I want to do content creation, but I don’t want to be labeled by one thing. What should I do?
If you ever want to get into content creation but thinks your identity is still evolving, you still want to explore more, life has more possibilities, should you delay content creation? or is there a way to start? This is my advice and my rational for you:
I really understand that feeling thinking oh I am still young, I’m only in my 20s, I don’t want to be defined by one thing yet, I am an accumulation of alot of stuff. Being defined by one thing, for example, my job, is a very suffocating idea. This is a misconception of content creation that we are eternally tagged by one thing.
We have this mentality thinking if we create a channel or a content we have to be stuck with it forever, this is not true. In content creation there is this saying called labeling a tag. But we can also rid a tag. For example, “Kevin — the interviewer”, then we change to “Kevin-the cooker”.
The reason we start from labeling as one tag is to send users a clear message of what they can expect from us from following our channel. Once we developed like 30–50 videos relating to that one theme, we should be able to gain a good enough follower base. Then we can switch a tag to move on to creating about another topic. Then we can repeat the steps of 30–50 videos and move on again.
Of course, while you change topic, some followers will leave you, but some followers will stay because they like you as a person. And they are interested in what next you are working on. As you go through the steps of labeling a tag and switching a tag, you are able to grow a core set of loyal followers.
The day you can get rid of the tag entirely, and be known as “Kevin” is the day when you grow a large enough user base or when you one of your content or video exploded in the internet. You no longer need that tag to define you anymore, and you can get rid of it.
At this moment, the tag is no longer the verticial, you as a person is the vertical.
From another perspective, the reason you want to keep changing tags is because the amount of stuff you can do with one tag is very limited, eventually you will exhaust stuff to create and you need new hybrids to generate new content. For example about “Workout”, eventually you can extend to “Workout + food”, “Workout+lifestyle” etc. Or you can start moving on doing food entirely or lifestyle entirely, if that is where you realize your passion takes you. It’s about maneuvering the balance between what user wants and what you want, and striking for that right balance.
From a product perspective, if we consider a product an MVP, we should start from designing one feature at a time. In this case, your first tag, is your first MVP, but as your app grows you will need more features to support it, you will ultimately grow to have more tags. BUT we all have to start from somewhere small. And taking that first step is more important.
So instead of thinking you will get defined by one tag, think about how you will stuck with one label, start creating first!
Also, if you really become known for one thing, that is HUGE as well, never forget that!
START DOING!!! :D
I’m the 24-year-old of you from 2021, how have you been my best friend? Since 2021, I decided to start writing rawly on medium to track my problems, challenges, and how I overcome them, right when it’s fresh, so you can look back can see how you really made decisions to change your actions, and hope this can help you for your future.
This is the 1st mail that I send to you.
Feb 28, 2021
