Being a content creator seems to be the job that everyone wants – it offers opportunities for creative expression, a paycheck, and freedom from the 9-5 corporate grind. Unfortunately, many creators have recently found themselves running into unexpected and stress-inducing roadblocks to creativity.
According to a survey conducted by Awin and ShareASale, nearly 80% of content creators and online influencers suffer from burnout, with 66% saying it impacts their mental health. 64% of respondents shared that burnout was directly related to the concern that their content would lack quality and creativity.
As a musician and creator, I’m happy to share a handful of tips and tricks to help prevent burnout and keep creators’ time focused on what they do best, creating!
Don’t Recreate – Automate!
The general public vastly underestimates how long it takes content creators to edit their work. Whether it’s audio, videos, or images – it can take just as long or even longer to slice everything together than it does to shoot or record. That being said, finding ways to streamline the editing process as much as possible is key.
For new content creators especially, editing and sound balancing might add hours to the creative process simply because they are still learning the software. That’s why it’s so important to remove technological barriers that make creating content a chore rather than a passion. For example, Shure offers the ShurePlus MOTIV™ app for our MV7 and MV88+ microphones. The app allows creators to take advantage of a “set it and forget it” feature called Auto-Level Mode that automatically adjusts sound settings to ensure consistent audio recordings. While it may not seem like a big deal at first, adding tools like this to your arsenal can add up and bring hours back into your day.
Reuse, Reduce, Repurpose
Creating content takes time, so why only use it once? Re-purposing content can help maintain engagement and free up more for brainstorming ideas and creating. It’s unlikely that your audience will consume every piece of content from every channel you post on, so spreading out one shoot across multiple weeks can maximize your efforts with minimal lift.
Additionally, it’s vitally important that you continuously evaluate your upload cadence and re-prioritize content that moves the needle. Do you really need to be posting daily or weekly? Do your engagement numbers count on a high volume of posts, or is quality what matters more to your audience? It’s also helpful for creators to look at their content and posting schedules as “seasons” – allowing for one central theme through a certain amount of time to help take back the mind space that comes from having to constantly invent new ideas.
Treat Yo Self
You’ve likely heard this a million times, but with any job, you need to give yourself time off to properly recover and refresh yourself. Multiple studies show that taking breaks throughout the day or week can reduce or prevent stress and lead to longer-term productivity. For content creators specifically, evidence shows that taking a break from constantly uploading has little to no effect on views, engagement, or followers.
Creative juices can be refueled, and inspiration can be found while stepping away from the computer. Have you ever considered attending a creator summit? Whether it’s a local event or you decide to plan a trip around one, creator summits are a great way to charge your creative batteries and network with like-minded individuals.
Outside of time off, consider rewarding your hard work with a new piece of gear to kick-start some motivation. Maybe you’ve had your eye on a new microphone for a while now – making that purchase could help boost your production and breathe new life into your content. It’s all about investing in yourself!
No matter what your job is, there are bound to be good days and bad days. Content creation is a powerful activity that takes up a great deal of energy, so go easy on yourself! Remember that your mental and physical health is more important than any job, and you should feel empowered to take all the time you need to stay fresh – it will help your content, and sanity, in the long run!
About the Author
Laura Clapp Davidson heads up the retail market development team for Shure. Her passion and knowledge of gear comes from over 20 years in the music industry, where she was recently awarded a scholarship to attend the Women of NAMM Leadership Summit in Carlsbad, CA. When she isn’t talking about music equipment, she’s using it as a professional singer/songwriter and podcaster. Learn more at www.lauraclapp.com and check out her podcast Song 43 wherever you consume podcasts.
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