How to Become a Content Creator And Make a Living in 2022?

Want to become a content creator? Are you looking for a free resource to earn a full-time income from content creation? You’re in the right place.

When it comes to creating content, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You need to try and test different types of content to find what works best for you.

Here’s where a content creator comes in handy. Almost EVERY online business needs a content creator.

So if you’re good at creating content and looking to build a career to make a full-time income, this guide is exclusively for you where you’ll learn;

• What is a content creator?
• What does a content creator do?
• How much do content creators typically earn?
• How to make a full-time income as a content creator and more

So are you curious to find them out? Let’s get started!

How to Be a Content Creator: Everything You Need to Know

What is a content creator?

A content creator is someone who creates content which can be anything from blog posts to videos to podcasts, infographics, etc.

Content creators are mostly responsible for content creation and submitting content to digital platforms like websites, blogs, YouTube, etc.

If you’re passionate about a particular topic and have skills for creating engaging material, then you can definitely consider becoming a content creator.

Most expert content creators are excellent communicators as they’re often able to make complex topics into easy-to-understand language. 

What does a content creator do?

Want to know what exactly a content marketer does? Most companies or brands will ask you for the following tasks if you’re a content marketer;

Topic research: As a content creator, you might need to come up with topic ideas to write about. Few brands or business owners will provide you with a list of topics to create content but some will leave the job to you.

You can use tools like Semrush for topic ideas or platforms like Quora to brainstorm new ideas for various topics.

Content creation: No matter what type of niche you’re in, you need to create engaging content (be it blog posts or videos). If you’re writing blog posts, use tools like Google Docs, Grammarly, etc for effective writing. 

Optimization of content: Whether you’re creating videos or blog articles, you need to make them rank well in search engines like Google or YouTube. 

So it’s a good idea to learn the basics of content optimization. You can pick a primary keyword for every post (or video) you create, then place that keyword in the following places;

• Title
• Description
• Image alt tags
• URL, etc

If you’re creating content for websites, you can use a plugin like Rank Math to easily optimize your blog posts.

Content promotion: As a content creator, you might also need to promote the content on various channels such as Facebook, Twitter, email lists, etc. You can use social media management tools like HootSuite to easily schedule and track your social media performance. 

How much do content creators earn?

The earnings you make as a content creator depend on several things such as;

• Your skills and experience
• The complexity of the projects you pick
• The clients you work with 
• The industry you’re in and so on

On average, most experienced content creators’ earnings range between $1500 to $5000+ per month. 

Also, the platform you pick plays a key role in your earnings too. Here are a few examples;

• John Lee Dumas from EOFire generates between $200,000 to $250,000 every single month (Podcast)
• MrBeast has a net worth of over $56 million and usually generates over $1 million every month (Video content)
• Pat Flynn’s net worth is over $3 million and earns over $100,000 on average per month (Blogging)

As you can see above, the sky’s the limit to your earnings if you’re managed to build a HUGE following as a content creator.

How to Become a Full-Time Content Creator?

So you want to become a content creator but don’t know where to start. Here are some of the major fundamentals you need to know to become a successful content creator. 

Find your skills and expertise

The first step to becoming a content creator is to know your expertise.

Find out what you’re good at. What exactly your skills are? Is it making videos? Writing essays or articles? Creating podcasts? 

Depending on your interests and skills, you can educate yourself to become an expert in that skill.

The key here is to focus on ONE skill at a time.

Let’s assume you’re good at writing, try becoming a freelance writer. You can also be helpful for YouTubers to come up with stories, create engaging descriptions, video scripts, etc.

So spend REALLY good time knowing what YOU are really good at.

Here’s a list of some of the best content marketing blogs if you want to learn and master your skills. 

Choose a platform for content creation 

The most important step to content creation is to pick a platform that you’re interested in.

• Do you want to start a blog or website to create blog posts?
• Do you want to create content for social media networks like YouTube, Instagram, etc?
• Do you want to podcast?

Depending on the platform, you can learn and develop your content creation skills accordingly.

Figure out how to monetize your content creation skills

You need to have a business plan before you jump into the world of content creation.

Find out how you’re going to monetize your content.

Our recommendation is to start your own blog. Why? A blog helps you build an online presence and offer your services as a content creator.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a writer, designer, or YouTuber – you can use your blog as a platform to make money online.

In case you’re wondering, here’s a simple tutorial on starting a blog using Bluehost.

Quick note: We often recommend Bluehost to our audience because it’s reliable, affordable, and more importantly recommended by WordPress itself.

Click this special link to visit the Bluehost website. 

The above link gives you special discounts (without applying any coupon or promo codes). We earn a commission when you use the above link without any additional cost to you.

Once you’re on Bluehost’s website, visit their shared hosting plans.

Here’s what it looks like;

As you can see above, Bluehost offers three pricing plans in shared hosting;

• Basic plan costs you $2.95 per month, which is perfect for beginners. You can install 1 website along with 10 GB of space.
• Plus plan costs you $5.45 per month, which is perfect for maintaining multiple sites. You’ll get 20 GB of space and install unlimited websites.
• Choice plus plan costs you $5.45 per month, which is perfect if you want free backups. Also, you’ll get all the features from the Plus plan along with additional features like 40 GB storage, free domain privacy, automated backups, etc.

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, pick the Basic plan as it costs you just $35.40 per year.

Have a look;

As you can see above, you get 12 months of hosting from Bluehost for just around $35 a year. Make the payment and install WordPress using their 1-click install option to start your blog.

If you need any help, you can mail us at [email protected] and we’d be glad to assist.  

Learn and improve your content skills

If you want to make more money as a content creator, you need to learn and master your skills. In case you’re new to the content creation world, here are a few ESSENTIAL skills you can learn and improve to become a successful content creator.

SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of making a website more visible on search engine results pages. Almost every business and website owner wants to get more traffic from Google.

SEO is important because it helps you attract more visitors to your site, and it also helps you improve your brand awareness and visibility. If you want to build a strong online presence as a content creator, then learning SEO is essential.

There are many top SEO blogs you can read to learn and improve your SEO skills such as;

• Backlinko
• BloggersPassion
• Ahrefs 
• Semrush blog

Copywriting

As a content creator, no matter what platform you pick to create content (be it YouTube or blogs), you need to learn copywriting.

Whether you want to write effective marketing content, improve your business writing skills or simply learn how to craft more persuasive emails, copywriting can help. Copywriting is all about understanding how to influence people with your words.

The good news is, it’s not as difficult as you might think. With a little practice, anyone can learn the basics of copywriting and start putting it to use as a content creator. 

In case you need help, you can try these best AI copywriting tools that can help you overcome writer’s block easily.

Competitor analysis skills

Competitor analysis is analyzing your competitors to identify their strengths and weaknesses. 

As a content creator, competitor analysis skills are essential as you need to identify areas where your opponents are weak and focus your efforts on these areas to improve your content.

By keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing, you can stay one step ahead and make sure that always bring the BEST value as a content creator. 

Start creating content (5 essential tools)

The final step is to start creating engaging content for your target audience.

No matter what platform you pick (blog, YouTube, or other), you need to create informative or entertaining content to build a following.

You need to be consistent with your content posting frequency. Make sure to let your audience know when you’ll publish your content: daily, weekly or monthly. That way you’ll have accountability to be consistent as a content creator.  

That being said, you need to have access to the right tools as a content creator. Here are FIVE essential tools that you can use in 2022.

1. Google Docs (for writing)

Google Docs is an essential tool for every content writer. It is free and extremely easy to use. It allows you to create, edit, and share documents online and documents can be stored in the cloud and accessed from any device. 

One of the main benefits of Google Docs is that it can be used by multiple people at the same time. All the changes are automatically saved, so there is no need to worry about losing work if the internet connection is lost. 

Also, it catches some of the major grammatical mistakes (not all, but mostly), which makes a good companion for writers.

2. Canva (for editing images)

Canva is a free online graphic design tool that lets you create images, video thumbnails, eBook covers, and much more.

It offers a wide range of free templates along with a drag-and-drop feature to easily customize your design in just a few clicks.

You can create a free account using your email so you can save all your designs and edit them whenever you want.

3. Grammarly (for grammar correction)

Grammarly is an essential tool for every content creator. Whether you’re writing blog posts, video scripts, or audio transcriptions, you need Grammarly for proofreading.

In case you’re wondering, Grammarly is a popular grammar checker tool that helps you with spelling, grammar, punctuation mistakes, etc.

It also offers a free browser extension so you can correct your spelling or grammar mistakes whenever you working online.

You can read our detailed review of Grammarly to know more about this writing tool.

Want to try it for free?

Try Grammarly for FREE

4. Semrush (for topic research)

If you’re a content creator, make sure to invest in a powerful SEO toolkit like Semrush.

Semrush is an all-in-one tool that offers over 55 tools including keyword research, brand monitoring, content analysis, site audits, and much more.

We’ve been using Semrush for more than six years and it’s helping us tremendously to find traffic-generating content ideas.

Semrush offers the following 3 pricing plans.

1. Pro plan costs you $99.95 per month if billed annually where you can create up to 5 projects
2. Guru plan costs you $191.62 per month if billed annually where you can create up to 15 projects
3. Business plan costs you $374.95 per month if billed annually where you can create up to 40 projects

You can read our unbiased Semrush review to find all the details about the tool.

Want to try Semrush for FREE?

Try Semrush 30 Days Free Trial

5. Jasper AI (for curing writer’s block)

As a content creator, you’ll often face one BIG problem: writer’s block.

The best way to cure writer’s block is to write more. But how can you create content when you’re already struggling to put words on paper?

Here’s where AI-based writing assistants come in handy.

AI writers help you overcome writer’s block by creating content automatically based on your input. All you need to do is to give some content brief and the tools will take care of the rest.

One of the best AI tools is Jasper AI. We’re also using the same tool to generate headlines, descriptions, cure writer’s block, etc.

Here are a few benefits of using Jasper AI as a content creator;

• Automatically creates content for you
• Offers over 50 copywriting tools to create content
• Create anything from blog posts, video scripts, stories, newsletters, etc
• Create content in 25+ languages

Read our in-depth review of Jasper AI to find more details about this AI writing tool.

The pricing starts only at $29 per month and you can check out our exclusive post on Jasper pricing 2022 to find its pricing plans.

Want to try it for free? Jasper offers a free trial where you’ll get 10,000 credits during the free trial period.

Try Jasper 5 Day Free Trial

Content Creator Jobs: Where to Look for Them?  

Are you looking for content creator jobs? Don’t know where to look for content creation gigs? Here are a few platforms you can use.

Upwork

Upwork is the #1 marketplace to find content creation jobs online. There are two ways to find jobs on Upwork;

• Browse jobs posted on Upwork
• Create a free profile on Upwork to find content creation jobs

Experienced content creators on Upwork earn $50 to $200 per hour.

Have a look at a few top-earning content creators on their platform;

The key to succeeding on Upwork is to offer affordable content creation services and get as many positive reviews as possible. Once you get some experience, you can increase your hourly earnings.

ProBlogger Jobs

ProBlogger Jobs has been the trusted platform for content creators for the last 15 years. On their platform, you’ll find a variety of jobs including;

• Content writing
• Web Designing
• Social media management
• YouTube video creation and much more

Have a look at some of the jobs posted on their platform;

You can also search for content creation jobs using filters like freelance, full-time, part-time, location, etc. 

Indeed

Indeed.com is another popular platform where you can find content creator jobs. 

The good thing is you can easily find content creator jobs by using various filters like full-time, part-time, location-based, experience, etc.

Have a look;

All you need to do is to pick the right job offers that match your experience, location, salary range, etc, and then apply for those jobs.

It’s a good idea to create a resume and keep it up-to-date on Indeed.com with your current experience, portfolio, and skills to find better opportunities as a content creator.

FAQs | Content Creators

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about content creators.

Helpful Resources on Content Marketing:

Final thoughts on becoming a content creator

Becoming a successful content creator is all about picking a skill, improving it, and creating engaging content based on your skill.

The key here is to pick a skill that’s evergreen (say copywriting, SEO, video creation) and keep improving it until you master it. Start a blog to show your expertise and be consistent.

What are your thoughts on becoming a content creator? Did you find this guide helpful? Do you have any more questions? Let us know in the comments.