How can you use multiple platforms to diversify your creator income?

When it comes to juggling different platforms to boost your creator income, knowing your 'special sauce' is crucial. It's all about what makes you, well, YOU. Is it your quirky humor, your way of breaking down complex stuff, or your eye for amazing visuals? Think of it this way: Your special sauce shouldn’t change, but how you serve it might. On YouTube, you're maybe more detailed and visual, while on Twitter, you keep it snappy and witty. It's like changing your outfit but still being the same awesome you.

Usually, it is advantageous to approach content creation as a hobby. This will lead you to develop an audience centered around your values without even thinking about it. If this is not the perspective you wish to take or you are trying to pivot your content, sometimes it is helpful to think of content creation via a business lens. If you already have been making content and want to pivot, identifying throughlines from user feed back/analytics may be helpful to gauge what value you're providing to your viewers. If you are just starting out, researching various topics within the niche you're looking to create content in is a good start; you may survey the general formats/topics creators go with and the feedback users provide.

One really helpful tool for discovering the right niche for you is an Ikigai. Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being." It involves four elements: what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. This intersection is the sweet spot for Creators to align their passions, skills, and market opportunities, leading to a fulfilling and viable business -- work that's not only profitable but also personally rewarding and socially relevant. Connecting these dots will be critical to sustain, creating content that serves your market for the long term.

Choose platforms that work well together and enhance your content. For instance, if you're good at making tutorial videos on YouTube, why not use Instagram to give sneak peeks or behind-the-scenes looks? Or use a blog to dive deeper into your subjects, driving your YouTube audience there for more info. It's about creating a cross-platform experience that feels like a natural extension, not just random choices.

Begin by understanding your unique talents, knowledge and expertise. - what value do you offer to your audience? This will guide your platform selection and content strategy. Example: A fitness trainer could share workout routines on YouTube, offer personalised training plans on Patreon, and provide nutrition advice on their blog. Then, repurpose content. Create once and publish everywhere. For instance, you could turn a blog post into a video, create an infographic from a data driven article. Most importantly, structure your offer suite to keep people in your business.

Choose a platform with features that best highlights and emphasizes your work. Learn how to navigate basic features to your advantage and utilize necessary features to best highlight your work

It is good to build out different content verticals once you've already built the foundations. For example, if you have a podcast you produce, you may publish audio-only on a platform like Spotify. However, if you film the video portion of the podcasts, you can easily re-purpose the content into short-form videos and post across YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, etc. At the same time, you may choose to develop a newsletter to go with you podcast because you may have already developed an email list serve from some of the short-form platforms you've been publishing to. So it's really all about developing the foundation by starting wherever you're at and then developing a content funnel by using other platforms afterward.

Effective creator income diversification hinges on thoughtful platform choices. Choose platforms that work together synergistically, avoiding overlap. Utilize YouTube for in-depth videos, Instagram for compelling visual stories, and Patreon for exclusive offerings. This approach cultivates a comprehensive online footprint, meeting diverse audience preferences and optimizing revenue.

If your foundation is long-form content, you may very easily develop a content funnel by re-purposing your existing content. Whether it's a video podcast turned into short-form content or an email listserve developed into a podcast platform, alternative platforms can best serve you as a way for your content to reach new audiences or for a portion of your current audience to transition into engaging with a new format of content you produce.

Fine-tuning creator income is an ongoing process of refinement. Consistently evaluate and improve monetization strategies across platforms. Experiment with pricing structures, analyze audience interaction, and adjust content based on performance metrics. Staying attuned to industry trends and emerging opportunities ensures a dynamic and prosperous income stream, aligning with evolving audience preferences and market dynamics.

Affiliate links are a great way to monetize any form of content as long as the content itself is great. Partnering with brands that you value or simply linking a product you enjoy in the description of a post can be great ways to both diversify and consolidate your income sources as a creator.

One thing I've found helpful is being authentic. Being as human as possible that way it makes it easier for people to relate to you and they highly like have had the same experience. You might take what you experience in a daily for granted but granted it is good content. Pun intended. :)

The most important thing is to center your business around an owned channel, like a newsletter, podcast, or community. That needs to be the platform you spend the most time nurturing and providing value. Channels like LinkedIn, X, TikTok are all earned (rented) channels, and great to help your audience discover your owned channel content. Choose 1-2 where you can share snippets of your content. Provide value and remember that these platforms are, first and foremost, social media - which is about networking and relationships... not a place for you to spam links back to your owned channels.

Beyond the basics, achieving success entails adaptability to changing trends, cultivating meaningful audience relationships, and strategic collaboration with fellow creators. Consistently evaluate performance metrics for ongoing refinement, recognizing the value of nurturing a distinctive personal brand. Embrace innovation and be open to exploring emerging platforms or formats. A commitment to continual learning and flexibility positions you for sustained success in the ever-evolving domain of the creator economy.

The best way to control your audience and income is to build a community you can control. For some that looks like an email list for others it is a membership like Patreon. Creator platforms are designed to benefit them not the creator.

Overall, one of the best approaches to content creation once you've already developed a core audience is a content funnel centered around repurposing your content. There are many AI tools out there to help clip and schedule short-form content, as well as help improve the SEO aspects of the content you make. You can think of short-form content as small targeted advertisements, so using these across various platforms where you don't have a core audience in order to introduce them to your long-format content is a great approach.