JUNE 28, 2022

Welcome to The Tilt, a twice-weekly newsletter for content entrepreneurs.

In This Issue: It’s time to talk money and motivation with today’s release of 2022 Content Entrepreneur Benchmark Research. Too much NFT talk prompted one creator to find a new tilt. And Instagram abruptly stops bonuses.

full tilt

No Regrets: The Content Creators Next Door [New Research]

I’ve never seen a stat like the one we discovered in The Tilt’s 2022 Content Entrepreneur Benchmark Research released today.

Only 1% of creators say they regret their decision to become content entrepreneurs.

Do you know of any other profession where so few people regret their career choices? I certainly don’t. But I’m not shocked. Content entrepreneurship checks off so many boxes of what people seek in their work.

In our survey, 90% say they are inspired to create to achieve “financial freedom on their own terms.” And when you focus on the full-time creators who responded, at least 80% say they like the flexible work hours and independence a content business affords. Only 43% say they’re motivated to run a content business so they can earn more than a traditional job.

(Not surprisingly, part-time creators – 42% of whom haven’t earned their first dollar and 53% who have earned some money – cite passion as their biggest motivator.)

The median revenue of full-time creators is $50K, with 51% saying they earn enough to support at least one person and 44% saying they are the primary source of income in their household.

Yes, monetizing content is a sustainable business. And it isn’t a business limited to the often talked about influencers who have millions of followers and are raking in seven figures.

No, that’s not what most content entrepreneurs are doing. Instead, they are growing a smaller, niche audience to build and sustain a financially successful business. They operate as business owners, not people who make bank based on their social media celebrity.

Content entrepreneurs have an eye on the big picture. They must because it isn’t an easy or get-rich-quick business.

It takes about 6.5 months on average for a creator to earn their first dollar. On average, it takes 17 months after launch to become a self-supporting business. And then it’s another eight months (25 months since launch) to hire some help.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg in what we learned about this growing but little-discussed sector of the creator economy. (Thanks to all of you who participated in the survey.) I’ll dig more into how content creators operate their businesses in Friday’s newsletter. If you can’t wait, read the full report – The Tilt’s 2022 Content Entrepreneur Benchmark Research – today.

– Joe Pulizzi

New Free Course From The Tilt

Looking for another revenue stream to add to your content business?

Look no further. Lulu.com presents Book Publishing for the Content Entrepreneur.

In this mini-course, discover the process for publishing your own content, whether it is blog posts, pictures, comics, or even a notebook for your audience to use. Join Chelsea Bennett, Brand Engagement Manager at Lulu, as she generates ideas for you as a content entrepreneur and guides you through the easy process of on-demand publishing.

Whatever content you have, you CAN publish it in just a few simple steps and begin to generate another stream of revenue.

content entrepreneur spotlight

https://www.thetilt.com/content-entrepreneur/kat-kamalani-changes-tilt

Entrepreneur and Biz: Aprilynne Alter

Tilt: Startup stories (previously NFTs)

Primary Channel: YouTube (21.4K)

Other Channels: Twitter (18K), Instagram (972)

Time to First Dollar: 1 month

Revenue Streams: YouTube ads

Our Favorite Actionable Advice:

Don’t do it just for the money: Though Aprilynne found great success with NFT content, it wasn’t a topic that excited her in the long term. She’s pivoted to a tilt more aligned with her personal interest.
Invest in learning: She spent the money to improve her YouTube skills and business with two cohort-based courses.
Find a community: Connect with other creators in your niche or platform, or who have similar goals in mind. Since they can relate to what you’re doing, they can be more helpful than friends who don’t.

– Ann Gynn

Learn more about how Aprilynne decided to stop her NFT content.

Know a content creator who’s going full tilt? DM us. Or email [email protected].

quick talk

Caught in … 2022 Content Entrepreneur Benchmark Research

“I don’t want to be a star. I just want to do what I like and make a living from it.” – Surveyed creator

things to know

Money

Full stop: Instagram ends its affiliate incentive program this Thursday without explanation. Participating creators saw the notice that they won’t get cash bonuses anymore. (Archyworldys)
Tilt Take: Yep, they can change the rules at a moment’s notice, leaving you without that revenue stream.
Snap take: Snapchat launched its Black Creator Accelerator program to help 25 emerging creators earn. They’ll get a $10K monthly stipend for a year, a mentor, and more. Application deadline is Aug.12. (Digital News Daily)
Tilt Take: Though it’s a small step, it’s an important one given the research into the revenue disparity that exists among creators who are Black and creators who are white.

Audiences

Magic of 3: Growing the creator sector rests on three pillars – content creation, audience, growth, and monetization, but not necessarily through the evolving creator platforms. Venture capitalist Zhenni Liu says: “With Web3, this opens up a new opportunity. There’s a lot of chaos, but chaos provides the opportunity for creators to rise up.”(dot.LA)
Tilt Take: Investors see the potential, more creators should, too.
More about me: YouTube’s new research into Gen Z found 65% agree content personally relevant to them is more important than the content that lots of other people talk about. (Social Media Today)
Tilt Take: We’ve always said viral isn’t necessary for success, and now Gen Z is saying the same.

Tech and Tools

Vouch for me: Instagrammers editing their age to 18 and older now must confirm their age by uploading a photo ID, recording video selfies (that Meta will assess with AI analytics to estimate age), or through mutual friends. (CNBC)
Tilt Take: We get the safety idea, but it’s weird for an AI age assessment. But it’s even odder to ask friends to vouch. Who would rat them out?
Tangled thread: Common mistakes with Twitter threads: lack a good hook tweet, too wordy with no white space for reading, and no clear call to action or conversation at the end. (Justin Welch; h/t For The Interested)
Tilt Take: Don’t just type your thoughts. Take time to craft and design a story to make a Twitter thread valuable.

And Finally

BMOTT: The big man on TikTok is Khaby Lame, who has 114M followers. And the comedian never utters a word. He responds to videos of people doing overly complicated hacks with him doing an easier, more logical version. (CNN)
Tilt Take: It seems like an easy content tilt, but it’s Khaby’s personality that attracts and retains a big audience.
Earnings calculator: The www.CreatorsCalculator.com may be generic, but it’s a good indicator that a smaller audience may make you more if your business is built to provide a paid service or product than if you used an ad-based business model. (Tim Schmoyer)
Tilt Take: It’s always helpful to use multiple resources to determine your best market rates.

the business of content

Here’s a simple process to get you started with your exit strategy.
Twitter is carving out a possible “super-app” opportunity, specifically focused on content creators.
What traits do you share with a preschool hockey player?
If your startup is to be a success, it will likely depend on what you see around you.

the tilt team

Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony, with an assist from Angelina Kaminski, Leo Bonacci, and Don Borger.

1 Amazing Stat – June 28, 2022