What is a Content Creator?

Howdy y'all, Trent Knox here, Creator Economy Consultant. You may be curious how I became a Creator Economy Consultant. 

Well, I'm a content creator, a content producer, and a publisher. You might be wondering what does that even mean, and how are those roles different from being just one or the other. 

In this series of blog posts, I will break down the definitions of content creator, content producer, and content publisher, so as to help those reading understand the key differences. Readers will get insight into their role within the Creator Economy and the benefits associated with each role. 

Without further a due, let's get in to it. 


What is a content creator?

A content creator is anyone who makes and publishes digital content with the intent to monetize the content they create regardless of platform. And while anyone with an Instagram or TikTok account is technically a creator, professional content creators take it one step further. They use their digital platforms to build an audience and generate revenue from their content.

Content creators can produce content in various formats, such as blogs, podcasts, vlogs, photography, livestreaming, and more. They can also specialize in different niches, such as travel, fashion, gaming, education, and more.


Top Monetization Platforms for Content Creators:


Blogs: X formerly Twitter -  social media company and platform formerly known as Twitter.

Podcasts: Sportify for Podcasters - an all-in-one podcasting platform poweverd by Spotify.

Vlogs: YouTube - an online video sharing and social media platform.

Photography: Instagram - a photo and video sharing social networking service.

Livestreaming: Twitch - where millions of people come together live every day to chat, interact, and make their own entertainment together.


Top Content Creators of each Platform:

X {Twitter}: Elon Musk - 161.3M Followers 

Podcast: Joe Rogan - 190M Downloads/Month

YouTube: Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson - 205M Subscribers

Instagram: Kylie Jenner - 399M Followers

Twitch: Ninja - 18.6M Followers


Why do content creators publish content on Social Media?

These content creators embody each modality of content on their respective platforms and have launched their brands off the backs of said platforms. There’s a lot to be said about the ownership of each creator's following, which was a large contributing factor for Elon Musk to purchase Twitter. There’s something to be said about the life expectancy of any given platform, especially if the creators on the platform surpass the reciprocal value that the platform provides the creators. Think back to the demise of platforms like MySpace, Vine, and Mixer. 

Juxtaposing Joe Rogan vs Kylie Jenner, you can begin to differentiate creators' desires and intentions. Kylie has utilized her influence to build a billion-dollar brand in Kylie Cosmetics, while Rogan has stated many times that his intentions are to make his ends meet regardless of building a major brand off the back of his name. Rogan is happy to work with a platform as a partner enabling him to reach the most people as possible while being adequately compensated for his influence to generate traffic for the partner platform.

Similarly, MrBeast has emphasized multiple times that he has no intention to migrate off the YouTube platform because it is the second-largest online distribution channel, only second to their sister company Google. However, reflecting on Rogan’s decision to leave YouTube to Spotify, there are financial reasons why a creator may leave a platform because the platform may attempt to handicap a creator's monetization by demonetizing their content. While that was not the case with a content creator like Ninja. Ninja, similar to Rogan, was enticed by the financial opportunity to leave the Twitch platform for now-defunct platform Mixer powered by Microsoft. Fortunately, Ninja walked away with a major payday; however, it is still unclear what losses he actualized during his time away from Twitch and the subsequent collapse of Mixer.

Circling back around to Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, Elon recognized the importance of owning your audience in today’s ever-evolving Attention Economy. Taking a holistic view of the whole of Social Media, Elon’s company Tesla fulfills society’s need for electric vehicles. It’s clear by the numbers that the separation of distribution channels limited the consumption of Tesla vehicles while word of mouth spread on a platform outside the brand's sphere of influence. Therefore, the intelligent decision is to acquire the brand's largest marketing and advertising channel. A big consideration factor is that a platform that doesn’t consider the conflict of interest that it creates by partnering with competing creators risks the chance that creators monopolize their platform. The end results are huge gaps between the top creators and aspiring creators. This is a huge contributing factor as to why aspiring creators should start with an entrepreneurial mindset, building their influence and brand across their platforms, as well as the established platforms.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Content Creators develop their influence on social media platforms with the intention to utilize the respective platforms success in monetizing the content creators specific creative modality. We reflected on the top creators respectively to each platform and their respective relationship with each platform. In the next blog, we’ll discuss the benefits and sacrifices of being a Content Producer. 



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