There’s a little bit of a false impression that it’s “too late” to get began as a creator in 2025. Certain, the TikTok growth of 2020 is behind us (RIP days the place movies of your sourdough starter received 10K views), however that doesn’t imply you’ve missed the boat.
For one factor, it’s most likely by no means going to be as simple as it’s proper now, ever once more. The house is crowded, nevertheless it’s solely getting extra so. And one other: there’s nonetheless loads of room for genuine voices to make their mark.
“Your voice and your perspective matter,” says creator and marketer Aarushi Singh. “There’s room for everybody within the creator economic system, and the world wants extra passionate folks sharing their data and creativity.”
Plus, you’ve received a secret weapon — the tried-and-tested recommendation of profitable creators who’ve been there, carried out that, and received the blue examine (or Prime Voice badge). I spoke to a number of of my favourite creators throughout platforms and requested them, with all their years of expertise (and cross-platform followings), what they’d do in another way in the event that they have been ranging from scratch right this moment.
And so they had some fascinating insights to share.
Armed with their knowledge, Buffer’s information, and my very own expertise as a creator, I’ve pulled collectively this step-by-step information.
So, whether or not you are dreaming of turning into the subsequent huge TikTok star or constructing a significant group on LinkedIn, I’ve received you coated.
Let’s begin constructing your plan — and your following.
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P.S. You’ll discover somewhat ‘worksheet’ on the backside of this text you’ll be able to copy and paste into your notes software of alternative.
1. Discover your ‘why’ — and write it down
What’s motivating you to begin constructing your presence on social media? Setting an overarching purpose will enable you to get clear in your viewers, content material, and extra. On high of that, it’s a helpful north star to revisit while you want some motivation to stay to your plan.
Gina Sapién, a marketer who grew her LinkedIn following to over 10K in simply six months in 2024, says this is without doubt one of the most essential items of the puzzle.
“What’s your principal motive for creating content material? Are you rising a model, closing offers, touchdown a job, or one thing else? Your technique will depend upon this.”
She cautions in opposition to setting a purpose like ‘get followers.’ “Don’t get distracted by self-importance metrics like followers in the event that they don’t align along with your purpose. For instance, in case you’re constructing a enterprise, deal with leads, not likes.”
In my case, I’m targeted on constructing my viewers on LinkedIn in 2025 (supported by content material on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads). My overarching purpose is to not get followers however to generate a number of earnings streams. Which means touchdown creator partnerships with manufacturers I really like and choosing up content material advertising and marketing and podcasting freelance work.
When you’re clear in your why, write it down someplace seen. Analysis helps the concept writing down your objectives makes it extra doubtless you’ll obtain them — 50% extra doubtless, in response to a research out of the Dominican College of California. I’ll take these odds.
2. Discover your (for now) candy spot
If you happen to’ve consumed any content material about getting your begin on social, you’ll doubtless have heard a factor or two about selecting your area of interest. It’s good recommendation, however one which, in my expertise, would possibly result in some overthinking.
In response to social media strategist Lindsey Gamble, the secret is choosing a subject you’ll be able to discuss day after day with out desirous to throw your cellphone out the window.
“Whereas some subjects could have broader attraction or higher attain, I would deal with one or two that I am captivated with and may constantly develop content material for,” he explains. “Consistency is essential to content material creation, and selecting a subject you understand or love helps forestall burnout and retains you motivated.”
Gina has some nice recommendation on this entrance, too: “What’s that one factor you might discuss all day with out getting drained AND folks truly wish to hear about? Begin there,” she suggests.
“Then break it down into 3–5 smaller themes (content material pillars) you’ll be able to stick to every week. These will preserve you targeted and enable you to construct belief along with your viewers.”
For Aarushi, this step would come with “a radical self-analysis of my expertise/pursuits and the way they align with my big-picture objectives.”
“For instance, I am a marketer by day, so it is naturally simpler for me to speak about advertising and marketing and be extra assured about it,” she says.
Nonetheless feeling somewhat overwhelmed by making an attempt to slim down all of your passions? Lindsey shared this nugget, which is able to hopefully alleviate some stress:
“In the end, your area of interest is you and never simply the subject you deal with.”
Gigi Robinson, artistic economic system educator and persistent sickness activist — who has greater than 200K followers throughout TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram — shared one thing related on Buffer Chat: The Podcast.
Begin by specializing in one space of content material that you’re captivated with and broaden from there, she advised.
“Consider your individual model as a photo voltaic system. You’re the solar, and all your pursuits are planets that you just construct upon over time.”
3. Discover your ‘connection’ level
In my authentic draft of this text, I had a tough notice about ‘discovering your viewers.’ However Fairly Little Marketer director, Sophie Miller, shared a tip that takes this a step additional.
“My first step could be to outline my connection level,” she says. “Group is the whole lot in 2025, and it is integral to constructing a presence that stands the take a look at of time, particularly in case you’re trying to construct on a busy platform like Instagram.”
Sophie definitely would know. She began out on her “past love” Instagram again in 2020, amassing greater than 100K followers. Now, she’s extra targeted on LinkedIn, the place she has an viewers of 200K on her private profile and greater than 300K on Fairly Little Marketer’s web page.
“Your connection level is the shared curiosity between you and your viewers, that you should use to construct relationship, keep a constant private model and as course to your content material,” she explains.”
“Who’re you posting for? If it is Gen-Z style girlies, your connection level could be emotions of pattern fatigue and want for timeless items. If you happen to’re a foodie trying to join with different deal with lovers, it could possibly be life’s little luxuries and indulgent but fast suggestions.”
“Defining your connection level signifies that you understand what you are creating, and so they know what to anticipate from you — proper from the get-go.”
4. Play to your strengths
“I’d like to create content material, however I actually don’t wish to be on digital camera.”
If I had a greenback follower for each time somebody informed me that, I’d have about… 12 extra followers. (Which is sort of a number of folks, to be truthful.)
I get that this can be a main blocker for a great deal of folks, however the actuality is that you just actually don’t must be a professional videographer to make it on social. Sure, short-form video is (nonetheless) having a second — nevertheless it’s far out of your solely choice with regards to constructing your viewers on social media.
Way more essential than format is consistency. So, select a format (or a mixture of them) that works for you.
“Whereas short-form video is commonly beneficial due to its recognition on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, I’d deal with codecs that play to my strengths,” Lindsey says. “If short-form video doesn’t come naturally to you, beginning with it would really feel pressured. As a substitute, I’d prioritize codecs that enable me to create content material successfully as a result of that’s what is probably going going to resonate greatest with audiences.”
So, in case you’re comfy on digital camera and revel in enhancing movies, getting down to create three movies each week is nice! If you happen to don’t fall into that camp, then making an attempt to churn out all that video content material goes to result in burnout sooner than you’ll be able to say, “Export to digital camera roll.”
It doesn’t matter what the naysayers would possibly inform you, there may be nonetheless room on social media for photo- and text-based content material — simply take a look at the unimaginable rise of text-based platforms Threads and Bluesky.
And in case you’re on the lookout for receipts, we’ve them — a current evaluation of thousands and thousands of Instagram posts discovered that, whereas movies do get extra attain on the platform, it’s carousels that get essentially the most engagement.
If you’ve landed in your most well-liked content material format, it’s time to contemplate…
5. Select your platforms (correctly)
As an aspiring creator, I’m certain you have already got a platform (or a number of) in thoughts you’re hoping to lean into. That’s nice! However now you’ve already carried out some technique leg work as you’re employed by way of these steps, there are a number of extra issues to contemplate:
What’s your final purpose? If it’s reserving model partnerships, Instagram is the #sponsoredpost OG, whereas LinkedIn is unquestionably up-and-coming. If you happen to’re trying to monetize natively, YouTube ought to be your first port of name, although TikTok is one other sturdy choice. Trying to drive click-throughs to a web site or on-line retailer? Pinterest is the place you wish to be.The place is your viewers? I’d argue this isn’t as essential a consideration because it as soon as was, since yow will discover all kinds of niches on the sprawling social networks of right this moment. That stated, widespread sense guidelines apply. (In different phrases: You’re most likely not going to search out too many pensioners on TikTok.)What format are you able to persist with constantly? Whereas most platforms do help a mixture of codecs, there are one or two that simply work greatest in-feed. On TikTok and YouTube, it’s video. On Instagram, it’s movies and carousels. On LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, or X, textual content can nonetheless reign supreme.
If you happen to’re nonetheless feeling confused, right here’s a deep dive on platforms with Lindsey Gamble:
By now, you’ll know what sort of content material you are creating, the place, and for who. If you happen to’re ranging from scratch, you most likely really feel such as you’ve received your work lower out for you — however don’t assume the brace place simply but.
There are a great deal of fantastic instruments on the market that may enable you to make the method smoother and sooner. Right here’s a fast listing of some instruments and use circumstances you would possibly wish to think about:
A social media calendar: Whether or not it is a easy diary or spreadsheet or a extra highly effective software like Buffer or Notion, a social media calendar is crucial for staying constant and arranged. Listed here are some social media calendar templates to get began (or watch the video beneath to construct one from scratch with me.)Photograph editor: Whether or not it’s resizing to the most effective dimensions for every platform or tweaking the colours to suit your feed, a photograph editor ought to be your first port-of-call. I take advantage of Canva and Adobe Lightroom for many of this.Design app: For creating carousels, including textual content to photographs, and even some light-weight animations, you’ll want a design software. Canva is my go-to, although Figma is a good choice in case you’re on the lookout for one thing somewhat extra highly effective.A textual content editor: If you happen to’re a text-based creator, I’d suggest a software that dots the i’s and crosses the t’s. Grammarly’s browser extension is my favourite for many textual content, although AI writing instruments like ChatGPT, Author, and Claude can be useful. I additionally like to make use of Speechify to learn longer posts aloud to me to verify they make sense.Video editor: You’re spoilt for alternative with regards to nice video editors. My favorites are CapCut and Veed, although it would take some experimentation to discover a system that works for you. These video enhancing instruments are all wonderful choices.Social media administration: No surprises right here, however I’m an enormous fan of scheduling social media posts prematurely. Plus, I crosspost to a number of channels and there’s no approach I’m going to try this manually. Buffer is, in fact, my go-to for scheduling and crossposting (it’s a superb alternative for novices, and it’s free). If it’s not the precise match for you, right here’s a complete listing of social media administration instruments and who they’re greatest for.Social media analytics: Determining what content material works greatest to your viewers is a vital (and ongoing) job for creator success. Most platforms do have native analytics baked through which will be useful, nevertheless it will get actually fiddly in case you’re sharing on a number of channels. Once more, Buffer’s my best choice right here because it does the maths for you (recommending your greatest day, frequency, and content material sort to submit on most channels), however right here’s a bumper listing of all the good social media analytics instruments on the market.An concepts hub: When you get posting, I can just about assure that your greatest content material concepts will come to you on the gymnasium/on the retailer/out on a stroll. You want a software you should use on the go to retailer these sparks of genius. Your Notes app, Notion, Google Maintain, and Buffer’s Create House will work a deal with.
6. Lean on different creators who encourage you
After I first began creating on TikTok extra constantly, probably the greatest items of recommendation I ever obtained was from Buffer’s personal Nathan Nannenga, who has constructed up greater than 30K followers on TikTok for his recreation and interest retailer, Riftgate.
He suggested me to search out different creators in my area of interest who I really like, and use their movies as a template for my very own. That positively doesn’t imply copying them outright in fact (there’s no technique to flop on TikTok sooner than inauthenticity). I’d put my very own spin on their concepts, filming related photographs for my movies and seeing the place and the way they included transitions and different results. Doing this actually helped me discover my ft as a video creator and outline my very own type.
Gina has some related recommendation for text-based creators. “Writing as a beginner can really feel overwhelming, so discover posts that work and use them as a place to begin,” she says. “Simply don’t copy and paste — and at all times give credit score in case you borrow an concept.”
7. Make some buddies
Not all of the work that goes into constructing an viewers occurs on a public feed. Kiran Shahid, a content material strategist, says that probably the greatest issues she ever did when constructing her 10K viewers on LinkedIn was connecting with different creators.
“I would research their content material, perceive their journey, after which ship them tremendous customized DMs that confirmed I would truly carried out my homework,” she says. “I additionally left detailed, considerate feedback that added actual worth to discussions. The important thing was being ridiculously in step with this method. I would observe up with folks, share their wins, and genuinely have a good time their successes.”
This funding nonetheless pays dividends right this moment, Kiran says. “These similar folks often have interaction with my content material, however extra importantly, they’ve turn out to be a part of a tight-knit group the place all of us help one another’s development.”
“I’ve gotten superb referrals for work, and collaboration alternatives — all as a result of I took the time to construct relationships fairly than simply accumulating connections.”
Equally, Lindsey recommends fostering connections by yourself content material, too.
“One benefit new creators have is a smaller viewers, which permits for deeper, extra private engagement,” he says. “Early on, I’d make it a precedence to work together with each remark, DM, or message on my content material. This type of direct engagement helps construct sturdy relationships and may flip informal viewers into loyal, engaged followers.”
“As your viewers grows, scaling this stage of interplay will get more durable, so reap the benefits of it whilst you can.”
8. Set a sensible, versatile schedule
Creator burnout: A factor to be averted in any respect prices. Whereas posting extra is commonly touted as higher for many platforms, that’s fairly unrealistic for most people. There’s no level in posting day by day if that ignites your inside Icarus.
To be sure to don’t fly too near the solar, don’t put your self below an excessive amount of stress. Callie Schweitzer, Head of Scaled Packages at LinkedIn, works with loads of new creators. One of many issues she stresses to all of them: Do not attempt to go from zero to day by day posting in a single day.
“Do not set a New 12 months’s decision that when you have posted zero instances within the final month, you are going to submit each day,” she warns. “That is unrealistic… and we are able to all inform when any individual’s posting on a platform, and it feels pressured.”
As a substitute, begin small and construct up regularly. Perhaps that is one submit every week, then two, then three. The bottom line is discovering a rhythm you’ll be able to truly keep.
Once more, consistency > frequency.
9. Contemplate constructing a house house base
If there’s one factor we’ve realized from the speedy banning and unbanning of TikTok, it’s that there’s one thing to be stated for the previous adage, “Do not put all of your eggs in a single basket.”
“With algorithms consistently evolving, insurance policies altering, and the opportunity of platforms being banned, creators ought to deal with constructing channels that they personal too,” Lindsey says.
Contemplate beginning:
These owned channels aren’t simply backup plans — they’re potential early monetization alternatives too.
It’s time to make the leap — and submit
If you happen to’ve labored your approach by way of this text, you’re prepared. It’s time to get to the enjoyable — and most difficult half — posting.
I don’t say troublesome as a result of creating content material is difficult work. It’s, nevertheless it’s no more durable than working by way of the creator technique you’ve simply completed. Hitting ‘publish’ is hard as a result of it means getting into the unknown, to a level, with each submit.
“That is the factor about being a creator. When you have not began, you construct a mountain of self-doubt and impostor syndrome that makes you consider you’ll be able to’t obtain issues as a result of another person is best at it, has larger numbers, or higher gear,” Aarushi says.
“However take it from somebody who’s been there and carried out that, you should recover from your perfectionism. You do not want a loopy new concept or an otherworldly genius interstellar craft to be a profitable creator.”
Extra excellent news: It will get somewhat simpler each single time.
Which is the place this sensible recommendation from creator and social strategist Jayde Powell is available in: “Simply submit the content material. I believe over time, issues will fall into place, however you will not have all of the solutions till you truly begin posting.
“However I might say, do not assume so critically about it,” she provides. “That is imagined to be one thing that’s actually enjoyable and pleasant and pure to you as a result of it’s an extension of who you might be.”
“So simply get to posting. After which, over time, issues will fall into place accordingly.”
New Creator Worksheet
Copy and paste these inquiries to your notes software of alternative and work your approach by way of them (a pen and paper will just do high-quality, too!).
My ‘why’ is:
Why am I beginning as a creator? What motivates me?
My candy spot is:
What’s the one factor I may discuss endlessly with out getting drained?
…and that results in these content material pillars:
First core themeSecond core themeThird core theme
The connection level/s between me and my viewers are:
What shared curiosity or worth will assist me construct a relationship with my viewers?
My strengths are:
What codecs (e.g., video, textual content, picture, and many others.) or kinds of content material play to my talents?
The platforms I’ll deal with are:
What channels align with my objectives, viewers, and strengths?
My creator software stack contains:
Photograph editor: e.g., Canva, Adobe LightroomDesign app: e.g., Canva, FigmaText editor: e.g., Grammarly, ChatGPTVideo editor: e.g., CapCut, VeedSocial media administration: e.g., BufferAnalytics instruments: e.g., Buffer, native platform analyticsIdeas hub: e.g., Notes app, Notion, Buffer’s Create House
The creators who encourage me are:
Whose work resonates with me? What classes can I take from them? Professional tip: Maintain a listing of hyperlinks to their profiles so you’ll be able to often go to, have interaction, and study from their newest content material.
My content material schedule is:
What posting frequency can I keep with out burning out?
The owned channels I’ll discover are:
What house base (e.g., weblog, publication, or group) will I construct to safe my content material and diversify my earnings alternatives?
My subsequent steps:
What’s the very first piece of content material I’ll submit? When? How will I observe up?
Searching for extra help?
As a brand new (and even skilled) creator, it may be simple to really feel remoted and overwhelmed. That’s why we kicked off Buffer’s Creator Camp, a program that will help you submit on social media constantly for 30 days. This high-touch, free problem gives the construction, help, and group to make posting a behavior. Study extra right here →
Missed the most recent spherical of Creator Camp? No sweat: We kick off a brand new problem each quarter! Till then, you’ll be able to at all times be part of our Discord group to attach with different creators.