey and create content that focuses on how you are learning, practicing, and gaining knowledge.

People are fascinated by stories about people who go from zero to one.

Finally, the niche you choose now does not limit you indefinitely. You can always switch topics as you go. I no longer create breakdancing content and instead spend the majority of my time writing about marketing.

But the main point is that you must start with something that matches your strengths and the niche in which you are developing your expertise.

2. Choose a Skill in Content Creation that you Want to Improve

Following that, you must select a content format and then develop skills in that area. Content creation abilities include:

1. Copywriting/Writing

2. Graphic design

3. Photography

4. Video production

5. Podcasting, etc.

For example, if you specialize in taekwondo, you might want to consider learning video production.

However, playing to your strengths is more important. Creating content is a time-consuming process. And creating the type of content you enjoy on a topic about which you are passionate will help you go a long way.

If you want to improve your copywriting skills, I highly recommend the following resources:

The Boron Letters (Book)

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook (Book)

Ogilvy on Advertising (Book)

The Halbert Copywriting Method Part III (Book)

3. Find Work as a Content Creator

You do not need a job to be a successful content creator. But I don’t regret my decision. After all, a content creator’s job today is more than just creating content. It entails many aspects of marketing.

Working at various companies has exposed me to critical marketing skills such as content marketing and SEO.

It’s also taught me how to plan and create content as part of a cohesive marketing strategy. All of this can only help your reputation as a content creator.

The simplest way to find work as a content creator is to look for open positions. You’ll be in good shape to get one if you have your “Do 100” project in your portfolio.

Examine these job boards to see if you meet the qualifications for the positions. Extend your search little positions such as “content marketing manager” or “content strategist” could also be good fits.

4. Advancing Your Career

As you advance in your career and publish more, you’ll begin to establish a reputation in your field. Along the way, you might even gain a decent following.

If you’re interested, you could think about branching out and experimenting with different projects. You could, for example, freelance for other websites.

If that’s the case, I recommend reading this article by Nick LeRoy. While it focuses on SEO freelancing, the majority of the principles can be applied to any type of freelancing.

Aside from freelancing, there are other ways to make money. Examples include:

1. Product sponsorships and advertising

2. Speaking engagements

3. Substack or other forms of subscriptions

4. Online courses

5. Books

6. Affiliate marketing

7. E-commerce, e.g., setting up your own shop to sell merchandise

Your oyster is the entire world. Play around to see which one best fits your situation and context.

Conclusion

You never stop learning as a content creator.

You must stay current and learn about changes in your chosen niche, as well as the platforms for which you are creating content. You must also keep up with what your target audience wants to see.

Finally, as you gain more knowledge, you will begin to form preferences and opinions. You’ll start to notice what works and what doesn’t. This is what will set you apart from the hundreds of thousands of other content creators.

Was there anything I missed? Please notify me in the comment section.