đź“š 10 Lessons From Creators

10 valuable insights from creators on building an audience, growing a business, and avoiding burnout

Author

Akta from Passionfroot
December 29, 2023

As the year draws to a close, I'm reminded that the creator's path comes with its fair share of ups and downs. It's the unpredictability of this journey that makes it both overwhelming and incredibly rewarding.

To help navigate it, I’ve found that connecting with other creators is a source of reassurance, inspiration for new ideas, a glimpse into what's possible, and a way to make the journey more enjoyable. That’s why to wrap up the year, I wanted to share 10 valuable insights I’ve learned from some of the incredible creators who have featured on our podcast, Creators on Air.

“When the internet is filled with so much noise and attention is limited, having people who find value, not just in what you offer, but in the relationship with you, is incredibly powerful.”

When we think of the word “audience”, we think of being on stage talking to people. But, as a creator, our focus should lean towards meaningful conversation. Think about businesses like pubs and brands like Apple: they have repeat customers because of the atmosphere and experience they offer. This is what we want to cultivate: a sense of loyalty.

“Brands don't know you. They don't care about your channel. They don't care if you're getting millions of views or whether you have millions of followers. They care about their own marketing objectives. So how can you have a service-based mindset when it comes to sponsorships?”

It's a common trap to believe our success relies on vanity metrics. But we have to remember we’re providing a service. This perspective allows us to transition from obsessing over our follower count to solving problems for others, including sponsors.

“A lot of creators promote their newsletter wrong on social media. The time to promote it is not after you post the newsletter, it's before.”

Most of us publish a newsletter, podcast, or a YouTube video and then share it on our social media channels. But a more effective approach is teasing the content beforehand to pique our audience’s curiosity.

“What is the trade off with user experience? How much friction do I create for users to experience value?”

When you’re eager to grow your audience and business, it’s easy to hop onto the latest trends, but consider the value to your audience first. Will it create friction or change the audience experience?

“A lot of people think “building in public” is just being sharing. But that’s part one, and it’s the easy part. The second part is to loop in your community as you build. How do you take feedback and listen?”

Whether it’s writing a tweet, sending out a survey, messaging your audience through DMs, or jumping on calls with people, actively engaging your community is a valuable way to grow your business.

“A lot of creators are motivated by the desire for freedom. But we think, in order to achieve that freedom, we have to keep providing value.”

Most people think burnout is about having too much on your plate but it’s also about the relationship with yourself. When you have goals you want to achieve, you might put too much pressure on yourself and be overly critical. As a result, you exploit yourself and forget your identity outside of being a creator.

“Don't just keep going. Always analyse what’s not working and then solve that problem.”

“Stay consistent” is the standard advice creators are given, reassuring us that, eventually, we’ll meet our goals. But in reality, if we carry on doing the same things, we might always get the same results. Instead, we have to analyse what’s not performing and adapt as we go along.

“One of the biggest problems most creators have is that they overcomplicate everything. But in most cases, if you do less, you will actually go further and grow faster.”

Many of us feel the pressure to maintain a presence across all social media platforms and to establish various income streams, but this stems from a scarcity mindset. It's the notion that there aren't enough people on any single platform for us to thrive, or that 1 or 2 products wouldn’t suffice for business growth. By embracing a more simplistic strategy, we can invest more energy into our efforts and attain greater success.

“Don't be afraid to hire, but don't just randomly hire. Hire in a way that is effective, systematic, and strategic.“

If you want to scale your business, you might want to think about building a team. The smart move is to bring on people who can help you make the most of your time. It doesn't have to follow the exact structure that other creators use; it's all about what suits you best.

“The worst thing you can do is get addicted to view counts and keep trying to make the same content forever. There's going to be new creators who are hungrier and come in with new ideas. That's why my path as a creator has been one of constant evolution.”

You've got a piece of content going viral – brilliant! To sustain that momentum, you might assume you need to create the same type of content repeatedly. But if you want to be a creator long-term, it's crucial to let your work mature alongside you.

As you spend your time reflecting on 2023, I hope these snippets from some of the conversations I’ve had with creators have been helpful. Let's embrace the rollercoaster of the creator journey, knowing that together, we're learning and growing. I wish you a Happy New Year and hope 2024 brings with it fresh inspiration, exceptional creations, and unbounded success! 🚀

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Stay passionate,

Akta