Storyteller. Content Creator. Writer.

After an eight-year break from social media, I spent most of that time as a contracted ghostwriter. While ghostwriting, I spent time refreshing my skills in the art and field of Storytelling. Specifically, I was concentrating on Storytellers as Thought Leadership. I also focused on the Scholarship of Storytelling. Working in this field seasonally, the Louisiana Endowment of Humanities named me a Scholar through one of their Literacy Programs.

Moreover, as I learned about this evolution in storytelling, my ideas about storytelling expanded and that expansion lead me to identify the correlation between storytelling and online content creation.

I pondered the idea, could I become a Content Creator? Do I have what it takes to build an audience around concepts and ideas that are important to them?

The Content Creator is a Storyteller

Similar to Storytellers as Thought Leaders, the role of Content Creators online is to inspire, engage, and inform their audience as well as instruct and persuade in some cases.

Content creators are responsible for creating content for their audiences so interesting, informative, and engaging, it encourages them to share it with others, and return again and again.

Furthermore, just like the Storyteller as a Thought Leader, the content creator should know their audience, what their audiences’ concerns are, and what is the most effective way they can communicate answers to these concerns. Content creators need to be engaging and entertaining while also providing content that makes a difference in the lives of their audience.

Content Creators Provide Valuable Content

In other words, an impactful Online Content Creator provides valuable content in the form of stories, articles, blog posts, videos, ebooks, and podcasts that impact their audience’s lives. We know it is the story that captivates and the ability to captivate an audience has value online.

As such, have you ever heard any of the top online marketers say: “You have to create value” over and over again ad nauseam? Well, despite the obnoxious repetitiveness, they are right. Creating value is creating valuable content.

But what is valuable content? Valuable content has many names, including engaging content, quality content, dynamic stories, and informative content. Ultimately, valuable content is the content that answers questions, engages an audience, inspires, and entertains. Look at it this way, you know you have created valuable content when your readers or visitors share your content with others.

Yes, the role and goal of a content creator are to provide valuable content online. I know, sounds simple but there is more to the story…

You see, a Content Creator has to know how to create valuable content consistently and make sure the stories are engaging if he or she wants to build an audience online. Accordingly, here’s where the challenge begins.

How to create valuable content

Since creating valuable content and sharing it with an audience is the role and goal of a Content Creator, she or he needs to know how to create impactful valuable content that engages an audience. Here are the “BEs” for creating valuable content online…

Be Audience-Focused

To “be” audience-focused, you must first choose your niche. Try out creating content for about 4 different niches you think you may enjoy. Allow yourself about three months of sharing content in these 4 niches. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I like writing about this subject?

Is there a market for this content or a big enough audience?

Are people responding to what I have shared so far?

After you have picked a niche, it would be wise to develop a profile of your target audience by writing down their wants and needs. For example, if you want to create valuable content for stay-at-home moms or soccer moms. Then go online, find blogs, videos, articles, and even podcasts that are geared towards this audience.

Document the questions they have. Once you know these questions, your content will be focused on building and sharing content as answers. You can present these answers through storytelling.

But what about those family vloggers and TikTok dancers, they aren’t answering anyone’s questions? Even content creators who get online with the latest antic are providing an answer. People who watch these types of content creators are asking for…entertainment.

Think about it. How do we find things online? We find things online because we search. Even if we are strolling through TikTok videos, we are searching. And when we stop and click on a video, we are telling TikTok, this is the answer. This is what I want to see. And TikTok is obliged to send you more videos of the same (OMG of the same!).

The same is true with writing blog posts and articles. If you search for vegan recipes and in the search results you click on heyIgotveganrecipes.biz, spend hours going through the recipes on the site, and share these recipes with others, then the next time you search for vegan recipes, heyIgotveganreipes.biz will show up in the search results.

Why? This site will show up in the search results because when you clicked on it, stayed on the site for hours, and shared it. Thus, you told Google this site answered your questions about vegan recipes.

Be Enthusiastic, Engaging, and Entertaining

Enthusiasm is contagious. When you are a Content Creator you won’t always create content you are super passionate about. Yet, you create it because it is important to your audience. You can use your creative voice and style of communicating to be enthusiastic, engaging, and entertaining.

The “just the facts Ma’am” approach to creating and sharing content online won’t help you build an audience nor will it help you create valuable content. Again, valuable content is content people want to share with others.

Accordingly, this is how you as a Storyteller and Content Creator can shine. Tell engaging and entertaining stories with enthusiasm! Give people a reason to return to your website, blog, or social media page.

Hey, a 140 character tweet can tell a story.

Be Consistent

I have been guilty of not being consistent. Many Content Creators will tell you they have been guilty too and their momentum and authority online suffer. Consistency helps you build authority. If your audience feels that they can count on you to provide them with information, inspiration, and answers to their questions, they will trust you and consume more of your content. As such you build authority and trust.

Moreover, consistency includes finding the balance between quality and quantity. Valuable content is high-quality content, but if you share content few and far between then you could lose authority with your audience and within your chosen niche.

Consistency is also maintaining your voice and style as you share stories. This way of sharing will eventually develop into your personal or business brand. With consistency, you will become known for what you do and that has great value.

Be dynamic

Dynamism isn’t about being flashy, but impactful, thorough, and creative at the same time. Sharing content in this manner is very valuable. You can accomplish this by creating infographics in written content! Visual Storytelling is quite impactful online. It gives movement, breaks up large amounts of text, and tells the story in more digestible bits.

Use storytelling as a vehicle to lead impactful conversations in your niche on social media sites. You can get much of the data you need to lead impactful conversations by taking polls or questionnaires of your audience’s opinions. Become interested in the stories your audience shares and find a way to utilize these stories to create content.

Sharing is Caring

Oh, the phrase “Sharing is caring” sounds so cliche but it’s true. Collecting, writing, building, and sharing stories as a Content Creator means you must care. You have to care about the work and the people.

Yes, you will also discover vulnerability is key because what you want to share with others does matter. It can have an impact or it can put a smile on someone's face. In this way, all of us who participate in social media are Content Creators and Storytellers sharing our experiences. So, share your stories. Share them consistently.

And speak loud.

Parts of this article was originally created at: https://carmellita.medium.com/how-content-creators-as-storytellers-create-value-online-29ab983a7055