Content Creator or Digital Media Producer?
You’ve likely heard the term “creator economy” tossed around lately. Like many “new” things, it’s really about repackaging and repositioning something that’s been going on for at least 16 years.
For example, those of us who pioneered the audience-first approach to starting digital businesses were often writers and other content creators. We then created products and services to sell to our audiences.
That approach is still rock solid today and into the future. And rather than fight the trend, we’ve adopted the creator economy label ourselves with our conference.
Of course, every entrepreneur creates things, whether hands-on or by directing others. But the creator economy label implies it’s a single person who personally makes all the things — content and digital products. And often while servicing clients in the meantime.
When it comes to attracting an audience, content of some sort has to be involved. This can lead people to believe that they must be the content creator to succeed. Not only is this not true, but it also might not even be the best approach.
For example, some of the biggest newsletters around feature curated content. Brands like The Hustle, The Skimm, and Morning Brew essentially summarize relevant information for their audiences. And yet, they do it with a unique style and voice that comes from working with experienced writers.
Now, I know that many of you are content creators. I’m not trying to discourage you at all. Creating the content that attracts the audience that builds the brand is an excellent way to bootstrap a powerful business.
What I’m saying is that unless you want to create content, you’re better off being a producer. Even if you’re the content creator, you may eventually need to shift into producer mode to expand your personal enterprise.
Let’s dive in a little deeper into the differences.
Types of Content Creators for Audience Building
When I was an unhappy young attorney in the 1990s, I didn’t dream of being an entrepreneur. I wanted to be a writer (typical of unhappy lawyers).
It was my fascination with the early commercial internet that led me to combine writing with entrepreneurship. I enjoyed attracting people with useful knowledge and selling them things that would benefit them.
And it’s true that a lot of the early audience-builders were writers, publishing via email newsletters followed by blogs. At the time, internet bandwidth was a serious limitation, so the early web skewed heavily toward text.
Multimedia content began to catch steam in 2005 when YouTube launched. Podcasting already existed as a tiny niche format.
In 2006, Google acquired YouTube, and the vlogging era kicked in. It wasn’t until around 2010 that podcasting gained mass traction, even though numerous shows were available before then.
So at this point, there are more “non-writer” content creators than ever, thanks to video and audio. And yet, with the resurgence of email newsletters and renewed interest in blogging, the written format also continues to thrive.
The first criteria for becoming a content creator yourself is deciding if you want to create content. With writing, it goes without saying that if you don’t want to write, you’ll never be great at writing. And that’s perfectly fine.
But creating audio and especially video content requires the desire to be the voice (or face) of your brand. Not everyone is comfortable with that. Plus, solid production value for audio and video is a must, which takes additional skills and time.
More people than ever seem to have this desire, though, and that’s fantastic. However, you need an audience-attraction strategy first, as a profitable audience won’t be interested in whatever pops into your head.
The Digital Media Producer Model
In the first lesson of this series, we talked about the “Hollywood model” for building a personal enterprise. I used the examples of Oprah and George Clooney to illustrate how having an audience leads to opportunities, usually at an increasingly higher scale and profitability over time.
These celebrity examples represent the “personal brands” that individual content creators who attract audiences develop. Some have the goal of building that personal brand, period. Others (including me) see it as secondary to creating a business that transcends any one person. Regardless, your personal brand will be established by the work you do and the value you deliver to others.
In contrast, Hollywood producers don’t have the recognition that actors and directors receive, and generally, they’re fine with that. They’re the ones who make things happen, including financing, logistics, negotiations, and overall management of the cast and crew.
Similarly, a digital media producer makes things happen. In many ways, this is the typical role of any entrepreneur, except, in this case, a digital media mindset is important. So thinking like a producer (entreproducer?) is more appropriate.
And there’s another reason to think of this in terms of Hollywood. Independent contractors are the norm in film and television production, even though teams often work together on project after project.
Some digital entrepreneurs go the employee route. But founders using a combination of freelancers, vendors, and technology is increasingly becoming the norm. (This is what I call a 7-Figure Small business.) As multiple emerging technologies disrupt traditional employment, many predict the Hollywood model may become the way it’s done across industries.
As a digital media producer, you don’t have to create the content, copy, and other messaging. But you must take a strategic approach to content creation and audience attraction to build the base for eventual products and services.
A Strategic Hybrid Approach
Whether you choose to be the primary content creator or take on the role of producer, there’s overlap. A producer must understand how to attract the right audience, and content creators must adopt producer techniques to be successful.
For example, as we discussed in Building the Base of Your Personal Enterprise, freelancers and other client services professionals can afford to build a lucrative audience while also attracting the clients they need. The key to this is positioning your audience-attraction efforts as a media publication, not “freelancer marketing.”
The problem? It’s hard to spend the time to build an audience while also properly serving clients. So instead of being both the service provider and the content creator, think like a digital media producer instead.
You could work with other freelancers who create or curate the content for you. This frees you up to focus on client work while overseeing the audience aspect. Altogether, you can attract and work with more clients, all while building an audience asset those clients effectively paid for.
Or look at it from the producer/entrepreneur point of view. Building an audience without something to sell means you’re out of pocket until you reach your minimum viable audience. Instead, think about how to emulate the advantage of the freelancer in the example above.
What if you sought out reputable freelancers who are looking for additional work in the niche you plan to enter? You can hand off client services work in exchange for a cut of the project fee, like a virtual agency. Plus, you’ll be in a position to understand the pain points those clients are experiencing, which can lead to viable product ideas much faster.
Of course, there’s a lot to unpack with either example:
- Choosing the right topic.
- Positioning your audience vehicle (newsletter, podcast, blog) so it creates initial revenue while attracting a broader audience simultaneously.
- Crafting a strategy that satisfies both the short-term and long-term needs of the audience and the business.
- Managing content creators to implement that strategy.
- Getting in front of the right people in the best places to attract and grow the audience.
That’s a lot to explore. But that’s precisely what we’ll do month after month in the Advice section of the Future Freedom member area.
The special promotional period is almost over, which means the regular pricing will go back into effect. Why not give it a try risk-free and save?