Transcription
Okay, I'm just going to keep it real. I thought about doing one of those videos where I break down every month and say, month one do this, month two do that, month three do this. And I was like, girl, that's unrealistic 'cause ain't nobody going to follow that anyway. And I also just want to give you kind of like big sis advice that I feel like no content creators really share in depth. This is going to be some unconventional advice on how to become a full-time content creator. We're getting into the things.
Okay, so what's up, beautiful people? I'm Aaron. This is Aaron on Demand, and today I'm going to be breaking down some unconventional advice on how to actually become a full-time creator by the end of this year.
Okay, so let's rewind to the beginning of my story. I started Aaron on Demand, the YouTube channel, in at the end of 2018. So, I think it was like November. I need to find the exact date that I did my first upload, but it was November of 2018. And I was like, you know what? By the end of 2019, so in one year and like a few months, I am going to have 50,000 subscribers. Honestly, I didn't really know how I was going to do it. I did know that I had some experience though. So, I studied broadcast journalism in college. I also had a camera because I studied broadcast journalism in college. I had like a Canon T3i. If you know, you know. I also had some level of experience with storytelling because I had, you know, worked at a news station. Every summer that I would come home from college, I had a job at the local news station. So, I knew how to tell stories. I knew how to do video. I was comfortable on camera because I studied broadcast journalism. I thought I was going to be a news anchor and that was like my dream job until I realized it wasn't. But that's another story for another day.
That January I buckled down. Okay. I was like, you know what? By the end of this year, 50K subscribers. So, I think January 1, I decided I was going to upload one time a week on YouTube. So, over the course of like the first four or five months, my channel was actually consistently growing.
First things first is I actually saw a gap that there weren't a lot of black young entrepreneurs who were kind of bootstrapping it. That I had moved back in with my parents and I just didn't see business from my perspective on YouTube. So, I was like, "Okay, cool. I have something that differentiates me. I I have the gear. I I think I can do this." So, I started the channel. I would upload once a week. Things were picking up. June or July came and I had it very down to a science where I'm like, I need to be growing this amount of subscribers every month in order to hit the goal. June came halfway through the year and I'm like, I'm not gonna hit it if I keep growing at this rate. I think I had around 15, 12 to 15,000 subscribers by like June, which was really good. Like the channel was growing, but at in June I was like, I got to pick up the pace. I need to do two uploads a week in order for me to grow faster to hit the number by the end of the year.
When I tell you that once I doubled my uploads and I was kind of doubling down on what was working, I started introducing vlogs into my content. People were getting to know me on a deeper level. They were starting to attach to things like my top three method. Um, it was just like things were starting to stick. And once I realized things were sticking, I ended up like really doubling down. And then my channel just exponentially grew. So, honestly, by the end of December, I think I had close to 90,000 subscribers. And then in January of 2020, I hit 100K. So, within like 14 to 15 months, I don't even think it was that one, probably like 13 months, I hit 100K instead of 50K.
So, I wanted to dive into how to actually become a full-time creator. Now, I understand that the times have changed, but if anything, I feel like there's almost more opportunity now in 2026 just because, you know, there's just more content about how to grow. There's more out like the algorithms also play a part in like pushing your content out. And things are just different now. People are on their phones a lot more. There's more places to grow. Back then, it was really just YouTube. Like, Instagram wasn't what it is now. And there was no TikTok and no Substack and no none of this other stuff.
So, the first thing that I would recommend, so think of this video from the perspective of like, you're my friend and you're like, Aaron, if you were trying to become a full-time influencer or a full-time content creator in a year, what would you do? So, this is what I would do if I were you who was trying to start and, you know, grow a creator business.
First thing I would do is experiment with no pressure. I almost guarantee you are focusing on the wrong things, which are probably aesthetics, showing up perfectly. You can't get over how you look or you sound on camera. You want to just build this brand. Like this brand is the top of mind for you. You want to attract brand deals. All of these things are great and I promise you there's a time and place for them, but that is not the beginning. I want you to get clear on two main things. First, what do you like creating? And second, how do you like creating? These are the two things that I don't think enough people spend time thinking about and then you get jammed into like creating content that you actually don't enjoy and that actually takes you so long and it drains so much of your energy and then you're wondering why you can't be consistent because you're creating stuff that you don't like creating about. It's really that simple. So before you try to lean into, I need to figure out what works, which is usually how most of us approach content, you need to figure out what you enjoy.
You're not going to like what I'm about to say. I promise you're not going to like it. But this is a part of the process. I need you to experiment for 90 days. And I need you to be very consistent in your experimenting. So when I say experiment, I mean I want you to try out different formats. I want you to try different styles. I want you to play around on two different platforms. Okay? I don't want you trying to be, you know, everywhere right now in this experimentation phase. I want you to think, okay, I love YouTube. I love Instagram. I love YouTube. I love Substack. I love whatever it is. Pick two and experiment on those two. Okay? So, with experimenting, you're going to try different formats, different styles, different topics, different tones. You can try different types of content. You could talk about different things. I want you to create in different ways. So that might be green screen, that might be storytelling talking head videos, or maybe a lot of um storytelling, more B-roll style videos, or tip-based videos, or whatever. I need you to play around with different styles as well. I also want you to pay attention to what drains you, what excites you, what feels forced, what feels natural. A lot of times we're showing up on camera and we feel like it just doesn't feel like us, like we're trying to kind of force it. I need you to pay attention to all of these things. This is the 90-day experimentation period. And I need it to be 90 days because 30 days is just not enough time. And here's the thing with people who are beginners. You want it to work immediately. Like you're like, you have this great idea or you're looking at all these other creators and you're trying to replicate to some extent what you see is working for them, and I'm just going to tell you, it's probably not going to work for you. When you experiment for 90 days, this gives you enough data to actually assess what is working for you because a lot of content creator gurus are going to come on here and give you this very rigid process of all the steps you need to take in order to be full-time when in reality, all of us have gone through different processes. So all we're doing essentially is projecting our journey onto you and telling you this is what works when that might not be your experience.
Okay. And before we get into exactly what to do after you're done with this 90-day experimentation period, I want to let you know that you can experiment strategically, and that is what I help all of my members do in Creator College. We have audits every month where I look at content and I give them live active feedback that they can get working on immediately so they can double down on what's working and get rid of the stuff that isn't. And sometimes you just need that extra set of eyeballs. You need that community support and you need that accountability to be able to actually push yourself to get to that next level. And so, Creator College is is for the creator who wants to eventually go full-time and just needs the tools and the resources to help them get there. If that is something that you are interested in, I highly recommend you check out Creator College. I will leave all of the information down below.
So, let's get into the next step. The second step is after these 90 days, I want you to look at your analytics and dive in. This can be a little bit scary and also a lot of beginners only are looking at those very easy analytics like how many likes you're getting, how many comments, shares, insights. But if you go into Instagram, you can actually start to see like how long they're watching, where they're tipping off. You can see all of that on YouTube. You can see how frequently they're clicking on your videos, like your click-through rate. Um, you can see, yeah, how long they're staying, where they're tipping off the most, where they're watching and replaying the most. Um, these are all very important for you to start developing your storytelling skills or your signature style. Figuring out how to get your message across in a way that's going to be more impactful for your community and for your own personal growth of this page or this social media. Okay? So even if you feel like you haven't had much traction, this is going to be very helpful.
Another thing is that if you are a beginner and you're looking at your analytics and you've posted once in November, two times in December, no times in January, two times in March, like there's really not much you're going to be able to gather from that data. It essentially does not matter because it's so spread out. Which is why I want you to be as consistent as you can during your experimentation phase because this is really going to help you then develop a strategy. We're going to start doubling down on what's working and what you enjoy. Once we understand, okay, Tasha, your green screens are incredible. You get the most engagement on those. People are sharing them like crazy. People are commenting. They're loving these types of videos. You're going to double down on that. Maybe whatever green screens you shared, Tasha, you didn't really like maybe what you were talking about, but that method really works for you. Maybe you feel the most comfortable doing it. It takes you the less time, the least amount of time. So, whatever it is that you enjoy, which might not have gotten as much traffic as those green screens, you can mix those methods. So, you can start doing more green screens, but you're talking it about things that you enjoy in those. This is how you're going to start to create a strategy for yourself of growth. Okay? So, we're going to double down on the things that are working and the things that you enjoy. Especially if they're not the same, you're going to have to kind of figure out how you're going to merge those two. And that can be your edit style. That can be, you know, reactions or green screen videos. That could be storytelling, talking heads. So, you really want to figure out from your data those things that are really working for you and analyze them.
Once you're starting creating the content that works really well for you, and this is not meaning that you have to find your niche. I want to be very clear on that. I don't think that that's fully necessary anymore. Although there's nothing wrong with having a niche, I think finding that style is way more important than finding a niche. So, if you have your signature editing style or your signature, you do your signature green screens or you kind of have a signature presence on camera, like that is going to be just as powerful as having a niche because now you're already starting to brand yourself as a creator, not necessarily branding yourself self only based on what you're talking about.
Now that we've kind of figured out what's working, we're looking at the analytics, we're doubling down on the things that we enjoy and that is working. Now, we can start thinking about money. And honestly, you can start thinking about money from the very beginning. The thing is, you can't let money dictate how you create. All right. So, now that we are clear on the direction that you're going in, let's start thinking about money because that's what we're all kind of like here for, right? Okay. So, the reason why I don't want to talk about money first is because money can really distract you from the overall intention of your content and it can really start to strip away the authenticity of how you show up. And a lot of people who aren't professional creators yet, they lean so far into what they see other professional influencers doing or they think this is what brands want to see. And that is a big mistake. I think it's important to be, if you do want to work with brands, to be brand friendly. Meaning like you're not swearing a lot in your content. You're not drinking a ton or partying a ton or like just showing yourself in certain ways. That is going to be like going to make you less friendly for brands to work with. But I don't want you like making all these haul videos and buying up all of these clothes. Okay? I don't want you buying a whole bunch of clothes just because you're trying to be a fashion influencer and do all these hauls just for the sake of trying to get a brand deal with this specific brand. Okay? So, for example, instead of creating content that seems brand friendly based on what you see other influencers doing, after you experiment, you will start to see how you can uniquely incorporate brands into your content based on what you enjoy and what you're already doing. So, for example, let's take Tasha and her in her green screens. If Tasha is like killing it with her green screens, it would make no sense for her to constantly be tagging brands in hauls or in talking head videos, if that's just really not her style, if that's not what works for Tasha. But if she's killer at green screens and she's like showing different fashion trends or doing different things with her green screen content, then brands are going to see the value in that. And that is how she can start incorporating brands into her content and sharing it that way. So that's why it's important for you to figure out what your thing is. So that way the brands fold into what you're already doing and you're not trying to adjust your content to what you think brands want to see 'cause nine times out of 10, they're already have enough creators who are creating the stuff that you're trying to create to attract them and they, I mean, it's just something that they're already getting from a gajillion other creators.
Another example of that is like product inspo based on something you always say or do. This is how the top three notebook came about. Like I was writing my top three on this little whiteboard in my old house and like that is how the method kind of started and people, you know, it gained traction and then we came out with the planner and I never would have thought that I was going to come out with a planner. Like that was never my intention. I don't even, I'm not even like a planner type of person. Like, so I came out with a planner that fit my my personality. The fact that I'm like more of a procrastinator. I'm more type B. Like, I'm I'm not that girl who just like writes every single nook and cranny of my life in a planner. I've tried and it just doesn't work. Because of my story and because of me folding all of that into my content, it opened up an opportunity for a business. So, I think it's very important to think about money, but also give your brand enough time to stick. Give yourself enough time to build a community and let them tell you what's sticking. They're going to tell you if something is working and you have to be able to pick up on that and figure out the best way to monetize it and make a business out of it.
On that note, the next thing I would do is I would be in constant conversation with my community and actually respond to them sincerely. That means creating content that they say they want more of. If you get a bunch of questions in one video, asking about another about something, like make a video about it or, you know, be sincere in your responses to them. That is how they really start to gain trust and people do not forget that. Like, and I don't forget the people who are always engaging with my content either. Like you have to know, I want you to know that creators see you. Like I don't care if they have a million followers. If you're always commenting on their stuff, they notice and they know who you are.
The next thing I would do is just pour my story, my skills, my point of view into my content as much as possible because that is the only way you are going to differentiate yourself right now. Now that is the difference between when I was starting content and now is that when I was starting, there was not this many content creators. You know that this was not a carved out career path and now it is and now there is a lot more competition and now it does require you to really lean into who you truly are more than ever. So, you know, don't just share the tip. Share the tip from your point of view. Share why it worked for you. Say the thing that no one else is willing to say. Be audacious. Be, you know, like bold in who you are. Tell the story that changed the way you view something instead of just telling someone how they should think of something. Like give more context. Pour more of yourself into your content and that is like a constant thing you have to do in order to stay relevant today.
The last thing I would tell you is just that everything is going to fall into place. The thing you need to be focused on right now is just the content. I was listening to this podcast and James Clear, the creator of Atomic Habits, he said that someone told him the most important thing to focus on if you're looking at the whole alphabet is A, B, and Z. Like you really don't have to know if, if you're starting from point A, you need to know where you're starting at. You need to know how to get to B. And then Z is like your big goal. That is the thing you're hyperfocused on. You know, kind of you have an end in mind. But all the other steps C through Y, they really don't matter because getting from point A to point B is the thing you need to focus on. Once you get to point B, point C is going to start to look a little bit more clear. And that's when you start focusing on the next step and then the next step and then the next step. But it's like, it's really important to know, and Oprah says this, figure out the next best move. That's all you got to worry about. And once you start worrying about like C, D, E, E, F, G, and you haven't even made it to B, you're already doing yourself a disservice. And that's why I didn't want to make this like a 12-month step-by-step video, even though you might have felt like that was more useful. But I really actually want to encourage you that the thing you're probably resisting, which is being hyper-consistent with your content, is probably the thing you just need to lean all into and lean into it a little bit more strategically to get yourself to point B. The brand deals are going to figure themselves out. Um, the money is going to figure itself out. Things are going to pan out if you just put the energy and effort into getting to point B, which is being consistent and figuring out what's actually going to work and get your momentum going as a creator. That's the stuff that they don't want to tell y'all because I'm trying to tell you, it's really no real real science to this. The whole thing is just kind of like, it's a little bit of luck and it's a whole lot of work. And that's really, that's really the formula.
So, if you need help figuring out what's working, what's going to get you to point B, what's going to help you become more consistent, if you need that accountability, there are tools like my Creator College that will help you. We do audits in there. It is, it is possible to get to point B a lot faster than 90 days when you have the proper help. When you have someone looking at your content, telling you what is working and helping you figure out what's not working, helping you understand your analytics. And that is what we do in Creator College. We really help you understand what is working, what is not, so you can trim away the stuff that isn't working and lean into what is. And so, um, this community is so powerful. We have hundreds of inspiring creators who are in all different phases of their creation journey, whether they're beginners just getting going or they have content and they're trying to figure out, you know, what their signature style is and what their signature series is. There's someone in there who I promise you is probably in the same position as you. So, if you're looking for a strong community and a lot of great resources and for me to potentially audit your content and give you some active feedback that you can go ahead and get working on immediately, then I highly recommend you join Creator College.
All right, you guys. I love you. I will see you on the next one. Bye for now.