Are you ready to jump into the world of content creation? Here is everything you need to know about how to become a content creator.
For those of us who prefer living life on our own terms to the slog of a more traditional job with a time clock and all of the interoffice politics, making the shift to consistently paid content creation can usher in a sea change in terms of quality of life. Forget about tedious PowerPoints and high blood pressure-inducing commutes — you’re trading them in for a DIY work schedule, cozy athleisure, the occasional midday nap, and a work environment surrounded by the people (or pets) you love most.
As a freelance writer who has spent the better part of the past decade working from home as a content creator, I can’t imagine living any other life at this point. But I also know firsthand the struggle of not knowing how to get started. It’s one of the many reasons I love helping other women find their own paths to paid content creation by sharing what I’ve learned. If you’re ready to embrace life as a successful content creator with a regular income, follow this roadmap to get started.
1. Follow other social media content creators
Goodness knows the internet already has enough soulless, empty-headed, cash-grabby schlock out there on the social media landscape. If you want to make a long-term living in content creation that goes beyond just parroting trends, you’ll need to build a high-value, high-interest brand that isn’t just another Temu version of what’s already out there.
I’ve always been a firm believer that whether we’re talking about authors, musicians, or true crime podcasters, the best creatives are the ones who listen first—following their passions to check out what’s fresh, tune into the current conversation, and gain some inspiration. If you’ve spent much time on YouTube or hanging around TikTok, you’ve likely noticed that the best and most engaging creators tend to freely mention and even collaborate with their favorite podcasts or blogs.
Think of critically listening, reading, and/or viewing content that interests you, almost like taking a crash course in quality content creation. It’s a great way to learn what works well and get a sense of the type of content you want to make.
2. Start experimenting
Back when I was juggling an exhausting job in education with parenting three neurodivergent kiddos and a handful of side hustles just to get the bills paid, one of the ways I would blow off steam was writing an objectively low-quality family blog on Google’s Blogger. It was the mid-to-late ‘aughts, and I was mostly using photos I’d taken with a low-resolution phone. My posting was all over the place—one day, I’d write about a little DIY craft I’d tried out, while another day I might just put up some pics of a blanket fort I’d made for my kids.
At the time, I wasn’t thinking about going viral or making an income, and I never could have fathomed that I might one day win a national media award for a parenting blog. But with every low-quality blog post I wrote, I was refining my skills and learning more and more what it takes to create high-quality content. By the time I was hired as a blogger for TulsaKids Magazine and began working as a freelance content creator for websites with millions of readers, I’d honed my voice as a freelance writer and developed a sense of the type of content I really wanted to create.
3. Find your niche
If you know you want to do online content creation but aren’t sure which direction to take, start with some good, old-fashioned brainstorming. You can even break out the ol’ Number Two pencil and draw up a list or one of those old-school bubble maps most of us made at some point in school.
Whether you’re looking for a side income or you’re looking to pay the rent with your content, you’re more likely to earn a steady income with authenticity as opposed to flash-in-the-pan clickbait. Take a look at your bookshelf, your DVD library, your watchlist. Is there something you’re interested in or even fascinated with? Do you have a special skill, even if you haven’t used it for a while?
When I first started out as a mom blogger, I worried that I didn’t have anything to bring to the table. But as I began to explore my interests, I started gearing my content toward the intersection of pop culture, family, and neurodiversity. I realized there’s a ton of content out there about parenting kids on the autism spectrum, but there really aren’t all that many blogs that share experience-based advice on taking neurospicy families to comic-cons or renaissance faires and making sure everyone has a great time.
And once you start really breaking down your skills and interests, you may find you have more than you realized. Even if your interests tend to fall on the road more traveled, there’s always a fresh way to revisit an old idea, especially when your special set of skills informs a different take on your content.
Related: 10 Fun and Profitable Content Creation Niches
4. Don’t fear the pivot
It might be a little intimidating to think about investing a lot of time, energy, and even money into building a brand, only to take a major pivot. But some of the best digital content and social media influencers out there have taken a major 90-degree turn years into building their brand, only to end up tremendously successful.
Three of my favorite true crime YouTubers started off making other types of content with some degree of success, but ended up gaining serious ground after following their passion for telling a good murder mystery. Mike Oh of That Chapter (2.2 million subscribers) originally made conspiracy theory content, Bailey Sarian started off with a focus on makeup before pivoting to Murder, Mystery, and Makeup (7.85 million subscribers), and Stephanie Soo started off doing mukbang (feasting) videos before shifting to focus her main channel, Rotten Mango (6.11 million followers) on true crime.
And it’s not just true crime. From history blogs to soft-spoken ASMR, many different types of content creators see their biggest success after shifting topics, so don’t be afraid of a little change if you feel something different is calling your name once you’ve made it a bit down the road.
5. Build your skills
When you’re first getting started as a content creator, you need to accept that skill-building is essential to the business, no matter how much expertise you may already have in one area or another. And the best content creation brands will require a lot of skill-building.
One of the first things I learned as a full-time content creator and blogger is just how much of this job goes beyond kicking out clever content. My graduate school education in writing and literature might have taught me skills like organization and proofreading, but I needed to learn about keywords and search engine optimization (SEO) to navigate the algorithms and draw traffic to my content. I also needed to pick up a decent camera and learn the basics of graphic design, both for sharing images on my blog and for social media posts.
And the cool thing about getting into the business now is that there are tons of free and low-cost resources available to learn from in a creator economy where freebies help drive traffic. I relied heavily on free tutorials from YouTube and even took a few classes online through my local library. It’s never too early or too late in your content career to learn new tricks of the trade, so make a list of what you need to learn and start refining those skills.
6. Connect across social media platforms
Wherever you plan to post the most new content and build your online presence, you should aim to connect with your followers across various social media platforms. Not only can this drive traffic to your main account, but it also helps you expand your reach and grow your target audience, which can be especially important if an issue like hacking or demonetization comes up on your primary platform profile.
It is certainly true that different social media platforms tend to yield different audiences. But since different platforms also use different algorithm strategies, experimenting across various social profiles can be a fantastic way to widen your reach. For example, TikTok’s algorithm tends to bring attention to smaller accounts, and over the past couple of years, YouTube has made some dramatic changes to its algorithm to help smaller pages get more views as well.
Releasing content with consistency across all of your social media accounts can also be a good way to engage with viewers between posts, especially if your brand is focused on putting out long-form content less frequently. I’ve noticed a marked uptick in creators taking advantage of this over the past couple of years. As someone who really enjoys highly polished video essays, podcasts, and other long-form video content, I truly appreciate how many YouTube channels I’ve been introduced to through clipped content on Facebook and Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts while mindlessly scrolling over my morning coffee.
7. Develop a content strategy
No matter what content type you’re working with, it pays to develop a content calendar that keeps you focused on what’s coming and keeps your content on target with trending topics. And it’s essential once you’re ready to start thinking about affiliate marketing and other income strategies, since some brand collaborations will be looking for specific topics or seasonal content.
Ideally, you want to be putting out new content on the regular so your audience knows when to expect something fresh from you. It’s also best to present matching content across all of your social media pages. Whether I’m posting on my own blog or writing a feature for another brand, it is almost always cross-posted, with graphics customized for each platform to generate interest and drive traffic to that piece.
This can also help to prevent creator burnout. One of the biggest reasons content creators tend to burn out is the pressure of having to come up with new ideas all the time to keep things fresh. And whether you’re still building your audience or already well-established, suddenly dropping off the planet is simply bad for business.
8. Build your revenue streams
As rewarding as the creativity of a content creator lifestyle can be, for us work at home girlies, getting some money in the bank is really what it’s all about. At the end of the day, this is a business, and you need to develop a business plan right down to planning for your 1099 as a freelance worker.
Many of the more financially stable content creators will build multiple revenue streams, something that tends to get easier as your brand picks up steam (and subscribers). Once upon a time, ad revenue was the foundation of many video-based creator brands, but with the big YouTube demonetization crashout that happened a few years back, more creators have begun to diversify their income streams so their incomes are more resilient against a rainy day.
Depending on your brand, platform, and content type, there really are quite a few ways to generate revenue these days. Some channels might use live streams to generate income. Others might sell courses, ebooks, or webinars for a pay-to-download fee.
Just about any kind of content creator can sell custom merch through a third-party site or create a subscription program through Patreon, Substack, or another platform to offer subscribers access to special content or early releases. You can use affiliate marketing programs to get paid when your followers make a purchase using your link or set up sponsorships to get paid for promoting other brands.
8. Be open to feedback
As you build your brand, pay close attention to your insights so you know which type of content works well and which doesn’t. I have often been surprised at which pieces I write generate more interest. It’s also a good idea to ask your audience what they want more of, so you’re not just guessing.
At the same time, don’t pay any mind to trolls or get sucked into any comment drama. Just keep giving it your best and growing your brand.
Wrap-up: What Are You Waiting For?
If you’re not ready to start your own full-blown brand, but you’re still eager to dip your toe in the content creation pool, just start creating something and see where it goes.
Once you’ve learned the basics of the content type you’re working with and you know you’re on the right track, you can always try to land a freelancing gig with a larger content company. As much as I love writing a blog, I also truly enjoy freelancing as a content creator.
Whether you’re a photographer posting on Instagram, a videographer creating gorgeous video essays, or you’re like me and you just love the old clickety-clack of the keyboard, content creation can be a low-risk, high-reward way to keep the lights on.
Once you get started, drop your new brand in the comments section so we can all check out your content! Thanks so much for reading—you got this, work at home woman!
