TL;DR: We’re sharing 10 essential tips for new Creators, from building your audience to selling from day one—so you can grow your Creator business with confidence.
When you’re a new Creator, it can feel like everyone else has it figured out and you’re the only one fumbling your way forward. The truth? Every Creator you look up to started exactly where you are now: unsure of what to post, second-guessing their ideas, and wondering if anyone even cares.
The difference between the ones who make it and the ones who give up isn’t talent—it’s knowing where to focus. In this post, we’re sharing the top 10 things seasoned Creators wish they knew from day one. They’re practical, proven tips designed to help you grow with less stress, fewer missteps, and way more confidence.
Before we dive in, let’s take a look at what a content creator is, plus the different ways they create, grow, and earn.
First, What’s a Content Creator?
A content creator is anyone who produces and shares content, such as videos, posts, podcasts, emails, or blogs. Creators are entrepreneurs who build businesses by turning their expertise, passions, or unique perspectives into content, growing an audience, and selling online.
They typically host content on one or more platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or their website. And they’ll generate income through sponsorships, affiliate links, or selling digital products, coaching, memberships, and more.
Types of Content Creators
In today’s Creator economy, there are many different types of Creators and many ways to make money as one. Understanding which type aligns with your goals can help you choose the right content formats, platforms, and monetization strategies.
Most Creators fall into these categories:
- UGC (User-generated content) Creators create branded content for companies to use in ads, social posts, and marketing—without necessarily posting it to their own channels. They typically get paid per project or deliverable.
- Lifestyle Creators share their personal experiences, daily routines, and hobbies. They focus on fostering a personal connection with their audience, which can lead to paid brand collaborations, affiliate revenue, and digital product sales.
- Educational/How-to Creators teach a specific skill or topic, from business and fitness to cooking, personal finance, and everything in between. There are many different ways educational Creators can monetize their knowledge, including courses, coaching, events, and workshops.
- Entertainment Creators focus on using humor, trends, challenges, or storytelling to entertain. Their revenue often comes from brand deals, merch, and platform payouts.
- Review and recommendation Creators test out products and share their honest opinions to help shoppers make decisions. They’ll usually generate revenue through affiliate links and sponsorships, or by introducing their own curated product lines.
- Hybrid Creators blend elements from multiple categories (for example, a lifestyle creator who also sells online educational courses). If you’re a multi-passionate Creator who doesn’t fully align with one specific category, being a hybrid Creator might be the best option for you.
10 Things to Know as a New Creator
Getting started as a new Creator can feel overwhelming—there’s so much advice out there, and it’s hard to know where to begin. To help you cut through the noise, we’ve rounded up the 10 most important things you should know:
1. Success doesn’t usually happen overnight
Every so often, a new Creator will start posting content and instantly go viral. But it’s crucial to remember that this is not the norm—and it shouldn’t be the goal.
Most Creators don’t achieve success overnight. It takes them months—sometimes years—of trial and error to see big results. While it might feel disheartening when growth is slow, remember this period is preparing you for success. It’s teaching you how to create better content and foster closer relationships with your audience.
Sustainable success comes from compounding returns—not overnight virality.
Take Steven Bartlett, for example. It took him 1,000 posts to reach his first 10,000 followers, but just three posts to grow from 700,000 to one million followers.
Don’t rush success—enjoy the journey.
2. Consistency beats perfection
You won’t grow by posting the perfect video or caption—you’ll grow by continuing to show up. Studies show that the most consistent posters receive 5x more engagement per post than those who post inconsistently.
And consistency doesn’t just drive engagement—it boosts sales. According to Stan’s internal insights, Creators who post once a day are 3.5x more likely to earn $100 in their first month than those who only post once a week.
Why? Because consistency builds trust. And when your audience trusts you, they’re far more likely to buy from you. So instead of obsessing over your caption, image, or email, focus on sharing content regularly.
3. Start before you feel “ready”
Stop waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment, logo, niche, or offer. The fastest way to figure out what works (and what doesn’t) is to start. Get your content ideas in front of your audience and gauge their response.
You’ll learn by doing. And that feeling you’re looking for? It’ll come from experience.
4. Your audience is your biggest asset
It can feel tempting to chase follower counts, but a smaller, loyal audience is way more valuable than a large but disengaged one.
Your early audience will shape your offers, give you feedback, and become your first customers. Focus on genuinely connecting with your audience: reply to their DMs, thank them for their support, and ask them what they want to see from you next.
That’s exactly how Jenny Reimold became so successful. She started her business with 4,000 Instagram followers, steadily growing by showing up authentically, building trust, and fostering personal relationships.
She turned her followers’ most-asked questions into a digital guide and made $35,000 within 24 hours of launching. Not by having millions of followers, but by having an engaged audience who was genuinely interested in what she had to offer.
5. Repurpose your content
You don’t need to start from scratch every time you post. Repurposing extends the lifespan of your content and maximizes its chances of being discovered, while saving you hours every week.
That TikTok video that performed well? Turn it into an Instagram Reel, a YouTube Short, or the focal point of your next email newsletter.
Your recent blog post? Use the key points to create a carousel post, video, or podcast script.
Try to avoid only using a piece of content once by looking for creative ways to leverage it across other platforms or present it differently.
6. Learn from your analytics, but don’t obsess over them
Your analytics are like a compass—they’ll help you navigate, but they won’t always give you the full picture. Think about it: Metrics will tell you how your content performed, but they won’t tell you why it performed that way.
Sure, your analytics can help you understand what resonates with your audience so you can improve future content. But when you’re looking at the data, it’s important to remember there are countless external factors at play that can impact performance, like:
- Seasonality
- Algorithm changes
- Trends and cultural moments
- Audience fatigue
- Random platform glitches
- Increased competition
Your numbers can fluctuate day-to-day, so focus on your data trends over weeks and months—not single data points.
Pay attention to when your audience is most engaged, which content drives the most traffic, and which of your offers gets the most clicks. And don’t be afraid to conduct experiments! Steven Bartlett recommends using this simple approach to experimentation:
- Form a hypothesis
- Change one variable
- Check the results
That’s it! You can use the results to draw insights that inform your content strategy.
7. Sell from day one
You don’t need to wait until you’ve hit a certain follower count to start making money online. Selling to your audience early helps you learn faster while ensuring your followers understand the value you can provide.
Start by offering something simple, like a:
- Downloadable guide or checklist
- 30-minute coaching call
- Live workshop or webinar
- Roundup of 10 items you can’t live without
- Discount code that earns you affiliate income
Choose an offer that feels relevant for your audience, aligns with your passions or expertise, and solves a need. As you grow, you can always change or expand your offers.
8. Niching down can help you scale up
Trying to be everything to everyone makes it harder for your audience to know why they should follow or buy from you. That’s why focusing on one main topic or audience can help you stand out and attract the right followers.
Niching down doesn’t mean you can never branch out. It just gives you a clear starting point and strong brand identity as you grow your new Creator brand.
9. Your story is your superpower
Even in the most saturated markets, your story is what sets you apart. Whether it’s your personal journey, your “why,” or the challenges you’ve overcome, sharing your story makes your audience feel connected to you.
People don’t just buy products—they buy from people they know, like, and trust. And the data backs it up: 87% of customers say they’ll pay more for products from brands they trust.
10. You don’t have to do this alone
Every Creator’s path is unique, but you don’t have to navigate it on your own. We’re here to support you throughout your Creator journey.
Stan was founded by Creators, John Hu and Vitali Dodonov, who experienced firsthand how hard it can be to start and grow a Creator business. Back then, there wasn’t a simple way to monetize a following without selling out to big brands. So they built Stan: an all-in-one tool designed to make the “business stuff” easier (and way more enjoyable).
Our mission is simple: to empower anyone to earn a living working for themselves. That’s why we’re fiercely committed to regularly sharing tips, strategies, and real Creator stories here on the Stan blog that keep you moving forward.
You’re just getting started, and we’re rooting for you every step of the way.
From Starting Out to Leveling Up
No one builds a thriving Creator business overnight. It’s the small, consistent actions you take—showing up when it’s hard, trying new things, and learning along the way—that will help you go from “just starting” to “I can’t believe I get to do this for a living.”
So put these 10 tips into practice and give yourself permission to grow at your own pace. The Creator journey is rarely a straight line, but it’s always worth it—and we’ll be here to cheer you on through every twist and turn.
