The 3 biggest challenges that creators are facing in 2022 (Results from more than 900 creators surveys) |

May 17, 2022

No two creator journeys are alike. For more information on the challenges of running an enterprise that is a creationist by 2022, we polled over 900 creators. This is what we learned.

"Creators earn their first  online dollar by the millions, and they're joining one of the fastest-growing ecosystems of our planet: the creator economy."

The estimated 50 million individuals think of themselves as creators. There's now greater information than ever on becoming an all-time creator. The word "digital creator" is used in search engines 2.5K each month, while "how do I become content creator" receives 1.3K search results.

The term "creator" refers to anyone who creates. Sure, YouTubers, influencers as well as bloggers and podcasters are all creators -- but so are artists and musicians, craftsmen, educators, worldbuilders, authors, and everyone that is in between.

This broad range of creative work implies that no two creative journeys are identical.

What kind of items do creators make and sell? What are the biggest issues they face? Where do they turn to for assistance? Which are the channels that have been most effective?

To learn more about how to manage a creator business in 2022, we conducted a survey of 900+ creators about their business. They were asked about the challenges they face, their sources of advice, creative channels, and the content they create.

We found this:

Across experience levels The biggest obstacle for creators is gaining an audience (32.9 percent) in the next step is finding enough time for everything (21.6 percent) and knowing how to monetize (14.4%).

In seeking help to overcome those challenges, creators primarily learn from each other. YouTube (22.6%) and private mastermind groups (22.5 percent) are the top two sources that creators go to for help.

The creators of content are making use of social media to connect with their audiences and their followers, with Instagram being the most popular platform (29.1 percent) -- but that implies they must rely on algorithms to get their content seen by the right people.

Stay tuned for a deeper dive into the information.

What are creators' biggest issues in 2022?

We asked "What's your biggest challenge or struggle as a creator right this moment?"

32.9% Growing an audience

21.6 Percent Finding time for everything

14.4 percent Knowing how to monetize

8.86 Percent of creation

3.35 Percent of users are engaging with their followers on social media

2.27 percent Keeping pace with changes and trends

In all levels of experience and types, creators consistently reported the same top three challenges that they face: attracting a larger following, having enough time to do everything and knowing how to monetize their work.

Challenge #1: Growing an audience

Search engine marketing and.

7.68 768 percent of people would invest the funds to build or improve their site by employing

5.66 percent would employ a graphic designer, while 4.16% would invest in an investment in

Making sure your brand and content are placed in front of the correct people can be time-consuming and cost prohibitive, especially for those who are new to running your own online business.

"While you're still trying to grow your email list, you can't just email people," Jessica explained. "I also have to still remain very active and visible via the social networks."

As Jessica has grown more involved and well-known on social media, she's been able to find the right platforms and produce material that is in line with her brand and her narrative. "If you're trying to build a following, they have frequent visits to your page," she shared.

She emphasizes that consistency is crucial, but it doesn't mean your posts have to be formulaic. "You can do your images, you could use Instagram to do Reels and also be humorous You can also make Reels and be professional ... Anything to try to diversify how people can discover your posts."

Social media can be effective in reaching more people, but this also means that creators have depend on algorithmic algorithms of their content to show up on their audience's feeds. The discussion will focus on how creators want to -and are able to get away from algorithms in the future.

Email is another of the most cost-effective and efficient marketing channels available to creators. Sending out a regular email newsletters keeps you in contact with your target audience.

If you're a creator looking to expand your list of email subscribers and create your own email newsletter, you should go through these tools:

Challenge #2: Finding enough time for everything

We asked our respondents to tell us about their plans for spending $2,022, investing in external help was the most popular option.

Also, we found that 5.2 percent of entrepreneurs would utilize the cash to pay for their personal expenses such as rent, utilities, internet charges, as well as their personal income to be able to work more working on their businesses.

3.42 percent of the creators spend the money on time-restoring expenses like childcare, household assistance, time off from regular jobs and fewer hours on side gigs.

Choosing the right tools and programs can help creators make the most of their valuable time.

To see how makes it simpler to manage a successful creator business, get started for free or join our weekly demo.

Challenge #3: Knowing how to monetize

14.4 Percent of creators agree that knowing how to make profits from their work is their biggest challenge. You've created valuable content and gained an enthusiastic audience- now, how do convert that into money?

On, we've witnessed many creators make their first dollars online through selling digital items, including digital downloads, online courses, webinars, and memberships. Digital products let creators make money without relying on advertising or sponsors.

Take entrepreneur, web designer, and creative director John D. Saunders , for example. The day he announced his online course on , John earned $10,000 on day of launch, and $100,000 in total through his website.

But once you create your online class, the majority of the task is taken done and you'll be able to earn regular earnings. "While I'm sleeping I'm earning money. When I'm at playing in the parks with my kids I'm making sales," John explained.

Discover more options for monetization for creators in these articles:

With the many options for monetization available, many creators look to each other for suggestions, ideas as well as guidance in their own journeys. This brings us to the next key takeaway of the survey: How creators seek out suggestions.

Where do creators go for advice?

We asked "What's the number one place you go for advice to solve your biggest challenge?"

22.6 percent YouTube

22.5 Percent A personal mastermind group

15.4% Google

8.86% Facebook group

7.89% Podcasts

5.95% Non-Facebook community

4.11 percent of Blogs

1.41% Public forums (ex: Reddit)

Although no two journeys of creators are the same, we do know that creators across specialties, products types, and experience levels face the same issues.

It makes sense, then it makes sense that they can find solutions and guidance on those challenges by asking each other.

Creators learn from other creators. Through YouTube's mastermind group, Facebook groups forums, communities podcasts, blogs, and forums, 73.3% of creators have surveyed turn to others who are creators to get advice.

Google is the sole advice source that doesn't necessarily fit that category -- though you can guarantee that creators produced a big part of the results of searches, too.

A staggering 70% of internet users participate in some type of virtual community, and 66% of users claim to join groups on the internet to connect with others that share the same interests.

For creators, these communities provide a crucial resource. Creators connect in order to grow and learn We've observed successful creators be incredibly generous with their insights and experience to aid the new generation of creators.

What are the ways other creators manage their companies? What do they sell? What is their primary source of revenue be derived? What are they doing to build their audience?

We are sure that creatives ask all these questions and often seek each other out for answers and inspiration.

We created the Creator Community in order:

Create an opportunity to meet and connect with one another

Create a journey that is more enjoyable and less lonely

Make creators feel part of a community that is accessible just to them

Develop exclusive content specifically to share with community members. This includes courses, creator interviews, and community-driven challenges

Within the first two weeks after we opened our community to everyone who is a creator We saw more than 1500 members as well as hundreds of posts with thoughts, queries and tips.

Experienced creators like Emily Mills contributed to helpful articles like this:

Emily's hacks served as a great illustration of how the members gain knowledge from each other's experience, one of the biggest advantages of joining a creator community.

What kind of content do creators produce? What are the places where they distribute that content?

We asked "What is the main form of content you create?"

33.6% courses

13.8 percent of coaching

13.4% social media

16.54 percent video (9.19 percent for short-form and 7.35 percent long-form)

6.38% blog posts

4.76 percent downloads

4.43% email newsletters

2.81 percent of webinars

More than a third of those that took part in the poll create online courses as their primary form of content. After the courses, coaching social media, and video were the most popular types of content.

Here are some resources for creators looking to build and sell an online course:

Also, we learned that authors sell an average of 10.95 products.

We then asked "What's the primary channel you employ for your company?"

29.1 percent on Instagram

22.4%

17.4 percent on Facebook

8.97% YouTube

5.41 percent Blog

5.08% Zoom

2.49 percent TikTok

0.865 0.65 % of Shopify

0.541% Etsy

Creators are using social media to connect with their audiences, with Instagram as the top social platform (29.1 percent) and then being followed by Facebook (17.4 percent) and YouTube (8.97%).

We've already mentioned that social media is an ideal way for artists to reach new audiences and to establish themselves in their respective niches and communities. But there's one major downside when it comes to using social media: The algorithm.

Social media platforms employ algorithms to identify the content that appears in feeds for users.

Creators are subject to the whims of these algorithms -- your natural content may show up in your followers' feeds, but it also might not. The algorithms may change at any time without warning, and social media firms aren't being transparent with regards to how they operate.

As an example, the changes made on the Facebook algorithm over the past several years have caused a decline in organic reach  which means that fewer users see creators' social posts in their news feeds.

Here are a few more motives why some creators do not like Facebook:

"I consider that FB is too distracting, and people won't be able to find my post or will not stick there."

"FB groups are not trustworthy and unreliable, and users are running from FB right now, so it's tough to get an environment of engagement."

"I really hate sending my people to Facebook or similarly shady tech firms that collect data and use it to hook us on distraction."

"I have to pay the full-time VA to admit members and welcome them and moderate them. We have Google Sheets and separate Facebook Messenger software, which costs $30 per month and we're also slaves to Facebook's algorithm and interruptions. The mess is so messed up."

Creatives often create communities of sorts on social media platforms for the lack of an alternative. Facebook Groups make it easy to log in, but this is where the majority of benefits end.

However the all-in-one creator platform like gives you complete control of the content you serve up to your audience and how you interact with your audience.

The members of the Community are able to:

Buy your products

Get access to your Content

Post and join discussions between each other

...all at the same time.

As they're already registered to purchase your products or access your content, you don't need to sign them to a different platform or use Facebook. It's better for both you and your customers.

In the end it's clear that social media is a useful marketing tool for creators -However, it's best utilized as a piece of the larger plan and toolset. Creators succeed when they have control over how and to whom they make their content available.

Who took the time to fill out the survey?

For the opportunity to apply for the fellowship, applicants must be active creators as well as members in the Creator Community. The application was completed by applicants detailing how they plan to use the money they won and also provide details about their company product, their challenges, and plans.

A majority of the information contained in this article comes from questions where authors were required to select between a range of options. In the case of "If you won the $2,022 fellowship, what do you plan to spend the money on?" we included an open-ended answer field.

When asked about their experience level:

30.85% identified as beginners and averaged 2.40 years of experience

8.11 Percent of people are classified as newbies, with an average of 2.77 years of work experience

40.98 percent of respondents were classified as mid-level. This is based on an average of 4.98 years of work experience

15.80 Percentage of respondents are classified as highly advanced. The average for 7.69 years of expertise

4.27 percent of respondents are classified as experts, with an average of 15.3 years of experience

We also wanted to know if they're a full-time or part-time creator or between.

39.13 Percent of them are believed to be full-time creator

18.81 percent of them identified as creator who has a full-time work

18.59% identified as a creator or freelancer

14.70% identified as a part-time creator

8.76 Percent of respondents are classified as creator who has a second part-time work

Thanks to everyone who submitted an application for this fellowship, and who gave us a peek inside their thoughts, ideas, and journeys.

Key takeaways

The creator economy is growing with each passing year, and no two journeys are the same. We conducted a survey of nearly 900 creators to discover more about what it's like managing a creative business by 2022.

The most significant takeaways from their responses:

Creators across niches and experience different levels face the same three main 9challenges: Growing their audiences (32.9 percentage) while also finding time for everything to be done (21.6 percentage) as well as being able to make money from their work (14.4 percent).

When creators look for advice in order to conquer these obstacles, they turn to other creators. Community is a crucial aspect of the creation process. More experienced creators have walked in the shoes of younger creators' shoes. As such, they have plenty of valuable knowledge to impart.

Creators primarily use social media for sharing their content to their audience, with Instagram as the most popular platform (29.1%). Relying on social media means creators are at the mercy of algorithms, which gives the creators less control over their content as well as the audience they reach.

From the more than 900 responses we used for our number, there was no one the same. Each creator's journey is unique -- and we're ready to assist you at each step.