Love writing articles, crafting immaculate social media posts or editing videos to perfection? You can pursue a successful career as a content creator. 

What Is a Content Creator? 

It comes as no surprise that a content creator is someone who, well, creates content. In some cases, they’re responsible for the entire content lifecycle, from ideation to publication. In others, they focus on one specific element of content creation. 

When you dive into the many types of content a creator can make, though, things start to get a bit more complicated. 

For instance, content creators can be tasked with creating: 

  • articles; 
  • blog posts; 
  • social media posts; 
  • press releases; 
  • video scripts; 
  • email newsletters;  
  • infographics; 
  • product pages; and
  • countless other content types. 

And depending on their unique duties and niche, a content creator’s day can involve: 

  • Market research and competitor analysis: Each brand has its own distinct voice, purpose and audience, as well as its own set of fierce competitors. So to create the best possible content, either for their own brand or another, content creators must research the market, brand, competitors and target audience.
  • Brainstorming: If they’re responsible for coming up with new content ideas, content creators need to spend time brainstorming. 
  • Topic research: After settling on an idea, content creators need to prepare by conducting research on the topic at hand. 
  • Creating content: Depending on the scope of the project, content creators can spend a few hours or even several months working on the actual content creation process. 
  • Editing and revisions: No first draft is perfect, so content creators typically need to go through at least one round of revisions for each piece of content. 
  • Formatting, uploading and promotion: Although the brand they’re working with may handle this part of the process, some content creators may need to format, upload and promote their content once it’s completed (this is the case for many independent content creators and social media influencers). 

Because content creators can specialize in so many different areas, content creation can be broken down into a few major categories. 

Social Media Content Creation

A screenshot of Forrester’s Twitter profile. Several tweets are visible, including one linking to a blog post and one linking to a LinkedIn live stream.
In the Skillshare class “Social Media Copywriting Masterclass: Professional Tips for Profiles and Posts,” teacher Ruth Clowes shows students how to research other brands’ tactics on social media. 

Instagram reels, tweets, TikTok videos — social media content creators can make all those and more. 

But for most social media content creators, the particular type of content they create depends on the social media platforms they’re creating it for. 

Social Media Platforms 

After creating content intended for social networks, social media content creators may post it on any number of platforms. Potential social media platforms include: 

  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Snapchat
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

And on those platforms, content creators can create a variety of content types. 

Social Media Content Examples

What’s posted on various social media platforms comes in all forms. Content creators may spend their time producing:

  • Short-form text posts, such as tweets
  • Long-form text posts, such as in-depth Facebook posts
  • Photos and captions, such as Instagram or Pinterest posts
  • Short-form videos, such as TikTok videos or Instagram Stories
  • Long-form videos, such as YouTube videos
  • Podcasts 

In addition to creating the main text, video, or image for a social media post, content creators may also need to research the best hashtags and keywords to accompany them. 

Video Content Creation  

A man positions a tripod-mounted camera so it’s looking down onto a variety of items arranged on a tabletop. Two studio lights illuminate the scene.
In the Skillshare class “Social Media Storytelling: Make Incredible Videos for Instagram, YouTube & More,” teacher Rob demonstrates his video shooting process.

Video content can be a component of social media content creation, but it’s also a category in and of itself. 

Video Platforms  

Common platforms for video content include: 

  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Vimeo

Video Content Examples

Depending on their role and skills, video content creators stay busy: 

  • writing scripts;
  • planning video ideas;
  • filming a scene;
  • acting out a scene; 
  • editing footage; or
  • adding captions and subtitles.

Just as with social media content creation, video creators may also need to research tags, keywords, and other tactics for getting as many video views as possible.

Marketing Content Creation 

A screenshot of a window titled “Blog Post Workflow.” It contains a list of several tasks, including “Write Post,” “Edit Post,” and “Add Graphics.”
In the Skillshare class “10x Marketing: Content Marketing That Stands Out & Gets Results | Learn with CoSchedule,” teacher Garrett Moon showcases a sample blog post workflow for a brand. 

While marketing content creators can engage in social media and video content creation, their work is distinct in that it’s performed with the specific goal of marketing a particular product or brand. 

Marketing Platforms 

In addition to social media sites like the ones listed above, marketing content creators can make content on marketing-specific platforms such as: 

  • HubSpot
  • CoSchedule 
  • GatherContent 
  • Hootsuite
  • StoryChief

Marketing Content Examples

In the process of creating marketing content, content creators can work on: 

  • blog posts; 
  • social media posts; 
  • white papers; 
  • ebooks; 
  • press releases; 
  • ad copy; 
  • product descriptions; and
  • website landing pages. 

While creating those pieces of content, creators will also need to take best SEO and marketing practices into account. 

How to Become a Content Creator 

Interested in becoming a content creator yourself? Learn about each of the three main types of content creation careers. 

In-House

As an in-house content creator, you’ll create content for one company on a long-term basis. For example, you might work for a publishing company, clothing brand, tech company, blog, or digital publication. 

If you become an in-house content creator, you’ll need to get intimately familiar with the brand you’re working for, its audience and the products it offers. This will allow you to create knowledgeable, in-depth content that’s always on-brand and highly targeted. 

In-house content creators can get their positions by applying to individual job listings on sites like LinkedIn or Indeed. 

Freelance

Content creators who work on a freelance basis collaborate with a variety of clients to create the content they’re looking for. So if you become a freelance content creator, the type of content you create will largely depend on the clients you’re able to secure. 

Freelance content creators can pitch their work to clients directly on a site like Upwork, or they can contract with a content agency which already has a roster of clients in place. 

Independent 

Content creators don’t always work for other people, and independent content creators are proof of that. 

For instance, just think of the YouTube creators who film, edit, upload and promote all their own videos. Similarly, there are cooking bloggers who conceptualize and test recipes, write blog posts to accompany them and upload them to their own blog. 

Such content creation can be done as a hobby, side job or career, depending on how large of an audience you’re able to build. 

What’s a Typical Content Creator Salary? 

Unless you’re creating content purely as a personal pastime, you’d probably like to know how much money content creators make. 

In the United States, content creators earn a median annual salary of about $41,000. However, that statistic doesn’t take nuances like location, experience, and niche into account. A content creator located in a major city, for example, will likely be paid more than one who’s located in a small town.

Additionally, content creators with years of experience will probably earn more than those who are just getting started. 

When considering the amount of money you can make through content creator jobs, though, don’t be tempted to think that ultra-successful examples are the norm. Although some YouTubers, bloggers and social media figures have managed to make millions from their content, they’re the (incredibly lucky) exceptions rather than the rule.  

So while you can certainly turn content creation into a successful and lucrative career, don’t count on becoming the next PewDiePie and instead focus on more achievable goals (such as learning how to produce a video like Marques Brownlee). 

Create Excellent Content, Reap Excellent Rewards

In the realm of content creation, quality is everything. If you commit yourself to crafting the highest-quality content you can, regardless of its length or the platform it’s posted on, you can build a solid reputation (and a profitable career) as a professional content creator.

Be Your Own Best Content Creator

Social Media Content Creation in Canva: From Beginner to Advanced 

Written By
Carrie Buchholz

Carrie Buchholz

Carrie Buchholz is a freelance writer who lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and dog.

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