Content Creator Stats 2023

We were recently doing some content creator research and discovered some interesting statistics on content creation and the creator economy in general. Since this is what we deal with in our business, we thought it would be useful to list some of the eye opening ones that are important and relate to what we do.

1. There are over ~200M content creators in the world (Link Tree)

   1. 139M of those creators have between 1K-10K followers

2. 51% of full-time content creators earn enough to support at least one person (The Tilt)

3. Engagement and clicks are the most important metrics for brands and marketers looking to work with influencers (Influencer Marketing Hub)

4. 64% of creators are women (Convert Kit)

   1. However, women make 1.88x less money than men creators (Influencer Marketing Hub)

5. 70% of creators spend 10 hours or less per week creating content (Link Tree)

The creator economy is on the rise and if you ask an American kid nowadays what they want to be when they grow up,  chances are that they will reply with, an influencer. Actually, it’s 1 in every 4 kids to be exact. The popularity and growth of the creator economy has almost romanticized becoming an influencer. Interestingly enough though, only 11% make between 50K-100K. These numbers can easily be considered a typically “living” in the U.S. for an individual depending on where they’re located. It seems that the shine that comes along with becoming an influencer isn’t related to money and more to do with popularity. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame. Seems that some things never change with us humans. This is one reason we love sourcing and licensing content. Most people are more than happy to have their content featured in big brand commercials. We love finding those perfect pieces that fit within our client’s brief. Those clips that they just gotta have! Seeing clips fill our partners creative need are the moments we love the most.

Content Marketing: Self Expression and a Brief History

It can be hard sometimes to remember what life was like before the internet. Some of you reading this may not have even been around for those “prehistoric” days. When we think of content creation our minds go to videos and creators on social media platforms, but there was a time when content creation was something else. Content creation at is core is the ultimate form of self-expression. Before the internet self-expression was embodied through photography, written and spoken word. In reality, content creation goes all the way back to the 1800’s. Some argue that it may even go back to Ben Franklin in 1732 when he created Poor Richard’s Almanac to promote his printing business. No one really knows exactly what moment content creation began, but in the 1900’s it started to take hold. Printing presses made content creation main stream. Michelin Guide was printed in 1900 and Jell-O release a recipe book in 1904. These types of content would reign until the conception of the internet.

The internet began in the 1960’s as a result of the Cold War. it was started as a means for government to share information between researchers even if under attack and was called Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). The official birthday of the web is considered to be January 1, 1983 after much development and transition to widespread infrastructure. We cannot get into the entirety of the history of the internet because that information could fill a novel. It was in the 90’s that blogging, then called online diaries, became popular. This was the first recorded digital content creation of our time. Shortly after, in 1997, social media platforms are constructed. The first one was called Six Degrees and would be followed by the famed Myspace in 2003. We remember when Myspace first came out and you better believe we decked it out with our favorite songs, back drops and thoughts. This was the first of its kind and was the parent site of those we know today: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. These all become mainstream in the 2000’s. Younger generations would probably find it strange that we’ve actually had our Facebook accounts since the very launch back in 2004. YouTube was founded shortly after in 2005 that created opportunities for vloggers and video editors. Thusly, the era of the digital content creation was spawn.

The first digital content creator and/or social media influencer was a person named Jeffree Star in 2003. He was known for his controversial opinions and unique fashion style on his Myspace profile. The formation of Myspace was the first time that people began to realize that they could create content as a representation of who they are. This took off like wildfire and not long after, influencers started popping up everywhere around 2009. This new era of self-expression through means of digital content was something that almost all of us would embrace. Some more than others. It was an outlet for creativity. A place for us to get thoughts out of our heads and help others in similar fields. It’s creative freedom. Content is what we do. We believe in user-generated content as a means to connect authentically. The future will be ruled by self-expression, and we’re here for it.

Friday Feature 10/7/22

We’re taking you to the sunny beaches of your living room. Wait what? That’s right! You heard us. This surf video went viral back in March of 2020 of Sailah Nicol and her brother surfing on the rug in their living room. Their father is pro surfer, Yadin Nicol who is also featured in this video pulling the rug up into a wave. This video is probably up there with one our favorites that we’ve licensed over our years here at Locomotive. Head over to Instagram and show the families page some love and support with a follow.

Friday Feature

This week’s content feature goes out to talented movie character, Nick Darnell. We loved working with him to license his dancing video of the #sugechallenge. Not only can he act, he can definitely dance too! As we are watching this video shot in front of a Circle K gas station with the caption, “They kept tryna gas us up all weekend,” you see the gas prices on the sign behind them. WOW! This may give you an idea of how long ago we sourced this video. Give him a follow for fun content.

Content Creation

We’re a content agency. We love good, quality content. This is a given. We’ve written about content creation in the past but directed it toward the creators. This article will focus on why quality content is important for brands. First, if the content is helpful and insightful, customers will trust you and begin to view you as an expert in your field, according to Forbes. Second, ROI is very high for quality content. 88% of marketers are happy with their return on investment of content. Third, SEO will increase with the right key words to promote your brands website. Lastly, it helps your brand get new leads, especially if the content has a CTA placement. We could go on with a million reasons why good content marketing helps your business grow but we know you get the point by now. Let’s look at how your brand can go about having a good content marketing strategy.

All the same rules for creators apply for brands, except now you have a specific audience to keep in mind. This is where creating a buyer persona comes in handy. A buyer persona is created through research to make a clear picture of the person you want to market to. Think of them as a created character for a story that represents your whole group of target market audience. Here’s a handy tool to help you get started from HubSpot if you’re unsure of where to start with this. Second, your strategy should include goal setting. Use the SMART method to determine them. Now, you have to keep the buyer’s journey in mind. Where are they in their buying process? Is it awareness of the problem? Are they considering a solution (the consideration stage)? Or… are they in the decision-making stage where they’re aware of the solution and ready to solve? You want to make sure that you have content for each stage of your buyer’s journey. The format of the content must also be considered. Is it easy for your audience to view, read, etc.? This brings us to the last topic: the different types of content.

There are many different types of content to consider when creating. There’s content just like the one you are reading: a blog. There are social media posts and stories. Infographics with short bursts of information or GIF’s. Video content is king in today’s world but podcasts are also on the rise. Lastly, there are webinars/seminars for your viewers as well. Which type of content you choose will be brand specific. While all brands will benefit from social media posts and stories, it may not make sense for them to conduct webinars. The type of content that your brand chooses will also determine the style. Blogs and podcasts tend to be conversational whereas webinars and seminars are in more formal setting.

Whatever way you shake it, a quality content creation marketing strategy is key for your brand. Honestly, creating content is super fun, so with the right creative minds behind the work you cannot fail. Collaboration within your company when creating content will ensure its success. Having multiple sets of creative eyes and minds on each piece will make sure that what your team comes up with will be the absolute best through great communication and teamwork.

Tips for Taking Great iPhone Photos

Nowadays anyone can be a photographer. It’s become much easier to take great shots with that little device in your pocket. Since we deal with content creators a lot, we thought we would write up a little tip guide for taking great photos on your phone. Here is a list of top practices for those captured moments.

1.     Use the rule of thirds. You can turn on the grid on your phone to help with this. The rule of thirds states that you divide your image into a three-by-three grid. It splits the grid into nine equal parts and will make the image flow with your eyes.

2.     Use natural light. Lighting will determine the brightness and the darkness and will set the mood. Natural light gives the best tone and atmosphere. We’ve all seen what photos look like with the flash on, overexposed and bright. Nobody wants a photo that looks like it was taken in 1995 with a disposable camera.

3.     Use HDR. HDR stands for high dynamic range. It combines multiple shots taken simultaneously to produce a composite image. It gives the image a balanced exposure especially if there are large contrasts between the light and dark areas.

4.     Hold your phone still. I think this one goes without saying. If necessary, you can get yourself a tripod if you find it difficult to keep a steady hand when taking shots.

5.     Use negative space. Two thirds of the photo should be negative space. This will help the focal point stand out more. You can edit in post after in editing software to also achieve this effect.

6.     Focus on one subject. Also, another no brainer. Your photos shouldn’t be oversaturated with objects. This will leave the viewer unable to focus on one part of the photo if it is too busy.

7.     Look at the details. The devil is in the details. Try to find symmetry in your shots and look for repetitive patterns. Symmetry is what our brains like and it can be eye-catching to have unequal elements on each side of the subject. You should also look for leading lines that can divide your photo into distinct parts that will add visual stimulation.

There are a multitude of ways to create professional quality photos with your iPhone. This list is meant to help get you started. Make sure to conduct extensive research in order to create the best possible quality photos. As content experts in the UGC field, we are confident that this will help you increase your skills as a photographer. Happy shooting!