Is it possible to quit your job and become a content creator? Spoiler alert: YES.

The creator economy is booming and expanding, working as a full-time content creator in 2022 will be both credible and rewarding.

However, it takes more than a single viral video or hitting the newest TikTok trend. You can make digital content and reach a worldwide audience if you have a Smartphone and an internet connection.

Anyone with the ability to create music, video, text, or images may become a content creator and start their own media empire.

Let’s take a look at what a content creator is before we get started. Then we’ll look at how you can start creating content. We basically want to know if content creation is as cool as it sounds.

What Is a Content Creator? 

A content creator is a professional who crafts digital media assets — text, video, or audio — for a specific audience. Companies generally leverage the services of such creators to generate brand awareness and kick off a relationship with their prospects.

A professional content creator, however, is someone who is able to build an online community and monetize their output. 

And in 2022, the “creator economy” is seriously big business – it’s worth over $100 billion (and counting). 

In 2022, content creators wear many hats, including:

• Developing content calendars
• Creating videos, graphics, or photos for their multiple social accounts
• Connecting with their community via Stories or Livestreams
• Collaborating with brands via sponsored posts or affiliate links
• Guest writing blog posts
• Launching courses, newsletters, or podcasts
• Consulting for brands, small businesses, or aspiring creators

And with more social media platforms investing in creator tools and features, the content creation space is just getting started.

How to Become a Full-time Content Creator 

1. Have a Clear Vision and Niche 

Having a clear vision and niche will help you develop relevant content, attract the correct followers, and establish an engaged community.

But, more significantly, it provides you with something to refer to anytime you hit a mental snag.

Always keep in mind why you’re doing this in the first place.

TIP: Ask yourself, “What are my passions and skills?” when developing your vision. What areas of expertise do I have? Would I still love generating this stuff if I wasn’t paid?

2. SMART Social Media and Business Goals 

Creating content is a marathon, not a short race.

It’s also critical to set SMART objectives before you start making videos, taking images, or writing blog pieces.

This way, you’ll be able to forecast where you want to go, make educated decisions about your social media strategy, and have a clear notion of what constitutes “success“.

3. Build An Engaged Community

Here’s a little secret: to become a full-time content creator, you don’t need millions of followers.

What counts most is that you build engaged communities that engage with your postings, click through your links, and support your non-social material, such as blogs and courses.

So, how do you build an engaged digital community? 

• Show up on camera and interact with your followers, whether it’s via stories content or livestreams.
• Create educational or entertaining content such as carousel posts, blogs, long form videos, or meme content that shows off your personality. 
• Respond to comments and DMs! Social media is a two-way street, and listening to what your community has to say can help inform your content strategy. 

4. Have an Efficient Systems and Workflows

Content workflows are the tasks that a content creator will need to go through to complete a piece of content.

Streamlining your workflow is a must when jumping into content creation full-time. Your content workflow can make or break its marketing.

On the other hand, a strategic and effective workflow that’s clearly defined and documented makes the content creation process go smoothly.

It ensures that all of the content you create is high-quality and delivered on time.

Content workflows help remove the common pitfalls when it comes to producing content. It doesn’t matter how big the task is—from planning and publishing a simple social media post to a multi-channel campaign spread over numerous online channels—a defined workflow will help the process run smoothly.

5. You Have Multiple Streams of Revenue 

Content creators have multiple skills in their toolkit – but knowing how to monetize those skills is where the money resides.

Having multiple revenue streams also means you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Ways to Monetize your content in 2021

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, take note of the skills you have and the type of content your audience would find valuable. 

6. Have Writing, Editing, and/or Design Skills

It goes without saying that being able to write, edit or design is a very useful talent in the content creation world.

This may apply to long-form content such as YouTube videos or newsletters, as well as short-form content such as TikTok videos or Instagram captions.

You don’t have to do them all, and you don’t have to be an expert, but having a benchmark for the quality of your work is helpful.

Even more critical, keep an eye on emerging trends and seize opportunities that are relevant to your brand.

7. Consistent Organized Content Calendar

A content calendar is a schedule of when and where you plan to publish new content in the future. Upcoming pieces, status updates, planned promotional activities, partnerships, and changes made to current content are generally included in content calendars.

Your content calendar should be well-organized and regular, making it simple to grow on social media platforms, tell your story, and effectively promote your campaigns or launches.

Three Ways that Content Calendars Helps

First, a content calendar ensures that all of your content-related tasks are actually happening.

If you’re disorganized with your content production schedule, you’ll forget things. Or publish less often. Or neglect to update old articles.

Put another way: a calendar ensures that nothing falls between the cracks.

Second, a calendar makes it easier to collaborate with your team (and outside partners).

If you’re a single content creator, you may not even need a content calendar in the first place.

But if employees and contractors contribute to your content, then you need something that keeps everyone on the same page.

Today, our content calendar is more of project management than an actual calendar.

Third, a content calendar gives you a big picture overview of your upcoming stuff.

As an example, we use our calendar to make sure that we don’t publish a bunch of case studies all at once. Or two guides that cover the same topic. That way, we can see our entire marketing strategy for the next few months on a single screen.

Conclusion

Successful Content Creators Take An Audience-First Approach…

It’s about your audience after all, right? So building a successful content creation career starts with pinpointing them. From there, it’s about finding inspiration to create regularly and finding joy in the process. During your career, go with your instincts but don’t forget to mix it up with data.

Also don’t keep pressing publish alone — build an audience, collaborate with other creators, build relationships with influencers, and keep getting feedback about your work. All along, don’t mind using a little help from tools to automate tedious bits from creation.