Content Creation

My "journey" as a Content Creator so far ...

Trying to even keep up with being a "Content Creator" as a part-time hobby is exhausting. I'm sure a lot of people reading this have at least tried it during the COVID-19 lockdown. But when the world reopened for business and we could all go outside again, it suddenly became increasingly difficult to find the time to sit down and do the more gruelling work to become a Content Creator.

Streaming

Streaming is the "easy part" (kinda, but not really). Getting on your platform of choice and setting up broadcasting software + overlays, getting used to the basics. Deciding on what you are going to stream or whether you will be a variety streamer. It's a minefield!!

But it's also the fun part!! Getting to find what works for you, what you can have fun with, getting your first followers, working toward "affiliate" (on Twitch), building your community and getting your first group of friends into a Discord is such a great feeling when you are just starting out.

Although, I remember thinking it was such a push to make it to "affiliate" status on Twitch, and then after that, I realised that's when the hard work actually starts. Just because you are now eligible for people to subscribe to your channel, doesn't mean that people will suddenly flock to your channel and hit the button. Even those of us with a Free Amazon Prime Subs!

That's where the hard part comes in!!

Content Creation

A big part of getting yourself out there to grow an audience that is more likely to subscribe to your live streaming channel is creating content to share on to social media platforms to reach a larger audience to entice them back to your live streams.

You now need to record your streams and/or find a way to "clip" your stream. I have an Elgato Stream Deck that I have programmed a button to "clip" sections of my stream that I can export directly from the Twitch dashboard after my stream has ended.

Now comes the part that I struggle with, which is "editing". Theoretically, if you follow my method, you don't have to do any editing; you are able to modify your content in the Twitch dashboard itself, including stacking a portrait layout with your webcam (if you have it) on top with your gameplay underneath.

But the problem with that is, you can't add anything. I have a "lower third" that I like to have at the bottom of my short-form content for platforms like TikTok, YouTube (Shorts) and Instagram, etc. I also like to add my brand logo over the top of my clips, and I also have one or two other graphics I like to add from time to time.

Editing

Ok, this is the bit that I struggle with!! Actually editing content. Once you download your clip from your platform of choice (Twitch in my case), you then have to edit it. And I really struggle with video editing software. I don't know if it's having to learn something new or, as I likely suspect, it's more that you need to sit down and really spend consistent time dedicated to actually doing the work.

I do it once, hate it and then forget about it for a month. Anything I have learnt has been forgotten, and then I begrudingly have to start all over again and relearn everything that I'd learnt the month before, because it's all fallen out of my head ... again!!

But finding time is hard. On top of being an adult who has a job, a social life, a home life, dependents (I'm currently a "Bonus Dad" of 2) and trying things like my career and progressing to the next level ... to balance everything is exhausting.

And then I'm expected to find time to sit down and do something that is outside of my comfort zone, as I'm not creatively inclined to do things like editing. But as it's a part-time hobby, I'm not in a position to simply pay for an editor to do it as so many others would.

So go with what works for you!! A lot of people REALLY rate and recommend Davinci Resolve, and you know what, I do too!! It's a right bit of kit. But, as I only sit down for about 1 a week (if I even remember to get to it), Davinci Resolve is just too overwhelming for me. If you can get your teeth into it and get over how intimidating it is, it's fantastic. I did my best work in there with the aid of YouTube Tutorials, but now I can't remember what I did or how I did it, and I don't want to go through that again!!

Intervention!!

This ... "article"? ... "shit show"? has gotten entirely out of hand now!! I've completely lost focus on what I set out to write about when I created the initial draft for this post. So I'm going to go back and write a series of posts on each topic and go more in-depth on each point, as I've barely skimmed across everything.

FFS Wingers, What was the answer?!

Oh yeah, sorry about that. Blame the ADHD.

Microsoft ClipChamp - is my current "Champion" when it comes to video editing. It's lightweight, can be done in a Web App UI, or on Desktop (unsure about mobile app tbh) ... hold on whilst I Google it!

No, there is currently no "mobile" app version of Clipchamp. My front runner for those of us doing editing on mobile would be CapCut. I know my better-half uses and recommends

There used to be some great ones online that did it all within an easy Web UI - from what I remember, it was called "Combo Clip" and used to be hosted over at www.joincombo.com but it was since been sold on to FrameDrop who have ruined the tool. It's now an "AI" assistant for making clips that is no longer free and you seemingly can't even attempt to register for.

Posting My Content

I've recently taken up using "MetriCool" after going through some Google searches, some trial-and-error phases and a quick consultation with ChatGPT. We narrowed it down to "Buffer", Adobe Express Content Scheduler and "Metricool".

Adobe was a bit too complex for what I needed, and I'm not a fan of the company considering what they charge people for other tools (but do appreciate that they are #1 in their market). Buffer lost out as it allowed for fewer monthly pages on their free tier account subscription.

Landing on MetriCool, I am able to schedule 50 of my social media posts per month with the free tier subscription, which is where it edged out Buffer, as they allowed around 30 per month.

I only sit down once or twice a week for an hour or so each time to do my "shorts" (short-form content) as I'm usually "too busy" (cause I not-so secretly hate it) so I like to churn out as many "shorts" as possible.

The other reason why I picked MetriCool and why I strongly suggest tools of a similar nature is that they allow for multi-platform posting from a singular UI. In less confusing terms, it allows me to post my "short" to TikTok, YouTube (Shorts) and Instagram all at the same time.

.. .. ..

At this point, I've completely lost sight of what this post was about, so I'm going to bail out now and create a bunch of draft posts with the titles and start covering the building blocks that make up Content Creating. I might even start from the beginning to remember what how I made my way to affiliate, why I stalled and why I'm starting again (kinda).