New research from student discount provider Student Beans revealed that around half (50%) of students are thinking about becoming content creators, with 70% citing money as their biggest reason for starting.
Other top reasons include having a strong interest (57%), greater flexibility (49%), learning new skills (41%) and escapism (19%).
Unpacking how students feel about side hustles, Student Beans surveyed over 1400 students across the UK on their attitudes towards becoming a content creators.
A quarter of students will drop out if they become successful content creators
With a huge appetite to start creating content on social media, around a quarter (25%) of students will happily quit university if they find success as a content creator.
However, on the other end of the spectrum, attending university remains important as 75% wouldn’t consider dropping out even if they became successful influencers.
The majority of students don’t have a side hustle but are keen to become a content creator
Further findings revealed that only 22% of students have a side hustle, compared to four-fifths (80%) of students who don’t. Interestingly, students who don’t have a side hustle are more likely to be tempted to become content creators (35%). Of those with a side hustle, only 15% are interested in becoming influencers.
With research showing there’s a considerable number of students thinking about becoming content creators, Student Beans have spoken to Jake Harper (@jakeh4rper), a student life content creator, on what it takes to become a content creator including Student Beans’s handy tips on how to get started:
Jake Harper said: “My top tip for getting started would just be to immediately stop caring about what other people might think. This is such a huge reason why I feel like so many people put off making their first video but you have to remember that everyone has hobbies. Just because yours might be being in front of the camera, it doesn’t make it any more cringe than anyone else’s.”
Choose your niche
Think about your interests: what are you good at? What do you talk about a lot? We’ve all heard the expression ‘write what you know’, and the same applies to whatever content you choose to create.
Jake adds: “film content that you like to watch and that way it’s as authentic as possible” – if you have a lot to say about it, chances are you can do it well.
Then go into TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you want to create your content, and research whether it’s an area with a lot of content already. If there is, think about if there’s a way you can add a unique angle that people might not have thought about.
Understand your audience
If you are making content that you like to watch, then good work, because you basically already understand your audience. Once you’ve got your niche down, think about how you consume that content. This will help you shape your content so that you’re more likely to get better engagement.
Get going
You know what you’re talking about, you’ve done the research. Now it’s time to make the content. So pick up the camera, open your laptop, or start recording your voice notes, because once you get started, you’ll realise you had nothing to be nervous about.
Be consistent
Jake adds, “It can be quite difficult to balance your time but I recommend creating and sticking to a posting schedule that doesn’t overwhelm you.” Whether it’s once a day, three times a day or once a week, consistency is key. If you get into the habit of posting, then you’re more likely to stick to it in the long run.
Track what works and doesn’t work
If you’re hoping to monetise your content at some point, then understanding what your audience are engaging with, what works, what doesn’t work, can help you figure out which content to make. Most platforms will have some basic analytics included, so you don’t have to spend lots of time or money trying to figure it out. It’s enough to give you a quick insight to shape your plans.
