Finding success in the world of content creation can be challenging, given the increasing competition and the surge in the amount of advice available. The author of this article introduces a new method designed for aspiring content creators seeking to become professionals. This comprehensive guide deciphers a simple, tried, and tested 5-part framework, known as PARTS, to facilitate content creators in their journey towards turning their passion into a viable business.
Capturing Attention
To make a mark as a content creator and build an audience, you need to reach out to new audiences, particularly through discovery platforms.
This could be corners of social media where your audience already gathers or topics related to your content that people are actively looking for.
Contributing to ongoing conversations initiated by other creators is also an effective strategy to gain visibility.
Practically, this might mean appearing in podcasts or YouTube channels owned by these creators.
Building the Premise
The author stresses the importance of beginning with a strong premise rather than focusing on a niche.
The premise sets the foundation for all that follows, thus investing time to nail it down is critical.
The author recommends an ‘XY premise pitch’ where ‘X’ signifies the topic of the project while ‘Y’ introduces an exclusive angle or belief system.
This, the author believes, helps to set the creator apart, especially in saturated online spaces.
The Significance of Systems
The implementation of systems saves precious time for the most essential aspects of the business – creatives and relationship building.
These are areas where a creator’s genius truly shines, and are task elements they can perform better than anyone else.
Essentially, systems boost productivity by directing focus to the areas where it is most needed.
Retaining Attention
Following the capture of attention, it’s important to retain it.
This could mean gaining followers on social media or subscribers on your YouTube channel.
However, these platforms can limit your access to the audience, making it crucial to cultivate direct communication channels such as email newsletters and text message groups where you can communicate freely with your audience, thus ensuring truly retained attention.
Choosing your Product
Products can play a key role in generating revenue.
As a creator, you can create and sell your own digital or physical products.
It’s advisable to focus on just one product initially, perfecting it before launching others.
One example given is of Tiago Forte, who focused on refining a single product, the ‘Building A Second Brain’ course before developing a second product.
Introduction to the PARTS Framework
The unique framework presented in this article was born out of the author’s numerous interviews with professional content creators, aiming to provide a clear and memorizable path towards career success.
The author created the PARTS acronym not only to stand out amidst the noise and help those seeking advice, but also to challenge conventional, often flawed, models.
PARTS equals Premise, Attention, Revenue Model, Trust, Systems
Understanding Your Audience and Content Necessity
In order to develop a robust premise, there are key questions that creators need to answer, including identifying who the target customer is, how will the content help them, and why the content needs to exist in the first place.
A clear understanding of these questions will help content creators build out their premise and offer something of value to the audience.
This not only justifies the existence of their content, but also gives it a certain level of uniqueness and necessity.
Identifying a Unique Perspective (SPOV)
Finally, the author suggests wrapping up the premise with a Spiky Point of View (SPOV), which is essentially a unique perspective about why the particular content needs to exist.
This can significantly enhance the strength of the premise and become the backbone of the whole creator business.
Once a clear and strong premise has been identified, creators are ready to start sharing their unique message with the world.
Building Trust with your Audience
Cultivating trust with your audience forms the last step of the process.
Trust is essential for revenue as it paves the way for audiences to purchase your products or services.
Trust is built over time and involves consistently delivering high-quality content.
This process requires a long term commitment, but ultimately results in content creators being able to successfully monetize their offerings.
The Role of Trust in Creative Business
Creators primarily leverage platforms like email, podcasts and other owned media for distribution due to their high degree of trust development.
By properly coordinating the modules of the PARTS model, a reliable revenue generation business can be established, as evidenced by many successful creators.
Developing a Revenue Model
A significant part of being a content creator involves monetizing your content, or, as the article prefers, developing a ‘revenue model’.
This speaks to the complexity of this process and its integration into your overall business strategy.
Two main sources of revenue are identified: direct revenue from your own products, and indirect revenue earned outside of your sales.
A mix of both is recommended to ensure a diverse stream and increase creator resilience.
Emphasizing the Entrepreneurial Aspect
A creators’ journey is entrepreneurial in nature.
One is more likely to enjoy the creatives’ journey by treating it more like a business rather than just a job.
Treating your creative work as a business warrants your involvement and commitment, without which no sales occur.
It demands you to personally dive deep into your business and contribute to its success.
The ‘Machine’ Approach to your Creative Business
Taking things a step further, creators are encouraged to treat their business like a machine.
This implies creating systems to minimize inputs and maximize outputs, essentially optimizing your occupational life.
To accomplish this, creators are advised to automate or outsource all inputs other than creative work and relationship building.
Developing Your Identity as a Content Creator
A creator’s unique perspective and experiences can greatly contribute to the credibility of their content.
Ideally, proving their expertise in their chosen field based on their past experience and continuous learning can set them apart.
Notably, investigating the experiences and opinions of other creators, identifying patterns, and staying updated with the trends can provide a unique perspective to induce richness and depth in the content.
