5 Things to Think About Before Creating Content

Video Description

Hi everyone!

Because style is my favorite subject, today I want to talk about another huge passion of mine: content creation.

I’ve been posting daily videos for about a year now, and while I’ve loved this journey, there are so many things I wish I had thought about or considered before getting started.

So, in today’s video, I’m sharing 5 things I think you should think about before starting to create content.

Content creation is such an incredible art form, and I truly hope you start if it’s something you feel called to do.

It’s helped me find my voice, become more confident in who I am, and given me a creative outlet for the things I’m passionate about—and I would love for you to have that too.

Hopefully, by watching this video, you’ll come away with a clearer idea of how you want to start, so you can begin your journey with some of the things I wish I had thought about.

If there’s anything I’m missing, make sure to comment it down below. And if you have any other questions about content creation, I’d be happy to answer them.

As always, I hope you have a wonderful day, and thank you so much for watching.

: )))

Video Transcript

Hi everyone, I'm Joshua Miller and welcome to my YouTube channel. And because style is my favorite subject, today I want to talk about the five things that I think that you should think about before starting content creation. So without further ado, let's get started.

The first thing you're going to want to think about is what is the content that you genuinely enjoy watching. Just like how musicians tend to emulate the people that they listen to, when you start creating content, you're naturally going to emulate the people that you enjoy listening to. And this is a completely normal thing. Like for example, when I first started creating content online, I was really interested in Tyler Oakley's earlier videos. And because of that, when I started to create videos of my own, I naturally started to emulate him. And this is a very normal phenomenon, but it's something that I think you want to think about just because if there's any disalignment between the content that you are consuming and the content that you want to create, you're going to have to think about and plan for that ahead of time.

And the second thing you're going to want to think about is what is it that you genuinely enjoy doing? A lot of people when trying to figure out how to start their content creation journey, they always start with the platform that they want to be known on. And while it's very easy to think to yourself, "Oh, I'm super passionate about Tik Tok," or, "Oh, I just love listening to podcasts. I should go and do those." You really need to think intentionally about what elements of content creation are the ones that you genuinely enjoy doing. Because creating content is about so much more than just talking to a camera. Like for example, if you're someone who doesn't really enjoy editing, you're really going to love that unedited raw long- form content, but you're not really going to like making things like video essays or longer form YouTube videos because these kinds of projects take forever to edit. And if you're someone that doesn't enjoy editing, you're going to have to think about that when you go to choose which platform you want to do.

And another thing you're going to want to consider is whether or not you enjoy doing research.

Like if you're someone who really loves doing research or just opening up a Google document and reading a ton of articles in order to research a subject to death, then you're really going to enjoy longer form content like podcasting or YouTube. But again, if you just want to be in front of the camera and performing, you're probably not going to like those styles of content creation just because you're going to be spending over half of the time reading and in a word document. So, if that's something that you don't really enjoy, you're probably not going to like that style of content. And I'm not saying this to scare you. I just don't want you to end up pursuing a goal that you're going to end up resenting just because it forces you to do an activity primarily that you don't really enjoy. Because at the end of the day, I think that when you're doing something that you genuinely enjoy, you're going to take it more seriously and you're also just going to improve at it faster because you're going to be more willing to put the reps in that are needed in order to improve. Because at the end of the day, consistency is everything in content creation. Which brings us to our third point.

The third thing you're going to want to think about is what are the things that are going to get in the way of you creating content. For example, if you're someone that lives in two houses like me, you're going to have to think a lot about what kinds of equipment you're going to need in order to create your videos and whether or not you actually have the space or have the bandwidth to actually do that. The other thing you're going to need to think about is how much time you have to allot to a video and whether or not that's going to align with your working style. For example, if you're someone who likes tackling a big project all in one sitting, but you never have more than one hour free at a time, you're probably not going to enjoy doing long form YouTube. And I know I keep coming back to this as an example, but I just think it's such a good demonstration of how something that seems very simple on the surface can have tons of backlogged hours that are required in order to be successful. And another thing you're going to want to think about is not just the time and the schedule, you're also going to want to think about the environments that you're going to be able to record in. Like if you're going to be forming a short form video, you really have the flexibility of being able to record anywhere. But if you're filming a longer form video, you're going to need to be able to set up things like a ring light or a camera or a microphone. And all of that takes time. It takes energy and it takes planning. So if you don't have the time and you don't have the resources for that, you're really going to need to think about which type of content it is that you want to create. Because again, the content creators who are the most successful in my opinions are the ones who are able to take their workflow and optimize it into the daily schedule that they already have. Because if you're building your life around your content, you're going to end up resenting it and it's going to be harder for you to stick through it in the long run.

Which brings me to my fourth point, which is you're going to want to think about what is the minimum viable product that you are going to be able to put out when you are starting on your content creation journey. In my opinion, one of the hardest things about content creation at first is getting into the habit of actually doing it. In my opinion, one of the hardest things about starting content creation is getting used to doing it every single day. With all of the things like scheduling challenges or external pressure or comparing yourself to other people, there are so many things that could potentially get in the way of you creating content, which is why I think in the beginning, you need to make it as easy for yourself as possible. I always like to advise people to set a time period with which they are going to have to post or create something no matter how good or bad it is because this is going to just force you to get used to doing it. For example, when I first started making videos, I challenged myself to create a daily video whether or not I thought that it was good or bad. Because at the end of the day, I knew that what I was doing is I was building the muscle of daily creativity and that once I had that muscle, I could then stack upon it. But if I didn't lay that foundation, I wasn't really going to be capable of going as far as I ultimately wanted to. And it doesn't have to be a daily video. You can even do a weekly video or even a monthly video. You're just going to want to set a time frame and you're going to want to stick to it. And you're going to want to prepare for any sort of excuse you might give yourself. And just know that you are going to put something out regardless of how good or bad it is within the time period. Because ultimately, in order to be good at something, you have to start. And in order to start, you're not going to be great. But continuing to persevere through that is what is going to eventually make you great and eventually make you someone that people want to watch.

But all of that self-help stuff aside, the fifth and the final thing I want you to think about before beginning your content creation journey is what is the content that you would create if you knew that you had a 100% chance of not failing or being embarrassed. And you might be thinking to yourself, Joshua, this has nothing to do with creating content. But I'd argue that it has everything to do with content. The hardest part about content creation isn't even getting the video up. it's being seen in the video. Which is why I think you need to have a clear idea as to what it is that you truly want to create. The thing is is that once you do this, you start to see what is the real impact and what is the real art that you want to make when you get in front of the camera. And I just think that that is ultimately where you're going to find your voice and where I think that you are going to be the most powerful as a content creator. Like for example, when I first started creating content, I noticed that I really wanted to make motivational videos. Even though I didn't really think of myself at the time as someone that was self-help or motivational, but I just kept coming back to the fact that I wanted to make these videos even though I was scared to do them. And I eventually just pushed myself to do it. And those ended up being the videos. And that ended up being the content that resonated with people the most at the beginning. Because being seen is really, really scary. And when you start putting yourself out there, your subconscious brain is going to start doing all of these different things that will try and trick you into presenting a version of yourself that isn't real to who you authentically are. And I think thinking about what are the things that you would create if you knew you wouldn't be made fun of or you knew that you had no chance of failing, that's when you start to see what is the art that you truly want to make. And that is where I think true creativity and something truly worth watching exists.

If you're watching this video, there's probably a really good chance that you want to create content. And I just hope that from the bottom of my heart that you take a chance on yourself and you let yourself do it. You never know who on the other side of that camera lens needs to hear your voice or needs to hear the things that you are going to say. And I just believe that content creation is such a helpful and such a beneficial art form and helping you get to do that and helping you get to make that impact because I genuinely believe that the world would be such a better place with your voice in it. and I just cannot wait to hear all of the things that you have to say.

So, there you have the five things that I think that you should think about before starting content creation. And if you like this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and hit the subscribe button down below. I post daily shorts every single day and I'm trying to get back into the groove of posting YouTube videos like this one. So, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe because all of that motivation means so much to helping get this YouTube channel off the ground. But most importantly, make sure to have a wonderful day and thank you so much for watching.

Okay, we're about to be live. Uh, I'm going to turn that brightness down and then I'm going to turn my little voice memo on because this is my first time recording audio with my computer and I don't know how it's going to be. And then, [sighs] okay, it's recording. So, now I got to collapse so I can sync the files later. And we're rolling, baby. I look so stupid. [clears throat] Oh, hi ring light. Hi ring light. [laughter]

If you want to be the first to know all things Joshua Miller Style, be sure to subscribe to my email list below! Email subscribers get first access to my blog content and receive special messages from me on what I'm interested in, what you're interested in, and what I'm planning for future posts. So, if you want a weekly reminder to live with style, confidence, and enthusiasm, make sure to click the link below to sign up!

You can also follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at the handles below!

Instagram: @__joshuamiller

TikTok: @__joshuamiller

YouTube: @joshuamillerstyle

SUBSCRIBE