Digital Academy for Young Content Creators (Part 1)

Being a newbie in any field can be a bit overwhelming. We know it might sound scary and oftentimes people who are just starting out tend to get lost in the initial steps not knowing what path should be taken.

To help you along on your journey, we have prepared a new article series on digital content creation just for you!

In it, we will try to bring the world of content creation closer to you, by explaining the entire process from the very basics to in-depth content strategies and the importance of personal branding. As there are two channels are most popular at the moment, we will put a special emphasis on creating content for Instagram and YouTube. However, we will also try to teach you the foundation of marketing itself, because that is what it is, so you can apply what you learned to any new channel out there.

So, if you’re a young content creator interested in building an online presence, welcome to the tribe! 🤘

Now, without further ado, let’s set to work! 🙂

The Pillars of Content Creation

As a beginner content creator, before you start publishing anything online, you need to ask yourself:

• What is your story?
• How much of yourself do you want to share? 
• Who is your audience?
• What type of content would you like to create and what platform is best for it?

By answering the questions above, you will have a solid foundation to start your work and express your creativity. Not only that, but they will help you with a long-term brand development strategy. 

Now, this might sound a bit too serious and something you’re not interested in doing because you just want to be creative and share your ideas with the world – we get it.. But bear with us for a moment and you’ll see that it’s not a pain in the… back. By doing it, you will slay personal branding and have a lit content strategy! Also, it’ll help you reach the audience you want to impress – like-minded people and your future online community.

But, first things first:

1. What’s Your Story?

The first step you need to take is to define who you are and what your interests are at the moment of starting your brand. 

What gave you the idea to start a YouTube channel, or start creating content for Instagram? What is it that you want to deliver to your audience? 

What are the topics you are interested in? What are the topics you feel passionate about exploring in more depth? What are the areas in which you want to get better?

Answering these questions should help you decide which topics you want to cover with your content. Content creation requires a lot of work and consistency. And considering that high amount of work, you better choose something you will feel excited about. 🙂 

The usual advice is to have ideas for at least 20 content pieces before you start. So this is where you start brainstorming. And, don’t be afraid of failure and people not being interested in what you have to say. Tell your story as it is, because out of 7.5 billion people in the world and 3.9 billion Internet users among them, there are going to be those who will relate to it and who would want to connect and engage with your content. 

Some ideas will go better with your audience, some a little worse. Just don’t give up. It takes time to find your voice.

2. How Much of Yourself Do You Want to Share? 

People will want to know who you are so you will have to decide how much you want to share. You will have to find a balance between protecting your privacy and sharing with your followers enough so they find you relatable. 

When it comes to sharing details about your personal life  – your background, where you’re from, what you do, what your goals and dreams are – always use this simple rule: if it makes you even a tiny bit uncomfortable, if you think it might come haunting you in the future, skip it. There are many Instagram influencers, such as many illustrators and craft enthusiasts, that started writing under an alias, and have upheld their privacy to this day (check out @yaoyaomva for example).  They put an emphasis on their work, not on their personal stories and that is ok. And even when they share one, they make sure to share the core of it and leave out any identifying details.

But even if you don’t share your story explicitly, you have to know what it is, because it will be communicated through your work. Your values, ideas and passions are going to come through. After all, the best stories come from the heart. 

Bear in mind it’s important to be as much realistic about this as you can. After all, these are some of the core questions to help you with figuring out the group of people you’d like to reach.

Defying your target audience will come in handy when you start promoting your content. (We’ll get to this in the next part of the series.) To be effective you’ll need to know where your potential tribe members usually spend their time online and what kind of things they would find interesting. Which leads us to the next key point.

3. Who’s Your Audience?

The next step you’ll need to think about is building a community. Ask yourself who are the people you would like to have conversations with. What can you add to the conversation? What can you teach them? 

If you stop and think about it, you’ll see that people browse the Internet and social media for various reasons. What do you think people you’d like to connect with do the most? Write down all of your conclusions.

Perhaps your contribution will be by helping someone understand a complex subject, sharing your art with them or brightening their day with your message. 

How will your content help the world around you? Talk to your family and friends, make them be your test subjects and ask them when they think about your ideas. They will be your best test audience. Write down their feedback and go from there. 

Now turn this on its head. Who are the people that would respond best to your content? Who are the people it would help the most? 

These questions will help you craft your target audience. Target personas area description of a type of person(s) you would like to reach with your content and it includes everything from age to interests and hobbies. That way, when you start creating content, you will have an image of a person in mind that will help guide you. 

Think about it this way – the better you know the person you are getting a present for, the easier it is to choose it. Or at least it should be. 😀

Defying your target audience will come in handy when you start promoting your content. (We’ll get to this in the next part of the series.) To be effective you’ll need to know where your potential tribe members usually spend their time online and what kind of things they would find interesting. Which leads us to the next key point.

4. What Platform Should You Use?

Choosing the right online space for your content and brand is closely tied to your story, the value you’re trying to create, and the people you want to connect with. There are countless social media platforms out there, each covering their own share of the market. In this series of posts, we chose to focus on Instagram and YouTube and to add a personal platform you can control on your own – a personal website/blog.

Each of these platforms has its own rules and best practices to reach more people – and we will discuss more in our following post. For the time being, the most significant thing you need to know about your content-creation beginning is to think long-term. 

This means you mustn’t get obsessed with the number of likes and followers you get on each platform. Many young Instagrammers, YouTubers, and Bloggers get so focused on the numbers that they make one of the biggest mistakes out there. They start posting silly* and irrelevant content. (*There’s a better word for it. You know it. We don’t have to say it. :))

You have to let things develop organically by providing quality content. Always! It takes time and effort to develop a sense of what works best for each of the social platforms. What’s far-reaching for you as a beginner content creator is to show appreciation, love, and gratitude to the people who engage with your work. Make a conscious effort to show each follower how important they are to you and word of mouth will follow. 

As your network grows, replying to every comment might be difficult but if you want to become a great content creator and build a great community, this is something that you need to do no matter what. 

Let’s Sum It Up

So you see, it wasn’t all that hard… 🙂

The story, the audience, and the right platform are the foundations you need for building your online brand Be mindful that your story and the people from your circles are the ones that will help you get through tough times. As you grow and evolve, so will these things – but remember to write from the heart.

And don’t get discouraged too early. If you take a look at some of the earliest works of our favorite content creators like Mariano Pascual or Mackenzie Child for example, you’ll notice that they have been ‘in the business’ for a very, very long time and didn’t allow themselves to just give up. Best storytellers and content creators constantly innovate and work on themselves and that is a universal rule no matter the type of content or platform that you choose. 🙂

Next up: Social media (Instagram, YouTube) for Young Content Creators – the type of content for each platform, best practices, and personal blog – how to showcase your work so that it reflects your brand message. Stay tuned!