What is the secret to making money as a content creator/blogger/influencer?
That’s the question that was asked way too many times beneath my viral TikTok video, where I shared how much I made last year creating content around a full time job.
And I’m very sorry for the clickbait title… but there is no secret.
That being said, I do want to help anyone who is serious about pursuing content creation.
In fact, I built this entire blog as a resource. I want to see others succeed.
But I do want to make something very clear before you click off to consume all the tips, tricks, and tutorials…
If you want to see the video-version of this conversation, check it out here. ⤵️
You Need To Know What Content Creation ISN’T
Before you dedicate too much time to trying to make it as a content creator, you need to know this:
This side hustle is not a get rich quick scheme.
You won’t be rolling in cash after making a couple cute videos and posing with some products.
For anyone looking to make money with minimal effort, this post… and to be honest, this career path, is not for you.
But if you find a job like that… hit me up. 👀
I often feel like a broken record, but what I really want people to know is that my 2021 income did not happen overnight.
It was a mixture of a ton of little changes, which we are going to be covering a lot on this blog.
For example, I started taking Pinterest more seriously. I learnt how to better-negotiate brand deals. I discovered how to attract brand deals.
The Behind The Scenes Work
I started my blog in 2016.
The first four years I was making nothing.
Technically, I was making less than nothing because I was paying for my blog hosting fees. I was paying for Lightroom and Photoshop to edit my photos, Tailwind to post to Pinterest…
But despite having a lot of great tools, and genuinely wanting to grow and be successful for those four years… I didn’t have a proper strategy.
I was honestly pretty lost. I wasn’t making a consistent effort towards a consistent goal.
What Changed Everything
But in year five, I switched out my mindset and started approaching my brand as a business.
* if you really want the secret to becoming a successful content creation.. I’d say this is it. *
I started researching how to better my content.
I researched how to make money, pitch brands, how to really analyze and understand my analytics.
I also started tracking every single income and expense because I said, “if this is a business, we’re going to do it properly”.
And to be honest, that is not glamorous work. It’s not what people imagine when they think of successful influencers and creators.
It was hours, days, months of doing research and staying up late, putting my business ahead of watching Netflix.
And honestly, that isn’t always the most healthy and it’s also not for everybody, which is why is why one of the biggest markers of success.. a sign of someone who will truly be able to make money as a content creator…
You Have to Love the Process
I have people who have said I hate doing research, I hate writing, I hate spending time analyzing things. How can I do what you do?
And I have no idea.
I really don’t know what to tell you if you don’t like any of those things, because I truly and honestly love it all.
And I know that I truly enjoy content creation and I would do it even if it wasn’t making me money and I was doing it even when it wasn’t making money. So after all that, if you are still here and ready to hear more. First of all, I appreciate you. Second of all, you are already ahead of the game and third, let’s do this.
Want More Content Creator Tips?
In upcoming posts, I will be sharing a lot more tangible tips. But I really do encourage you to reflect on yourself and reflect on your content creating and ask:
“have I been approaching this as a business? Am I going to start? And am I ready to do the work?”
I’m really excited to grow with all of you and to share all my learnings along the way!
Let me know what you’re hoping to learn more about in the comments, and take a look at some related posts! ⤵️
See you next time.
