Decoding the Creator Economy Part Three: How to break into the creator economy
In the final part of our series, discover key steps to get started and stand out in the creator economy.
Hello, readers, and welcome to the final installment of “Decoding the Creator Economy.” Once more, I’m Fiona, your guide throughout this series.
In Part One, we defined the creator economy, measured its size and examined its current state. In Part Two, we theorized where the future will take it and offered different approaches to entering it. And all along the way, we’ve glimpsed examples of the people, platforms and brands that compose it.
The last link in this chain of information is what I’ll offer you here in Part Three, a how-to guide for breaking into the creator economy.
To get this guide going, I did some light preliminary research by asking a few different outlets the same question: “What’s the first step to entering the creator economy?”
The answers varied.
Google search results led me to the Substack of writer Nat Eliason, who told his readers they’d already accomplished the first step in the process by clicking on his essay titled “How to Get Insanely Rich in the Creator Economy.”
TikTok’s in-app search bar revealed a video from Tom Boyd, host of the “Creators Are Brands” podcast, who told viewers the first step is simply engaging in the comment section of their favorite creator, thus providing value and making connections.
ChatGPT told me the first step is to explore, meaning consuming and creating content of all kinds, and then analyzing the results to refine my approach.
The variety in these results showed me there’s no definitive answer to my question, nor is there a sure-fire approach to the creator economy. As I assembled this how-to guide, I kept that in mind.
However, I also recalled everything we’ve discussed so far in this series to create something that may not be absolute, but has stable footing. I was reminded of the ambiguity we’ve run into along the way — the debatable definition of what the creator economy is and is not, its fast beginnings and even faster future, and the duality of entrepreneurship and assimilation in this world — and decided that simplicity may be the best approach to this final advice.
With that, let’s begin.
Step 1: Do Some Self-Discovery
As of July 2024, there are more than 5 billion social media users worldwide, according to Data Reportal. This means the demand for online content is higher than ever, and I can guarantee that there’s room for you in the creator economy.
However, the number of people creating content is also enormous. Adobe estimates there’s somewhere around 300 million creators in the world. In order to stay afloat in this sea of people, you must decide what makes you unique.
Creator economy expert Gigi Robinson believes the need for creators to find a niche is somewhat of a myth.
“We're allowed to be multi-dimensional people,” Robinson told LinkedIn writer Gianna Prudente in an article for Keeping the Balance. “When we talk about finding our niche, oftentimes we bottlenose ourselves to the point where we're so deep into something that we feel like we can't expand.”
I’d challenge Robinson’s point, though, specifically on how we interpret the “niche.”
People tend to think that a creator’s niche is the topic their content focuses on. For example, if you like making videos about makeup and hair, you’re a beauty creator. Or, if you like to share your travels online, you’re a travel blogger. The issue with this form of thinking is that it’s both limiting and broad — you’re confined to a specific kind of content, but also lumped in with the other creators in that area.
A creator’s niche encompasses not just their content, but the format of their content, the audience they’re hoping to reach, the platforms they utilize, their tone or voice, their location, their language and much more.
There are many factors that can make a creator stand out. So, the first step is to simply consider who you are and how you’ll communicate that online.
Step 2: Build Your Brand
For this step, I suggest you consider both the branding techniques of companies and the basics of personal branding.
To give you a refresh on the two — The article “How To Build a Brand From Scratch” by Entrepreneur suggests the essentials of company branding include a great logo, a tagline, a distinct voice and a color scheme. On the other hand, Harvard Business Review writers Jill Avery and Rachel Greenwald defined a personal brand as “the amalgamation of the associations, beliefs, feelings, attitudes and expectations that people collectively hold about you.”
When crafting your brand in the creator economy, you can think of internet users as your job interviewers. However, instead of a resume and cover letter, your deliverables are your online profiles, complete with biographies, profile pictures, and any other messaging you wish to include.
The likely truth is that if you’re just starting out in the creator economy, you’re completely on your own. The potential talent agents and assistants often show up much later in one’s career. This means you are the solo driving force of your work, and what’s unique about a career in the creator economy is that you are your entire business.
So, understanding the intersection of your unique value proposition and your personal identity is key. It will help you nail the initial sell of yourself to potential audiences, as well as ensure a consistent message and persona as you grow.
Step 3: Create Content
Your videos, articles, podcasts, artwork, music or whatever else you specialize in is the value you offer to the creator economy and the reason your audience follows you. So, no matter the type of creator you aspire to be, your content will be the heart of your work.
While sharing content on social media platforms has become an instantaneous and often spontaneous action, creating content as a creator is likely going to be more of a complex process. It may include a planning phase, a production phase, an editing phase and beyond.
Tonia Kendrick, a blogger who specializes in coaching solo entrepreneurs, described a content creation strategy as a creator’s “roadmap” in a recent article. Within this strategy, she said there are five key steps: define your goals, know your audience, brainstorm content ideas, decide on content types and create an editorial calendar.
Her specific strategy may not be a perfect fit for you. However, she is correct in the notion that having at least some form of strategy “ensures that your content aligns with your business goals and speaks directly to your target audience.”
Figuring out your perfect approach to content creation may take time, which is perfectly fine, as many of our sources thus far have stressed the importance of exploration in this pursuit. Once you have finalized it, though, it’s important to remember an important fact of digital media: quality is better than quantity.
The quality over quantity approach means it’s better to produce fewer pieces of high-quality content instead of a constant stream of mediocre posts. According to Forbes, the average consumer of digital content may see more than 5,000 ads daily, but only 12 ads actually engage them.
Step 4: Monetize Your Content
Once you’ve established your approach to creating and posting content to your online profiles, it’s now possible to begin making money off your work. However, this step differs depending on the specific platforms you use.
If you create videos on YouTube or TikTok, you can generate revenue through ads, creator funds or posting sponsored content for brand partnerships. If you post on a subscription-based site like Patreon, you can earn money by offering exclusive content to paying subscribers. If you’re on Instagram, you can earn Gifts from followers, which are paid out in the form of money by the app. If you’ve established a dedicated enough following on any platform, you may try selling merchandise and marketing it within your content. Today, the ways to earn money online are abundant and growing. Just make sure that you understand the creator opportunities specific to your platform of choice.
It’s worth knowing that out of all of these options, however, about 70 percent of creator revenue comes from brand deals, according to Goldman Sachs. This large number is due to the collaboration of the traditional business sphere and the creator economy, which is a relationship that has evolved over the course of this new era of the digital world.
Goldman Sachs also stated the total influencer marketing spend in the United States is steadily increasing, with a rate of more than $7 billion spent in 2024. So, no matter your size or position as a creator, this research shows that the opportunities for you to collaborate with brands and in turn generate revenue are growing.
Even if you prefer to stick to the bounds of your own brand, doing personal marketing for your own products, courses or merchandise, the money will flow as long as you are communicating your brand efficiently and delivering high-quality content to your audience.
Ultimately, whichever monetization path you choose, this simple equation put forth by Medium blog Cultures Interlude will fit: specialized skill x distribution x service or product = value.
Bonus Step: Evolve With The Industry And Your Audience
Like in any other job, being consistent is great, but being stagnant is not. If there’s one point we’ve nailed home in this series, it’s that the creator economy is growing and changing every day. So, be adaptable, explore and pivot when necessary.
The creator economy is more than just a trend. It has revolutionized how people work, communicate, entertain, connect with others and spend their time. Whether you’re just a typical internet user or a creator-to-be, I hope the information I’ve provided will be helpful as we watch this new age of the digital world unfold before us.
Thank you for joining me on this exploration of the creator economy. Now, it’s your turn to join in!
Best,
Fiona for the Don’t Count Us Out Yet team
 | A guest post by
|