Being a digital content creator sounds pretty self-explanatory- they create digital content. But what exactly does that mean? Content for what? It’s become an umbrella term that covers everything created for online platforms from blogging to influencing. In this post I’ll break down some of the things I do as a full-time digital content creator.

The Many Jobs of a Digital Content Creator

Blogger

My career as a digital content creator started with my blog, and then later Instagram became part of my job, with Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest not far behind. That’s because all these other things help support the blog, which is my main outlet. The content I create for my blog is focused on written content. It’s a mix of personal stories, product reviews, tutorials, sponsored posts and more.

It’s hard to have a blog and just stay being a blogger. To get traffic to your blog, you have to share it on social media. This sometime shifts your focus from writing to creating photos and videos, and eventually you fall into the world of influencer marketing.

Influencer Marketing

Creating digital content for influencer marketing is huge. You don’t even need a ton of followers to get started. There are lots of companies that work with micro-influencers who are willing to post in exchange for free products to sample. That’s how I got started!

Influencers post photos (or video) with products, along with their opinion and usually a promo code to push sales. Sometimes you get paid to post, sometimes it’s just for free product and sometimes you can earn money through affiliate sales. If you want to learn how to make an intro for YouTube, Visit Intro Maker.

Content-Only Creating

Sometimes a company will request digital content creation for their use, without the person posting it on their feed. I’ve done this for several makeup companies. They send you a creative brief to follow, then you shoot raw content and send them all the footage. They then take and use what they want for their ads and posts.

For example: One of the products I did was a mascara, and I had to film myself putting it on and saying several key phrases, and also talking about how great my lashes looked. I also had to film reactions, like going, “Wow!” as I put it on. And some clips showing me having trouble using other mascara brands that clumped or got messy.

Sometimes you’ll need to edit the video first and send a finished product. For this you’ll need to search for the best video editing software for YouTube so you can produce a polished video with a clean edit.

So when you see those videos on Instagram where they have “real people” trying their product and being all excited…well now you know they are all just acting from a script! lol

Social Media Monetization

Social media is the driving force behind digital content creation, and video is fast replacing photos as the big money maker. YouTube has always offered the opportunity to monetize videos, but you need to meet some steep requirements first. I haven’t been able to monetize my YouTube channel because I haven’t gotten 4,000 hours worth of watch time yet. But I have benefitted from Instagram’s new Reels Bonus program, where the pay you for the Reels you post, based on the views. TikTok also pays their creators with a similar program.

So as a content creator, sometimes I’m creating content just for fun or for myself, not for another company. However, I’m able to monetize all my video content through Instagram.

Subscription Services

Some people create digital content just for their own subscription channel. Sites like Patreon, Twitch, Ko-Fi and Only Fans give fans a chance to subscribe to a creator’s channel for exclusive content. The content varies- some creators post exclusive photos, patterns, tutorials or first looks at new releases.

And not to be outdone, Instagram recently hopped on that bandwagon and started giving creators the ability to offer subscriptions. I activated it on my own @SewGeekMama account, but still don’t have much of an idea what to post there. So far, it’s been some extra pics and behind the scenes type stuff. I’m hoping to figure out a way to make it better and something actually worth paying for.

Photographer, Videographer, Writer, Editor, Model, Promoter

A digital content creator does so many different things, and wears so many different hats, that it’s hard to cover it all. And with the online world changing so fast, there’s always something new being added. It can get a little frustrating trying to keep up with every platform, and I sometimes get overwhelmed. It’s easy to get burnt out when you feel like everything you do is about creating content.

But overall, it is a really fun job, and I like the challenge of trying new things all the time. Every day is different! One day I may be unboxing Japanese snacks, and the next I’m doing a makeup tutorial. And some days, like today, I just sit and type away at my computer. I got into digital content creating as a blogger, but I enjoy all the other opportunities that’s come with it.