Content Creation

So, here I was, happily creating content on Substack for eight months, gaining subscribers and thinking I was doing a jolly good job.

Today, I wrote a new article. I logged into my account and discovered that the platform banned both publications for “spamming & phishing.” I checked the terms of publishing, and under that offence, it included adding people to a subscriber list who hadn’t opted in.

WTAF!

Anyhow, I am innocent of anything they had decided I had done. I have appealed, but I understand it can be a lengthy process. Even if they remove the ban, I’m not sure I want to continue. It spoiled my Sunday morning.

I sat in the garden with a cup of coffee and thought about what had happened. I had over 40 newsletters and had worked hard to provide value. Still, it means nothing because I do not own my content.

I thought Substack was different.

The problem is the same with all social media platforms. They can decide on a whim to ban your account. TikTok is notorious for this, as are Facebook and even LinkedIn.

I was almost at the point of taking down my Wolfheart website. It was the site I created as an SEO writer working with clients. It no longer seemed appropriate as I stepped away from that service late in 2023. However, after this debacle, I deleted all the content and revamped the site for my digital marketing, mindset, and manifestation content previously posted on Substack.

I’ve done an about-turn I never expected to do. I didn’t want to maintain and pay for a website. I have a done-for-me website for my digital business, and I wasn’t keen on adding to my workflow.

Today’s event was a wake-up call. Even though creating content on social media platforms relies on them playing nice, I had hoped to avoid any issues by following the rules and guidelines. Sadly, being a good girl hasn’t worked.

June 2024 Pinterest Suspended My Account

After three months of building my Pinterest account, I opened the app one morning to see a big red button saying “ACCOUNT DEACTIVATED”.

I received an automated email and the reason was supposedly “spam”.

I’d scheduled two pins a day that week.

Having read Pinterest community guidelines, my error may have been one of two things –

1. I added a couple of shortlinks
2. I had one URL that was a forwarder

I didn’t realise both these things are against community guidelines (I’d suggest you read and digest)

I made four appeals to Pinterest without success. All you get it bot responses saying they have reviewed your account and decided not to reactive.

I had 8.9k monthly views and was getting engagement.

In July, I opened a new account and started afresh.

It’s bloody heartbreaking!

I only post to my blog content now and am VERY careful.

Still, the point is, these draconian methods put you in a vulnerable position. These platforms are unforgiving. Instead of reaching out to say “hey, Jan, you made a mistake, Put it right. Read the guidelines and we’ll talk no more about it” you’re out!

This post is a short but sweet reminder not to put all your eggs in one basket and to remember that these platforms can pull the plug on you any time they choose.

Is it hard to become a content creator? 

Creating content seems easy, doesn’t it? However, how challenging is it to become a content creator? Moreover, how much do content creators make and is it worth the effort?

The experts tell us that the $250 trillion creator economy will double in the next four years. Becoming part of that success is a dream for many of us.

When stuck at a desk or your boss is ranting at you, imagining spending your days creating content seems a better alternative. It is, for sure, but there are some essential things to consider.

I’m a freelance writer. Midway through 2023, I lost two big clients, wiping out my income. That’s when I decided to focus on digital marketing and create my own products. However, I’m a widow living in rental accommodation and need a regular income.

After scratching around for work, I have some gigs set up, but I have to pitch every month, so I cannot guarantee the workload. I can’t be **sed to dig deep and get regular work because I am 100% committed to breaking free from the freelance lifestyle. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

So, here’s what I intend to do with my content creation. Then, I will share the challenges that I am sure will be relatable.

1. Work on my Pinterest strategy. Pinterest is a fantastic search engine
2. Start a YouTube channel
3. Acquire partnerships with affiliate products I endorse
4. Start working on creating digital products

I quit TikTok and Instagram in late 2024. You reach a point where you realise you can’t do it all without burning out.

Here are the Challenges:

• Cramming my freelance work for two weeks to give me time to work on my projects
• Creating pins to schedule 3/day
• Running my busy dog behaviour business
• Managing my ADHD because I ever procrastinate for days or do too much when I’m in a super productive mode
• Appointments for hair, doctors, dentists, meeting a friend for lunch, eat into my time

Intention minus lack of time = overwhelm.

Realistically, once I create sufficient income from digital and affiliate marketing, many of these problems go away.

Here’s the truth: You never have as much time as you think, and everything always takes longer than you estimate.

The Next Step if You Want to Become a Content Creator

Be prepared for the amount of work involved. After the first month, I was exhausted. Talking to other content creators on Threads, they feel the same. It’s full on. So, it’s vital to find a rhythm that suits your personality, energy levels and time commitment.

If you work full-time, you have a smaller window of opportunity. However, I believe it’s important to cut yourself some slack and commit to what YOU CAN DO instead of focusing on what YOU CANNOT DO.

I commit to do at least one thing daily towards my future. Consistency and determination are the keys to success. In late April, I began promoting an MRR (master resell rights) product but I had misgivings from day one. There are things about the MRR business model that I don’t align with.

Be aware of how you feel about what you promote, If it doesn’t light up your soul, it may be hard to sell.

How I Manage My Workflow

Once I got approved by Journey by Mediavine for ad revenue, I intended to increase my blogging frequency. Sounds great in principle. But, in reality, I couldn’t keep up writing blog posts from scratch, working on a Pinterest strategy and creating to videos weekly for my YouTube channel. Something had to give.

Anyhoo, here is my approach to managing my workflow.

1. Writing Blog Content: After a long search and significant testing, I now create my draft posts with KoalaWriter. It is one of the best I have ever used and saves me around 4 hours for each blog post. There is minimum editing, usually around an hour to fine-tune.
2. Pinterest Strategy: My marketing priority is Pinterest. I schedule 3 pins Monday to Friday and two a day at the weekend. On an Excel doc, I plan what pins to post each day and add the link and the times to post. I split throughout the day.
3. Canva: I create all my pins on Canva, usually in one go. I have around a dozen pin templates and change colours etc.I have studied design to get better and quicker at creating effective pins
4. Video Content: I create AI images on Canva, get royalty-free music from Uppbeat and edit in Capcut 
5. Sceduling: I schedule directly on Pinterest a week in advance and Use Metricool  for Instagram.
6. Instagram Threads: I spend time in the evening on Threads engaging with others and I post 1-3 threads daily.
7. Instagram Stories: I quit Instagram in 2024. I will go back to it for a creative business I’m starting soon. The best place for starting is with Instagram stories and choosing a proven niche that works well on Instagram.
8. YouTube: I’m failing dismally. I need to give something up to start doing tutorials on my YouTube channel, which is pretty much dormant

I reckon that lot takes me around three days. Anyone who says you can create an online business as a content creator in 1-2 hours a day is fibbing. For beginners, that is an unrealistic expectation. With more experience, it may be possible.

Repurposing content can help and batch creating is a better option than trying to do it daily.

In conclusion, It’s not hard to become a content creator, but there are challenges. However, nobody made me aware of these challenges. I’d have coped better had I known. So, I hope this article helps you to manage better than I did during the first few months of content creation.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link.