We need to talk about how the trajectory of a Content Creator’s career is incredibly predictable, if not inevitable?
Regardless of niche or primary platform, everyone seems to be following the exact same roadmap; constantly redefining their goals and what it means to be successful as they go.
The interesting thing about this roadmap is that it has nothing to do with followers or any objective amount of money. It has more to do with a creator’s internal state and how their goals evolve throughout their journey.
And if there’s a psychologist watching this, please weigh in below on why, as humans, we never seem to be happy with what we’ve achieved. We’re always just craving, itching, for more.
I’ll share my own theories at the end.
Every Creator’s Roadmap
So what does this roadmap look like?
Based on my own experience as a full-time creator, discussions with my peers, and observing the career paths of YouTubers and influencers that I’ve admired over the years, I’ve determined that there are six stages to a creator’s life-cycle.
Each stage defined by the primary goal the creator is working towards during that period.
If you’d like the video-version of this post, watch below! The text-version is beneath it. ⬇️
Stage 1: Getting Free Stuff
When you’re a creator just getting started, your primary focus is on getting views, building your audience, and improving the content you’re creating.
But there’s that little thought at the back of your mind thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool if a brand noticed me?” or…
“How freaking cool would it be if I got sent free things?”
The products you’re reviewing and the gear you’re using is expensive; it adds up. The idea of getting gifted items you were going to spend money becomes an absolute dream.
But then eventually, what seemed unfathomable when you started ,begins to happen: you start to get on brands’ radars. They reach out wanting to put you on PR lists, or ask if you’d be interested in doing a review in exchange for their product.
The momentum builds as you post about all these gifted products, and other brands start to notice and reach out as well and then….
Stage 2: Landing Brand Deals
You soon realize that if a brand is sending you free products, there’s an expectation that you’ll create some type of content for it.
Promoting their products with your audience, skills, and time for free quickly becomes unacceptable because:
- your time is valuable
- products and exposure don’t pay your bills.
This realization prompts creators to move to stage two; those free products that once excited them start to lose their shininess. and the new immediate goal and measure of success becomes:
“I need to start landing some brand deals.”
In this stage, creators do everything they can to achieve that. They put together media kits, set rates, and start pitching to brands.
And then…
Stage 3: Going Full-Time
Once those brand deals start rolling in, content creators find themselves at stop number three.
At this stage, we’ve started to make some money, and we’re likely balancing content creation around our day job. So naturally, creators start to think:
“Wow, wouldn’t it be cool if I made enough to take this thing full-time?”
We start doing the calculations—how many brand deals a year would it take to replace their day job’s income?
They think about how to attract even more brand deals and might consider raising their rates.
A desire for freedom might motivate this goal, or it could stem from getting severely burnt out trying to balance a now decently paying side hustle with a 9-5 job. Regardless, it begins to feel like you haven’t truly made it as a creator unless you’re doing it full-time.
Stage 4: Diversifying Income
Then once they’ve gone full-time, creators quickly realize just how precarious this whole thing is. As cool as it is to work for yourself, you’re still at the mercy of brands. It can feel like you’re not actually working for yourself.
YouTubers making tons on Google AdSense might think:
“Wow, my eggs are really all in one basket here. Google can’t be paying all my bills.”
This leads to the goal of becoming more self-sustainable by diversifying income. Creators start considering what products they can create, whether it’s digital products, merch, or going down the course route.
This stage (which I’m currently in) is one that creators tend to spend a good chunk of time in. It takes time to figure out what products resonate with your audience or to build up another revenue stream through affiliate marketing or blogging.
Achieving diversification seems like the epitome of success until….
Stage 5: Building a Business
We diversify our income but still feel extremely burnt out–like we can’t hop off the content creating wheel or else everything we’ve built will fall apart. And so, content creators begin to think:
“I don’t want my livelihood to rely on me. I don’t want it to depend on whether or not I show up on social media.”
The goal becomes creating a business separate from oneself.
This might ride on the creator’s personal brand and reputation but isn’t dependent on their constant content posting. Here, we see creators launching media companies or businesses that can exist independently from themselves. Maybe they’re the CEO, or maybe they’re not, because that’s still too much work.
Stage 6: Ultimate Success and Beyond
And then, once this business is built and generating income, leaving the creator truly feeling free, what becomes the measure of success?
Here, I see a fork in the road with a few different paths. But the heart behind each is the question:
“I’m done. What’s next for me?”
One path leads to retirement, especially if creating content was always a means to an end. There’s no reason to constantly post on social media or keep up with algorithms. The goals might now have nothing to do with social media or being a creator. It’s done. Stick a pin in it.
The other path is for those who long to pursue more traditional media. They might want to make a Netflix movie or host a late-night show. They’ve done what they can on social media and are ready to take it mainstream.
Finally, some people who truly see themselves as creators at heart might realize they became disconnected from why they started. With financial freedom, they can return to creating just for the sake of it, posting on their own terms.
Why Do We All Follow This Map?
Now, I want to drop a couple of quick theories on why this is—please share yours below too.
First, we’ll never really know what life is like at our dream destination until we get there. Goals are always shiny, and we build up in our heads what it will be like to achieve them, but we never really think about what we’ll want next until we’ve done so.
As we grow as content creators, we find ourselves in rooms with people further along the roadmap than we are. This can be inspiring but also cause us to compare ourselves, making us feel like we don’t have enough or that our goals aren’t big enough.
And second, rolling out my decade-old psych 101 knowledge, I think this trajectory reflects Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Initially, we want free things because we can’t afford them–these things might be superficial, but could very well align with some of our physiological needs (PR that involves food, clothing, etc.).
Once that’s satisfied, we want our bills paid for a greater sense of security. Then, we desire freedom, leading to self-employment. Realizing we’re not truly free, we build a self-sustaining business. When money is no longer an issue and we have true freedom, we pursue self-actualization, whether by creating at our own pace or quitting altogether for something else we love.
Final Thoughts
So what do you think? Is it that deep?
I do want to highlight that I don’t think this roadmap is bad, or that we shouldn’t want more for ourselves. \
The reality is just that when creators are moving through the map, they’re usually unaware, leading to frustration and feeling like nothing’s ever good enough.
But if you are aware, you can savor the journey and appreciate each stage for what it is.
I’d love to hear where you are in this content creator journey—let me know below. I’m also curious if this post could even possibly reach anyone in stage six. If you’re there, can you confirm or deny if I got it right? 👀
Thanks for reading, and until next time.
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