How do you locate a platform that is creator friendly? Advice from 4 successful creators |

Every creator deserves tools that are able to meet their demands and allow for their developmenthowever, they don't always provide. This is what four creatives who are successful look for in platforms that are supportive of creators.

"It was a complete nightmare" says Em Connors of The Creative Bodega .

When Em first began her Canva course, a plugin she used to create a WordPress website wasn't functioning. Students had signed up for the class, but at the beginning of the day, there was no way anyone could login.

"We were unable to figure out what was wrong. It was a case of anxiety! My heart rate was ever so high. And there was no one in the world to speak to," she remembers. Em was searching for answers on forums and online which included forums, including a Facebook forum for plugin users, but there was nothing.

However, it could be an experience that is familiar to the majority of creators. Many platforms within the creator economy don't put the needs of creators firstusing questionable methods which include absence of transparency, false fees, and silence instead of providing support.

Each creator should have tools that are creator-friendly, which prioritize their needs and support their growth. To get a sense of creator friendliness and the lack of it -really looks like, we spoke to four artists about their experiences:

Em Connors  is a solopreneur who is a marketing and branding expert, educator, and the founder of The Creative Bodega.

Becky Mollenkamp  Feminist life coach, podcaster, and the founder of The Gutsy Boss Club community.

Adrian Dalsus , musician, marketer, teacher, and the founder Despegue Musical. Despegue Musical.

Khe Hy , a.k.a. "Oprah for Millennials" The founder of RadReads as well as a Notion pro.

What are the characteristics of a platform that make it creator-friendly?

There are many aspects which create a platform that is friendly to creators and user-friendly, but it comes to the extent that creators are confident that the platform is there for them.

1. Accessible assistance

When you're stuck, you ought to be able to get assistance. This may sound easy, but there are times when it's not always. For Em Creator friendliness, it's having the ability to communicate with a real human being for help with any queries or concerns.

"Creator friendliness " is the ability to ask a question to someone and get an answer quickly. It's just nice to speak with someone, something that isn't often these days."

-- Em Connors, The Creative Bodega

In their work as entrepreneurs, creating experiences and building relationships, many makers want to do it this way in their own businesses. "I'm willing to assist you the best possible," Em says. "Ask me any questions you haveand I might not know the answer, but I'm going to attempt. It makes me think it helps people feel really relaxed."

Becky says: "Knowing that the company will be responsive to the needs of its clients ensures that you're always able to have the support you need in a timely way. If a company doesn't do this from the start, run the other way."

2. Easy to use

Tools that support creators also have to have a user-friendly interface across backgrounds and experience levels. Just because a product feels natural to a particular person doesn't mean it's user-friendly for all.

"Addressing the demands of a variety of age groups is important because anyone can become an author at any time!"

--- Becky Mollenkamp

Becky believes that she is a good yardstick:

"One method I use to determine if a program can be considered a good creator tool is to see if I'm able to easily figure out the best way to utilize it without having to shout. Even though I'm extremely tech-savvy however, I'm now in my forties and no more the most desirable demographic for tech companies."

She explains, "Too often, tools are made for people who were raised on the Internet but not people similar to me. If I am able to find out how to use something, that means it was designed by a company that thinks beyond twenty-somethings and truly cares about making a tool for everyone makers."

3. Offers support for the journey of the creator ahead

A platform should also be able to support creators throughout their path, according to Khe Hy whether the goal is to make a sales site responsive or a checkout experience really smooth, down to using features that manage processes involving affiliates, upsells, or other upsells.

"Creator-friendly means that a product recognizes and anticipates the requirements of the creator."

-- Khe Hy, RadReads

Creative friendliness is a way to plan for what's next for the person who created it "before they even know the steps to take to reach their goal," he explains. "A lot of times, people are starting with something very simple and then expanding their product offer."

The stress of unfriendly creator platforms

It's so frustrating to feel like you can't get assistance from the platform you depend on for running your company.

Similar to Em, Becky has found herself battling the silence treatment. "I began my experience of creating courses with a platform that had horrible customer service," she shares. "When I ran into issues with my course, I was required to send an email. It was not a standard response to acknowledge that they got the email. In addition, I didn't get any answers for the vast majority of the questions I asked."

The importance of being a good friend to creators doesn't stop at customer support. The companies have the ability to place the needs of creators prior to all aspects of the user experience. In the absence of these opportunities, or ignoring them makes creators feel like they're at the mercy of the platforms' whims.

For Adrian an online platform, the disdain for creators looks like suddenly adding or deleting functions that make him learn how to operate the software. Communicating with supposed experts doesn't feel friendly when, as he says, "you can clearly see that they're trying to get that you spend extra time and money in the of the system."

The most difficult incident Adrian was through as a web developer and business owner was using the tool for creating websites. "It took a long time to learn the curve to accomplish very basic things, and could have an error at any time because of a plugin upgrade, or even bad luck" the founder recalls. "Knowing that my websites as well as the landing pages for my company and customers could cease functioning at any time, despite the fact that it is expensive to hire all the necessary tools to have a professional web site is absurd."

We can practically hear his blood pressure rising in his words, "Just thinking of [these] platforms makes me feel extremely frustrated, deceived, helpless, overwhelmed, confident and nervous about every bad thing which could happen in the event that I don't have any control!"

How to find creator-friendly platforms

As with most purchasing decisions, creators can be attracted by companies. However, according to Adrian adds, they're still making a decision based on their experience and learning to recognize a brand that puts creator needs first:

The result? The creators believe they've made the most appropriate choice but end up repeatedly frustrated when they must figure things out on their own, with the help of their service providers."

So what should you avoid? "Tools which increase the cost of their services as you grow [your database] like the majority of marketers who use email. Services that have extra payments or hidden fees within the subscriptions they have to use templates, courses, or other information."

Additionally, be aware of tools that cost a lot in the beginning, particularly as you start with. Khe warns "Creators want to pay money for services, however, if you begin too expensive -- either by tiering your plans or the way you structure your plans -- the cost could become too high and too soon." Adrian says, "Having to pay over $100 per month upfront- just to learn how to use the platform, or to find out how you can make profits there isn't going to be the ideal solution for most creators."

What are the attributes you search for? Adrian recommends seeking for tools that were designed by the designer in mind from the start, with affordable pricing, customer support, and transparency from the company.

"Although it sounds cliche, ask what are the company's values, goals, and mission of the organization? What is their plan for the future? Do they truly want for growth? Perhaps they've created a product or service that they're currently trying to sell but have no intention of developing it?"

-- Adrian Dalsus, Despegue Musical

There are numerous other factors which make the platform more user-friendly. These include how the transaction fee structure is set to the possibility of accepting direct payments . (Learn more about the way in which's chief executive officer, Spencer Fry, thinks about the concept of being a creator-friendly platform and the reason it's the guiding principle of the organization.)

In the way Becky puts it, "There are always choices. My money will always go to those who truly care about my experience, not just about taking my money."

The Creator Friendliness Index

The Creator Friendliness Index uses 20 rating factors to determine the degree of how accommodating a business's policies are towards creators.            -- Find out which platforms have your back