At a time where most of us are staying indoors, it’s no surprise that we’re glued to our favorite screens more than ever. According to recent data, we’re consuming more online content now via social media.
In response, there’s been a significant increase in marketing teams and businesses searching for content creators, including social media managers, bloggers, and influencers.
As the content marketing industry continues to transform, so will the responsibilities of a team’s content creator. But what is a content creator exactly, and what do they usually do? How easy it to be come a successful content creator? We’ll walk you through the basics.
What Is a Content Creator?
A content creator is responsible for producing written, audio, or visual information for content marketing platforms, like social media or blogs.
We’re using the word “content” pretty loosely here. Today, content could be a video on TikTok, a Instagram testimonial, or a blog post for a website. Regardless of type, content usually has an end goal in mind. People often create content to target a selected audience and evoke a response — like a new follow, site visit, or sale.
So when we’re defining a content creator, we’re talking about someone whose job focuses on creating content with the intent to connect and market to a specific audience.
Types Of Digital Content
Content creators are often tasked with creating multiple types of digital content. Remember: content can include text, video, and images — so you’ll have plenty of options to consider when it’s time to communicate your message.
Digital content can include:
Text
- Articles
- Blog Posts
- Guides
- Reviews
- White Papers
- Ebooks
- Case Studies
- Product Content
- Captions
Videos
- Tutorials
- Reviews
- Unboxing
- Vlogs
- Behind-the-Scenes
- Interviews
- Webinars
- Presentations
- User-Generated Content
- Contests/Giveaways
- Livestreams
- Q&As
Images
- Photos
- UGC photos
- Infographics
- Memes
- GIFs
- Quotes
- Illustrations
What Does a Content Creator Do?
Content creators conceptualize and develop engaging content — usually (but not always) according to a content marketing strategy. Their goal is to produce good-looking content that generates traffic, followers, or leads.
To do this, content creators work to understand what content deliverables work best for their audiences, platforms, and strategy.
For example, uploading a white paper to Instagram might not be as successful as sharing a meme or illustration. Likewise, an unboxing video probably isn’t the best promo material for an avocado — but it might be useful for marketing a new Xbox.
Content creators will also need to understand how digital marketing strategy works, and that their content will have an end goal. Much like marketers, content creators often work with data and experience to develop content that converts.
Experienced content creators are likely already comfortable with creating content for different digital marketing channels. But that doesn’t mean new content creators are less effective at their job. With effort and time, you can build a workflow that works for you.
How to Become a Content Creator?
As a content creator, you can work in-house for a brand or business, as part of an agency, or as a freelancer. You don’t need a degree, but you will need a portfolio and experience. You can gain content creation experience through internships, developing personal projects, or with freelancing.
As a freelance content creator, you’ll have the opportunity to create multiple types of content for a range of clients. It’s not uncommon for freelancer content creators to specialize in an industry or content medium (think of the Youtube beauty guru that only uploads product reviews.)
Many popular social media influencers are basically content creators. They regularly create content that grows their following and increases their audience engagement. With a large enough following, they can attract brands and companies that will pay to feature their product in the influencer’s content.
Becoming an influencer is another way to build out your portfolio, but you’ll need to take care to demonstrate your range. Employers enjoy reviewing portfolios that include projects for different industries and marketing channels.
As you create, be sure to document your most successful or favorite projects for your portfolio. Add a few lines about what made the project successful, or why you liked working on it.
Your portfolio will be the best example of your work and skillset, so don’t hesitate to include projects where you shined your brightest.
How Much Do Content Creators Make?
As with any role, content creators’ rates are based on different factors, including the types of content you create and how much content you’ll create in a time period. The most significant factor is whether you’re salaried or a freelancer.
The average salaried content creator job starts at $47,000. Some employers in major US cities (like New York, Seattle, and San Francisco) will pay content writers upwards of $65,000 a year.
However, freelance content creators tend to have an average hourly rate, which can vary anywhere between $50 to $150. Freelance influencers could earn $100 or more per piece of content.