Mind over matter.
Have you heard that saying? As a kid, I remember my parents telling me this when I said, “But it’s too hard, Mom.”
I was dealing with a problem, and their point was that my mindset impacted my outcome. Did I want to see how I could get through it or wallow in what wasn’t working?
Justin Welsh, one of the biggest creators on LinkedIn and one who has made millions in the creator economy, once said…
“Every successful person I know believes in themself. Every unsuccessful person I know believes everything is rigged. It’s cliche as hell, but mindset matters.”
And he’s not the first to note how the right mindset factors into your ability to achieve success.
The common theme is obvious as I continue to connect and follow other creators. Your own growth mindset is one of your biggest assets. But what does this look like in practice?
Table of Contents
- What’s a content creator?
- What’s a growth mindset?
- How Content Creators Embody the Growth Mindset Example
- Growth Mindsets Help You Stay In It To Win It
What’s a content creator?
According to this Hubspot article, content creators are defined as those who produce “entertaining, helpful, or educational material that caters to the interests and challenges of a target audience.”
By definition, this could potentially include several marketers or, more specifically, their team members, strategists, writers, graphic designers, videographers, and anyone involved in the “doing” of pushing consumable information live.
From my personal perception, earning the title of “content creator” has more to do with how others view your content output. You must be ready to put in consistent reps to get to this level.
When I think of content creators, I think of individuals who have put in years of publishing trusted and helpful content. Sure, you first need to believe you’re a content creator at your core, but you know you’ve arrived when others start referencing you this way.
What’s a growth mindset?
In three short words, I describe a growth mindset as “opportunities, not obstacles.” This is the exact opposite of the fixed mindset, where one might assume they’re just more limited in their abilities.
How to develop a growth mindset is important for anyone, but I think content creators really embody this way of thinking and this way of life. Going back to my original definition of a content creator, years go into making this title happen. I haven’t seen too often when this kind of status magically occurs overnight.
When you have a growth mindset, you look at challenges or obstacles differently. You no longer easily lean into the fixed mindset and view it as a “stopping point” when things get hard.
Growth mindset folks aren’t throwing their hands up in the air and giving up…nope.
Instead, these challenges give you pause, cause you to re-evaluate, and usually trigger you to pivot or get creative with how you want to move forward. They may even strangely…motivate you more.
How Content Creators Embody the Growth Mindset Example
Who better to overcome adversity than a creator? One who surely has had one person (likely multiple people) give them a puzzled look when trying to explain what they do.
Opportunity Not Failure
Back to my original point. “Failure” or “mistakes” aren’t in the vocabulary of a content creator. Or let’s say they don’t use this terminology to describe scenarios that arise.
Because If they did, their motivation would fizzle too quickly. And you guessed it…being able to become a successful content creator wouldn’t be likely.
It’s all about opportunities.
When your posts in social media channels aren’t getting engagement…there’s an opportunity to rethink your strategy. (No, it’s not a sign you should give up.)
Is your newsletter not growing in subscribers?
There’s an opportunity to rethink content and how to grow your list. Growth will happen. It’s just a matter of when and through what tactics.
These are all growth mindset examples content creators encounter.
Small Actions Over Inaction
There’s typically an evolution with getting to content creator status.
Most I admire start out as experts in a field (digital making, SEO, etc.) and transform their expertise into a deliverable for clients. In this first stage, you’re trading your time for money.
But then you realize that over time, you can rely less on clients for income as you build your personal brand, creating high-quality content that resonates with others who follow you.
Small actions every day add up.
- Picking social media platforms like LinkedIn, X, or Instagram and publishing social media posts
- Experimenting with multiple content forms – text posts, carousels, video content, polls, etc.
- Actively engaging with comments, DMs, and coffee chats
- And moving those who follow you from rented social spaces to owned platforms in your control
It’s years in the making of showing up and leaning into the content you enjoy doing (newsletters, online courses, YouTube videos), focusing on providing value.
Mind you, this ends up being unpaid work for a while.
Content creators know it’s about the small, tiny ” get-to-dos” you take action on each day that compound. Inaction gets you nowhere. But if you take small steps with a mindset to improve, you’ll eventually get there.
Embracing the Unknown
Content creators take on projects they’ve never done. And two things are big contributors to this.
- Solid confidence
- Unshakeable drive
Just because you don’t know how to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.
You embrace what isn’t familiar and give it a shot. You have confidence that you’re capable.
When I attended a content entrepreneur conference earlier this year, I met many content creators who were hitting it out of the park. (Or at least that’s what it looks like from the outside.) But what I took away from the hotel lobby conversations was that we’re all just trying to figure it out.
Some of us are just further along the path than others. It doesn’t mean you’ll never get there!
As a digital content creator, your first steps aren’t always clear. You must experiment to figure out what works. You embrace the unknown and get energized by the idea of paving a unique path.
Being Able to Pivot
And with embracing what’s unknown, creators are great at the pivot.
They get good at knowing when to hold on and when to let go. And their instincts get stronger as time goes on.
Especially in the digital world with algorithms, one constant you can count on is that change will occur. Industry trends will shift. Everyone knows what was once Twitter is a new X. Right now, video content is the new push.
When producing content for a living, there’s always a new “thing” that could come along and change what’s been working. Content creators are good at embracing new skills and paying attention to what they need to tweak in their strategy next.
Asking for Feedback
Content creators consistently ask for feedback from their audience. They welcome constructive criticism because they know that to improve their craft, there’s no better way then to ask those already following their content.
Polls in social posts are an easy way to get feedback. It could be as simple as asking a yes/no to understand how many individuals know about your newsletter. Or it could be a more detailed poll, wanting to understand the content topics that others want to see more of from you.
Your welcome email to someone newly subscribed is a great way to get initial feedback.
After discussing what to expect, you can conclude with this question: “If you have a few seconds, could you reply and let me know why you subscribed?”
Deep down, content creators are also researchers, trying to collect data to understand where it is with their content they can improve and provide more value.
The worst mistake is to create in a vacuum. Practicing in public allows you to test, ask for feedback, learn, and improve.
Eagerness to Learn
And speaking of learning, content creators are also students.
It’s not odd for them to wake up early or stay up late to have time to read the slew of newsletters, books, and articles centered around content marketing and psychology. They do it because they enjoy what new nuggets they can apply to the content they create.
There’s a balance of entertaining or educational material always going through their minds.
The drive to want to understand more, discuss, and apply new learnings to their work is part of the creative process. You have to embrace learning if you want to be a long-game content creator.
Growth Mindsets Help You Stay In It To Win It
A growth mindset keeps you going when you feel like so much is stacked against you.
Content creators often have to endure years of feeling like they are on a slow and jagged climb to get to a point where there’s larger recognition for their work. So many give up because it takes too long to consistently create great content (and for free) when they also need to balance their financial and personal needs in life.
I’ve felt this personally.
But content creators don’t settle for only what they know, take feedback personally, or get frozen with inaction. Instead, they stay open, push themselves to be vulnerable, and reach out to ask others what they think intending to want to change…and change for the better.
It’s not easy. But having a growth mindset makes all the difference. Maybe THE difference in the journey of becoming a content creator.
