How to become a digital creator: everything you need to know to get started
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Times may be uncertain, but one thing isn’t: content creators are in high demand.
As Hubspot points out, job postings for content creators have almost tripled on LinkedIn compared to just a year ago.
So, if you’re a content creator, now might be a good time to reassess your career goals.
Here is everything you need to know to get your content creator career started.
Content creator definition: What is a digital creator
The term "digital creator" is used to describe someone who creates content in the digital space.
You might be a digital creator if you create content on YouTube or Instagram, or if you're a blogger, podcaster or musician.
Digital creators are often freelance workers, but they can also work for companies that specialize in digital content creation.
Digital creator vs influencer
If you want to become a digital creator, the first thing you need to figure out is what kind of content you want to produce.
There are two main types of digital creators:
Influencers
Digital creators
Influencers are people who are known for one specific type of content, such as beauty or fashion. These are people who already have a following, and they’re likely already making money from their content. They may also have an established reputation in their industry, which makes it easier for them to get sponsorship deals.
Digital creators are people who create content on a variety of topics and target a wide range of audiences. Their channels can be anything from cooking videos to political commentary or personal vlogging.
Different type of social media content creator job
Social media content creators are people who create content for social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Youtube etc... They're responsible for generating engaging posts that will keep users coming back to their accounts.
There are different types of social media content creators, and each one has a different role in the process.
Video creators
These people create videos to post on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram or another platform. They might be comedians, musicians or anyone else with a talent they want to share with fans.
Bloggers
Bloggers write articles or blog posts about any topic they choose — from sports to fashion. These articles are usually published on the blog owner's website or blog network's website, but some bloggers also write for newspapers or magazines.
Influencers
Influencers have large followings on social media and use their presence to promote products and services for companies. Their followers trust them because they tend to review products honestly and aren't always paid by companies to promote them.
Content creator salary: how much does a content creator make
If you're interested in becoming a digital creator, you may be surprised to find out that the job isn't as glamorous as it sounds.
One of the most popular careers among millennials is being a social media influencer — and with good reason.
According to data from Glassdoor, the average salary for a social media influencer is $55,000 per year, which is pretty good money for a part-time gig.
Plus, there are plenty of high-paying opportunities: according to the same report, some social media stars can make over $500,000 per year! It seems like an easy way to earn extra cash without having to spend hours at an office every day.
What affects the salary of a content creator?
According to Hubspot, the biggest differentiators are experience, location, and in-demand skills.
How do you know when your skillset is sufficient for a rate bump?
Here are a few suggestions:
Identify your expertise. Specializing in one area can help you stick out and find better opportunities. photography, videography, copywriting
Grow your skill set. The best investment you can make is in yourself. Follow new trends, learn techniques, complete certifications, and master soft skills. You’ll need them.
Create your own brand. Branding isn’t just for business. Boosting your personal brand with blogs, podcasts, and similar content will bring awareness and social proof.
Lastly, define which career path you want to take. You may prefer the autonomy of a freelancer, or the stable income stream of being in-house, or the fast-paced life at an agency.
Choose the environment that best fits your character and temperament.
And there you go… you’ve got ideas for taking your career to the next level.
How to make money as a content creator
If you want to make money as a content creator, you need to create great content. But how do you do that?
Here are some tips:
1. Know your audience. If you're writing for an audience of one, then you know exactly who they are and what they care about. For example, if you're writing about sports for young men, then it's likely that your audience is male and between the ages of 18 and 34. Knowing this allows you to craft articles that speak directly to them.
2. Find your voice — and use it consistently across all platforms
3. Be authentic and consistent in your messaging
Once you built an audience then you can start promoting products or offers.
You can offer:
freelance services based on your skills (writing, film making, taking photos, etc…)
Sell products like merchandise
Sell digital products
I wrote an ebook gathering the 16 Ways To Make Money With Social Media where I explain the pros and cons of each method. Just enter your email address in the form below to download your free copy.
Content creator resume/portfolio or media kit
This is your basic content creator media kit. It contains everything a potential client will need to know about you, from your skills and experience, to the types of projects you can work on and stats about your brand social media influence.
If you're working as a freelancer, this is the document that will be used to pitch your ideas to clients. If you're working at a company, it's an internal tool that helps you sell your ideas internally before they go to clients.
This template includes:
A cover page with contact information
A summary of what you do and how much it costs
A list of all the work samples you've created in the past (with links)
A list of your skills & abilities
Some stats showing your demographic and user engagement on the various platforms you publish content on
3 steps to get started as a content creator
A content creator is someone who makes content, and they can do so in a number of different ways. The most common are writing blog posts, creating videos, and making podcasts.
You don't need to be an expert in any of these areas to get started as a content creator. You just need to have something valuable to say and the ability to get it out there.
But, if you want to become a successful digital creator, there are three things you should do:
1. Pick a topic that interests you
2. Create some content about that topic
3. Pick 1-2 main social media platforms and spread the word about your work
If you want to stop the guesswork and get a proven plan that REALLY works to become a full time content creator nowadays, you can access this free one hour training from my mentor Christian Leblanc and learn the 10 steps to go from beginner to pro & the 5 steps to escape the 9-5. Just click here or on the button below to watch the free 1 hour training.
You now know what is a content creator and what’s needed to build a successful career as a content creator. It takes time and dedication but once you have learned the basics, practice will allow you to scale your business quickly.
I personally learned the basics with the Lost Creator Academy.
It is an advanced photography and film-making online course with business resources to help those working in the creative industry (bloggers, creatives, instagrammers, vloggers, etc) in building a recognisable online brand and collaborate with brands to promote their products or services.
Whether you have a big following or not, all levels are welcome.
I wrote a blog article where I review in details what you can learn inside and what benefits you can get once you join. You can click on the link below to read the article.
And if you’d like more digital nomad resources to help you transition from your 9to5 to becoming location independent, you can click on the link below to access the library of resources I built.
If you enjoyed reading this article, make sure to like it, it actually makes a difference. And if you know anyone that’d be interested in becoming a digital creator, do not hesitate to share this article with them.
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