My Best Tips for Getting Started in Content Creation.
Over the years, the question I get asked most is how I got started in this industry, and how others can do the same. While a great deal of content creation is personal and will differ from person to person, I have gathered a bit of general knowledge over the years that I believe would be helpful to anyone wanting to break into the industry.
Table of Contents
Must-Have Tools and Softwares I use Daily
The Elusive Hook
Standing Out to Brands: Professionalism.
Final Tidbits and Wisdom
Must-Have Tools and Softwares I use Daily
Unfold - of all the apps I have tried over the years, Unfold consistently gives me the best, most professional results. Unfold has filters, effects, templates, and a visual feed planner that helps me keep my feed looking curated. If you’re wondering how creators get cinematic video overlays like this, the answer is Unfold. Unfold does have a few different tiers of subscriptions - I personally use the Unfold Pro subscription, as it includes a Brand Kit so I can keep my theme (font, logo, etc) consistent across platforms. You can join Unfold here.
Camera Equipment - Having high quality images and videos is essential to making a good first impression with potential audience members. This can be done with your phone, or more professional camera equipment. I use a mix of both. You can find my camera equipment here.
The Elusive Hook
Sometimes on Instagram I’ll see accounts touting the “secret” to going viral, and when you read the caption they talk about a hook. In fact, touting the secret to going viral is in itself a hook.
All a hook is is something that makes a viewer pause a second longer when scrolling through their explore feed. It can be text, but it can also be visual.
A written hook doesn’t have to be cheesy or pushy (AKA “8 tips to make more money” online, or “I gained 10k followers when I started doing this one thing”). In my experience these types of hooks only alienate potential audience members and make them feel like you’re pushing an agenda.
Instead, lean toward humor or relatability. Some hooks I’ve used in the past are “money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy [insert random covetable object]”, or “dreaming of a soft [insert season or month]”.
Visual hooks can also be just as effective. Creating eye-catching home decor, outfits, makeup, or hairstyles is another way to make viewers pause a second longer.
Standing Out to Brands: Professionalism
When brands are searching for creators to partner with, you often only have seconds to make an impression before they move on to another creator’s profile. Having your ducks in a row is essential to making a good first impression: Here are a few musts:
Link In Bio - Often brands will check a creator’s link in bio to gauge whether or not there is sufficient demand from their audience. If a creator has a well fleshed out link in bio, it implies they have followers actively seeking product recommendation and more content from that creator.
For my link in bio I use Bio Sites. I’ve tried quite a few platforms over the years, but ultimately Bio Sites is the best I’ve found. My favorite parts about Bio Sites are that the color palette and design is entirely customizable (many other platforms only give you a few mundane options), and it allows you to link to posts directly. That way if I have a particular post that many people are asking about, I can link it in my Bio Sites so it’s easy for people to find. You can see I linked my kitchen makeover in my Bio Sites because of all the questions I was getting about it! You can join Bio Sites here.
Contact - Make it very easy for brands to connect with you. I recommend placing your email directly in your bio.
Place Keywords in Your Bio - Bios should be short and sweet, and give a brand an insight into what you share as a content creator. For example, mine is “style, decor, and life from our cottage | an old soul finding beauty in the ordinary”.
Final Tidbits and Wisdom
Consistency is Key - You will see this advice a lot in the realm of content creation, and it’s because it’s true. I know creators who posted quality content for years with now growth, only to skyrocket to 50k and beyond within months.
Community is Your Friend - engage with like accounts and they will likely engage back! Engagement is the bedrock on which everything else - growth, friendship, and success - is built.
Have Fun - The only reason I’ve been able to stick with this job through some of the very intense lows it has brought me, is that I genuinely love capturing content. It is a hobby to me before it is a job, and I credit that mindset with much of my success over the years. Don’t be afraid to have fun with it!
I hope this was helpful, and please feel free to comment down below with any questions. I also wanted to say a huge thank you to Squarespace for partnering with me on this post! Until next time,
- Faith <3