How To Be A Successful Content Creator? (7 Steps To Start Creating Content)

The process of creating and disseminating various types of digital content is called Content Creation. It can be in the form of:

• Videos
• Blog posts
• Social Media posts
• Podcasts
• More

If you do content right, it will be one of the best and most profitable long-term strategies for your business.

But if you do content wrong, it’s going to be a tremendous time sink with very little results.

In this guide, I will be sharing with you the step-by-step process of how to do the content right, especially for beginners.

Step 1: Take Content Seriously

Taking content seriously is the step that most beginner skips.

You don’t have to invest a bunch of money and spend all your free time creating things.

Start by setting a clear realistic weekly goal. Goals that you can AND will also complete.

Sure creating content once is easy but being consistent with it can burn you out if you do it wrong.

Here are some steps on how to do it:

1. Take a piece of paper and write down all days of the week
2. Write down how many minutes or hours you spend creating a content
3. Go through each day and do Step 2

Be honest with yourself and be realistic.

For example, if Monday is a horrible day for you, then write zero.

If on Sundays you’d love to create content for 2 hours, but deep down you know you’ll probably only work 30 minutes and spend the rest procrastinating, then write down 30 minutes.

Step 2: Pick One Platform That You Personally Like

Pick one platform from the following list:

• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook
• TikTok
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

If you are a beginner, pick one platform and focus on that for now.

So, which platform should you pick?

• YouTube – creating videos that are several videos long. You have to be in front of the camera, record things, and do some basic video editing before uploading.
• Instagram – recording short videos, taking photos, and creating images or infographics.
• Facebook – writing, posting photos, uploading videos, and building a community or group.
• TikTok – recording many short videos, participating in trends, adding music and filters, and so on.
• Twitter – writing text and participating in conversations.
• LinkedIn – writing articles, recording videos, and reaching out to other people.

There is a lot of overlap between these platforms, yet they’re all unique in their own ways.

Pick the one that you personally like the most.

Step 3: Create Your Account

Whichever platform you’ve picked, you’ll have to create an account. You will need a good photo of yourself, a short little description of yourself, and a link.

Once you’ve picked the platform, create an account. Make sure to have the following:

• A good photo of yourself
• A short description of yourself
• A link to contact you

What makes a good social media photo?

For the photo, I recommend that the photo is good but still be yourself. For example, if you never wear a suit, don’t wear a suit for the photo.

What’s important is:

1. You are clearly visible in the photo, you are the main person to see.
2. You must have good lighting, make sure your face isn’t in the shadows.
3. The photo has to be sharp and must not be blurry.

How do you write a good self-description?

For your description, you have to summarize in one or two short phrases:

1. What it is that you do?
2. How people can reach you?

What link do I need to add?

For your link, this is where you want to have a page where people can get in touch with you.

There are several options here:

• A calendar page,
• A lead magnet,
• A newsletter,
• Contact form

If you are a coach, consultant, or selling any kind of service, consider the following tips:

1. Set up a calendar with Calendly then put the link into your profile so people can schedule a call with you;
2. If you have a newsletter, a lead magnet, or any other helpful resource that you can give away for free, then link to that

When you do content marketing, collecting email addresses is very important. After creating new content, send out an email to remind them to check out your new content.

But because this is a beginner’s guide, you don’t have to do it right now. Just know that once you’ve mastered the basics, collecting email addresses is going to be your next step for sure.

What if you’re not a coach or consultant?

• If you have a website, link to your contact page.
• If you have an online store, link to your store.
• If you have a blog, link to your blog.
• And so on.

Step 4: Pick A Topic

In content marketing, it is crucial to focus on a topic. This is also sometimes called a niche but essentially what it means is that strangers can quickly identify what it is that you talk about.

For example, if you want to create content around health, then don’t start posting about the stock market or cryptocurrencies.

When you’re a beginner, you don’t have a personal brand yet and you’re not internet-famous, at that stage it’s essential that you commit to one topic.

Which topic you pick is entirely up to you but make that choice and promise yourself that you stick to it for at least one year.

Step 5: Collect Questions & Achievements

The biggest hurdle beginners may experience with content marketing is a black mind. A blank mind is when you just don’t know what content to create.

To avoid having a blank mind, practice the following steps when creating content:

1. Take a piece of paper, notebook, or Google Docs;
2. List down questions and achievements

You can list down your own questions and achievements or these may come from others.

Remember the schedule that you created in Step 1 of this guide? The first few sessions on your schedule will be dedicated to adding items to this list.

These questions and achievements have to be related to the topic you’ve picked in Step 4.

Step 6: Do A Test Week

Tip: Start slowly but do it right.

Stick to your weekly schedule and time slots, but don’t panic if you feel like you’re progressing very slowly.

If you are a beginner, it is expected to have slow progress. But each time you do it, you become better and faster. Creating content is a skill that takes practice.

Your first week must be a test run. As long as you stick to your schedule and your time slots, and work on your content in that time, pat yourself on your shoulder because you’re on the right track.

This first week is crucial on many other levels:

1. You’ll see how long it takes to create content;
2. You’ll be able to have realistic expectations on how much you can create each week.

Without doing a test week, you won’t be able to answer these questions. And depending on which platform you’ve picked, you might have to watch some tutorials.

Step 7: Content Rhythm & Consistency

When you master Step 7, you’ll go from beginner to intermediate level.

In the beginning, you’re like a toddler who feels clumsy on your platform. There’s a lot of time that you still have to watch tutorials and research stuff but slowly you’re building your routine.

Once you can create a couple of pieces of content without having to watch any tutorials, now it’s time to set your content rhythm and ensure your consistency.

Categories of Content Rhythm

There are 3 categories:

• Questions
• Achievements
• Personal stuff

Questions and Achievements

• Keep adding to your list every week
• Answer your own questions, or you can collect questions from others and answer them
• Share your own achievements, or you can talk about other inspiring individuals and share their achievements.

Personal Stuff

Sometimes, it is okay to share something personal like:

• If you go on a vacation, you can share a story or photo from your trip.
• If you go to a nice restaurant, you can share a photo of your food.

People don’t trust corporations, businesses, or managers. People trust other people.

That’s why you want to make the occasional personal post a part of your content rhythm.

How often? That depends on your lifestyle.

You don’t want to look like a content robot but you also don’t want to be posting just selfies and food pics. Find your balance in between and create your unique rhythm.

Making you consistent for long enough to see results is our main goal.

So if you follow this guide and implement all Seven Steps, your content will grow an audience, and attract leads, clients, and buyers.

It does take time but with these steps, I believe you’ll have the highest chance of success.

I challenge you to write down your weekly realistic goals to start your journey of creating the right content. I’d love to see what your goals are so please share them in the comments below.

And don’t forget to subscribe on my YouTube channel, @creategrowprofit.