As the social media industry and creator economy grow and expand, the levels and stages of content creation grow, too. From hobbyists and casual creators to influencers and entrepreneurs, there is always room to grow and level up. And, if you want to create content full-time or make money creating content, you’ll need to level up all the time.
But that looks different for creators at every level, and the “next step” isn’t always clear. In this article, we’re breaking down the ten stages of content creation and how you can level up. But before we begin…
A Quick Note
There’s a lot of flexibility in these levels. You can move between them based on your growth, consistency, and the evolution of your content and audience. As you read, you may think “I’m not interested in that level”, which is fine! Not all creators aspire to the highest levels of influence. Many are content with smaller, dedicated audiences and the creative fulfillment that comes from creating content. This list is meant to be a roadmap for your content creation journey.
Beginner/Newbie
As the name suggests, these are creators just starting out. They might be trying different styles of content, figuring out their niche (or which ones they like best), or building their audience from scratch. If they’ve made content, it’s only a couple of videos!
Leveling Up: First, focus on defining your niche(s). Once you know the community you’re creating for and the style of content you want to create, making content is so much easier. And hopefully more enjoyable!
Content Hobbyist
These creators are more than just beginners but haven’t fully committed to content creation. They likely have a smaller following and are sporadically producing content as they have time. Or they’re posting consistently, but it falls into a variety of categories: they haven’t found their own style.
Leveling Up: Develop a consistent schedule for your content creation. Knowing when you’ll post, how often you’ll post, and sticking to it (for the most part) is a slingshot from casual creator to content creator.
Content Creator
We consider all of our users, whether they’re just starting out or have been making content for years, content creators. But for the sake of this article, we’ll call this its own level.
Content creators have gained some traction and built a community. They’re consistently creating content, have a niche or two they mostly post in, have are actively engaging with and building your audience.
Leveling Up: Start looking into collaborations, either with other creators or with brands and sponsors. Think about these strategically: who is in my niche, and who would I benefit from working with? It’s all about expanding your audience and bettering your content, so consider collaborations that would help!
Community Builder
Some creators care more about building a strong community. Their content is geared to their interests and their audience’s interests, so while they may not grow very quickly, they’ll have a highly engaged and loyal audience. They engage with their followers often and try to have genuine conversations and connections with them.
Leveling Up: Are you going Live or hosting Radios? You should be! These are fantastic ways to connect with your followers one-on-one. Set a day that you want to go Live or host a Radio, and get some promo going. Have your followers join and maybe bring one or two up to chat with you.
Growing Creator
Creators in this stage are starting to really focus on content creation. They’re actively building an audience and refining their content. They’re focused on growth and engagement, and often working toward brand deals.
Leveling Up: If you haven’t already, set up Fam Tiers or another content subscription service. You can offer early access to your videos, or an exclusive community for your followers to be part of.
Micro-Influencer
These creators have a pretty consistent schedule or style, and a modest but dedicated following. It’s at this stage that many creators begin getting brand deals and sponsorships.
Leveling Up: Expand out of your chosen platform! Start creating on another social media platform, or try out a new way to engage with your followers. This might mean dabbling in some long-f0rm content or even starting a fun newsletter.
Livestreamer/Streamer
This is another category that has a bit of flexibility. Many creators are only Livestreamers and specialize in Live content. Other creators don’t ever want to stream, and that’s fine! But a lot of established creators are starting to expand their reach and engagement and go Live! And if you can constantly post and go Live (with a good-sized audience), it deserves some merit.
Leveling Up: If you haven’t, set up a consistent Livestream schedule that your followers can rely on. Instead of going Live sporadically, try going Live every Saturday or every Thursday evening. Already have a schedule? Expand your Lives! Rather than doing Get Ready with Me Lives or playing video games, try cooking dinner on Live. This will show followers a new side of you.
Niche Expert
These creators have established themselves as experts (or at least very knowledgeable creators) in their specific niche. Most of their followers are highly interested in that niche, and depending on the niche, these creators may not have an enormous following. Through dedication, these creators have established themselves as an authority in their community.
Leveling Up: Offer some kind of service or product in your niche. For a writer, this might look like a novel-plotting course or review services. Someone who creates financial literacy content could start selling tools or resources for people to use. If you have the time, resources, and expertise, this can be a good way to establish yourself further and make some extra money.
Macro-Influencer
Creators at this level have a significant following and influence within their niche – and, sometimes, outside of it. They have consistent brand deals and sponsorships and begin monetizing their content if they haven’t already. They have opportunities for appearances and more high-profile partnerships.
Leveling Up: Get yourself a manager or join a creator agency! For a small cut of your profits, they’ll help you find brand deals, partnerships, and appearance opportunities.
Content Entrepreneur
Now creators are starting to build a sustainable business around their brand! This can include online courses, merch, subscription services in their niche, or something bigger. There’s a history of creators starting businesses and successful brands related to their niche.
This is a fairly niche level, so we won’t suggest how to level up. Also, let’s be honest, these creators are already leveling up by starting their own brands and businesses.
Mega-Influencer
These are the top-tier creators. They’ve achieved widespread recognition, often across multiple platforms, and can be considered famous. They have huge followings and collaborate with some of the top brands.
Leveling Up: Now that these creators have a large following, we’d recommend expanding out of social media. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Now feels like the perfect time to start. You can launch a podcast, throw an in-person event, launch a local or online business, or maybe even release an album. The world’s your oyster!
As we said in the beginning, these are not the definite levels you have to reach on your content creation journey. You also don’t have to meet every single level on your content creation journey. It’s your journey, so you can set your own goals and create your own plan.
Learn more about the different influencer tiers in our micro-influencer article, or read up on verification and turning followers into supporters on our blog.