Hello beautiful people! In this article, I'm going to be sharing insights gain from my journey as a tech content creator since 2018 and I'll guide you through the art of building sustainable systems that not only help you stand out in the crowded space but also foster a dedicated and engaged audience.
Introduction
I've gone through a lot of rounds of writing articles, creating videos and short-form content for social media and for different audiences and levels of depth. So today I'm going to talk about how to create these systems and methods to engage not only developers online, but just any audience! My journey started back in 2017-2018, when I made videos of my little coding projects and later by writing tutorials with my FreeCodeCamp solutions!
Back then I didn't have a real system to know what topics to focus on or how to write scripts or who to target. But over time, and with a lot of practice my content got better and got noticed even by some companies who asked me to create videos or write articles for their products. I got to build professional content using much better resources and better tools. Some things I needed to learn:
How to build a creator's muscle
How to pick topics, who to target, how to write scripts
Do I focus on bread or do I focus on depth?
And how do I make it fun yet be taken very seriously at the same time?
I'd like to clarify that while creating a lot of content might lead to some overnight success (viral posts), most things don't happen overnight. Therefore, we will focus on longevity rather than quick wins.
The content creator values of depth
A lot of people expect that the first time you create content, it's going to be viral, because you work so hard refining just that initial pieces of content, but the views/likes don't come in.
The reality is that it's really hard to be a successful creator over time, especially if you're doing videos- it's not easy and results take time, but the truth is it's easier than ever to get started creating content across a range of platforms (IG, TikTok, YouTube), but it's also equally harder to grow your audience with the barrier to entry so low.
I want to introduce a concept that I really enjoy. It's called the content creator values of depth depth. It's inspired by the content creator Vanessa Lao, she has a great talk on her YouTube channel.
Different Types of "Wanna be Creators"
The majority of people never start a channel or never start posting because they keep waiting for the perfect opportunity, the perfect niche, the perfect topic or they believe that their content is not good enough. But for the select few who do actually start they might upload a few pieces of content, maybe five to ten but they don't see the momentum and so they give up. A lot of people find themselves in this "Valley of death" and very few people, crawl out of this... There are also these people who continue to go and they gain momentum, they optimize their ability to create content, they figure out what works for them but then they are not able to sustain that growth because they burn out over time.
For those who can actually create systems and these "rinse and repeat" cycles, they also are able to continue to grow over the span of a few years, but the challenge here is that they struggle to stay relevant because the algorithms change, the platforms change, interests change, things come in and out of popularity, so it's really about who can reinvent themselves and adapt to these new trends.
Ιf you think about it, it's three phases of being a Creator, whether it's in tech or somewhere else:
It's starting a channel or a platform or a newsletter
Growing that
And then being able to scale and reinvent yourself.
Know your Audience
In those early phases of your creation journey- whether it's video, podcast, newsletter, or social media- you should always start with an audience in mind. You need to know your audience before you create any content, and one great rule is ABC: Audience Before Content. Who's going to be in the virtual room watching you? Or reading your posts? It's usually not just one kind of person, but you can think about themes. An advice you won't hear very often is:
Start with a target audience and not a niche topic, because you might niche down so much that you miss a variety of other topics that your audience might actually care about.
If you have trouble defining this, ask yourself the rule of three:
Who were you?
Who were you three years ago,
Or who do you want to be three years from now?
Perfection, the Enemy of Good
Don't let perfection be the enemy of good. There's this myth that you need to know your niche before you upload a piece of content, write a post on social media, but the truth is, your niche will find you after you've posted enough, you've collected enough data on what's actually performing and what you enjoy creating! For me, it's taken years to become a creator, and I'm still experimenting and changing the topics on my social media and blogging platforms to figure out what I enjoy talking about and what resonates with the audience. (I've been talking about front-end, community building, career advancement tips, AI tools, Rust, and more!)
How to Create Content
Remember also that your target audience has many different interests, just like you do, so it's ok to talk about different things.
You want to make sure that you're telling stories. This is super important. Once you have your audience defined, always answer one big question with your content. I'll give you an example: one big question you.
Next, create an outline and a rough draft using a 5 point argument model (read below), and then pair down. You want to only keep what's necessary to answer that one big question.
Finally, you can storyboard, build your visuals, add everything around it that's going to help you film and/or publish.
Try to make a personal connection with your audience and your work. Stories are super memorable.
The 5-Point Argument Model:
Introduction - Problem Description - Solution - Results - Conclusion
Think about introducing the content and then talking about the problem and putting yourself in someone's shoes and then moving into the solution that you're trying to talk about, some evidence to support that and then wrapping up!
This is great because it helps you outline your content much faster when you structure it in this way, and it's also how people understand the story. It's an arc, and it's something that movie theaters and movie companies use all the time and people can really understand. What you're really doing in this framework is: You're building trust with the audience by explaining a really sharp problem they might resonate with, and then a solution that you've discovered, answering that question and then concluding with results. One thing I'll also say about the hook is it's really important. So, for any kind of content, you want to form an emotional connection and a sense of urgency in the hook. Target an emotion, whether it's funny, shocking, scary, etc.
For YouTube, it's really important to have that hook in the first 30 seconds before audience retention drops off significantly. For social platforms (like LinkedIn), you want to put it above the fold, meaning above the "See more".
Focusing on Systems and Not Outcomes
"You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." ~ James clear
Growing means focusing on systems and not outcomes. It's really about consistency and endurance, and that comes with sustainable systems. A few things you can do about it: batch, bake, or batch and bake (see below).
Time Blocking
Batch: Block 2-3 weeks every quarter to film for 8 videos, write a bunch of social media posts and schedule them. (I do this every couple of weeks, usually on Fridays.)
Bake: Block specific days every week for content creation.
Batch and bake: A combination of both, where you batch and bake. Maybe you batch your video creation and you bake your social media post to promote it.
You can use a planner/google sheet, whatever you prefer, to keep track of all these activities.
How to Come up With Content Ideas
A question I get all the time is how to come up with content ideas. Always be on the lookout! We're always consuming content ourselves. So one thing you can do is curate what you're already seeing on social media, on newsletters, checking your competition, etc., and you can synthesize that information. But, make sure you have a thesis and an argument or answering one big question! Like "Why Python is going to be the programming language of 2024?" or "5 AI Devtools that no one talks about".
Something else that you can do is learn and build in public (I've done that a lot with my coding challenges). Learn and show your new knowledge to your audience. You can even livestream it! (It's fun ~ trust me. Senior people can jump in and help you when you stack!)
Lastly, discussion: you can conduct interviews with people that you meet, collaborate with the community, and even ask your audience what to cover next.
Data Driven
Be data-driven and adapt. It's important to start understanding how to format your descriptions and do SEO optimization, keywords, tags, etc. You can also do things like AB tests on different metadata for your video. It's very helpful to understand what's resonating with your audience. Make sure that you experiment with different formats: so creating shorts or reals, posting on other platforms like LinkedIn, X, starting a newsletter, and posting the same content that you already do.
Conclusion
In conclusion, being a successful tech content creator in 2024 requires a blend of strategic planning, consistent effort, and adaptability. By understanding your audience, and creating sustainable systems, you can build a dedicated and engaged following. Remember to tell compelling stories, use the 5 Point Argument Model, and always be on the lookout for new content ideas. Stay data-driven and be ready to reinvent yourself as trends and platforms evolve.
If you have any questions or need further guidance, feel free to ask. Happy creating!
👋 Hello, I'm Eleftheria, devrel and content creator.
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