Fame, fortune: How to win fans, influence people as digital content creator

The profession requires engaging storytelling, creativity and knowledge of how various social media platforms work

When Dolly Singh walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival this week, the spotlight was on Indian content creators. Singh, 34, is one of the most recognizable faces of that profession. Her short social media videos ‘Spill the Sass’ and 'Dollyverse' talk about affordable fashion, and the characters she plays poke fun at everyday life.

“From making candles in a small town of Nainital to walking the red carpet at Cannes…I’ve finally ticked an important milestone off my bucket list,” says Singh, an Instagram influencer and actor.

Digital content creation, once a hobby, is now a full-fledged profession. “Around the world, creators are the new generation of celebrities with a follower base that can eclipse many traditional movie stars. They are innovative and versatile. Most of them started out as writers, directors, actors and producers of their own content," says Mehak Kasbekar, vice president and editor-in-chief of Brut India, a digital video publisher. 

Creator’s market

India’s creator economy is worth $75-150 million and it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 12.5 per cent, says Chandrashekar Mantha, partner at Deloitte India. (The global market is worth $ 1.75 billion)

“Content creation moved from niche to local with the advent of platforms that started showcasing content that was generated by users (UGC) and independent creators. Online video OTT platforms opened a whole new economy for content creators both professional and casual makers,” he says.

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube are popular platforms for content creators to post their videos, podcasts, vlogs, or online tutorials. “Before the ban (by India in 2020), TikTok was one of the popular go-to apps for content creation and hosting. YouTube is the market leader with almost 38 per cent market share and it is followed by Instagram at 11 per cent,” says Mantha.

"However, how the future unfolds is to be seen with the offerings and Ui/UX changing in a dynamic environment. Recently, Twitter announced that verified accounts will be able to upload videos of up to two hours. Changes in offerings may change the market dynamics,” he says.

Content creators make videos, podcasts, engage on social media, or write blog posts or newsletters. Success depends on being original, creative and engaging with the audience.

“There has to be engaging storytelling, high production quality and relevance to their target audience, plus it's important to understand the platforms and formats where users are most active. Being mindful of cultural nuances, trends, current events, and the content that consumers engage with throughout the day can help creators develop videos that are relatable and resonate with the audience,” says Aditi Shrivastava, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Pocket Aces, a digital entertainment company.

Opportunities, challenges

Investment bankers Aditi Randev and Sarthak Ahuja create content on Instagram and LinkedIn, advising on business, brands and fundraising.

“Instagram content requires giving a quick business insight in less than 60 seconds. While it allows for Reels to be as long as 90 seconds, with shortening attention spans, we prefer to keep the information to less than a minute. Now, this is great for a quick glimpse on a topic, it's probably not the best to base a business decision on just a 60 second clip," says the couple.

"There's a lot of nuance that goes into taking any business decision, where more deep dives are necessary. LinkedIn gives a person 3,000 characters to explain the nuance in text—which may also not be enough for areas requiring more depth of study. This is where longer videos (of 15-20 minutes) on YouTube and in the form of Substack newsletters bring more perspective.”

Short form gives a creator greater reach and long form builds credibility. "Regardless of whether one creates videos or text, the use of 'hooks' in one's content is essential. It's the first two lines of a written content piece, or the first 6 seconds of a (Instagram) Reel that piques a viewer's interest and makes them want to watch / read more,” says Randev.

“Content creators have various opportunities to earn money like advertising revenue, sponsorships and brand collaborations, affiliate marketing, merchandise and product sales, and even the live business which is slowly opening to them in avenues like speaking engagements and workshops," says Vijay Subramaniam, group CEO and founder, Collective Artists Network, which has a portfolio of artists and celebrities.

"It's important to note that success and regular income as a content creator require consistent effort, quality content creation, audience engagement, and strategic monetization strategies. It's a combination of passion, talent, hard work, and entrepreneurial skills that can lead to sustainable income generation as a content creator.”

Subramaniam cites the work of Bhuvan Bam, who started as a YouTube comedian and now has his own show on Hotstar, and Beyounick (Nikunj Lotia), a former bartender from Maharashtra’s Dombivli who now has his own consumer brand KRA. 

Popular podcast creators are an influential lot, shaping opinion with chatty conversations focused on a topic.

“Comedy, business, history, politics, culture are among the most popular (podcasts). People enjoy both conversational style shows as well as things which are more documentary style in nature. We typically have a producer, audio engineer, video editor, graphic artist and social media team member support the podcast host,” says Amit Doshi, head of IVM Podcasts at Pratilipi, a digital self-publishing platform for Indian languages.

"A content creator is an individual or entity that produces and shares original content across various platforms. They can be professionals, amateurs, or enthusiasts, but they often wear several hats including but not limited to ideating, planning, researching and production, not to mention marketing and branding as well,” says Doshi.

It’s not an easy profession, says Abhijeet Kain, a content creator and Instagram video blogger. “One has to be in it for the right reasons.”

Artificial intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR) are helping content creators in their creativity. By analysing data through social media trends, search patterns, and audience behaviour, creators can identify topics that are gaining popularity.

"I think AI will be a big boon for content creators like me. Technology definitely makes things easier for all of us and AI can help save a lot of time and money, not just for content creators but almost everyone," says Faisal Khan, an automobile influencer and the founder of MotorBeam and FK-R portals.

How much money can a content creator make?
 

Medium	How does one earn
YouTube	Revolution per minute (RPM) $0.5 (Rs 41.34) per 1000 views
Instagram	Nano creators 5,000-15,000 followers= Rs 500-10,000 per post/ reel   Micro 15,000- 1 lacs= Rs 25-50,000   Mid 100,000-500,000= Rs 75,000-2 lakh   Macro range 500,000+= Rs 3 lakh
Facebook	Revolution per minute (RPM) $0.25 (Rs 20.67) per 1,000 views

 
Source: Animeta, an AI-powered Creator Tech company