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If you plan to promote yourself online on digital platforms, you're in for a treat! One of the most effective ways to engage with your target audience and build a loyal fan base is through content-creator platforms. However, with so many options out in the market, finding the right platform may take effort and commitment. Forbes says that the creator economy is expected to grow up to $100 billion. With just 2 million entrepreneurs identifying themselves as creators, the market is still young and up for grabs. So, which platforms should you pick to promote yourself and get the most out of content creation? Let’s take a look at the most popular ones.
What’s a content creator platform?
For those who love making content, countless platforms are available to share your work. From blogging sites to social media, these platforms provide an opportunity to showcase your skills and connect with others with similar interests. You can also promote and expand your personal brand and gain popularity. If you're looking for a one-stop shop for all your content creation needs, content creation platforms are the perfect solution.
Benefits of Using Content Creator Platforms
Content creator platforms have countless advantages. One of the main perks is the chance to connect with people from all around the world. Once your content is online, you can socialize with others without any social barriers like language, race, or color. Another benefit is the ability to monetize content, of course. That usually becomes possible once a lot of people start engaging with your content. Monetization is also possible through sponsorships, brand collaborations and fan subscriptions.
Overview of Content Creator Platforms
Social media is pretty much a part of everyone’s daily routine. Each social platform appeals to a different set of interests and demographic, making it easy to find a place to connect with those who would enjoy what you have to offer. Let’s take a look at popular content creator platforms:
Instagram is all about high quality photography and visually appealing videos. It has a different algorithm and is the best place to establish your personal brand as an influencer or brand name as a business.
TikTok
And then there’s TikTok for people who love quick and snackable short videos. Even if you don’t have any computer skills, TikTok offers a number of video editing tools that allows just about anyone to create engaging content.
Snapchat
Snapchat is kind of similar to TikTok but focuses more on selfies and photos, which generally appeals to a younger demographic. It has fun features such as filters, lenses, and Stories. While TikTok is all about videos, Snapchat is for sending photo Snaps and stories.
YouTube
YouTube is the most recognized platform that benefits both creators and viewers. It offers many ways to make money such as ad revenue, sponsorships, and merchandise. Audiences on YouTube generally welcome high quality content that delivers some type of value to its viewers.
Facebook has gradually evolved to cater to a more mature demographic, however, it’s still the largest social networking site with nearly 3 billion monthly active users. Meta, Facebook’s parent company made changes to its algorithm so that users see content from friends and family (or people they may know) first. That’s why organic reach has significantly declined on Facebook.
Comparison of Content Creator Platforms
It's amazing how much social media has become a part of our daily routine. Each platform appeals to different interests and skill sets, making it easy to find a place to connect with others who share hobbies. For example, if you are an influencer and enjoy capturing and sharing content via photos and videos, Instagram might be your platform. It has gained popularity over time due to its attractive features, such as Stories, Reels, and IGTV.
People who prefer short-form videos enjoy using TikTok, which has multiple video editing options and is mainly aimed at younger audiences. Snapchat is similar but focuses more on selfies and photos, again appealing to a younger demographic. It has fun features such as filters, lenses, and Stories. While Tiktok is all about videos, Snapchat is for chatting with snaps, as the name suggests.
Twitter and Facebook are comparable platforms that have gradually evolved to cater to a more mature demographic. They provide a simple and convenient way to express thoughts and emotions and share various media content. These are almost like a virtual diary. Youtube is the most recognized platform that benefits both creators and viewers. It offers many ways to make money, like through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise. By far, no other application has been able to compete with this one.
How to Choose a Content Creator Platform
The question that you should be asking yourself when choosing a platform is not “which platform is the best”, but rather “which platform would be the best for me?”. That’s because each platform has its own style of content, aesthetic of editing and audiences. TikTok is more for millennials and Gen Z who enjoy poorly edited short clips with highly niche “internet” humor. YouTube audiences on the hand reward high-quality content that is unique, well-made and creative.
Similarly, LinkedIn is more for a relatively older audience, mostly corporate and business people. Imagine putting TikTok style videos on LinkedIn. They wouldn’t work. So, when picking a platform to start your content create journey, ask yourself: “What am I good at and which audiences will love what I have to offer?”. Don’t think about monetization features or revenue potential at the current stage. You can make money on any platform as long as your content is loved by the audiences. But money comes later – first, you must find the perfect fit for your brand.
The 3 Best Content Creator Platforms
Let’s take a look at some platforms and learn what they have to offer to you so you can pick one for yourself.
1. YouTube
YouTube is where it all started. The site was among the first where people started expressing their talents, ideas and creativity and turned their passions into reliable income streams. It was a source of a huge revolution where control of creativity, entertainment and fame was taken from celebrities, producers, agents and publishers (at least some of it) and given to the general public. Anyone can become a creator on YouTube, promote their personal brand, find fans, sell music and do 100% all of it on their own. So, why should you pick on YouTube? The creator economy is heavily saturated these days and YouTube is not the go-to platform for all types of creators. You consider YouTube if:
- You love creating long-form content
- You have something very creative and unique to offer
- You can produce extremely high quality content
- You have resources to deal with INTENSE competition (YouTube has 2.1 billion users, which means there are 500 hours of video being uploaded to it every second!)
- You’re good at SEO and are willing to part with some money to spend on advertisement
Also, most importantly, you have the backup resources, time and patience to work on content consistently. YouTube is one of the platforms where you don’t get success overnight. You have to be consistent for a very long-time until you see great success. However, if you don’t have patience and you want to be rewarded for your creativity immediately, use Paysenger.
2. Paysenger
Paysenger is a relatively newer platform that offers content creators the ability to grow their following, monetize their content and get exposure on the internet from the very start. There are no minimum eligibility requirements (on YouTube you must have 2,000+ hours of video views to even become eligible for monetization) and you can start earning from the very beginning. And most importantly, Paysenger has very little competition. The app is in its early growth phase and if you become an early adopter, you can do so much better (just how people who joined YouTube in the late 2000’s did so much better). Other features of Paysenger include:
- On-demand content: You can sell premium content to your fans and sponsors in exchange for money.
- Paid messaging: People who watch your videos can send paid messages to ask for advice or to make special requests.
- Tokenized economy: Every action on Paysenger pays you EGO tokens (the platform’s native currency). For example, if your video gets a lot of views, that instantly pays tokens to you that can be exchanged for dollars or withdrawn. On YouTube, in comparison, the only way to earn money is to place ads on your videos.
- And much much more!
3. Tiktok
TikTok is the newest site to attract over a billion monthly active users. The reason people love it is because it’s a lot easier on TikTok to get millions of views and you don’t need to grind your knees to get to that stage. TikTok’s algorithm picks viral videos not based on how many followers the account has but rather how many people engage with the video. If it detects that the video is making heads turn (or.. thumbs stop), then it automatically pushes those videos to the trending feeds.
However, TikTok’s audiences are completely different from YouTube. It’s popular among millennials and Gen Z and most people on TikTok are there to consume short clips of snackable content. They have really short attention spans so the type of content you can produce on TikTok is very limited. In most cases, you’ll have to stick to the content formats and culture of TikTok but at the same time, create something unique so you stand out.
Also: since content on TikTok is shorter and lower-quality, it’s easier to produce. People on TikTok post a LOT of content and you’ll have to post multiple times a day to stay relevant. On YouTube, on the other hand, creators post once a week and can still find success because the algorithm is different there. So, if you can get over the writer’s block and come up with ideas on a daily basis, then you’ll do fine on TikTok.
Best Content Creation Platforms for Beginners
If you want to start your career in social media, there will be many options in the market, and one may leap towards the most famous ones, like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. But in truth, these sites have intense competition. To overcome competition, try a newer site like Paysenger which is still in its early growth stages.
This gives you the opportunity to become one of the early adopters and set the video trends yourself. The biggest creators on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, such as the likes of PewDiePie and Markiplier, are those who joined super early. So if you're serious about pursuing social media as a career, try a new platform where you can make a bigger impact without getting overshadowed by existing social media giants.
Conclusion
To summarize, content creation platforms are built to engage audiences. The job of a content creator is to build communities around their content that allow brands to promote their products and services. So if you desire to be a content creator, pick a target audience and strategically pick one platform that suits you the best. Eventually, with dedication and commitment to your skill, you can reach newer heights of recognition and monetize your social presence for further gains. Looking to grow as a content creator? Start your journey on Paysenger to reach bigger audiences and monetize your content faster. Sell on-demand content, collaborate with sponsors, meet brands for partnerships and much, much more!