Introduction
Ever had a thought that you could be a vlogger? Don’t say no because I know we have all had that thought at some point. Deep down I think that we all aspire to be content creators and showcase all the great and amazing moments of our lives! What if I told you that it’s not that hard as long as you follow these 10 simple steps for content creators!
1) Do Your Research
Get a good understanding of what your target audience is! Let’s say you’re a content creator that makes videos about skincare products and routines. You might already have followers that care about skincare, but it’s great to figure out what else they care about. Don’t assume that you know exactly what your audience wants to see and definitely don’t be afraid to ask them what they want! Having trouble figuring out what kind of content creator you want to be? Don’t stress, there are so many ever changing industries that can fit your interests! All you need to do is find one thing that you are passionate about and BOOM that’s your niche. Change in any industry happens fast, and ongoing education is important. That means not only do you have to create content that people love, you also have to read others’ content. The best content creators are curious and look for topics their target audience likely cares about. Learn from others and keep improving!
2) Prepare Some Notes
Make sure to plan ahead and prepare a couple notes in advance! Recording yourself can sometimes feel awkward or uncomfortable and screw ups are inevitable. Try to make your recording time more efficient by keeping a couple notes on the side so you know exactly what you’re going to be talking about in the video. Helpful tips when note taking is keeping things short and to the point! You don’t want to be reading through an entire paragraph of words when trying to look at the camera and record a video. Make sure to have them taped up somewhere close to your camera so you won’t be looking down at your notes while recording.
3) Find Your Voice
This ties in nicely with doing your research and what makes researching so important! You don’t want to be like every other Youtuber, blogger, content creator etc., you want to be unique and stand out! Don’t hesitate to let your personality come through and just overall be you! People will want to watch your content if you are as genuine as possible.
4) Set Everything Up
This is from checking your gear to setting up your camera to doing a test run. Checking your filming gear is vital to the set-up process especially in order to make sure you have everything you need to start filming – microphones, camera, batteries, spare memory cards, etc. This will also give you a chance to check out the lighting, audio, and fix any flaws that need fixing. You get the picture – this step is all about getting set up so that you won’t run into issues while filming.
5) Practice, Practice, Practice!
Practice truly makes perfect. If you think that your favorite content creator did all their content in one take, sorry to break it to you but there were probably hours and hours of work that went into creating that perfect shot. But at the end of the day, it’s totally worth it. Don’t over exhaust yourself, but make sure to rehearse a couple times before hitting that record button.
6) Keep Track of KPIs
A key performance indicator (aka KPI) is a technical phrase that’s basically a metric that you choose to measure how well your content is doing. Your KPIs could be based around an increase in followers or subscribers, number of likes or shares, amount of organic traffic, etc. KPIs are helpful for setting goals and measuring how well you’re doing at reaching those goals.
7) Stay relevant
Creating great content that really resonates with your target audience requires you to know what's going on in your industry. The best content creators stay on top of industry trends. Every. Single. Day. And it’s not enough just to browse — you need to devour content relevant to you and your target audience. Set up Google alerts for digital media to stay on top of niche trends. Network with industry leaders on social media. Read relevant trade publications. Do it all!
8) NetworK every chance you get
Successful content creators know their success is due not only to their passion, but also to those who taught them, inspired them, and pushed them to think in different ways. Get in the habit of networking by seizing the countless opportunities you have to do it. They aren't called social networks for nothing! Spend some time on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to check out who the thought leaders are in your industry and follow them!
9) Stay busy
As your own boss, you can’t wait for work to come to you, you need to go to it. If you’re serious about becoming a good content creator, you must create daily. Pick the time of day that works best for you. Shut down distractions. Start small. Doing even a couple tasks a day to create content adds up fast. Make sure to think from different perspectives, then crystallize your thoughts. Getting content ideas becomes easier. In turn, you build an audience that’s interested in what you have to say.
10) Above all, don’t give up!
When you feel like giving up, think about why you started in the first place — a chance to use your creativity to make a great living. And you don’t need to try to become a content creator on your own. Get to know great content creators and learn from their mistakes. Local and online groups are both excellent options. Celebrate all the smallest victories and stay motivated!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, becoming a top-notch content creator isn’t easy, but the process is extremely rewarding and enjoyable for anyone who is passionate! As a content creator, you’ll get to do something you enjoy while helping others improve their lives. Comment below a topic that you would make your content about. What are you waiting for? Start creating!
Your fans are waiting for you!
Written by: Rena Wu
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