Creators who have built an audience, I would love to hear from you!

I'm interested in hearing from creators who have built a business around their social media audience, whether it's been successful or not!

I'm exploring the idea of becoming a behind the scenes, commercial operator for creators/influencers, and I want to understand what it's actually like to build a business as a creator, alongside the content and brand deals! Brands are making money from the audiences and communities creators have built, but how many creators are actually turning that attention into a sustainable business of their own?

From the research I've been doing, it seems like loads of creators are spending hours making content every week and relying on brand deals, affiliate links and social media algorithms to keep money coming in.

Having had experience building and running businesses myself, I know how much time and effort can go into building something. There's the product development, whether that be digital or physical, figuring out what people will actually buy, building sales funnels, creating memberships and managing all the operations.

Now, I'm curious whether there's a gap for someone who can take some of that responsibility off a creator's hands.

So if you're a creator, I'd love to know:

  • What's been the hardest part of turning your audience into money aside from brand deals?
  • Have you ever wanted to launch something but struggled to get it off the ground?
  • Is there anything on the business side you wish someone else could just take care of?
  • Do you enjoy running the business side of things, or would you rather focus on creating and have someone else handle it?

I'm not trying to sell anything here! I'm trying to understand what creators struggle with and whether this is a problem worth solving.

Would love to hear about your experiences, including if things that haven't worked!

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Comments

itsSomethingCool•2 days ago•2

Musician making original music. 400k on IG, 145k on TikTok (stopped posting there much).

There’s so many streams of revenue apart from brand deals - merch & vinyls being the main 2 for me. I’ve had people ask for lessons or even e-books, but don’t want to pursue that avenue right now.

I wish someone could take care of the communication side while just keeping me aware. I now have new business management that is working to get me deals with Tecovas, Stetson & other brands that fit my style like ariats, Levi’s / Wrangler. Before them I’d gotten deals with various brands and even Fender, whose sent me a ton of free, expensive stuff to make videos with that they use for ads. I like being made aware of this stuff, but don’t like the back and forward emails.

Don’t get me wrong I love the business side since I did it solo for so long, but dont want that to be a huge part of my day to day now that things are ramped up.

zomerbk•1 day ago•2

For your creator interviews, I’d ask about the last product they considered launching: what stopped it, and which parts would they trust someone else to own? A stalled launch could mean they need help with operations, but it could also mean they aren’t sure their audience wants to buy it. Those call for different kinds of help.

No-Perspective872•1 day ago•2

I’m a creator with over 275k followers across channels who monetized with my own products/services.

The hardest part has been just finding people who are willing to pay the price to work with me, but I also think that’s normal.

I have done pretty well launching my products/services.

I would love to hand over some of the admin work. I automate what I can, use Claude and have custom tools, but there’s still just a lot.

I enjoy the business development side as well as the creative side. I know that at some point I may have to rethink doing everything myself, but for now I’m enjoying it.

Sad-Chapter-6007•1 day ago•2

the biggest hurdle i see with my clients isn't the making of the thing, it's that they wait way too long to treat it like a real business. you get comfortable with the brand deal drip and putting a product together feels like a giant unknown monster, so they put it off for years.

wish more creators understood most businesses fail not because the product sucked but because nobody could find it. you see a big account and think it'll be an easy launch, but converting a passive scroller into a paying customer is a different sport entirely. that transition from free entertainment to paid value is where stuff gets real dicey, and a lot of folks aren't ready for how much direct sales grind it takes even with a built-in crowd.

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DaytonDoes•2 days ago•1

Hello. ReddX here. Cringe aggregation/reaction channel for 6 years running. 32k subs, and a relic of 2020 YouTube. But I'm still around. So I'll answer briefly.

Hardest part of turning my audience into money? My content is inherently gross and kinda edgy by nature.

Wanted to launch something? This is everyone. There's 4 or 5 channels I've buried because they didn't meet expectations.

Someone else taking care of things? I enjoy making the content. My schedule is set. Social media outreach is lacking, but I don't think I'd pay for it. Just code another bot.

Running the business side? My business is barely a business. I'm sure it could be, but I don't have time cold outreach and social media circlejerks.

Hope you find something useful there.

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