Learn: Top 5 Social Media Tips for Beginner Content Creators

For content creators, using platforms like Twitter and Instagram effectively is essential to finding and maintaining success. Keeping an ear to the ground and learning the ins and outs of social media will help you pave your own path in the competitive field of content creation.

Content creators pair their unique hobbies and interests with social prowess to grow their brand online. If you use your photography skills to expand your social media following, you’d be considered a content creator. It goes without saying that the content creation profession is more popular than ever. A Harris Poll study found that becoming a content creator is the most popular dream job for today’s kids (aged 8 to 12). In fact, nearly three times as many kids dream of becoming YouTubers or vloggers over astronauts.

So, in a world with 50 million content creators, how can you step out of the crowd and into the spotlight? MPB's Drew Troutman provides five social media tips that will help you shine on social media as a content creator.

1. Get the right camera gear

On social media, photos and videos are only as good as the quality and creativity behind them. That means using the right camera gear for your goals. Capturing video content? Check out some of Sony’s best mirrorlessoptions. For beginners and vloggers, try the Sony ZV-1 (read our Sony ZV-1 review). Beginner photographers might want to start strong with the Fujifilm X100Vcompact camera. Read our Fujifilm X100V review, our Fujifilm X100-series camera guideor our best camera gear for beginners.

2. Be authentic

There's so much competition on social media, so it can be difficult to pave your own path and make a name for yourself. Audiences gravitate toward content creators who are authentic, so don’t be afraid to show your personality. Posts that elicit emotion are far more effective than ones that simply provide information.

People often scroll straight past social media posts that resemble advertisements, so keep your posts real. While it’s nice to post professionally made content, you don’t want to lose sight of what makes you and your social channels unique.

3. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is really important. Before sharing a social media post, consider your audience. Are they interested in seeing this kind of post? Would they have reason to share it with their friends and followers? Take time to truly understand what motivates your audience to click on and engage with social posts.

If there’s any additional info about your followers that you want to know, just ask them. Encouraging followers to interact with your content makes it easier to keep them engaged and excited for what’s in store. Increased comments and replies also play well into the algorithm, which is always an added plus.

4. Keep it consistent

While different platforms serve different purposes, be sure to keep your branding consistent. Take advantage of features (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts) that feed into the platform’s algorithm, but keep your overall look and feel the same.

If someone who follows you on Twitter searches for your Instagram account, they’re likely looking for the same username and profile picture. Maintaining a similar look across your accounts will build brand recognition and make you easier to find.

Consistency is key when it comes to schedules, too. If you’re a YouTuber, try to upload on the same days around the same time. For Twitch streamers, develop a schedule so viewers will know when you go live. Once you’ve established a schedule for the content itself, you’ll have steady social posts that link to said content.

5. Network

When you put your best foot forward and remain committed to your craft, people take notice. Once you meet others in your community, you’ll have the opportunity to establish meaningful connections both online and offline. Team up with similar creators to help each other expand your audiences by sharing and supporting each other’s content on social media.

Surrounding yourself with other content creators will also allow you to understand their processes and methods of work. Researching competitors helps you see what strategies you should implement yourself. What kind of content are your competitors posting? How often are they posting? What content works best on each platform? Answering these questions will help both you and your peers succeed.

Read our article on video tips for content creators and more tips and techniques on the MPB content hub.