Making these a part of your routine or daily working life will start you on the right foot
The path to success in any field is paved with determination, hard work and self-belief – and when it comes to making it as a self-employed content creator, determination might be the most key of them all. Despite what people may think about the life of creators just being totally free-flowing and easy-going, those who actually make content creation their full time career employ a lot of persistence and positive habit building.
Here are four habits that every successful content creator has:
1. Being immersed in the genre
You can’t just log on to your platform of choice, bash out some content and be done with it. If you want to make this your job, you need to be aware of all the happenings in your industry, far and wide. Read as much as you can – blogs, the news, industry titles – and watch content from the top performers in your field, even if it’s not your usual style. It’s important for you to be really abreast of the industry as a whole, the movers and shakers, the trends as they happen and the temperature in the room so to speak.
2. Closely studying the audience
Take the time to look at your audience’s viewing habits using your own personal F.I.T.T.Y Index. With all your data in one place, it is easier than ever, to study your audience across all channels. Look just beyond the viewer content though – are they commenting? Tagging friends? Adding hashtags of their own? What do the profiles of your more regular viewers look like? Who else do they follow? Magazines built out profiles of their readers, working out where they shop and the kinds of lifestyle they follow: not in a weird, stalker way, but in the sense that they’ll be able to see that someone who interacts with their content also interacts with Sweaty Betty and lots of vegan content, for example. Dig around a bit and get to know your audience, where they are in the world and what they want.
3. Adding to a content calendar
This is such a vital resource and a great way of staying on top of everything you want to get through. Once you’ve built one – and we’ve got a great guide to that here – make sure you keep it updated, filling in content you’ve already made live and using your F.I.T.T.Y Index so see how it performed, and any key learnings you want to be mindful of for next time. Add in a section for ideas, and jot them down, no matter how loosely-formed they are at the time. Having a central resource with all your ideas and content lined up going forward is crucial for feeling you run your business, and not that it runs you.
4. Networking with other creators
Try and build relationships with your fellow creators. No one is an island, and it’s a mistake to think of everyone as rivals and competition, when you could instead be building valuable contacts and connections. Fellow creators will be your support network, your sounding board and a constant source of inspiration, so don’t be afraid to interact with their content and let them know you’re a fan. You don’t have to film a collaboration video with someone to be building a useful partnership; instead, they might suggest you to a brand when they’re looking for more people to work with, or you can ask for their advice when navigating a thorny digital etiquette issue. Take time to try and make friends and connections with your peers – it’ll pay dividends.
