Full-time content creation?

Full-time content creation: the dream, right? Well, for about 34% of Uppbeat creators it’s their reality. Content creation has risen the ranks to sit alongside teacher and doctor as a sensible career path worth pursuing, and it’s clear why. 

In an unstable job market (hello, AI layoffs), content is increasingly seen as “future proof” income for many: you can make money at home without specific qualifications, or a ceiling on how much you can earn. 

It can be tricky to grow as a creator, but once your annual earnings reach $15k a year things tend to blow up. If you’re unsure whether you’re ready to pursue full-time content, maybe keep this figure as something to work towards. Hit $15k and the question of when to go full-time is probably a lot closer than you think. 

But what’s it actually like to be a full-time creator? These three Uppbeat partners tell all. 

1. Madame Myriad: “Don’t sacrifice your passion for content.” 
   
   62% of creators have experienced burnout, a risk which is higher when you include the pressures of paying the bills. Since going full-time, Madame Myriad has put clear strategies in place to protect her mental health: “Know when you want to take days off and have a boundary between content and life. That line has to be somewhere.” 
   
   Read Madame Myriad’s full story.
   
   

2. Arnaud from Filmbro: “To make a living, you need to add value.”
   
   Every full-time creator knows this one trick: diversification. Rather than focus on just making videos, Arnaud has diversified his income streams so there’s less pressure for every product to be a viral success: “If you are expecting quick wins or an overnight success, that’s never the case. Full-time requires hard work.” 
   
   Read Arnaud’s full story.
   
   

3. Kevin E. from Beyond the Cut podcast: “I don’t want a bigger crowd, I want a better room.” 
   
   The journey to full-time content creation isn’t linear. Mistakes will be made – what counts is how you learn from them. Kev has recently gone full-time and his biggest learning? The importance of a real, engaged audience: “Numbers feel great, but without community [everything] can feel empty.”
   
   Watch Kev’s top learnings. 
   
   

Not for everyone → Full-time content might be the end goal for some, but others prefer a balance between creating and a 9-5. Fortunately, you don’t need to pick between YouTube success and your day job. 

The algorithm increasingly values quality over quantity. That means you can post less frequently and still be rewarded in the feed. Great if you're keen for the stability of a job, but fancy making some extra money on the side.

In an industry-first, YouTube has given users control over the amount of short-form content they see in their feed. You can now set your YouTube Shorts timer to 0 in your mobile app settings and disable Shorts completely. 

At first glance, it’s a minor update (YouTube hasn’t even formally announced it). But dig a little deeper and it has very real repercussions for the creator space…

The rapid rise of Shorts → You could say YouTube was late to the short-form scene. Shorts went global in March 2021 – a year after Instagram reels (2020) and 4 years after TikTok (2017) – and yet it now boasts 4 billion monthly users… plus the added clout of kick-starting the careers of household creator names like Sambucha and Dan Rhodes. 

But with this rapid growth has come concerns. Some say Shorts is ‘cannibalizing’ long-form YouTube videos and contributing to social media addiction. Introducing,

The $6 million court case → A Los Angeles jury has found Meta and Google guilty of intentionally building addictive social media platforms that harm mental health. 

Google’s take → “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site." And yet, the platform announced built-in social media controls for parents in January ahead of the trial and the ability to disable Shorts shortly afterwards…

The outcome →  Both tech giants had to pay a cut of $6 million in damages – but that’s just a fraction of what’s to come. There are currently hundreds of similar cases making their way through US courts. 

Researchers say this could be a “breaking point” for big tech. Increasingly, they’ll need to give users control over their feeds, or face financial repercussions… YouTube’s decision to curtail Shorts is just the start.  

Will this impact short-form creators? In short, unlikely. There’ll always be an audience for short-form content, the only difference is that now that audience will be more intentional. Aka. fewer mindless scrollers and more genuinely engaged viewers who can’t wait to watch your next upload. (Cheeky engagement boost, anyone?) 

We asked Rachel Feehan from our Creator Support Team which channel she’s been loving recently and why. 

What’s your favorite channel right now? "Lucy Moon (@lucymoon), a British YouTuber and lifestyle vlogger."

3 words to describe them? "Chic, grounded, cozy."

Why do you love them? "I love that her content is grounded in the everyday, but captured in a modern and stylish way. She's been uploading videos for 15 years, so she's got that cozy old-school YouTube feeling whilst experimenting with new ideas and formats - from releasing her own music, to crafting pop-culture video essays. It's like catching up with your cool best friend."

We think they would love… "Our collection of chillhop tracks, perfect background beats for vlogs."

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