Getting Started in the Creator Economy: A Displaced Creator's Diary
Humble beginnings or rather … hopeless beginnings
In the digital marketing space, I've spent a decade. In the creator economy, it's been some time, on and off.
As to the creator economy, I realize I'm still in the phase of humble beginnings or, more accurately, hopeless beginnings. More often than not, it feels this way.
Not in a dramatic or tragic sense. It’s more like a casual ‘you know, whatever’.
Why?
I can produce thousands of words, record numerous stories, and publish hundreds of social posts. And what do I get? Zero views per content piece? One to five views? Sometimes 10 to 30 views? Hitting 50 views feels like winning the jackpot.
Let’s talk about the frustrations and challenges of experienced digital content creators, marketers, and other creatives in the creator economy. So many less experienced people got there. They have thousands of followers, shares, claps, responses, and whatnot. But we don’t.
Numbers matter in content writing (or the creator economy), believe me
Sure, it's all about enjoying it and doing it for fun, right? Numbers don’t matter.
Let me assure you: numbers matter. Even if you convince yourself they don’t (which, to some extent, is true), you'll find yourself drawn to those digits, lines, charts, and bars. Understanding what they mean becomes important.
If you’re indifferent to your stats, you might not be passionate about your content (or how it performs).
[And if you’re consistently seeing zeros or just single digits, there’s not much to interpret or learn from.]
I'm not someone who revels in numbers, charts, or stats. Honestly. I’m a reader. I’m a writer. I’m not a numbers person. I’m a words person.
However, throughout my 10-year digital marketing journey, I've developed a bit of an addiction to checking how my content performs. I find joy in diving into Google Analytics and other tools.
It's because I'm deeply passionate about the content I create. Understanding what resonates with the audience, what they want to read and learn, and predicting trends in my field is what drives me.
I'm certain: numbers do count. Having fun is essential (and it's encouraged). You can be spontaneous, even overlook metrics, or try to have no expectations (though, in my experience, it's quite tough). But if you're not writing solely for yourself, numbers matter—they help you understand your audience.
So you'll have to learn to accept those initial three views. If you're committed to your creative path, you need to do your thing and keep experimenting. You need to figure out what works best for you.
That said, you don't have to obsess or be addicted to numbers. Yet, the performance of your content matters, and numbers offer valuable insights.
Senior Content Manager: my comfort zone
I've always loved my job as a Senior Content Manager.
Occasionally, I reflect on my past roles. I remember driving thousands of organic visits to websites and generating significant leads through ebooks, whitepapers, and other downloads.
Back then, yes, I had a larger team at my disposal. Now, in the creator economy, I find myself at a personal marketing crossroads, working solo.
Yes, there was a well-established infrastructure, allowing me to easily concentrate on content creation, traffic driving, and analytics (now, I'm still in the what/when/who/how phase).
Yes, I understood my priorities, confidently accepting or rejecting ideas (now I'm grappling with more questions than answers, swimming in countless ideas with little clarity).
Yes, I collaborated with fantastic WordPress developers and designers (currently solo, struggling to find time to delve into Canva properly).
This is a different reality. I acknowledge I'm a one-person army, and I anticipate different results. Nevertheless, reminiscing is bittersweet. 10k views versus 10 views makes a difference.
I'm human, and comparisons, including those between the past and present, are inevitable.
Time to get over it
Yet, I understand the need to move past this phase. Why? Because it feels like unnecessary marketing agony. Enduring this pain won't change my reality. It's not honorable, nor will it bring any rewards or heavenly prizes (wherever they may be).
So, I ought to accept that, for a while - unsure how long - I'll likely churn out thousands, maybe tens of thousands of words and witness minimal views on my analytics. I might create numerous videos without building a community.
Oddly enough, this situation prompts reflections on the past. When I began my digital content career about a decade ago, I barely had any views (and didn't even realize it then!). But here's the thing:
I was inexperienced and needed to learn how or where to assess my content's performance.
I didn’t care much because I had a steady monthly salary, and my colleagues generally liked my articles.
This time is different, but I've already decided to give it a shot.
Don’t give up too soon
I don't plan on giving up too quickly because these things require time. It's tougher to navigate this journey without a steady paycheck and any guarantees of success. Yet, for now:
I'm determined to persist, especially on those 'whatever days.'
It'll be an interesting journey regardless. If I can't figure out what works, perhaps I'll uncover a thousand ways that don't work ;) And if that's the case and you're curious about what doesn't work, feel free to ask me!
Even if I don't gain much traction, I might gain more clarity. I'll likely discover a lot about myself and might still attract some readers. For those readers, what I share could hold significance, resonating with their own experiences and challenges.
My content matters to me. It may also matter to one, two, or ten people. What if it’s more than enough?