There isn’t one right way to be a content creator. Whether you’re a broad creator like Charli D’malieo or a niche specific maker like Best Dressed, the online world is your oyster. However, it’s important to note that both content types come with their own set of challenges.
Below, we’ll dive into the two types of content creators and share the appeal behind either strategy. We’ll also share some tools to help you expand your audience within either strategy. Let’s jump into it!
Profile 1: The Broad Content Creator
The broad content creator is probably what comes to mind when you think of the word “influencer”. These creators aren’t tied to a specific niche and help act as trendsetters. Since they aren’t bound to a specific discipline, much of their brand is contingent around their personality.
Common examples of this profile include content creators like Lilly Singh, Emma Chamberlain, Charli D’Amelio, and Eugene Lee Yang.
What are the benefits to being a broad content creator?
Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest benefits to being a broad content creator is having more reach. You have a larger platform which can ultimately lead to more monetization avenues and freedom within your content creation. You’re also welcome to take on trends and make them your own without having to risk alienating your audience.
What are the downsides to being a broad content creators?
Broad content creators may have the challenge of having less dedication from fans. Since you’re positioning yourself to simply be a part of the cultural zeitgeist, some people may follow you just to stay in the loop, without having an inherent degree of loyalty that comes with more specialized creators.
Broad content creators might also face scaling issues since the thread behind their content is ultimately themselves. Personality-based broad content creators have to put in a greater level of self-disclosure and personal engagement to continually connect with their audience.
How To Sustain Your Business As A Broad Content Creator
To succeed as a broad content creator, you need to work on facilitating connections with your fans based on your personality or personal brand. Make a habit of hosting Ask Me Anything or similar tools to continuously check in with fans to strengthen that connection.
You should also work to monetize your influence by providing spaces for other creators and working with brands you believe in. Consumer trust can be incredibly hard to get back, so make sure you’re only promoting products and services that you personally feel bring value to your community.
Profile 2: The Niche Specific Content Creator
This content creator tends to stay within a particular lane of content and adjacent topics. They’re presented as an authority in this space, and usually seek out content collaborations that are directly tied to their niche. Some common content niches include food, travel, beauty, fitness, marketing, fashion, finance, gaming, music, and family.
Some examples of these niche specific content creators are Huda Beauty, Best Dressed, and GaryVee. Note that there’s also some crossover here with the more broad content creator– some creators may start with something specific and broaden as they go along or vice versa, though the ladder evolution is more likely to be successful.
What are the benefits to being a niche-based content creator?
Niche based content creators tend to have a more dedicated audience by nature since they are specialized. Building these audiences will feel natural to creators that already have a passion in a specific skillset and might be easier to scale outside of yourself since your audience is partially there for your brand, but also for the niche content presented to them.
What are the downsides to being a niche-based content creator?
Niche based content creators naturally have a more narrow subject matter, which comes with its own set of challenges. For one thing, today’s algorithm demands a slew of content, so sustainability may be difficult within one niche. It can also be more challenging to evolve into a different niche or broader category of content over the course of your career if you’re starting out as a niche-based content creator.
How To Sustain Your Business As A Niche-Based Content Creator
Niche-based content creators need to focus on creating depth through a mixture of short and long form content, with products that match that (i.e merchandise catered to your skillset along with e-books or other how-to guides).
Niche-based content creators might also find themselves in the position as educators. In which case, its wise to sell your services as an authority to drum up another recurring revenue source.
So, Should You Have A Niche As A Content Creator?
In short, there’s no one right answer! While it may be easier to gain a targeted following with a specific niche, broad content creators may be able to connect with a wider net of fans over time. Either strategy can help you transform into a full-time content creator, so long as it aligns with your goals.
Ultimately, you should go with the strategy that feels most sustainable to you over the course of a career. Have fun paving your path!