📉External Factors

External factors refer to the variables that exist outside the process of creating the content. Usually factors are platform-based. One of the issues faced by content creators is that they have to adhere their content specifically towards the platform they are uploading/creating on.

They might go to one platform to publish long-form content, another one to post short-form content, another to post text-based content, another to post image-based content, and another to post more exclusive content behind a paywall.

There are numerous case studies that show that the top creators are present on numerous platforms like YouTube for longform content, Instagram, YouTube Shorts and TikTok for shorter clips, Twitch for live streaming, Apple and Spotify for audio-based content and podcasts, Snapchat for limited time only content, Reddit, Discord, Telegram or X (Twitter) for text based content, and then look to patreon or onlyfans for exclusive content behind a pay wall.

The goal for creators is to get their content out there as much as possible so they could garner more recognition regardless of which platform, and then start monetizing off of that traction. The issue here is that each platform has their own monetization tools (if any), their own audiences, and styles of content. For a creator to gain proper traction, they would have to do the work to get all the content they have created on from the internal factors, out to the public on all the external factors. This fragmented flow of getting one video out, into multiple platforms, in multiple channels, in multiple forms requires a lot of work, and serves as a huge barrier for entry for creators looking to make a living off their content.

Furthermore, this causes scaling issues as well, as typically the top content creators would have a team to support them. On top of the internal factors, creators would then need to invest in editors that would cut their content together for different platforms, social media managers, agents to get sponsorship deals for different platforms, hire third-party manufacturers and providers to make another website if they have any merch, videographers.

On the other hand, companies and businesses sponsor videos by playing their ads throughout the videos on the website. Of which, creators get a share of the ad revenue from the platform. However, this ad revenue is not consistent, and apart from a small percentage of creators, usually is not enough to sustain the business of creating on all platforms. Furthermore, ad revenues can vary across platforms, and different types of content.