Episode 108
How to find your "why" as a content creator
Currently, the global creator economy is valued at around $155 billion.
By 2030 it’s expected to surpass $525 billion.
That’s a lot of wig wams.
And I know it might seem like every person and their pet is a “creator” these days, but it shouldn’t stop you from exploring this option for yourself too.
Being a content creator can mean many different things and encompass a variety of industries. It’s not all about selling the latest products, jumping on the newest trends and vlogging about your latest dental checkup.
There is nuance to this industry. It’s fun, creative, explorative, educational and thinking of yourself as a creator will open you up to delivering more valuable content for your audience.
No doubt you’ll also make more money as a result.
But the first step needs to be answering the all-important “why”.
I’ve got some practical tips to help you answer that question in this podcast episode.
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Transcript
Now I know I talk about podcasting here
Speaker:at the pump up your pod podcast, because
Speaker:this whole show is about podcasting.
Speaker:It makes sense for me to
Speaker:talk about podcasting, right?
Speaker:I want to talk about something
Speaker:a little bit more broad today.
Speaker:And that is about actually just
Speaker:content creators in general.
Speaker:One of the first questions that I
Speaker:kind of try and get people to answer
Speaker:when I'm having consultations with,
Speaker:Want to be podcasters or, you know,
Speaker:want to be creators is, well, why,
Speaker:why do you want to be a podcaster?
Speaker:Why do you want to be a content creator?
Speaker:What does that actually
Speaker:even look like to you?
Speaker:And what kind of creator
Speaker:do you actually want to be?
Speaker:And a lot of the time I met
Speaker:with just like a blank stare,
Speaker:like, Oh, I don't know.
Speaker:I don't actually quite know that.
Speaker:Can you tell me?
Speaker:And then the consult goes deeper
Speaker:into, you know, all the layers and We
Speaker:start to ask and answer some questions
Speaker:that get them to a place where they
Speaker:feel like they're then solid in the
Speaker:information, in the reasons why they
Speaker:want to start shows, why they want to
Speaker:start YouTube channels, why they want
Speaker:to start anything in a creative sense.
Speaker:And so today I'm going to get into
Speaker:finding the actual why of you being a
Speaker:content creator and how you can draw
Speaker:on inspiration that you feel will
Speaker:really help you establish how you
Speaker:actually want to portray yourself.
Speaker:the first thing I want you to think
Speaker:about when you're wanting to kind
Speaker:of go down this path of being a
Speaker:content creator is what kind of
Speaker:content do you want to create?
Speaker:That seems like a really basic question,
Speaker:but the amount of people that don't
Speaker:fully think about it before they actually
Speaker:hit record is quite baffling to me.
Speaker:So Look at who inspires you.
Speaker:what kind of content are
Speaker:you consuming at the moment?
Speaker:Now, it doesn't mean that's the
Speaker:content you want to create, but it is
Speaker:something that you need to think about.
Speaker:What are the things, where
Speaker:are the places that you go to
Speaker:consume information or content?
Speaker:And what do you like about
Speaker:those people, those places?
Speaker:For me personally, I love
Speaker:listening to podcasts.
Speaker:I'm a podcast producer and
Speaker:have been for almost a decade.
Speaker:so it was a natural progression for
Speaker:me to start my own podcast here,
Speaker:knowing that we work with clients
Speaker:all over the world, producing their
Speaker:podcasts for many, many years, even
Speaker:before I got into the game myself.
Speaker:It felt like an easy jump for me,
Speaker:because I had that kind of unfair
Speaker:advantage of having all the equipment,
Speaker:knowing how everything worked already.
Speaker:And then it was easier for me to just hit
Speaker:record and do content like this because
Speaker:a podcast just makes sense for me.
Speaker:It also makes sense for my target
Speaker:market, who I'm trying to reach.
Speaker:What they might want to know is
Speaker:the things that I also know about.
Speaker:So that to me wasn't a big stretch.
Speaker:But it's not just podcasters that I like.
Speaker:I also love to listen to music and I
Speaker:find many musicians really inspiring.
Speaker:I love a lot of content that I see
Speaker:on TikTok of just musicians that
Speaker:people don't know about too much
Speaker:yet, but they're producing music that
Speaker:I find really interesting and fun.
Speaker:It's fun and great to listen to and
Speaker:they produce things in a way that's
Speaker:different to other stuff that I see.
Speaker:When I was deciding what kind of
Speaker:content I wanted to create, I just
Speaker:went through what are the aspects
Speaker:of these people that I look to, that
Speaker:I listen to, that I watch already.
Speaker:What are the aspects of those that I
Speaker:feel like I really want to Create content
Speaker:around and it's not to copy at all.
Speaker:I just use them as the inspiration,
Speaker:as the jumping off point, as the,
Speaker:I like the way they deliver things.
Speaker:How can I deliver my content in a way
Speaker:that's true to who I am and is fun.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So when you're thinking about yourself,
Speaker:then you need to sit down now with
Speaker:a piece of paper and you need to go
Speaker:through and decide, okay, I'm going
Speaker:to make a list of, let's say 10 to 15
Speaker:creators that inspire me at the moment.
Speaker:And this might take you a
Speaker:couple of days to establish.
Speaker:You could have a jumping off
Speaker:point writing down really quickly.
Speaker:And then over the next couple of
Speaker:days, add to that list as well.
Speaker:And I want you to not stop there.
Speaker:So instead of just writing down these
Speaker:people, I want you to go and watch,
Speaker:listen to some of their content
Speaker:and get some ideas from there.
Speaker:So really look at the
Speaker:way they produce things.
Speaker:Do they have multiple camera angles?
Speaker:Are they just using their phones?
Speaker:Do they have microphones?
Speaker:Do they appear to have good lighting?
Speaker:Or are they recording outside?
Speaker:Is it more vlogging style?
Speaker:Are they working with friends?
Speaker:Or are they solo creators?
Speaker:Do they appear to edit all
Speaker:their stuff themselves?
Speaker:Or have they mentioned that they do?
Speaker:Or do they outsource that?
Speaker:I want you to sort of compile a little
Speaker:bit of a list in this beginning phase,
Speaker:this content creation journey phase of
Speaker:what you're actually going to create
Speaker:and how you're going to create it.
Speaker:When you're looking at these people and
Speaker:this list that you've created, the next
Speaker:thing I want you to establish is what
Speaker:about these creators do you really love?
Speaker:So is it their personality?
Speaker:Do they just have a really fun, engaging
Speaker:personality that you feel like you
Speaker:could listen or watch all day long?
Speaker:is it that they've thoroughly researched
Speaker:a topic and you feel like they've
Speaker:really gone down a rabbit hole of
Speaker:information that they've spent a
Speaker:lot of time in, and then you've been
Speaker:able to learn a lot from that person?
Speaker:Perhaps it's just that the content is
Speaker:really well presented, so they have,
Speaker:again, like I said, good lighting,
Speaker:good microphone, good camera.
Speaker:Can you see that?
Speaker:The fact that you keep coming
Speaker:back because the production
Speaker:value is just so good that you
Speaker:just want to keep watching it.
Speaker:Maybe it's that the content makes
Speaker:you feel something specifically,
Speaker:whether that's sadness or happiness
Speaker:or excitement or a sense of being
Speaker:a part of something, something that
Speaker:they're doing, but you feel like
Speaker:you're coming along for the ride.
Speaker:Or maybe it's the community
Speaker:that they've built.
Speaker:So you keep coming back to them
Speaker:because they engage with you and,
Speaker:and people in their community via
Speaker:a platform like discord, or there's
Speaker:just a lot of comments on their
Speaker:YouTube channel and people are
Speaker:really discussing things and getting
Speaker:into the nitty gritty of something.
Speaker:Does that make you keep coming back?
Speaker:so I want you to sit down and write
Speaker:out not only the person or the.
Speaker:group of people or whatever
Speaker:it is, the inspiration,
Speaker:then go deeper than that.
Speaker:Sit there and go, okay,
Speaker:what about that person?
Speaker:What about that creator makes
Speaker:me want to keep coming back?
Speaker:Once that's been established, then
Speaker:it's much easier for you to sit
Speaker:there and think about, well, what
Speaker:elements do I want to actually
Speaker:incorporate into my own work?
Speaker:Content.
Speaker:Do I wanna make people
Speaker:feel a certain way?
Speaker:Do I wanna get really into the
Speaker:research of a particular topic and just
Speaker:disseminate things in a way that feels
Speaker:like people would really understand
Speaker:it and would keep coming back for.
Speaker:Do I want to be able to just
Speaker:have fun with my friends and
Speaker:have people witness that?
Speaker:Because that creates a
Speaker:sense of joy as well.
Speaker:Do I want to show people more about
Speaker:my life and encourage them to change
Speaker:the way they're living as well?
Speaker:Am I super into sustainability and
Speaker:I want to showcase for people how
Speaker:our actions are damaging the climate
Speaker:or the things that we can do to
Speaker:create a world that is happier.
Speaker:So take this time now, write out
Speaker:these things and get a really
Speaker:clear picture as to What kind
Speaker:of content you want to create?
Speaker:Is it a podcast?
Speaker:Is it YouTube videos?
Speaker:Is instructional content?
Speaker:Is it audio book narration?
Speaker:Something dramatic?
Speaker:Is it comedy?
Speaker:Is it something just
Speaker:fun and lighthearted?
Speaker:Is it interviews?
Speaker:What kind of content
Speaker:do you want to create?
Speaker:Who do you look to for
Speaker:inspiration currently?
Speaker:Why do you keep coming back to
Speaker:their content and what do you
Speaker:want to do with your own content?
Speaker:How do you want people to feel?
Speaker:why would they keep coming back to you?
Speaker:And once you've established all of
Speaker:those things, then you are free to move
Speaker:on to how to actually find the topics
Speaker:that are going to suit that content.
