Successful content creation is not about you

Building and maintaining a personal brand as a content creator is actually one of the most difficult aspects of the job. Largely because when we think of branding, we often -- wrongfully -- think the entire focus is supposed to be on us.

And perhaps, if and when you grow your platform enough, audiences can and will care more about the "you" behind the content. But in the beginning, it's not so much about you. It's actually mostly about what your audience wants.

And what your audience wants, possibly above all else, is to feel like following your content means they are part of something bigger than themselves.

The internet thrives on the communities it creates. Content creation involves a lot of moving parts, but what you will find in almost every content form is the need to build and maintain a community. It's not just communities of fans following celebrities or movie franchises. People follow content creators because content creation sprouts a sense of community.

It's not about you. Not really. It's about the people who follow you, the community that forms around your content, and why those people keep coming back for more. Audiences like to feel they belong somewhere, that they're on the inside of something exclusive and special. If you can find a way to create that, you'll be able to build a loyal audience you can trust who will support you as your content grows and evolves.

This is not an easy thing to achieve. Yet thousands of creators have done it and will continue to do it. Always keep in mind that for the most part, your audience comes first -- at least in terms of purpose. Plant the seeds for creating that community, and it's possible, at some point down the road, that community will expand far beyond you.