It’s a new day and age, and we’d all be lying if we weren’t slightly curious to learn how to make money, while creating content, while working with brands, all on our own terms. Well, guess what. It’s easier than you might think. I’ve been growing my social media knowledge since 2017 on and off and I’m happy to say that it’s so much easier than what I essentially thought it was. There is also no gatekeeping here because I think everyone deserves a shot and we’re all just trying to make it in the world. So here is my list of do’s and dont’s regarding content creating and getting paid.

1. Your Audience and Statistics.

A good portion of all social media accounts now offer the ability to view and track your audience and content. This is your main course – without this you’re flying blind. It doesn’t matter if you have 500 followers or 5,000,000 followers you need to be aware of who is engaging with your content and what your audience is like – you can even see male to female follower ratios, it’s insane. You can easily do this in your app settings, find insights, and take it all in. This allows you to figure out what your bread and butter is going to be – if you’re audience is 80% men you’re probably not going to want to work with brands that focus solely on women’s health or makeup – to each their own of course, but it’s something to consider. Your content is also a huge aspect in being a creator because if your focus is hiking or camping then expand your knowledge on brands or businesses that also follow those beliefs and hobbies it’ll be a huge game changer in your content.

2. Transform your Account into a Business

This step is arguably the most important. You are the business, you are marketing yourself and other brands, you have to look and create like a business. Head to your social settings and make your account into a professional business account. You might think this isn’t necessary and you might not want to but personally speaking I’ve gotten more views and deals after transitioning into a professional account. Social media apps also offer more settings for insights, audience, and marketing tools for professional accounts over a personal account. This also allows for businesses to contact and find you easier than just a 1 in 100 millions personal accounts that are out there.

3. You Don’t Need Thousands of Followers

This is one of the biggest lies I hear from friends and other creators trying to get started. We live in a new time where there are actual levels to content creating. That looks something like this,

• Mega-influencers or celebrities – more than a million followers
• Macro-influencers – 500K to 1 million followers
• Mid-tier influencers – 50K to 500K followers
• Micro-influencers – 10K to 50K followers
• Nano-influencers – 1K to 10K followers

This is where things get good. You can have 1,000 followers and be beginning your creator journey. You don’t have to have 1,000,000 and odds are you might never get there. But this will not only increase your following but it’ll also open doors for you to meet people and work with more brands for your content. It’s a win, win. The most interesting thing I want you to think about regarding your engagement rate is if you have 1,000 followers and you have 948 of those followers actively engaging and listening to your posts that might be 15% more engagement then what an account with 300,000 has. Brands and businesses will eat that up it’s all about how many people you’re reaching and how many costumers or consumers you can bring in for them. Did you know people are 42% more engaged with UGC videos than any other content out there, that’s about x12 more than usual. 86% of businesses also use UGC as a part of their successful marketing strategy more than hiring photographers or models. THAT’S HUGE.

4. Canva is Your Best Friend

Canva has been my savior for creating professional portfolios for content creating, my website, podcast, and modeling opportunities for brands. It’s user friendly and I can personalize everything to fit my vibe and needs. If you’re not very techy and not sure where to start – shoot me an email and we can work something out where I can help you create something that fits you and your needs. Is this essential? Maybe not, but I do think it’s important to look professional and make a great first impression. This is an example of what I’ve created in the past. It includes a few basic points that I like businesses to know, much like when you’re creating a resume for a new job – you want to talk about everything that makes you qualified and a good fit for their company. Does it need to be super wordy or in depth of very detail about your life and content – no. Short, simple, and visual applying is the sweet spot for companies because 9 times out of 10 you’re not the only creator they’re approaching or working with so you need to stand out and talk about the hot spots.

5. Do Not Work For Free.

Going into content creating, I think it’s easy to assume that whatever a company approaches you with is the end all be all. But that’s not true at all and I want you all to nip that in the bud now. It’s about what the company wants as much as what you want. Think of it like this – the company is choosing to work with you over hiring a photographer, make up artists, marketing teams, models, and the whole $30,000 of what all goes into a brand photoshoot. They might start with the ole’ 15% off discount code for followers, and you get 5% commission when it’s used. If that deal is good for you, then it’s good for me. I fully support you and i’m cheering you on. But from me to you, stop selling yourself short. You have a say of what you are selling – you’re putting in time, effort, and creativity of marketing their products so keep that in mind. You can put a price on a lot in this industry and make upward of $1200 on one photo. That’s not including a story, video, review, or even a snapchat – that’s $1200 on 1 picture for 1 post on instagram – it sounds crazy but it’s all legit. Not sure where to start or how to professionally respond or approach companies – that’s a breeze, drop a comment if that’s something you want me to touch on and we’ll jump into it.