In case you’re wondering, content creators are people that provides information and material on all platforms. They focus on specific content within their niche. A content creator contributes to all formats big or small varying from news, blogs, social media, photography, etc. The list goes on. Being a creator comes with a lot. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows although it may seem it. We tend to look at only the good while overlooking the bad. The pros are exposure, fame, money, and creative fun. The cons are that it’s expensive, requires patience and long term commitment, and can put a damper on your mood.
Influencer 101
Tiktok influencer Christiana offers tips she wishes she knew before becoming an influencer. She mentions that being an influencer is a full-time job whether you like it or not. If you’re not consistent on your platform you will not get the following you want and need. The algorithm will not recognize your content and people will not see your posts. The community is toxic. People will do and say hurtful things. Someone will always disagree with you and the work you’re promoting and there’s nothing you can do about it. You as an influence have to ignore it and not allow it to get to you. Think of it as being a bigger person. Being an influencer is expensive. You’re going to spend a lot of money before ever seeing any. You have to buy software, cameras, lighting, etc. Her last tip was to be patient. This is a long-term commitment. There’s no way to tell how fast your platform is going to grow. It’s unpredictable. Some people are luckier than others. Their content can go viral as soon as it posts, getting them the engagement and recognition needed. But, other’s growth is extremely slow.
Where’s The Money?
Influencer Melissa Tovar speaks out on how no one talks about how broke you are when you’re starting out your influencer journey. She mentions that she feels as though influencers are selling a fake illusion to the public. Where they pretend to be making ten thousand a month, when in all reality that’s not true. Although during her first year as an influencer she made 10k. That’s not always the case. She encourages all aspiring influences to not give up. With a little hard work and dedication, this can too be you.
Jasmine Tiara is a micro-influencer. This is an influencer that has anywhere between 10,000 to 50,000 followers, as opposed to a macro influencer, who has 500,000 to 1 million followers. She says that everyone wants to be a creator until they realize that you have to spend hours taking photos, making videos, and planning new ideas. She stresses how being an influencer takes time, many have a hard time being patient. It takes a lot of effort and some people’s hard work pays off faster than others. You cannot allow yourself to be discouraged. The last thing she mentions is that you have to find your niche, create a pitch, and constantly and consistently email brands.
Expectation Versus Reality
Vi Luong shares that when she first started out she was excited. She looked forward to the free stuff and event invites. Especially the thought of being able to take pictures of herself as a job. In her second year of creating she expanded to videos. She started to get paid for her posts. All the while having to pay for new equipment. Her third year as a creator is more overwhelming and stressful. She manages a small team and is her own company. She finds it harder to come up with ideas. In addition, she has to deal with legal accounting and communications on top of content creation. She even points out that she received 2 years of online hate and death threats.
Many creators mention that when you are pitching to brands you need to include a media kit. You may be wondering what that is? Well, a media kit is a one-page sheet that you send to brands to try to get them to work with you. You need to include a little description about you, your following size, your engagement rate, and your demographics. if you are considering charging brands a fee to utilize you. Think about creating a rate sheet that shows how much you charge for your services.
Being a content creator is very rewarding. However, it comes with a lot, but what doesn’t? Everything in life has its pros and cons. Some may say it’s not worth it while others will say it’s worth everything. With you knowing all of this, are you prepared to be a content creator?
Feature Image by Dusan Jovic from UNSPLASH.COM
