The opportunities and variety of ways to make money and create content on social media are at their peak. There are numerous social media platforms, and more and more brands are utilizing social media content creators to promote their products. The golden question remains, “How do you become a successful social media content creator?” This article will share the five basic steps to becoming a social media content creator and tips and tricks for a smooth start.
Step 1: Research
Could you determine the niche, content type, and content style? Your niche, style, and content type are all factors that determine which social media platform will bring you the most success.
When it comes to choosing your niche, the best approach is to select something you’re genuinely passionate about and can discuss for hours. Research this niche on social media to understand what brands and creators are doing and which platforms they favor for their content.
Content type can also be called your content pillars. Whether you want to create content that is entertaining, educational, or just sharing your experiences, narrowing the main pillars you want to focus on will make planning and creating your content quicker and more efficient.
Content style is one of the most important factors when deciding what type of creator you want to become and which platform to utilize. Writing content is excellent for X and Threads for niches such as software and tech. Photography content is good on Pinterest, Lemon8, and Instagram. Videos are good for YouTube and TikTok. Also, content may or may not be talking to the camera, ASMR style, or vlog style, and can be successful whether you want to be featured with the product.
Once the content niche, type, and content have been determined and researched, proceeding to the next steps becomes more accessible and efficient.
Step 2: Plan
Using a planning platform or template is extremely helpful during content creation. Whether it’s notion, Google Sheets, or even pen and paper, creating a written plan makes the content creation straightforward, and a creator spends less time wondering what content to do next.
Could you plan which platforms you will use based on your research? When you begin your journey, two platforms are good, and you can always add moving forward. Social media platforms never provide guarantees, so having multiple platforms provides more opportunities and fewer chances of losing progress.
Planning how much time can be utilized for content, the type of content for each day, and time for engaging with potential partners and followers should all be planned to create a strategy that will benefit a creator in the long term.
Step 3: Set-up
You can create your social media profiles using your research on how to optimize your profile to attract the audience you want to be able to find you. Have searchable keywords in your profile, good photos, and backdrops for your profile. Your profile should scream the niche, who the creator is, and what viewers can expect from your content. Also, having an introduction post pinned to the top of your profile helps viewers find your profile.
Record 4-5 videos that highlight the creator’s specialties and have them ready to go for when the creator “launches.” Preparing the videos beforehand gives time to discover how to best create the desired content results, learn editing software, and write captions that benefit the creator.
In addition to social media profiles, creating a media kit with information on the creator, sample videos, and the type of content offered before “launching” makes the editing and updating experience more manageable in the long run. If graphics will be used, then creating or purchasing templates and organizing them into folders to be ready to use also creates future time-saving.
The last crucial item to set up is a link-in bio with a website that can be added to the creator’s profiles. The link-in bio should contain contact information, links to other social media platforms, media kit information, a newsletter sign-up form, and, eventually, affiliate links.
Step 4: Start Creating
It’s time to “launch”! Consistency in content and engagement will help boost and grow communities quickly. Content should be high-quality and relevant to the page’s goal. Engagement with new followers and relevant brands will also help grow the account. Commenting on relevant brand posts and creators in the same niche, whether larger or smaller, will drive the algorithm and attention to your profile.
Utilizing the platform analytics at least weekly to determine what type and style of content is the most successful should influence the content strategy moving forward. Also, the ability to sustain the content schedule and channel engagement should be determined, and these should be reviewed and adjusted as needed.
The two biggest tips for starting when creating content:
- Quality over quantity – 2 high-quality posts will perform better than six average posts
- Always tag brands, viewers, and fellow creators when appropriate. Even in comments, tag, tag, tag!
Step 5: Brand Interaction
Once the optimal content schedule has been determined and the creator can comfortably create consistent, quality content reaching the targeted audience, it is time to increase the interaction with targeted brands. This does not mean sending the brand a message immediately to collab. Instead, utilize these five steps to a successful brand pitch:
- Follow the brand on all social media platforms you have accounts on.
- Interact daily with the brand’s posts by commenting, liking, reposting, sharing, etc.
- Try to utilize the brand in your comment and tag the brand; when viewers ask for recommendations, tag the brand you are recommending.
- Send the brand an introduction message. Creators should always introduce themselves to the brands they want to represent in the future. Giving an intro about the creator, the type of content they create, and why the creator loves the brand is a great way to start a relationship and be on the brand’s radar.
- After a few weeks of interaction and the introduction, please ask for the e-mail of the person in charge of social media marketing. Ask if they accept content pitches and media kits and why the creator is an excellent fit to work with that brand.
Conclusion
The need for content creators is forever growing, and now is the best time to start creating content and utilizing social media. Following the steps above is the perfect beginner guide to becoming a successful social media content creator. Future content creators, please also know that the community of content creators is solid and loyal; always feel free to reach out to another creator when you need help. GET STARTED!