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Creators have a hierarchy of needs as they grow. Understanding these needs helps you build products that creators love.
New post and thread below
https://peteryang.substack.com/p/creator-hierarchy-of-needs
A creator's needs are:
Publish
1. Find a niche
2. Publish frequently
3. Stay motivated
Grow
4. Learn what works
5. Interact with fans
6. Collab with creators
Monetize
7. Earn revenue
8. Manage business
9. Personal monopoly
Let's explore each need as a new creator.
Publish
1. Find a niche
2. Publish frequently
3. Stay motivated
Grow
4. Learn what works
5. Interact with fans
6. Collab with creators
Monetize
7. Earn revenue
8. Manage business
9. Personal monopoly
Let's explore each need as a new creator.
1/ Find a niche
A good niche is at the intersection of what interests you, what you're good at, and what people want.
The more specific your niche is, the more unique your content will be, and the more you'll stand out.
A good niche is at the intersection of what interests you, what you're good at, and what people want.
The more specific your niche is, the more unique your content will be, and the more you'll stand out.
2/ Publish frequently
Publish content about your niche anywhere from once a day to once a week.
On ad-supported platforms (e.g., YouTube), you can often grow faster by publishing good enough content frequently vs. great content sporadically.
Publish content about your niche anywhere from once a day to once a week.
On ad-supported platforms (e.g., YouTube), you can often grow faster by publishing good enough content frequently vs. great content sporadically.
3/ Stay motivated
The constant pressure to publish content can put a drain on your mental health.
That's why it's important to take breaks, connect with people on a similar journey, and be open to professional help (e.g., from orgs like @YouAreRAD).
The constant pressure to publish content can put a drain on your mental health.
That's why it's important to take breaks, connect with people on a similar journey, and be open to professional help (e.g., from orgs like @YouAreRAD).
4/ Learn what works
Look at your analytics at least once a month to identify the content that received the most fan interactions.
Be on the lookout to publish more of what's working and less of what's not.
Look at your analytics at least once a month to identify the content that received the most fan interactions.
Be on the lookout to publish more of what's working and less of what's not.
5/ Interact with fans
If you only focus on publishing content, your growth will quickly plateau.
Make time to interact with fans by thanking them for watching, replying to their comments, and inviting them to be part of your journey.
If you only focus on publishing content, your growth will quickly plateau.
Make time to interact with fans by thanking them for watching, replying to their comments, and inviting them to be part of your journey.
6/ Collaborate with creators
Collabs help creators grow by introducing two fan bases to each other. To find another creator to collab:
1. Watch content from another creator.
2. Ask your fans what creators they like to watch.
3. Ask creators who you should collab with.
Collabs help creators grow by introducing two fan bases to each other. To find another creator to collab:
1. Watch content from another creator.
2. Ask your fans what creators they like to watch.
3. Ask creators who you should collab with.
7/ Earn revenue
Creators can make money from:
1. Ads
2. Sponsorships
3. Subscriptions
4. Tips
5. Physical goods (e.g., merch)
6. Digital goods (e.g., course)
7. Affiliate links
8. New businesses
Next, I'll discuss two important steps to diversify your revenue streams.
Creators can make money from:
1. Ads
2. Sponsorships
3. Subscriptions
4. Tips
5. Physical goods (e.g., merch)
6. Digital goods (e.g., course)
7. Affiliate links
8. New businesses
Next, I'll discuss two important steps to diversify your revenue streams.
7/ Earn revenue (cont'd)
Look for brand sponsorships, which are a large revenue stream for many creators.
Consider working with an agent who can help you find brand contracts in exchange for a percent of the deal.
Look for brand sponsorships, which are a large revenue stream for many creators.
Consider working with an agent who can help you find brand contracts in exchange for a percent of the deal.
7/ Earn revenue (cont'd)
Move your fans from a media platform to a community that you own.
In an owned community, you have:
1. More ways to make money
2. Direct channel to reach fans
3. Your brand front and center
Move your fans from a media platform to a community that you own.
In an owned community, you have:
1. More ways to make money
2. Direct channel to reach fans
3. Your brand front and center
8/ Manage your business
Once you have multiple revenue streams, you'll need help managing your business.
A manager can help you with financials, scheduling, and career planning, and even therapy in exchange for a share of your earnings.
Once you have multiple revenue streams, you'll need help managing your business.
A manager can help you with financials, scheduling, and career planning, and even therapy in exchange for a share of your earnings.
8/ Manage your business (cont'd)
Startups like @Stir and Karat also help creators run their business so that they can focus on creating content instead. https://usestir.com/
Startups like @Stir and Karat also help creators run their business so that they can focus on creating content instead. https://usestir.com/
9/ Build a personal monopoly
Creators at the top of the hierarchy of needs have built a personal monopoly.
They can use their massive fan base to start a:
1. TV show
2. Burger chain
3. Bank
...and many more. This will be an exciting trend to watch in the coming years.
Creators at the top of the hierarchy of needs have built a personal monopoly.
They can use their massive fan base to start a:
1. TV show
2. Burger chain
3. Bank
...and many more. This will be an exciting trend to watch in the coming years.
10/ To summarize:
As a creator, try to tackle each need in rough order to go from publishing great niche content to building a personal monopoly.
More details in the post. Thanks to @awk_raccoon for contributing to it! https://peteryang.substack.com/p/creator-hierarchy-of-needs
As a creator, try to tackle each need in rough order to go from publishing great niche content to building a personal monopoly.
More details in the post. Thanks to @awk_raccoon for contributing to it! https://peteryang.substack.com/p/creator-hierarchy-of-needs
