A guide to turning your content creator passion into your full-time job by the end of the year.

In this guide, I am going to teach you how to become a full-time content creator by the end of this year. Ready to steal my plan? Let’s go.

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So, you want to become a full-time content creator?

Awesome – let’s make it happen.

You’re not too late. In fact, you’re exactly where you need to be to kickstart this journey. This guide is packed with all the tips and tricks you’ll need to get there.

As always, if you’d rather watch than read, click the video below. Now, grab a pen and paper, and let’s dive in.

How to Become a Full-Time Content Creator by the End of the Year

Step 1: Know the Plan

You would be surprised how many people skip this step.

But there’s a reason we start here! This is the obvious key to reverse engineering your path to success. If you already know you want to be a Food Taste Tester, then you can know the exact type of content to study and create, instead of mindlessly following trends that aren’t going to get you where you want to be. 

How do you gain this clarity? How do you figure out what kind of creator you want to be? 

In other words, how do you discover your personal brand?

Before you start posting like crazy, figure out what your end goal is. “Start with the end in mind” is very applicable here. I recommend taking a moment to ask yourself these questions:

• What’s the dream? Not “what do you think you should do or what do you think you have to do?” No, the dream.
• In a perfect world, what would you want to be known for in the next 3 years as a Creator?
• What path would you pursue if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Stop what you’re doing right now and journal about your answers.

This is the first homework I give to all of my students, and I’d love to know your answers. If you feel comfortable, share them with me in the comments below this post. 

I always tell my students to start their content creator journey by getting clear on their goals. Because, honestly, deep down, most of them already know exactly what kind of creator they want to be.

But here’s the thing – so many get caught up in overthinking.

Maybe they’ve been given advice that contradicts their dreams, or they start second-guessing themselves. Even though they know what they want, they end up trying to change it or convince themselves they want something else.

You have to trust your gut, your desires, and your intuition. They’ll guide you down the right path.

Now, if you’re still unsure about what kind of creator you want to be but know deep down that you want to create, then you have to be the type of person who’s willing to take action, even without all the clarity.

Be okay with creating without a perfect plan.

I see two types of students: The first is the creator who knows exactly what they want to be known for – and we work together to reverse-engineer their journey. The second is the one who knows they want to be a content creator but isn’t sure exactly how they want to show up. Both paths are valid! The second type just has to be willing to take action without having everything figured out first.

Action can be one of the best ways to find clarity.

Step 2: Set Yourself up for Success (Prepare Your Income Streams)

This is another step I often see people skip because they want to jump straight to the growth hacks or secret tips to go viral. They’re focused on getting their account to blow up, but going viral isn’t going to help you become a full-time content creator by the end of year. 

Because, if you want to become a full-time content creator by the end of this year, you need to be making enough money to quit your day job. And one of the best ways to make real money as a creator is by setting up an email list and creating a digital product right now.

Why is this so important?

I had a student tell me, “Millie, I want to hit 10,000 followers on Instagram.” And I said, “Awesome! Let’s make it happen. But first, let’s set up an email list.”

She set up her freebie and email list in less than a day.

So, what’s a freebie? A freebie is a free offer you give to your audience in exchange for their email address.

When someone downloads your freebie, you get their contact info – and that list is yours. These people aren’t at the mercy of an algorithm, and they aren’t owned by anyone else.

You never know what might happen to your social platforms, which is why it’s crucial to have an audience that’s separate from social media. For example, last year, my YouTube channel got hacked, and for a while, I wasn’t sure if I’d get it back. That’s why building your email list from day one is so important.

Another great thing about starting your email list from scratch? You can use it to make money as you grow your social media following. While you’re creating your freebie, you can also develop a small digital product to start selling right now. And as your social media audience grows, your income will grow with it.

How to Grow Your Email List as a Content Creator

When you’re just starting out, it can be tough to figure out what to offer your audience. You might not know what people are willing to give their email address for or pay for. If you’re not sure what to create, look at your ‘niche neighbors.’ Research what others in your niche are offering for free or what they’re charging for. Then, get creative and put your own unique spin on it.

You can also use Pinterest to find ideas for your freebie. I’m a big fan of using Pinterest for inspiration. Just head over to Pinterest, search for your niche, and browse through the results. You’ll find freebies, blog posts, and products being sold – all of which can spark ideas for your own content.

Once you have your idea, you’re going to make it on Canva. Canva is full of pre-made templates to help you create eBooks for your audience. Open Canva and search for eBooks, then pick a template that closely matches your branding and feel. This will minimize edits and help you get this project done in just one day.

When you’re done, download it as a PDF.

Now that you have your download, you need a way to offer it to your audience. Personally, I love Stan for this. Stan is the perfect one-stop-shop tool for creators. You can grow your email list, sell digital products, offer online courses, create a link-in-bio page and so much more – for one price with Stan. 

If you want to see a walkthrough of what it looks like to set up your digital product and email list in Stan, watch my video (at 8:15). 

However, if you want a full guide to help you properly create, market and sell your first digital product, I recommend reading this blog post next.

If you don’t know what kind of creator you want to be yet, come back to this step. Don’t let perfectionism and ‘having everything figured out’ stop you from moving forward towards your goals. Just come back to this step as soon as you know what kind of creator you want to be. 

Step 3: Creating Content

You know your vision, you have a way to make money or collect future customers for when you go viral, now it’s time to start creating.

There is a lot that goes into creating. You have to come up with content ideas, script or outline your videos, film, edit, get ready to post and then actually post.

Because there are a lot of steps here, I want to give you my rapid fire tips for those looking to become full-time content creators this year.  

Ideation (Coming up with Content Ideas):

There are lots of ways to come up with content ideas, but different posts provide a different purpose for you. And if you want to grow, you need to focus on creating growth content. 

With my students, I’ve been able to come up with two proven ways to see GROWTH. 

1. SEO (search engine optimization)

SEO is just a fancy way of saying you’re going to use the search engine on the platform you want to grow on (like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube) to predict what your audience wants to see. Think of the search engine as a tool to help you grow.

Open YouTube on your computer and type “Yoga” into the search bar. YouTube will show you the most popular searches related to Yoga right now.

What are people looking for when it comes to Yoga? You can do the same on TikTok and Instagram. While you’re at it, take notes on video ideas you could create around these topics.

Want to take it further? Create an entire series based on a popular search. For example, you could launch a ‘Yoga for Beginners’ series or a ‘10 Days of Yoga Tips for Beginners.’ This way, you’re hitting that search term consistently.

2. Utilizing your niche neighbors

Another great way to find content ideas that will perform well is by studying your niche neighbors. Find someone in your niche who you admire and check out their most viral posts (viral meaning the ones that have outperformed others on their account). Analyze these videos: How were they filmed? What was the hook, caption, or topic?

You can also look at their overall most popular videos. On platforms like YouTube and TikTok, you can sort their videos by ‘popular,’ which helps you see what’s worked for them in the past. Then, adapt your strategy based on their recent successful posts.

Filming (Gear & Strategy)

You don’t need fancy gear. I’ve been doing this for years, and most of the time when I film short form content I use my phone… and the built-in microphone on my phone. I’m not using fancy gear, just my phone next to a brightly lit window – that is all you need to get started. 

Start with what you have, then if you want to upgrade your gear, set a goal for yourself. Give yourself a posting goal and then upgrade your gear when you hit that goal. For example, you could invest in a new camera when you’ve been posting consistently for 3-6 months. 

That time will also help you know what you need. You don’t know what you need until you start. During those 3 months, keep in mind if a tripod would help you, or if a new microphone would uplevel your content.

However, for YouTube, having a camera could really help. I used my phone when I first started my YouTube channel, but upgrading to a good vlogging camera can be a good investment. 

This is all the gear I use.

My biggest tip for filming strategy is just to start. If you haven’t already, just start filming. When you have a good understanding of ideation then I would say the next step is to focus on creating a good hook. I have a full video breaking down how to create viral hooks, so you can watch that next. 

Basically, within the first 3-6 seconds of your video you want to have: 

• An audible hook
• A visual hook
• And a textual hook

Layer all three of those things together and you’ll have mastered viral hooks. 

Editing

When it comes to editing, I’m a big fan of CapCut. It’s totally free, works on both phone and desktop, and is super user-friendly.

But when it comes to your editing style, I recommend studying what’s already working in your industry. Take a look at what’s trending in your niche and see what’s resonating with your audience.

And remember: It just takes practice. The more videos you film and edit, the better you’ll get at it.

Posting

Let’s dive into some tips for posting.

I know this might be a bit controversial, but start with just one platform. While the algorithms are similar across platforms, each one has its own nuances. If you try to grow all of them at once just by reposting content, you’re not doing yourself – or your platforms – any favors.

Instead, focus 100% of your attention on one platform. Figure out what works, what your audience wants, and what the algorithm favors. Once you’ve nailed that, you’ll grow so much faster.

When you’ve found your groove, then you can add another platform to the mix. You don’t have to be everywhere all at once.

Now, how often should you post?

Of course, the more you post, the faster you’ll grow. But as your coach, my goal is to make sure you’re not burning yourself out.

Don’t set yourself up for failure. If you want to go full-time, you need to find a posting schedule that’s sustainable for the long haul – this month, next month, and even 12 months from now.

Consistency is way more important than quantity.

And don’t compare yourself to others. Your life, energy and goals are different from everyone around you. I know that I can post on Instagram 3x a week. One of my competitors posts on Instagram 2-3x a DAY. I know that’s not possible for me, so I don’t compare myself or my posting schedule to them. I do what works for me. 

The more you go through the process of ideation, filming, editing and posting, the more skilled and experienced you’ll become a content creator.

Become a Content Creator in the Next 12 Months: The Guide

If you’ve been loving this post and want to dive even deeper into these resources to help you become a full-time content creator in the next 12 months, I’ve got something special for you: a downloadable eBook!

This 30+ page eBook is only $1, and it breaks down each of these steps in even more detail. Plus, it’s interactive, so you can literally fill in the blanks as you go.

Commit to becoming a full-time content creator in the next 12 months for just $1 today!

Step 4: Maintaining Longevity 

My goal as your coach is to help you build a sustainable Creator Career, not just turn you into a one-hit wonder who goes viral and then disappears.

Longevity is key.

Becoming a full-time content creator isn’t your traditional job. It’s harder to clock in and out mentally when you’re documenting your life and living it at the same time. If you want to be a full-time creator by the end of this year, you’ll need to figure out how to make content creation a part of your day-to-day lifestyle in a way that brings you joy – without burning you out.

Longevity and sustainability are the goals here.

Your favorite content creators have mastered the art of integrating content creation into their lives so they can post consistently and still enjoy life.

The reality? There will be times when you feel unmotivated, when you don’t want to show up. We all go through the dip. After the initial excitement wears off, the grind sets in, and it feels like progress is slow. But getting through that dip? That’s the secret shortcut to success – because that’s when most people give up.

There will also be times when what you’re posting just isn’t working anymore. You have to be willing to pivot and try something new. Keep evaluating your grind, adapt as needed, and always look for ways to grow.

Being flexible, adaptable, and curious is crucial if you want to be a full-time content creator by the end of this year.

And by the way, I have almost 500 videos covering everything you need to know to grow, make money, and turn your content creation passion into your full-time job. So, why not binge a few?

I’ll see you in the next one—follow your joy!