The top 3 challenges creators face in 2022 (Results of 900+ creator surveys) |
The journeys of creators are not identical. For more information on how it's going to be running the business of a creator in 2022, we surveyed more than 900 creators. Here's what we found.
"Creators are earning their first online dollar in the millions and joining one of the fastest-growing ecosystems of our planet: the creation economy."
The estimated 50 million people think of themselves as creators, and there's more information available than ever on becoming an all-time creator. The term "digital creator" is entered into search engines 2.5K times every month, while "how do I become creator of content" sees 1.3K requests.
Creators are those who creates. Sure, YouTubers, influencers as well as bloggers and podcasters are all creators -- as are musicians, craft-makers, musicians, educators, worldbuilders, authorsand all the people from there.
That broad spectrum of creative work ensures that there are no two journeys of a creator that will be the same.
What kinds of products can creators create and offer? What are the biggest issues they face? Where do they turn to for help? Which are the channels that have been most effective?
To learn more about how to manage a creator business in 2022, we surveyed more than 900 creators on their own businesses. They were asked about their struggles, sources for advice along with creative channels, as well as content.
We found this:
Across experience levels The biggest obstacle for creators is growing an audience (32.9%), followed by having enough time to do everything (21.6 percent) and knowing how to monetize (14.4 percent).
For advice on how to tackle the problems, they mainly learn from each other. YouTube (22.6%) as well as personal mastermind group (22.5%) are the top two spots where creators seek advice.
The creators of content are making use of social media to reach out to their audience, and with Instagram as the most popular channel (29.1 percent) however, that means they have to rely on algorithms in order to get their content seen by those who are interested.
Continue reading to take an in-depth look at the information.
What are the biggest creator problems in 2022?
We asked "What's your biggest challenge or battle as a creator this moment?"
32.9% Growing an audience
21.6% Finding enough time to do everything
14.4 Percent Knowing How to monetize
8.86 percent of product creation
3.35% Engaging with followers on social media
2.27 Percent Keeping up with changes and trends
In all levels of experience and types, creators reported the same three main challenges that they face: attracting a larger audience, finding enough time to do everything and knowing how to monetize their work.
Challenge #1: Growing an audience
Search engine marketing and.
7.68% would spend on building or upgrading their website by hiring
5.66% would hire graphic designers, and 4.16% would invest in the development of
Making sure your brand and content are in front of the right users can take a lot of time and be cost prohibitive, especially for those who are new to running an online business.
"While you're still working to grow your email list, you can't just email people," Jessica explained. "I must also be very present and very visible via Facebook and other social platforms."
As Jessica has grown more involved and well-known on social media, she's been able to find the right platforms to create material that is in line with her brand and her story. "If you're trying to build a following, they have to see you very often," she shared.
She emphasizes that consistency is important, but that doesn't mean your posts need to be formulaic. "You are able to do image posts, you can do [Instagram] Reels and be funny, you can perform Reels and be professional ... anything to try to diversify how folks can potentially discover your posts."
Social media may be effective in reaching more people, but it is also a requirement for creators to depend on the platforms' algorithms for their content to show up in the feeds of their followers. The discussion will focus on the ways that creators would like toand are able to change their algorithms later on.
Email is another of the most effective and scalable marketing channels for creators. Sending out a regular email newsletters helps you stay in touch with your audience.
If you're a creator looking to increase your email subscriber list and create your own email newsletter, you should go through these tools:
Challenge #2: Finding enough time to accomplish everything
We asked our respondents to tell us what they'd spend $2,022 on, investing in external help was by far the most frequently requested answer.
Additionally, we discovered that 5.2 percent of the creators make use of the funds to cover personal expenses, such as rent, utilities, internet bills, and their own salary to spend more time working on their businesses.
3.42 percent of creatives invest the funds in time-rebuilding expenses like childcare, household assistance, time off from full-time jobs, and working less hours at side jobs.
Making the most suitable tools and programs will allow creators to make the most of their valuable time.
For a look at what makes it easier to run an effective creator-based business, get started for free or sign up for our daily demo.
Problem #3: Understanding what to do to increase your income
14.4% of creators say they are unsure of how to earn money from their work is the biggest obstacle they face. Your content is valuable and you've built an engaged audience -Now, how do convert that into money?
At , we've watched thousands of creators earn their first dollars online through selling digital products, like online courses, digital downloads, webinars, and memberships. Digital products let creators make money without relying on advertisers or sponsors.
Consider entrepreneur, web designer as well as creative director John D. Saunders to give an instance. The day he announced his online class on the 14th of September , John earned $10,000 on day of launch, and $100,000 in total on his site.
Once you've created your online course, the bulk of the work is done so you're able to make regular earnings. "While I'm in bed, I'm making income. When I'm at amusement park, with my family, I'm getting sales," John explained.
Find out more about the monetization options for creators by reading these articles:
With all the options of monetization out there, many creators look to each other for examples, inspiration as well as guidance in their own journeys. Which brings us to our second key lesson from the survey: Where creators seek out suggestions.
Where do creators go for advice?
We asked "What's the number one resource you can turn to for help for tackling your most difficult problem?"
22.6 percent on YouTube
22.5 percent A private mastermind group
15.4 percent Google
8.86% Facebook group
7.89% Podcasts
5.95% Non-Facebook community
4.11 41% Blogs
1.41 14% Public forums (ex: Reddit)
Though no two creator journeys can be identical, we are aware that creators of all niches, product types, and experience levels face the same issues.
It makes sense, then to find solution and suggestions to those challenges by asking each questions of each other.
Creators learn from other creators. Through YouTube's mastermind groups, Facebook groups forums, communities, podcasts, and blogs, 73.3% of creators have surveyed turn to others who are creators to get advice.
Google is the only information resource that's not necessarily in this category, though you can guarantee that its creators wrote a significant chunk of the content in the search results, too.
A staggering 70% of internet users participate in some type of online community. 66% of them claim to join groups on the internet to connect with others that share the same interests.
These communities for creators provide a crucial source of information. Creators connect in order to grow and learn We've observed creative professionals who are successful be generous with their insights and experience to aid novice creators.
What are the ways other creators manage their companies? What are they selling? Where does most of their revenues originate? What are they doing to build their followings?
We know that creators have all these questions and often turn to one another for help and guidance.
The Creator Community was created by us to: Creator Community to:
Create an opportunity to meet and connect with one another
Create a journey that is more enjoyable and less lonely
Make creators feel part of a community that is accessible only to them
Create exclusive content for community members, including classes, interviews with creators, and community contests
Within the first 2 weeks of extending the community to all creators there were more than 1600 users and hundreds of post with answers to questions, ideas, and advice.
Highly experienced creators like Emily Mills contributed to helpful articles like this:
Emily's hacks are the perfect illustration of how the members learn from each other's expertise One of the greatest advantages of joining a creator community.
What types of content creators create? What are the places where they distribute that material?
We asked "What is your primary type of content that you produce?"
33.6% courses
13.8% coaching
13.4 percent social media
16.54 percent video (9.19 percent short-form, 7.35% long-form)
6.38% blog posts
4.76 percent of downloads
4.43% email newsletters
2.81% webinars
Over one-third of people who filled out the survey created online courses as their main form of content. After the courses, coaching video, and social media were the most popular types of content.
Here are some resources for creators who want to create and market an online course:
We also learned that creators are selling an average of 10.95 merchandise.
We then asked "What's your primary method of communication you use to market your business?"
29.1 percent on Instagram
22.4%
17.4 17% Facebook
8.97% YouTube
5.41 percent Blog
5.08% Zoom
2.49% TikTok
0.865 percent Shopify
0.541% Etsy
Social media is a popular way for creators to connect with their audiences, with Instagram being the most popular social channel (29.1 percentage), being followed by Facebook (17.4%) and YouTube (8.97%).
We've already mentioned that social media could be a terrific way for creators to connect with new audiences and to establish themselves in their respective niches and communities. But there's one major downside to relying on social media the algorithm.
Social media platforms use algorithms to identify what content is displayed on their the feeds of users.
Creators are at the mercy of these algorithms -- your organic content might show up on your followers' feeds, but it also might not. The algorithms may change at any time without prior notice. Social media firms aren't being transparent with regards to how they operate.
As an example, the changes made in the Facebook algorithm over the past couple of years have resulted in a decrease in organic reach , meaning fewer followers see creators' social posts in their news feeds.
Below are additional reasons why creators don't like using Facebook:
"I consider that FB is distracting and people won't be able to find my post or will not stick there."
"FB groups are not trustworthy as well as a bit clumsy, and many people have fled FB right now, so it's tough to get an environment of engagement."
"I really hate the idea of directing my friends to Facebook and similar tech companies who collect information and then use it to entice our attention to distraction."
"I have to pay an hourly VA for admission to members to the club, accept them as members, moderate, etc. We have Google Sheets and separate Facebook Messenger software, which costs $30 per month and we're also bound by Facebook's algorithm as well as distractions. This is a complete mess."
The creators are more likely to create digital communities through social media sites due to insufficient reasons. Facebook Groups allow users to join, but that's where most of the benefits end.
In contrast this, an all-in-one platform for creators such as this one gives you total control over which information you provide to your customers and how you engage with your audience.
The members of the Community can:
Get your goods
Get access to your contents
Post and discuss between others
...all in the same place.
Because they're already logged in to purchase your products or consume your content, it's not necessary to sign onto a different website or depend on Facebook. This is a more enjoyable experience for you and your members.
In the end the social media platform can prove to be an excellent marketing tool for creators- but it's best used in conjunction with a larger strategy and toolset. Creators succeed by having control over how and to whom they distribute their work.
Who took the time to fill out the survey?
In order to be eligible for the fellowship, applicants had to be current creators and part of the Creator Community. They had to fill out an application detailing how they plan to spend the prize money along with information on their business product, their challenges, and objectives.
A majority of the information contained included in this report is derived from questions in which authors were required to select from several answers. In the case of "If you were awarded the $2,022 grant, what would you spend it on?" we included an open-ended field for answers.
When asked about their experience in the field:
30.85 percent of respondents were classified as beginner With an average of 2.40 years of work experience
8.11 Percent of people are classified as newbies and an average of 2.77 years of experience
40.98 percent are classified as middle-level with the average being 4.98 years of experience
15.80% identified as advanced, with an mean of 7.69 years of expertise
4.27 percent of respondents are classified as experts having an average of 15.3 years of expertise
We also wanted to know if they're full-time creators, part-time creator, or in between:
39.13 Percent of them are believed to be full-time creator
18.81 percent of them identified as creator with a separate full-time job
18.59 percent of them identified as creator or freelancer
14.70% identified as a part-time creator
8.76 percent of them identified as creator with a separate part-time work
Thanks to everyone who submitted an application for this fellowship. We appreciate every one of them for giving us an insight into their ideas, challenges as well as their journeys.
Key takeaways
The economy of creators is expanding in every sector, but no two experiences are alike. We interviewed more than 900 creators in order to find out more about the challenges to run a creator business by 2022.
The most significant conclusions from their answers:
Creators across niches and experience different levels face the same challenges growing their audience (32.9 percentage), finding enough time to get everything done (21.6 percent), and understanding how to make money out of their efforts (14.4 14%).
If creators seek advice for overcoming these difficulties, they turn to other creators. Community is a crucial part of the creator journey. Experienced creators have been in newer creators' shoes. Therefore, they're armed with valuable knowledge to impart.
Social media is a popular way for creators to share their content with their fans which is why they have Instagram being the most well-liked channel (29.1%). Utilizing social media can mean that creators are at the mercy of algorithms, which gives them less control over their content and audience.
From the more than 900 responses that we took into account for this data, no two were identical. Every creator journey is different -- and we're here to support you at any stage.