Here’s what I wish I knew before becoming a content creator…
I’ve been on YouTube for almost two years now and recently hit 60k subscribers so I’m
sharing my top 7 lessons I wish I learned before I started.
Ready?
Let’s do this!
Hi my lovely people, it’s Natalia and welcome back to my channel where I help you create
better content and grow on social media!
And today I’m trying something different and sharing my lessons as a content creator.
I’ve been on YouTube for some time now and I know this kind of content doesn’t usually
do as well because it’s not the “exciting” tips or how to tutorials that people are usually
looking for, but I think it’s important to share.
These are some of the things I had to learn (oftentimes the hard way) as a new content
creator and I’ll be talking about money and value, and mindset and so many different
things.
In the spirit of sharing and community, I felt it was important to open up about my
perspective here so I hope you’ll find this useful and it will potentially prevent you
from making the same mistakes I made early in my journey!
1.
STOP WAITING (& FOBO)
I wanted to get on YouTube when I was probably around 20 and I started when I was 29.
I literally waited almost a decade before I started my channel, a time I will never
get back.
You’ve probably heard it a million times to just start, and I know how annoying it
sounded to me before I embarked on this journey.
After all, what do THEY know about my personal struggles, right?
Each time I’ve heard “just start now”, I would get a visceral reaction, because I
felt I was not ready.
*And how wrong I’ve been!* I would never BE READY because there’s no such thing.
You can always tinker or learn this, or improve that, but the truth is you can start and advance
so much faster this way because you actually practice instead of just thinking about it.
This is absolutely crucial.
Theory is just THEORY and without the practical experience, it will not amount to much.
You need to jump in there, do the work and learn, adjust, repeat, experiment and keep
on going, despite the fear that you’re not doing things the right way.
I always emphasize this, but once you start, you’ll regret all those months and years
when you could’ve been taking action.
The second thing is FOBO which stands for **fear of better options.** There’s always
going to be a different option, a seemingly better path, a more tempting opportunity.
These choices tend to paralyze us and if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that you will
never know if the decision you made was the right one.
I could have focused on building a photography business, pursued an academic career in linguistics,
become a food & travel blogger...
All of these options are valid, but I had to stick with the one I felt I could make
the most impact with.
In business, you need to make a lot of decisions and hope they are the best at that moment.
These kinds of decisions are not easy to make and may potentially backfire but they need
to be made in order to progress with the mission.
2.
MONETIZE EARLY
One of the biggest limiting beliefs new content creators have is that they don’t have a
big enough audience to make money.
And I was the victim of this same mindset.
Let me tell you, it is absolutely false.
You can monetize early and this is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on my creator
journey.
Why am I talking about this?
Because being a content creator takes a lot of time and effort, both of which usually
eat away at your free time.
You will need a steady income to help you grow and it’s good to start building the
foundation from the get go.
This way, being a content creator won’t just be an hobby, but a side hustle or a full-on
business.
I know how hard it is to be a creator while having a full time job.
When I started, I had a regular 9 to 5 and it pretty much meant hustling all the time
with little to no rest and I’ll be the first one to say that it’s not sustainable in
the long run.
That’s why it’s good to work out your monetization strategy early on which I had
done but… thought I’m not ready to implement in full.
There are many ways in which you can generate income as a content creator.
You can launch your own product or service and promote it through your content, you can
try affiliate marketing, find well-fitting brand deals, rely on platform monetization
like AdSense here on YouTube, launch a course, offer group or 1:1 coaching…
there are so many possibilities here.
Oftentimes, creators will not allow themselves to monetize because they have limiting beliefs
around money, hello, it was me.
They feel like they don’t have a big enough audience, that they themselves are not good
enough yet to make money, the quality is not yet what they envision, there’s the shining
object syndrome because they may feel they don’t have the best camera or the greatest
interior design for shooting good photos and videos.
There’s so much that stops us from monetizing but the truth is you absolutely CAN start
early.
This is something I’m still working through now on some levels because I should have just
crushed these beliefs early on.
I had my business offering 1:1 consultations, I was monetized here on YouTube quite quickly,
but I have not launched my course or my digital products because I thought I didn’t have
a big enough audience.
What ended up happening instead is that people were writing to me asking for a course or
resources on the exact subjects I had planned and it hasn’t been available yet.
Big mistake and please learn from mine so that you don’t have to struggle!
My advice is to lay the groundwork first.
Think of all the ways you can monetize and choose the ones that make the most sense for
you and your niche.
If you’re opting for brand deals, you can start by creating a really good media kit
and researching the brands that you already know and love.
If you want to launch a course, find out what your followers absolutely need to know and
what problems your course needs to solve for them.
You can also research the best platforms to launch your course on and figure out an outline
for your curriculum.
There’s a lot that you can do right now and build on it as you go.
3.
NOT FOR EVERYONE
Before I started my YouTube journey, I still had the inherent need to be liked.
I think we all have that to some degree but showing up online is one of these things that
are inevitably going to challenge that need.
What I learned (luckily very early in 2021) is that my way of presenting things, creating
content or simply being myself will not be everyone’s cup of tea.
I know it would be great for all people to love and benefit from your work but it’s
simply not possible.
I’ve repeatedly heard my videos are too long while simultaneously being praised for
the length because they’re so packed with value.
At the same time, I’ve heard feedback that it would be great if my videos could be longer
because they make for great learning sessions.
What do I make of that, right?!
People will critique everything you do but the key is to make sure the percentage is
significant enough to take action and change something.
If the feedback you receive is 98% positive, then the negative comments are not worth bothering
with and you just need to learn to move on.
Don’t change just because Thomas said that you move your hands too much (believe me,
I’ve tried fixing it, it’s just not going to change 😅).
Better yet, figure out your approach to negative feedback (both constructive and… the not
so constructive) before you even get it.
This way, you’re ready to reply faster, you know what kind of tone works for your
brand and you’ll have a framework for action ready.
It helps a ton to be prepared in these situations so that it doesn’t stop you in your tracks
or affect you as much as it would otherwise.
4.
STICK TO THE PLAN
When you create a strategy for your business, it should have enough time to flourish in
action.
That’s why you should be there for the long game and STICK TO THE PLAN.
You can’t expect to grow muscles after going to the gym once, right?
So why expect the same results in your marketing or business in general?
I see it very often when I talk to people on IG that they start something and then change
direction 180* next week.
And believe me, I felt sooo tempted too.
Many times.
As someone who’s interested in so many different things, it felt like I could be trying this
new fancy thing that someone told me about or maybe I should be doing more of this and
that.
I’ve definitely changed too many things at once especially here on YouTube so I didn’t
really have a clear picture on what moved the needle in that moment.
If you change things up too quickly, you’ll not have enough data to draw real conclusions
and adjust accordingly (by the way, more on that in a moment!).
All year, I’ve spoken to people about what they were doing in their social media and
I heard many say “shouldn’t I start showing up everywhere” or “should I jump on this
platform now?”
(remember the Clubhouse craze?
😁). When you have opportunities bombarding you from everywhere, it may be tempting to
jump on it and change things up but you have to remember that your time and energy are
limited.
If your strategy is well-developed, it needs time to grow and bear fruit.
Of course, at the beginning of your journey, things will change quicker and you’ll have
to adapt.
But if you’re testing something, there needs to be a bit of build up so that you can understand
the true impact of your action.
Sticking to the plan is the absolute best strategy you can adopt when starting out.
5.
LOVE YOUR DATA
Using data absolutely crucial for growth and I know I wouldn’t have made it far without
analyzing it carefully.
In the early days of my YouTube journey, I identified exactly what was missing in my
niche and what people were looking for that they weren’t getting.
That’s weeks of research and meticulously sourced data which have been absolutely critical
to my fast growth.
Was I aware of it when I started?
Yes, but I definitely did not know how big of an impact it has and had on my online presence.
I know analytics and data may not be sexy to look at and not as exciting as creating
something, but without it, you are blind.
I talk a lot about understanding your audience in my content and encourage people to talk
to their clients or prospective clients to really get what they need.
It’s also clear to see that oftentimes, people are looking for quick hacks and tactics
instead of looking at the bigger picture first.
Researching other people in your industry, talking to your audience, understanding what
works and what doesn’t is just as important for sustainable growth as producing content
itself.
With enough data points, you’ll know what to double down on in your business to reap
the rewards.
That’s why if you have a business, start by analyzing your feedback first.
As a content creator, look at your Insights on Instagram, the analytics on YouTube, or
any other platform you’re on.
These are goldmines of essential knowledge and can really put you on the right track.
I know without my data, I wouldn’t be where I am now and I also have years of analyzing
still to do ;)
6.
DO IT YOUR WAY
If you want to explode your online presence or your business, you need to do things differently.
On the one hand, you need to analyze your competitors, do your research and get solid
insights for your business but at the same time, if you want to stand out and grow faster,
you need to experiment and do things in your own way.
Say you have a yoga studio and you’re similar to your competitors in what you offer, but
you don’t try new things (like online courses, digital products, physical products, books,
or even affiliate income).
Your business may get to a certain point and plateau.
Being unique, be it in your offer, in your marketing or in any other essential aspects
of your business, can amplify your brand and accelerate growth.
Same goes for content itself.
It’s good to rely on proven tactics and posts that work, but to see exceptional results,
you need to do something unique.
The best way to be unique is to trust your instincts and keep experimenting.
That’s how you find your magic 🦄
At the beginning of my content journey, I had a very vague idea on what I should focus
on and what may work for my ideal audience.
So I tried!
I tried so many different subjects around content marketing which is such a broad subject
in general.
I shared tech tutorials to help with content creation, I talked about strategy and latest
tactics, I even created a 3-part series on managing email load since I’ve been asked
about it quite a few times.
Some of these ideas flopped completely and little did I know this was actually a great
thing for me.
Without experimenting and finding my own way of approaching the marketing space, I would
not have been able to identify what works.
Similarly, when starting out I didn’t know exactly what my unique selling points would
be, but I decided to test some of my ideas.
The core ones were to offer very generous advice online in my videos and focus on no-fluff
content.
This is how I wanted to stand out and, somewhat surprisingly to me, it worked.
I grew faster than I expected and I’ve repeatedly heard that my content was to-the-point, very
informative and helped a ton in a short span of time.
If I decided to follow the advice to gatekeep some knowledge, to create repetitive content,
to recycle my advice all the time, it would not have worked, even though it would potentially
be better for business and easier for me as a creator.
Maybe YOU have very unique ideas, maybe there’s a quirky format you want to try in your content,
maybe you have a completely different approach to something that’s very established but
works better…
Don’t stop yourself from trying new things because it’s not “how it’s done” or
you think it may not work.
After all, a few experiments won’t break your online presence but you may just discover
unique something in the process.
7.
SET CLEAR BOUNDARIES
Here’s one thing about being a content creator that not many people talk about.
People want stuff from you all the time.
They expect it.
And before I say anything else, I love this, I became a content creator because I really
want to help people, but it can also be a huge burden.
It can be anything from free guidance, wanting you to be available for them 24/7, expecting
massive discounts or breaching your privacy because you exist online in a public manner.
Let me give you an example of a boundary I had to set early on.
With a growing audience, there will be more people in your DMs asking for very specific
things, wanting for you to promote something or people in real life asking to pick your
brain.
Again, all of it is absolutely fine provided that you have the time for it and it doesn’t
go too far.
When I first started I would spend so much time in my comments and DMs, talking to people
for hours because I was terrified to draw a line.
It became obvious pretty quickly I had set very clear boundaries around this.
I always say, I’m happy to answer a question or point someone in the right direction, but
if someone expects personalized advice, very advanced strategies or expects constant flow
of guidance from me in personal messages then that is not really ok anymore.
It was very hard for me as a new content creator to set those boundaries because I truly appreciate
every single member of my audience and genuinely want to help as much as I can.
But there came an understanding that first of all, even if I wanted to, I can’t help
everyone through personal advice hence all the free content I create.
I always make sure to point people to the specific piece I published that can help someone
and I also consider any suggestions for upcoming videos or posts.
That being said, if someone is persistent, I explain to them clearly that I can only
do so much in the comment section or DMs.
Similarly to this, I also needed to decide what I will and will not do for free.
No matter if you’re an influencer, a content creator, a small business owner or run a huge
corporation, your time is your most precious currency.
Every time you do something for free, it’s taking up the space to focus on income-generating
activities.
Of course, not everything in your business is going to generate income and for me, I
give very freely online in my content.
But there will be times when people will want to cross boundaries (by asking for advice,
or wanting for you to promote something for free).`
In these situations, I will always say that out of respect for my paying clients or existing
partnerships, I can’t offer this for free.
Now, tell me which lesson resonated with you the most down in the comment section below.
I’d love to hear what kind of lessons you had to learn as a content creator so don’t
be shy and share your insights!
This video is a little outside of what I normally share so if you enjoyed it, it would be amazing
if you could hit that thumbs up button so that I know it was worth creating.
And now that you’ve heard these stories and hopefully feel inspired, make sure you
watch this video next to learn how to grow organically on Instagram starting from scratch!
Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you… next time.