2024 and Beyond: 7 Insights for Thriving as a Creator, Straight from the Experts

Remember when being a “creator” was a laughable teen pastime?

Now, consumers are largely trusting influencers over brands, creators are taking over brand marketing teams, and the industry is only growing bigger.

In 2023, we’ve seen the so-called Creator Economy grow to 50 million creators globally, with a market size of $250 billion. By 2027, this number is expected to reach $480 billion.

Perhaps most telling, there are now kids’ summer camps dedicated to content creation.

But with great opportunity also comes drawbacks: The market is saturated, and AI makes it easier than ever for anyone to become a creator — which means it truly takes a special case to be sustainable and profitable.

“Successful creators will be those who generate unique insight, can talk about unique experiences, and are able to truly build trust,” says Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science.

We got the insider scoop from Jay and several other successful creators, and narrowed their advice down to seven key tips. Read on to make 2024 the year you make it big.

Creators’ Tips for Surviving the Creator Economy in 2024 

1. Know your way around platforms.

Jay Clouse says that the best content strategy leverages both discovery and relationship platforms. Here’s a breakdown of what he means:

Discovery platform: Generally refers to social media, but also includes search-based platforms like Google and YouTube. These platforms have a built-in mechanism for connecting new viewers with your content.

Relationship platform: Focuses on distribution that YOU own and control. If someone opts into hearing from you on a relationship platform (i.e. a newsletter), you receive direct contact information for them, and your messages are reliably delivered there – there’s no algorithm deciding whether they see your content or not.

It’s generally a good idea to focus on a few discovery platforms, and one or two relationship platforms, rather than trying to conquer them all. For a long-term strategy, Clouse recommends putting more focus on relationship platforms once you’ve gotten the ball rolling.

2. Niche down and be yourself.

Content creation is like any other art form: It might feel like a constant battle against what you want to create, and what you think your audience (or algorithm) might like. Creators reassured me that however tempting it might be to try to be the next MrBeast, it’s better to stay true to yourself.

Jensen Tung, a YouTuber best known for his honest AI entrepreneurship and crazy fitness challenges, maintains that it’s great to use others as your inspiration. But you should always “put your own twist and spin to it.”

Finding your niche won’t happen in a day, so experimenting is encouraged. Be patient and stay in tune with yourself. Here are some questions to help you begin discovering your niche:

What are your strengths (personality traits, background, skillset)?
What is a subject you can discuss endlessly, with a unique perspective that only you possess?
What kind of content brings you joy to create?
What content creation format feels most comfortable for you (video, blog, newsletter)?
Which content is resonating well with audiences? Keep track of comments and feedback.

Once you’ve found your niche, Tung also has some tips for approaching your content.

“Don’t be afraid to be real and candid, and talk about difficult or un-pretty topics. Vulnerability often does the opposite effect of pushing people away — it brings audiences closer to you,” he told me.

3. Optimize for binge-able content.

Once you’ve found your niche, aim to become part of your audience’s regular routine. “I now see audience feedback using the word ‘binge’ as the ultimate signal of progress,” says Clouse in a LinkedIn post.

Natasha Pierre, host of the Shine Online Podcast, likes to create a video series, which is a collection of three or more pieces of video content that all have a common theme.

This helps you not only keep users coming back for more, but also makes creating content easier — you have a reliable content structure, and posts that can remain evergreen long after they’re posted.

4. Interaction drives audience growth, and vice versa.

In a conversation on the My First Million podcast, Samir Chaudry (of the Colin and Samir YouTube Channel) explains how media content has become more participatory in nature.

Before, we had the TV Guide Channel that told us what to watch, then we had on-demand, and now, we have Twitch streams where audiences can interact with the creator and even influence the content.

So how do you build an audience who wants to interact with you?

Essentially, you’ll need to show that you’re a real-life person. Find out which platforms your target audience inhabits. Discord? Twitter/X? Twitch? Use your analytics tools to find out their media habits and which topics entice them most.

It also helps to think about what space you want to occupy in your audience’s lives. Do you want to be their comfort creator, or trusted daily news source on their morning train ride?

Then, just show up. Engage in those comment section debates (tastefully), utilize the Community tab on YouTube, and go live on Twitch or TikTok. Comment on other folks’ content that you admire, or even a random dog meme account. It’ll put you on consumers’ minds, even outside your niche, and give you traction by association.

5. Consistency is king.

This is the number one tip shared by John Lee Dumas, host of Entrepreneurs on Fire. With over 4,000 episodes out and counting, he has truly mastered the art of consistency.

But it’s easier said than done. One of the biggest pain points is ideation — it’s easy to burn out when your output is so high.

“When you know exactly what the ideal consumer of your content is struggling with, you’ll never run out of valuable topic ideas to share with them,” Dumas shared.

“And the more value you can provide, the more likely they are to come back for more content.”

Creator Natasha Pierre recommends productivity hacks to help you stay on track.

“Time block your calendar, add themed days like a day dedicated to admin or creating, and take regular breaks for movement. This has helped me prevent burnout even during the busiest seasons,” she told me.

Additional tips for productivity include AI and automation tools — some examples include Descript, Adobe’s Text-Based Editing, HubSpot’s AI Content Assistant, and Canva’s Magic Design Tool.

6. Join a network.

Networks can be great for many reasons: steady income, more reach, and a trusted corporate partner to fill up some ad inventory. But arguably most beneficial is the community.

Good content can’t be produced in isolation, and there’s no better place to connect with others than a dedicated space for creators. Within HubSpot’s Creator Network for podcasters and YouTubers, creators constantly guest on each other’s shows, do ad swaps, and bounce ideas off of each other.

As an added bonus, they get access to exclusive workshops, blog features (like this one), and networking events like INBOUND.

7. Be willing to put in the work.

In a conversation between John Lee Dumas and Jay Clouse at INBOUND, Dumas mentions the phrase: “The higher the barrier, the lower the competition.”

While building his podcast, Entrepreneurs on Fire, he realized that there were many folks interviewing entrepreneurs once or twice a week. So to create a higher barrier and lessen the competition, he decided to interview entrepreneurs every single day of the week. He maintains that this is a crucial factor to the success of his podcast (He has 155 million total listens and counting).

For both Jay Clouse and John Lee Dumas, it took them years of trial and error to finally break through.

Both of their journeys serve as reminders that success often requires perseverance and continuous improvement. But it also shows that with the right tools, mindset, and community, it is possible.

Top Behavioral Targeting Tools Marketers Should Know About

Like many others, I get dozens of emails a day. 

If the subject line’s irrelevant to my interests, I’m scrolling by and ignoring it. Or, worse, I might click on an email and hit the unsubscribe button after deciding it wasn’t worth my time.

If you’re a marketer, you want to avoid scrolling and unsubscribes at all costs. If your email goes unopened because your messaging missed your target, was the content you created within it even worth it?

To effectively engage and convert potential customers, you need to leverage behavioral targeting tools that enable you to deliver personalized and relevant messaging to your unique audience segments

Fortunately, there’s a wide range of tools available that can help you meet your audiences where they are. Below, we’ll explore some of the top behavioral targeting tools that can level up your marketing strategy.

Top Behavioral Targeting Tools

HubSpot Behavioral Targeting

Get started with HubSpot Behavioral Targeting

With HubSpot Behavioral Targeting, you’ll be able to meet prospects where they are by learning about how they engage with your website and content. 

As a content marketer, my team and I use it to create segmented lists based on persona and level of engagement with our brand or site. These lists often help us determine how to personalize site content, tailor our marketing emails, and run automated campaigns.

Beyond this, the tool helps our broader team identify, learn from, and respond to high-intent behaviors like web visits, email interactions, and form submissions.

You can also leverage contact details from your CRM, personalizing messages using contacts’ name, company, and role. Lastly, you can set up custom triggers, like automatically send a follow-up email after a visitor fills out a form. 

Pricing: Part of Marketing Hub, which offers A free version, Starter at $45/month, Professional at $800/month, and Enterprise at $3,600/month. 

Omnisend

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With Omnisend, you can organize your users into groups based on their engagement, interests, and activities. Once you’ve done so, you can monitor how users interact with your promotional campaigns by tracking if they performed actions like clicks or likes. You can also keep tabs on who opens your emails and messages, and implement web tracking on your website.

Omnisend also allows you to segment your contacts based on their shopping behavior. For example, I could use the tool to find out what products they’re buying  from me, or if they’ve bought specific items, types, or quantities of products. Like other tools on this list, you can also segment customers  based on their web activity to understand how they navigate your website – or whether they just viewed or fully-explored its pages or product listings.

Like HubSpot, Omnisend also lets you segment contacts based on custom events that you create or upload. These events can be tailored to your specific needs, covering anything from shoe size to car model, and more.

Pricing: Free version, Standard at $16/month, and Pro at $59/month.

Klaviyo

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Klaviyo allows you to automate and set triggers for personalized messages, including emails, SMS, and social media, based on customer behavior. 

Whether it’s welcome messages, abandoned cart reminders, or cross-sell campaigns, you can customize your messaging based on specific conditions like order history, channel preference, or cart value.

By leveraging customer data such as location proximity and average order value, you can also create segmented experiences that can be used in various marketing initiatives, including flows, campaigns, paid ads, and sign-up forms. 

Additionally, Klaviyo lets you create one-time sends for special events like holidays, product launches, or sales.

Pricing: Free version available. Email starting at $45/month and Email and SMS starting at $60/month.

Segment

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With Segment, a customer data platform, you can deliver personalized messages based on audience, time, channel, and behavior; view real-time customer profiles; and optimize your offers based on how likely someone is to convert.

Pricing: Free version available. Team at $120/month and custom pricing for Business.

Get Started With Behavioral Targeting

As consumers and technology become increasingly sophisticated, we expect personalized experiences. Leveraging behavioral targeting tools is no longer an option but a necessity – especially if you want to catch my eye during an endless email inbox scroll. 

The ability to precisely segment your audience based on their behaviors and interests allows you to deliver targeted messaging that resonates with, engages, and – ultimately – converts individuals.

Get started with Hubspot Behavioral Targeting.

How to Design an Engaging Facebook Business Page [+ Tips]

Facebook is home to nearly 2 billion monthly active users, so it’s safe to say that having a compelling Facebook Business Page is essential for any company looking to bolster its online presence. It should be easy enough, right? Just slap together a photo and a couple of posts and expect the leads and customers to roll in, right?

Not quite.

If you’re not creating a Facebook Page with a comprehensive strategy to get noticed, Liked, and engaged, the chances of generating leads and customers from it are slim.

To help you out, we created a helpful guide for creating your Facebook Business Page, and we compiled the tips below to ensure your page takes full advantage of everything Facebook marketing offers.

Listen to an audio summary of this post:

How to Design a Facebook Business Page

1. Create your page.

A Facebook Business Page isn’t a user account like your personal page. It’s an asset you manage from a personal Facebook user account as a Page Administrator.

To create a Facebook Business Page, you need to:

Choose a personal Facebook account from which you’ll create your Facebook Business Page. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to create one.

You may want to create a new Facebook account with your work email address to keep things separate, but this isn’t required.

Click the See all button on the left sidebar menu and then select Page from the Create menu that appears on the right.

2. Plug in your details.

On the next page, enter some basic information about your business.

Page name: The name of your business.
Category: The category that best describes your business. Facebook has hundreds of options, so start typing, and it will auto-populate with your business type/industry.
Bio: Keep it short and sweet. Enter a sentence or two about who you are, what you do, and what you stand for.

Now, it’s time to make it official. Click Create Page. Congrats! You are the proud owner of a Facebook Business Page.

Next, you’ll need to enter some additional information about your business, such as:

Website
Phone Number
Email Address
Hours
Location

Pro tip: Check out your page’s mobile view to ensure everything looks correct when accessing your page via phone.

As of 2023, 98.5% of Facebook users access the site via mobile, and 81.8% exclusively use their phones to browse the social media site. So, it’s safe to say that a mobile-conscious approach is warranted.

3. Add your profile pic and cover photo.

Now’s the time to add some style to your page with high-resolution photos that represent your brand.

Your profile picture should include some iteration of your logo.
Your cover photo can be more stylized, but consider using a colorful background that is consistent with your brand style guide.

We recommend using the PNG format for profile pictures and cover photos that include text/logos.

Recommended image sizes:

Profile picture: At least 170px x 170px
Cover photo: 851px x 315px

4. Add an action button.

An action button is a custom call-to-action (CTA) that appears below your cover photo. You can set it to direct visitors to a landing page, book an appointment, or contact you directly (and more).

A thoughtfully selected action button can help drive conversion from your Facebook Business Page. Check out the video above or the steps below to learn how to add one:

From your Page, click the button with a dash, then click Add Page Button.
Select a button from the list of options, then click Next.
Follow the instructions on the screen and click Save.

5. Put on the finishing touches.

At this point, you’re almost done creating your business page and ready to start churning out engaging posts. However, there are a few final touches we recommend taking advantage of.

Customize your tabs

To manage tabs, navigate to your page management dashboard and select More > Manage Sections.
Choose the most relevant tabs to display on your Facebook page, depending on your industry.
For example, you can choose to hide or show reviews or hide tabs such as “Music,” “Sports,” and “Check-ins,” which may not be necessary for a business page.

Create a custom URL

A custom URL will make your Facebook page appear much more legitimate. Your customers would rather see facebook.com/yourbusiness than facebook.com/page18376657 when they visit your page.
Set your custom URL by navigating to General Page Settings and clicking Edit next to Username.

Pin a Post

Choose a post you want to remain at the top of your page and pin it. It can be an exclusive offer, a new product announcement, or a welcome message to new visitors.
Pin a post by clicking the pin icon on the post you want to pin.

If you’ve followed the above steps, you’re ready to hit the ground running and cultivate an engaging Facebook Business Page that resonates with your audience and drives sales.

However, the work doesn’t stop there. You need to keep the ball rolling by posting regularly. If you’re unsure where to start, check out our 41 Facebook Post Ideas for Businesses guide.

15 Tips for an Engaging Facebook Business Page

So you’ve got your Facebook Business Page up and running, but what now? We have some tips to help you get the most out of your page. Check out 15 tips for an engaging Facebook Business Page below.

1. Create engaging graphics.

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Your business page should be clean, stylish, and consistent with your brand style guide. However, that doesn’t mean you need a full-time designer to churn out those assets.

Use tools like Canva to easily create custom graphics for your posts, cover photos, and profile pics using Canva’s templates and free design assets. Canva features templates for every type of social media post you can imagine, so you never have to worry about choosing the correct dimensions.

2. Assign page roles.

It takes a village to manage a Facebook Business Page. That’s what they say, right?

If you work with a team, take advantage of page roles to assign users different access levels to your page so your team can help out without stepping on one another’s toes.

As the page creator, you’ll be the admin, meaning you have full access to everything about your page. As the admin, you can create new admins and users with other access levels. Page roles include:

Admin

Facebook access with full control

Editor

Facebook access with partial control

Moderator

Access to Message Replies, Community Activity, Ads, Insights

Advertiser

Access to Ads and Insights

Analyst

Access to Insights

Community Manager

Access to moderate live chats

3. Integrate your YouTube channel.

People love watching videos on social media, and that includes your customers. If you have a YouTube channel (which we recommend) you can integrate it directly into your Facebook page by following the steps in the video above.

Linking your YouTube to your Facebook page allows you to easily share your YouTube video content with your followers on Facebook for maximal engagement.

4. Post consistently.

Consistency is key when it comes to posting on Facebook (and social media in general). Make the most of your Facebook page by adhering to a consistent posting schedule.

For B2B brands, we recommend 4-6 times a week, while every day is optimal for B2C brands. Consistently posting will improve your standing in the eyes of Facebook’s algorithm, getting your posts in front of more customers for increased engagement.

5. Promote your page.

For a few dollars, you can use Facebook’s advertising tools to run ads on the platform promoting your page and get it in front of new eyeballs.

Click the Promote button on your page, and Facebook will guide you in creating an ad that matches your goals.

Choose your goal, plug in your assets, and you’re off to the races!

6. Go Live.

You can use Facebook Live to engage with your audience in real time by broadcasting live video directly from your Facebook Business Page. When going live from your page, prioritize building an authentic connection with your audience and bolstering your brand story.

You can run a Q&A session, introduce team members, tour your facilities, or run a live giveaway contest. The sky’s the limit! Get creative and go live with a specific goal to enhance your customer engagement.

7. Experiment with different post formats.

Facebook offers a plethora of post formats beyond just photos and videos. You can share polls, stories, live videos, events, links, and questions.

Video is still the dominant post format, but experiment with all post types and see what resonates most with your audience. Facebook will reward you for thoroughly using all its tools by serving your posts to more people.

8. Collaborate with influencers.

Influencer marketing is an essential part of today’s social media landscape.

Of Gen Z and Millennials, 72% follow influencers on social media, so collaborating with word-of-mouth mavens is a safe bet for driving traffic to your Facebook page by introducing your company to a new audience.

When working with influencers, the key is to create relatable content and integrate branding subtly in order to foster an authentic connection with people interacting with your brand.

9. Post when your customers are online.

We know that posting consistently is important, but the time of day you post is also essential. On average, the best times to post on Facebook across industries are in the evening and mid-to-late afternoon, specifically between 6-9 p.m. and 12-3 p.m.

You want to avoid times when customers are less likely to be online, such as early morning and late night hours.

That being said, you should view your Facebook Page Insights to learn valuable information about how people engage with your page.

Using this data, you can make informed decisions on when to post based on when your customers are typically online and engaged with your page.

10. Optimize your videos to play without sound.

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When was the last time you were browsing Facebook and clicked on a video to expand it and hear the audio? Probably not recently, and definitely not when you’re in a public space like the train or waiting in line for lunch.

86% of Facebook videos are viewed without sound, so when creating video content for your page, optimize it for silent playback by using text, subtitles, and strong, descriptive visuals that get the point of your content across without relying on audio.

Check out our guide on optimizing silent videos on Facebook.

11. Incorporate user-generated content.

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When someone tags your page or product in a post, you can send them a request to feature their content on your page. This is referred to as User-Generated Content (UGC).

UGC helps foster a sense of authenticity and social proof. Showing customers that other people are enjoying your business makes them want to enjoy it too.

You don’t just have to sit around and wait for people to post about your product, though. Try incentivizing your customers to generate UGC by offering discounts or running a giveaway, for example.

12. Engage with your audience.

If you want your customers to engage with your Facebook page, encourage them to do so by engaging with them right back. When your customers leave comments on your posts, be sure to reply from your business account and be as friendly and helpful as possible.

Maybe you show gratitude and thank customers for enjoying your product or offer technical support from the comments. In any case, engaging with your customers is key is fostering a sense of loyalty and community on your Facebook Business Page.

13. Analyze Page Insights.

Facebook Insights is an analytics dashboard where you can track user behavior and post performance on your Facebook Business Page.

Take advantage of this dashboard to measure your success and determine areas of your page that need some TLC. If you consistently leverage the data in Page Insights, you can create better content and generate more revenue for your brand.

14. Connect your Instagram.

Only 0.1% of Instagram users are unique to the platform, meaning most Instagram users are on Facebook as well.

If you have an Instagram for your business, we recommend connecting it to your Facebook Business Page so you can crosspost your pics and stories from IG directly to Facebook. Doing so ensures consistent content across your platforms and gives your audience more opportunities to connect with you.

15. Share content related to your industry.

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Your Facebook Business Page isn’t just a place to talk about how amazing your product or service is. Give customers a reason to consistently check on your page by sharing relevant articles, amplifying content from other brands, and starting discussions on events related to your industry.

Make sure the content you share comes from a trusted source, and encourage engagement by asking your customers what they think.

Kickoff Your Facebook Business Page Today

With these steps and tips in hand, you’re well on your way to creating a successful, engaging Facebook Business Page for your brand.

Once you have the foundation laid, don’t forget to keep up with consistent posts and respond to follower comments. Increase your customer engagement today with a compelling presence on Facebook.