Content creator economy in mobile apps

Table of contents:

• What is the creator economy?
• How does the creator economy work?
• What’s the state of the creator economy?
• What are the creator economy business plans?
• The common content creator economy types in mobile apps
• Apps that help the content creator process
• Why is the creator economy a big deal?



The power dynamics of the creative economy are quickly shifting. Creators are now in the driver's seat, with greater independence than ever before. Examples of content creators are YouTubers and TikTokers. They produce material for their audiences constantly. Today, creator platforms take too many profits away from the creator. They don't allow artists to be discovered through their algorithms.

Also, few provide direct ownership where all stakeholders have a financial advantage. All depending on their contributions. Creators are not only the product; they are the new economy.

What is the creator economy?

Long ago, there was a small number of people who created material and a larger group that 'consumed' it. As new platforms and technology evolved, content took on a variety of shapes and forms.

The creative economy is rather vast. It's composed of side hustles, independent companies, social media influencers, bloggers, and videographers. Over 50 million people globally consider themselves independent producers, according to Signalfire.

The creative economy also includes a diverse range of businesses providing creators services. Such as content development, online analytics systems, and website hosting.

The creator economy refers to the 50 million+ independent content creators and community builders. They create free or paid material, then distribute it to their followers via apps. A combination of factors has resulted in a shift in the ecosystem. Resulting in what is now known as the creator economy.

Common app channels for the creator economy include:

• Twitch for live video streaming
• YouTube for on-demand video content
• Instagram for images and short videos
• TikTok for short videos
• Facebook for multi-media content

How does the creator economy work?

The creator economy fosters a network of creators, consumers, advertisers, and other stakeholders. This ecosystem has far-reaching ramifications. From the creation, distribution, consumption, and monetization of material.

There are majorly five stakeholders:

• Creators
• Consumers
• Platform
• Businesses
• Tools

Creators

Creators are infopreneurs who generate content that their audiences consume. The material might be educational, entertaining, or motivating. These content makers use their knowledge to generate content. To also grow audiences, and monetize their work.

There are four kinds of creators:

• Bloggers/Vloggers who give guidance or advice on issues for which they are well-known. Fashion bloggers, for example, on what's new in the fashion world.
• Entertainers who generate content through writing, music, or any other type of art. As an example, consider an artist who shares songs on Soundcloud.
• Experts and guides who offer their expertise on products, services, and other issues.
• Existing celebrities use their fame to generate content.

Consumers

Consumers are those who consume content. They are the creators' intended audience. Consumers interact with expert-created material. They financially support them or follow their opinion leaders for knowledge and enjoyment.

Platforms

Platforms are third-party services. They assist in the development, distribution, consumption, and monetization of content. Platforms are utilized by both stakeholders to communicate with one another.

Platforms deliver value-added services. They generate money through adverts or membership fees. Some well-known examples are YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms.

Businesses

Businesses are organizations that want to promote their products and services. This happens through the use of content creators. They target the creators' audience by collaborating with influencers. This generates content around their offering, then delivered it through the influencer's networks.

Influencers and corporations work together to create effective brand awareness campaigns. This new business model benefits both stakeholders. Influencers can monetize their influence by charging a premium. And then companies that can effectively market their brand.

What’s the state of the creator economy?

There is now a huge shift in the way material is consumed and created. Many internet businesses are building sustainable plans to monetize their platform. Thus the creator economy is growing in strength.

YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are deciding how content is made nowadays. They also decide how the content is delivered, consumed, and monetized.

What are the creator economy business plans?

How do users make money out of these apps? The creator economy has brought creative business models. These are transforming into long-term jobs by allowing them to focus on what they love most. Creating, interacting with followers, and monetizing their influence. Here are some examples of business models:

• Platform revenue sharing plan
• Affiliate marketing plan
• Product placement plan
• Brand sponsorship plan
• Subscription-based plan
• Self-branding
• Donations

Platform revenue sharing plan

This is the most common plan with the lowest barrier to entry. It's for creators that use platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and others. Creators may monetize their work by receiving a part of the ad income. Ad income that is earned by their channel and posts.

Affiliate marketing plan

Affiliate marketing is a commission-based strategy. Influencers are compensated for each consumer referred to a partner brand. Creators not only monetize their impact but also assist companies in creating leads. Through their content, they can position themselves as industry authorities.

Product placement plan

Producers are compensated for using or featuring brands in their material. Advertisers or corporations pay influencers in exchange for product/service mentions.

Brand sponsorship plan

A business or advertiser pays an influencer to promote their brand. They do this by promoting it in their content. This strategy requires artists to sign a contract. This states the exclusivity of specific products and services but it's more expensive.

Subscription-based plan

Various sites offer subscription-based content, such as OnlyFans, Instagram, Patreon, and Twitch. Here viewers may subscribe to a creator's channel for a charge of their choice. Fans may then view unique content. Live broadcasts, and videos that are not available anywhere else on these channels.

Self-branding

Several creators even develop their products and services. It could be clothing lines, accessories, and so on. They make more cash and position themselves as a figure with authority in their field. This concept is better suited to artists who want to build a long-term business.

Donations

Donations are another common type of monetization in the creative economy. This model has existed for more than a decade, yet, it is less common nowadays. You can't rely on contributions because people will either forget or won't be able to pay them. This is why most influencers choose subscriptions, brand sponsorship, and affiliate marketing.

The common content creator economy types in mobile apps

Text This might contain everything from short articles to long-form content and newsletters. The simple premise of Substack, is to be "the home for exceptional writing". While most of its newsletters are free, Substack has over 500,000 paid members. According to The Guardian, “Substack takes 10% of subscription earnings, and payment company Stripe takes a further 3% with writers taking the rest. Writers charge around $5 a month (£3.66) or $50 a year for access to their newsletters, although the platform’s many free newsletters also have a big following.” Another fun fact is that the top ten Substack publishers make a combined $7 million each year.

Video content Short-form videos appeal to smartphone users looking for casual entertainment. Following TikTok's breakthrough, other clones appeared in various countries. Many people find it simple to create videos thanks to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The main advantage of such apps is that they do need expensive shooting equipment. Only a competent smartphone, and an app.

Audio content Podcasts had a large fan base even before the COVID-19 epidemic. The extended stay-at-home period increased the use of audio and video streaming content. Content providers had it well during that period. Not to mention Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other regional platforms. Content makers could record and share their material across major platforms using tools. What tools you might ask? Anchor, Podbean, and others.

Apps that help the creator content process

Canva This is a free graphic design tool for those of you who are unfamiliar with design. Many creators need one, yet they are not always affordable. For example, Canva can help you create lots of graphics. Graphics for social media, blog posts, YouTube thumbnails, and much more.

Even the free version of Canva provides plenty of tools. Including free pictures, and components to help you design your designs. As a result, this app might be a viable answer.

Trello is a free project management application that lets you build many boards. here, you can keep track of everything you generate for your content. In a nutshell, it's a significant productivity increase.

Trello is especially useful if you're not a big lover of excel sheets. Especially if you want to keep track of different materials or projects. For example, you might make one board for each channel you own. Such as an Instagram board, a YouTube board, a blogging board, and so on.

Grammarly Bloggers and freelance writers will appreciate this tool! Grammarly is a free browser plugin that you may install. It will highlight any errors or misspellings in your content. It will identify problems in your blog posts, emails, or drafts once you download it.

You may use it to verify if your blog entries are grammatically proper. So, before pressing "publish," always use the greatest wording you can think of.

Pexels is a great resource for finding interesting royalty-free photos and videos. Artists and makers from all around the world may contribute their work.

The nicest thing about Pexels is that you don't have to pay for a license to use the stock photographs. Nor do you need a subscription to access the website and download the images and videos.

Hootsuite is a social media management and scheduling application. It allows you to connect many accounts, schedule and prepare posts in advance. You may book up to 30 posts in a single session, and you can arrange material for the following ten days. We feel that this is rather decent for a beginning.

Tailwind: Planner & Schedule This is an excellent tool for all Pinterest designers. Tailwind is a Pinterest scheduling service. What does it do? It allows you to plan your pins to various groups, boards, and profiles in advance. This means you don't have to log into your Pinterest account every day to generate and submit new pins.

It's a great solution for content creators that create a lot of material and want to manage it all in one spot.

What other apps are popular nowadays? Probably the ones that Millenials love and are determined to not let go of just yet.

Why is the creator economy a big deal?

The creator economy exploded during the pandemic for obvious reasons. There are no signs of slowing down in the present either. This industry might reach $100 billion+ this year. And it makes sense. With more and more people engaging in online life, many of them create full-time jobs out of it. And of course, even more following the content.

Marketing is being focused on social media platforms nowadays. So what will businesses do? It's only natural to seek out social media influencers to promote their brands.

For example, when famous rapper Snoop Dogg paired with Corona in August of 2020, they played "go big or go home". So, Snoop Dogg did go big with this endorsement. He earned a neat $10 million for the deal. Not too shabby for one commercial. Snoop Dogg absolutely made even more of a name for both himself and Corona with this one.

Do you need a content creator economy mobile app?

As usual, if you have a strategy in mind or are seeking new ideas, it is worthwhile talking with our experts. Let's develop a solution that will provide your company with a competitive advantage.