March 25, 2025 • 24 mins
Ever feel like you're the only one struggling with your content creation journey? Our annual audience survey results are in, and the findings might surprise you.
With over 50 respondents and 12 in-depth follow-up interviews, we've uncovered the three universal struggles plaguing creators across all platforms: consistency, monetization, and imposter syndrome. Whether you're just starting out or have been in the game for years, these challenges create a common thread that binds the creator community together. You're definitely not alone.
The most eye-opening revelation? While creators obsess over the front-end of their content—what audiences see on Instagram, YouTube, or their podcast—most are a complete mess behind the scenes. The lack of systems, workflows, and standard operating procedures is killing productivity and preventing creators from reaching their full potential. This digital chaos makes it nearly impossible to stay consistent, properly monetize, or overcome imposter syndrome.
Looking ahead to 2025, our data points to three critical focus areas for creator success: developing sustainable content creation practices that prevent burnout, implementing monetization strategies that feel natural rather than salesy, and embracing community-building through meaningful collaborations. These aren't just nice-to-haves—they're essential components for long-term success in the creator economy.
Ready to see how your creator journey compares to others? Download our comprehensive 20-page report at krystalproffitt.com/annual-survey-report and join our free Podcasters Connect community to access resources, monthly coaching calls, and connect with fellow creators who understand exactly what you're going through. The days of creating in isolation are over—let's build something sustainable together.
🎧 Free On-Demand Training:
Ready to grow your podcast, stay consistent, and finally start monetizing? Watch my brand-new training, The Podcast Growth & Monetization Blueprint: What’s Working Now, and get a sneak peek inside my private community, Podcasters Connect — plus exclusive access to our custom AI podcast assistant!
👉 Watch now: krystalproffitt.com/growth
Click the "Send Krystal a Text Message" link above to send us your questions, comments, and feedback on the show! (Pssst...we'll do giveaways in upcoming episodes so make sure you leave your name & podcast title.)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I talk to creators in every kind of capacity, whether
it's in a Facebook group or onInstagram, in the DMs or through
email and actual conversationswith creators.
I talk to you all the time, butthis year we did something
extra special.
We did a formal annual audiencesurvey a few months ago and you
(00:26):
really delivered.
This community showed up andshocked me in ways that I was
just so overwhelmed by theamount of responses that we had
and just the amount ofexcitement to participate in the
survey.
And today we are unveiling ourkey findings with our annual
(00:47):
audience survey report and Ican't wait to share with you all
of the different pieces.
So this is important because ifyou are listening to this and
you serve an audience ofcreators, podcasters, youtubers,
bloggers then you're going towant to know all the things that
we learned inside this report,but you're also going to be
curious to understand how otherpeople are showing up and the
(01:13):
problems they're struggling withand the challenges that they're
facing and some of theirfavorite tools.
We're going to dive into someof the nitty gritty pieces of
this today, so let's get rightto it.
Welcome to the Profit Podcast,where we teach you how to start,
launch and market your contentwith confidence.
I'm your host, crystal Profit,and I'm so excited that you're
(01:34):
here.
Thanks for hanging out with metoday, because if you've been
trying to figure out the worldof content creation, this is the
show that will help be yourtime-saving shortcut.
So let's get right to it.
Shall we welcome back toanother episode of the profit
podcast.
I'm so excited to be here withyou today and chatting about
(01:59):
creators, because it's what I'mobsessed with.
I'm obsessed with you in thisaudience.
I'm obsessed with learningabout your journey and your ups
and your downs and your highsand your lows and what you're
struggling with.
I mean one selfishly I want toknow how I can best serve you
through our content and ourproducts and services that we
create for this community.
(02:20):
But the other piece is I wantyou to understand how your
journey compares to other peopleon this same journey.
So we're going to go a littlehigh level today and we're going
to talk about one.
You're not alone.
We're going to dive into thenumber one creator struggle that
we saw when we did our report.
The second thing is the biggestgap that creators need to fill
(02:43):
in 2025.
And then we're going to talkabout what creators need to
focus on right now.
Okay, so are you ready?
Are you buckled up?
Like, because we're just goingto dive right in, because we
have a lot to cover today.
So, number one you are notalone.
Can I say that again?
I feel like I need to say itlike 10 more times, because
whenever I was in the verybeginning stages of my journey,
(03:05):
I felt very alone.
I felt very alone, like y'all.
I started podcasting when Istill had to explain what a
podcast was and how.
If you had an iPhone, there waslikely an app on your phone
specifically for podcasts, butyou likely didn't know where it
was.
That purple icon was hidden onsome screen on your iPhone.
(03:28):
You didn't even know that itwas there.
That's how podcasting was in2018.
So I struggled a lot and I feltlonely and I felt like there
was just so many things that Iwas just going through by myself
.
Well, it turns out back then,and even here today, there are
specific things that we allstruggle with as creators.
(03:51):
So, whether you are a podcaster, you're a blogger, you're a
YouTuber however you definecreator one of the biggest
things actually, we're going togo through three.
These were the three biggestones through three.
These were the three biggestones Consistency, monetization
and imposter syndrome.
Those were the three biggeststruggles that we saw over and
(04:15):
over and over again.
So if you've ever struggledwith consistency, monetization
and imposter syndrome, you arenot alone.
You are not alone in this.
I have gone.
When it comes to consistency,the thing that really used to
frustrate me is trying to figureout like what does that mean?
Do I have to publish somethingevery week?
Do I have to publish somethingevery other week?
And what does that look likefor other people?
Can I be the coach that tellspeople well, you have to publish
(04:39):
every week in order to besuccessful?
That didn't feel authentic tome.
So I've never approachedconsistency that way.
I do believe that it's onething, that you can approach it
in whatever way makes the mostsense to you.
You just have to stick towhatever the schedule is Like.
What is your productionschedule?
You have to stick to that.
Then the other piece of it ismonetization.
Y'all I didn't start figuringreally figuring out monetization
(05:03):
, until about two years ago.
Two years ago is when I waslike, oh, I can have somewhat
predictable income, and about ayear ago is whenever I finally
figured out sponsorships and howto make money from people
paying me to create content forthem.
Like that was mind blowing tobe able to figure that out.
So if you're struggling tounderstand monetization again,
(05:24):
you're not alone.
I just recently really figuredthis out.
And then imposter syndromethere's so many of you that
responded in the survey thatwere like I just don't feel like
I'm an expert, I'm using airquotes for those of you just
listening like expert enough toput my stuff out there.
So this is you Again.
You are not alone.
So my own like personalexperiences is I have, really,
(05:46):
when I think about impostersyndrome, I always thought I
don't have a big enoughfollowing to talk about this, or
I don't have a big enoughfollowing to be worthy of
putting content out there.
And I think that one day I kindof woke up and was like, yeah,
and so were so many other people.
(06:07):
They had the knowledge, theyhad the skills, they had the
ability, but the one thingholding them back was somebody
saying, oh, the crowd isn't bigenough that's going to listen to
you.
Don't let that hold you back,just keep showing up anyway.
Here I am, here we are multipleyears later and I keep showing
up.
I still think there's probably50 other people that know way
(06:29):
more than I do probably morethan that about podcasting and
content and all that stuff, butI don't let it hold me back
anymore.
So I have actually pulled directquotes that I really, really
want you to go check out in thereport.
Actually, if you want to justlike pause this and go download
the report, you can go tocrystalprofitcom forward slash
(06:50):
annual survey report and you'regoing to be able to download a
copy of your own right there.
So go check that out.
I'll mention it again a fewtimes throughout here, but you
should go check it out becausethe fact is is that all of these
struggles are universal and wecan all work our way through
them.
You are not alone, and I wantyou to download this report,
(07:13):
read some of those quotes fromactual people.
So I interviewed let me see wehad over 50 people respond to
the survey, so it's a prettygood sample size of creators in
this community.
And then I also did 12follow-up interviews, like
in-depth conversations, askingdetailed questions about their
(07:33):
journey, and we pulled some ofthose quotes and we put them in
the report and I want you tohear what some of those folks
had to say so, go down thereport and then we'll, we'll,
we'll continue this conversation, but let's move on to the next
thing, because we're going totalk about the biggest gaps that
creators need to fill in 2025.
By the way, I want to pause fora second and give a shout out
(07:53):
to Kathy, because she cracks upevery time I say fill, because,
whether it's F-I-L-L or F-E-E-L,she told me she was like it.
Just, it makes me smile everytime you say that and I just,
like Kathy, you popped into myhead whenever I was saying the
gap that creators need to fill.
(08:13):
So there you go.
That one's totally for you.
But one of the most eye-openingthings that stood out to me for
the survey and all the responseswe collected is creators really
want to grow.
That's clear, right, you'reputting all this hard work and
effort and energy into creatingyour content.
You want it to grow, but thething that you are struggling
(08:36):
with are processes, workflowsand SOPs, so standard operating
procedures.
This is all of the backend ofyour content, and I think that
there becomes this like weirdpower struggle between marketing
on the front end, right, allthe things that people that are
following you on your Instagramor your email list or whatever
(08:58):
other marketing stuff thatyou're doing.
Like that's the front end, yourwebsite, all of those pieces
but then on the back end, oh,it's a mess.
It is a total and complete messbecause either there are no
systems at all or you've triedto implement systems but you're
like, why am I doing all this?
It's just me, I'm the only oneCan I just name things, whatever
(09:21):
I want to name them and searchthem up in my Google drive for
your Dropbox, wherever you'resaving stuff, and find things,
y'all.
This was such an eye-openingthing that you want Like we have
a whole chart with percentagesin the report that this was the
number one thing that peoplethey're saying they were
struggling with this.
(09:41):
So if you are someone who is inthe creator economy and you
serve like digital clutter orlike workflows processes like
this is definitely a place foryou to step in and support this
community.
But also, without systems inplace, it's really hard for us
to stay consistent and work onthose monetizations and just
(10:03):
those different things that youdon't have time for.
You quote, don't have time forthese other things, y'all.
It's because you're a mess.
You are such a mess on the backend of your business, and I'm
not saying that as like pointingmy finger at you.
This was pointing finger at metoo, like I was a mess for a
long time in my systems and myprocesses, which is why we are
(10:24):
actually working on someproducts for helping you have
better systems and processes inyour business.
Last year, we released we haveour product, the Business
Booster Bundle.
You can grab it today.
It's less than $100 for you togo in.
We have our launch tracker.
I'm showing you behind thescenes of our business and the
other pieces that can help youin your digital business.
(10:46):
But we're going to be workingon a lot of other things, like a
lot of lower ticket products,because this is what y'all have
also told me.
It's like we want to understandworkflows, how we can get better
.
We're just we're in the works,so heads up, it's coming your
way.
But if you're feeling likeyou're constantly overwhelmed or
making content is just sofrustrating because you're
(11:06):
trying to do it on the fly, orlike you're trying to really
dial in your workflows andyou're just overwhelmed by the
whole thing, this is the onething that if you're like,
what's the one thing I shouldfocus on this year?
It's getting organized.
It's getting your digital lifetogether.
It's making sure that you havesystems and processes in place
in areas that you currentlydon't have any.
(11:26):
If you currently don't have any, you know that I'm talking to
you and we're gonna figure thisout together.
Actually, in fact, if you'rewatching on YouTube, tell me in
the comments like type the wordworkflows and let me know if
you're interested in learningmore about what that can look
like, because I have some ideas,but I would actually love to
reach out to you and get somefeedback directly.
Or, if you're listening to thisand you want to know more, send
(11:48):
me a DM on Instagram or send meif you're on my email list.
Hit reply, because this issomething I think that we can do
big things with for workflowsand processes and SOPs, because
y'all, I got so many templates.
I have so many templates forall of this stuff and I can't
wait to share them with you.
But again, if you want to knowmore about what folks who
answered the survey had to say,go to crystalprofitcom forward
(12:10):
slash annual survey report todownload the file and see all
the direct quotes and what otherpeople said, because there were
other challenges and gaps thatcreators can fill and fill.
I said it again, kathy, thereyou go.
I want you to go check out whatsome of those other struggles
were.
All right, well, let's get intothe big event right, the main
(12:33):
attraction, what we're reallyhere today, because that is what
creators need to focus on now,like right now.
So, based on the data and whatwe saw in our report, where you
need to pay attention to andwhat should be some of your
priorities, if you haven'tfocused on this from the
beginning of this year, or maybethis last month or last quarter
(12:55):
, maybe you set this as one ofyour future goals, but it's how
to create sustainable content.
What does that mean?
That means how can you have asustainable content creation
will, or have something that isgoing to be your system in place
so that you do not burn out?
(13:16):
Because this is again one ofthe things that just makes me so
sad is when people burn out andthey stop creating altogether,
is when people burn out and theystop creating altogether.
We are trying to createsustainable creators, and that's
not just people that are, youknow, interested in saving the
planet.
I'm talking about saving yoursanity and helping you show up
(13:39):
consistently Again, there's thatword consistently like,
whatever that means to you andyour creator journey.
But I want to really make surethat you think about this,
whether or I can't even talk nowwhether you are at the
beginning, you're a baby,beginner creator and you're just
(13:59):
getting started, you'recrawling before you can walk and
you're just trying tounderstand what this whole
creator business is about, oryou're a more seasoned,
professional creator.
You've been doing this for awhile but you're on the edge of
burnout, like let's figure out.
What are those systems, whatare those processes that you can
put into place so that you havea sustainable content creator
(14:22):
journey, because that's what I'mmost interested in.
I want you to be able to createwith confidence, but I also
want you to be able to show upand keep creating.
So that is really one of thethings that you should focus on
how can I make my contentcreation processes more
sustainable, whether that's forposting on Instagram, it's
posting on YouTube, it's writingyour emails to your audience,
putting out a podcast episode,whatever kind of content you're
(14:45):
creating, or whatever you'redoing.
Putting out a podcast episode,whatever kind of content you're
creating or whatever you'redoing, is it sustainable?
Because if it's not, and you'relike, oh God, what I'm doing,
like I'm staying up until late,like way, way, way past midnight
, to finish my last episode orto get it published or to
schedule things out, or I'mworking on weekends and I don't
ever get to see my familybecause I'm doing this, or I
don't get to hang out with myfriends because I'm constantly
(15:06):
like that is not sustainable.
So get to a point in yourcontent where it is sustainable
and you're truly enjoying whatyou're doing.
The other piece, like the otherpiece that you should focus on,
is monetization that feelsnatural.
Now, what I mean by this islike what are the most effective
ways that you can actuallymonetize your content without
(15:28):
feeling salesy?
Because this was one thing thatcame up, this was one of the
direct quotes.
It's like marketing feels grossand monetization feels even
worse because I feel salesy andoverly promotional.
And this was not the only time,like it wasn't just one person
one time that has said that tome.
It is multiple people that havetalked about I don't like
(15:49):
marketing, I don't enjoy it, Idon't know how I can monetize,
because I don't want to soundsalesy and I don't want my
audience to be disgusted by metrying to promote something in
my content.
So we're going to focus on thatmentality in Podcasters Connect.
So if you have not joined us,we have a free membership that
(16:11):
you can upgrade and do all themonthly coaching calls and
content audits and do that.
But you can join us for freeinside Podcasters Connect.
You can go to crystalprofitcom,forward, slash join or, if you
download our report and you'renot part of our community, we'll
send you an invitation.
But what this is is it's aplace for you to understand how
monetization really works.
(16:32):
We just did a training allabout how I do proposals and I
send information to brands andthe brands that I've worked with
and what I've learned fromworking with brands who have
actually paid me to collaboratewith them and create content.
And I've learned how to notfeel salesy and how to not feel
(16:54):
gross whenever I talk aboutthings in my content on my
podcast, because, at the end ofthe day, the piece for me that
really clicked is whenever Ifeel very natural and I feel
like I am offering something ofvalue to my audience.
That's what feels like naturalto me.
That's what I.
One of the key mission andvalues of this podcast since we
(17:15):
started is adding value, nomatter what I do every single
time.
I have to show up here and addvalue to this community, and
that's how I don't have thisidea of like, well, I can't talk
about B-School, or I can't talkabout DCA, or I can't talk
about my own products orservices.
I'm like, no, no, no.
All of those things add value,and so that's how I lead with
(17:38):
all the monetization strategies,all the different promotional
strategies that we share on here.
So, anyway, that's just like alittle teaser of the coaching
that we do inside PodcastersConnect.
So, come check us out, comecheck us out and this is the
other piece is like, based on,you know, the feedback that we
got, what creators need to focuson.
The third one is community andcollaboration.
Y'all, more creators arerealizing that you cannot do
(18:01):
this alone and you shouldn't,you shouldn't do this alone,
y'all.
I did this alone for a reallylong time and it was sad, it was
lonely and it wasn't until Imet other creators.
It was around 2019, 2020 when Istarted to expand my network
and get a lot more connectedinto other areas of the online
industry, and I'm like, sodeeply grateful for the people
(18:25):
that I have met on this journey,because that community and
collaboration and accountabilityand just friendship y'all.
I know some of these are sobasic, but having those
connections are going to becrucial to help you have that
sustainable content that wetalked about.
Some of the monetizationopportunities that I've had have
come from networking places,like different friendships and
(18:45):
conferences and events that I'vehad have come from networking
places, like differentfriendships and conferences and
events that I've attended.
Like getting introduced todifferent people and I just
cannot stress this enough likereally leaning into networking
or partnerships or growing yourcommunity or guesting on
podcasts, whatever that lookslike for you.
That should be one of yourgoals in the coming quarters, in
(19:06):
the coming months or even inthe coming years, and I think
that, no matter what stageyou're in, if you really focus
on creating and cultivatingthose relationships and making
those a priority for you, thatreturn on investment is just
going to be priceless.
It really is, because you'regoing to find people that are
just like you.
(19:26):
Like I said, download thecreator report and you will see
there are people that are justlike you out there and you don't
have to go far to find them.
They're here, they're in thiscommunity and a lot of them are
already in Podcasters Connect,hanging out asking questions,
adding an insane amount of valuethat I don't want you to miss
out on.
So I feel like I'm just likeI'm on my soapbox now about
(19:50):
finding collaborations andworking with other people,
because it is.
It is my like seasonedpodcaster soul coming back to
tell you these are the thingsthat I wish I would have known
in my journey, and I wish Iwould have been more connected
with people whenever I firststarted.
So the key takeaway here is godownload our annual survey
(20:12):
report.
It will be so helpful for you,even if you don't have an
audience, because I know some ofyou are going to download this.
You're like oh, I servecreators.
This is great intel.
Yeah, it is.
I already.
I did all the work for you.
Like, this is a 20 page report.
I don't even think I told youthat this is a 20 page report
that my team and I put together,and I I mean, I'm biased.
(20:35):
I think it looks fantastic.
It was designed so beautifullyand it is just going to be the
very first annual report that wehave done, and this will
continue to be a trend that wedo from now on, because one it
was so fun getting to talk to somany of you creators.
Two, I learned things about youthat I didn't know that I needed
(20:56):
to focus on.
And three, I think it's just agreat example of y'all are
always asking me how do I getfeedback, how do I learn more
about my audience?
You do a survey.
Y'all do a survey.
You don't have to go to thelinks that I did of creating a
report and creating a 20 pagereport, creating a landing page
for it and doing all that stuff.
But I do think that leaninginto who your audience is, who
(21:19):
your community is, and what theywant to learn from you, is
super important.
So go check it out Again.
Go to crystalprofitcom forwardslash annual survey report and
take a look at it.
Let me know your feedback.
You'll get an email where thereport will be delivered and if
you find something of value,please respond and let me know.
(21:40):
I would love to hear from you.
I will never get sick ofhearing from this community
because y'all are so awesome,but that's all I have for you
today, so make sure you hit thatfollow or subscribe button
wherever you are watching andlistening today.
If this is your first timetuning in, what an incredible
one to join us for the veryfirst time.
Make sure to join Podcasters,connect and check out our
(22:03):
community, but, as always,remember, keep it up.
We all have to start somewhere.
I talk to creators in every kind of capacity, whether
it's in a Facebook group or onInstagram, in the DMs or through
email and actual conversationswith creators.
I talk to you all the time, butthis year we did something
extra special.
We did a formal annual audiencesurvey a few months ago and you
(00:26):
really delivered.
This community showed up andshocked me in ways that I was
just so overwhelmed by theamount of responses that we had
and just the amount ofexcitement to participate in the
survey.
And today we are unveiling ourkey findings with our annual
(00:47):
audience survey report and Ican't wait to share with you all
of the different pieces.
So this is important because ifyou are listening to this and
you serve an audience ofcreators, podcasters, youtubers,
bloggers then you're going towant to know all the things that
we learned inside this report,but you're also going to be
curious to understand how otherpeople are showing up and the
(01:13):
problems they're struggling withand the challenges that they're
facing and some of theirfavorite tools.
We're going to dive into someof the nitty gritty pieces of
this today, so let's get rightto it.
Welcome to the Profit Podcast,where we teach you how to start,
launch and market your contentwith confidence.
I'm your host, crystal Profit,and I'm so excited that you're
(01:34):
here.
Thanks for hanging out with metoday, because if you've been
trying to figure out the worldof content creation, this is the
show that will help be yourtime-saving shortcut.
So let's get right to it.
Shall we welcome back toanother episode of the profit
podcast.
I'm so excited to be here withyou today and chatting about
(01:59):
creators, because it's what I'mobsessed with.
I'm obsessed with you in thisaudience.
I'm obsessed with learningabout your journey and your ups
and your downs and your highsand your lows and what you're
struggling with.
I mean one selfishly I want toknow how I can best serve you
through our content and ourproducts and services that we
create for this community.
(02:20):
But the other piece is I wantyou to understand how your
journey compares to other peopleon this same journey.
So we're going to go a littlehigh level today and we're going
to talk about one.
You're not alone.
We're going to dive into thenumber one creator struggle that
we saw when we did our report.
The second thing is the biggestgap that creators need to fill
(02:43):
in 2025.
And then we're going to talkabout what creators need to
focus on right now.
Okay, so are you ready?
Are you buckled up?
Like, because we're just goingto dive right in, because we
have a lot to cover today.
So, number one you are notalone.
Can I say that again?
I feel like I need to say itlike 10 more times, because
whenever I was in the verybeginning stages of my journey,
(03:05):
I felt very alone.
I felt very alone, like y'all.
I started podcasting when Istill had to explain what a
podcast was and how.
If you had an iPhone, there waslikely an app on your phone
specifically for podcasts, butyou likely didn't know where it
was.
That purple icon was hidden onsome screen on your iPhone.
(03:28):
You didn't even know that itwas there.
That's how podcasting was in2018.
So I struggled a lot and I feltlonely and I felt like there
was just so many things that Iwas just going through by myself
.
Well, it turns out back then,and even here today, there are
specific things that we allstruggle with as creators.
(03:51):
So, whether you are a podcaster, you're a blogger, you're a
YouTuber however you definecreator one of the biggest
things actually, we're going togo through three.
These were the three biggestones through three.
These were the three biggestones Consistency, monetization
and imposter syndrome.
Those were the three biggeststruggles that we saw over and
(04:15):
over and over again.
So if you've ever struggledwith consistency, monetization
and imposter syndrome, you arenot alone.
You are not alone in this.
I have gone.
When it comes to consistency,the thing that really used to
frustrate me is trying to figureout like what does that mean?
Do I have to publish somethingevery week?
Do I have to publish somethingevery other week?
And what does that look likefor other people?
Can I be the coach that tellspeople well, you have to publish
(04:39):
every week in order to besuccessful?
That didn't feel authentic tome.
So I've never approachedconsistency that way.
I do believe that it's onething, that you can approach it
in whatever way makes the mostsense to you.
You just have to stick towhatever the schedule is Like.
What is your productionschedule?
You have to stick to that.
Then the other piece of it ismonetization.
Y'all I didn't start figuringreally figuring out monetization
(05:03):
, until about two years ago.
Two years ago is when I waslike, oh, I can have somewhat
predictable income, and about ayear ago is whenever I finally
figured out sponsorships and howto make money from people
paying me to create content forthem.
Like that was mind blowing tobe able to figure that out.
So if you're struggling tounderstand monetization again,
(05:24):
you're not alone.
I just recently really figuredthis out.
And then imposter syndromethere's so many of you that
responded in the survey thatwere like I just don't feel like
I'm an expert, I'm using airquotes for those of you just
listening like expert enough toput my stuff out there.
So this is you Again.
You are not alone.
So my own like personalexperiences is I have, really,
(05:46):
when I think about impostersyndrome, I always thought I
don't have a big enoughfollowing to talk about this, or
I don't have a big enoughfollowing to be worthy of
putting content out there.
And I think that one day I kindof woke up and was like, yeah,
and so were so many other people.
(06:07):
They had the knowledge, theyhad the skills, they had the
ability, but the one thingholding them back was somebody
saying, oh, the crowd isn't bigenough that's going to listen to
you.
Don't let that hold you back,just keep showing up anyway.
Here I am, here we are multipleyears later and I keep showing
up.
I still think there's probably50 other people that know way
(06:29):
more than I do probably morethan that about podcasting and
content and all that stuff, butI don't let it hold me back
anymore.
So I have actually pulled directquotes that I really, really
want you to go check out in thereport.
Actually, if you want to justlike pause this and go download
the report, you can go tocrystalprofitcom forward slash
(06:50):
annual survey report and you'regoing to be able to download a
copy of your own right there.
So go check that out.
I'll mention it again a fewtimes throughout here, but you
should go check it out becausethe fact is is that all of these
struggles are universal and wecan all work our way through
them.
You are not alone, and I wantyou to download this report,
(07:13):
read some of those quotes fromactual people.
So I interviewed let me see wehad over 50 people respond to
the survey, so it's a prettygood sample size of creators in
this community.
And then I also did 12follow-up interviews, like
in-depth conversations, askingdetailed questions about their
(07:33):
journey, and we pulled some ofthose quotes and we put them in
the report and I want you tohear what some of those folks
had to say so, go down thereport and then we'll, we'll,
we'll continue this conversation, but let's move on to the next
thing, because we're going totalk about the biggest gaps that
creators need to fill in 2025.
By the way, I want to pause fora second and give a shout out
(07:53):
to Kathy, because she cracks upevery time I say fill, because,
whether it's F-I-L-L or F-E-E-L,she told me she was like it.
Just, it makes me smile everytime you say that and I just,
like Kathy, you popped into myhead whenever I was saying the
gap that creators need to fill.
(08:13):
So there you go.
That one's totally for you.
But one of the most eye-openingthings that stood out to me for
the survey and all the responseswe collected is creators really
want to grow.
That's clear, right, you'reputting all this hard work and
effort and energy into creatingyour content.
You want it to grow, but thething that you are struggling
(08:36):
with are processes, workflowsand SOPs, so standard operating
procedures.
This is all of the backend ofyour content, and I think that
there becomes this like weirdpower struggle between marketing
on the front end, right, allthe things that people that are
following you on your Instagramor your email list or whatever
(08:58):
other marketing stuff thatyou're doing.
Like that's the front end, yourwebsite, all of those pieces
but then on the back end, oh,it's a mess.
It is a total and complete messbecause either there are no
systems at all or you've triedto implement systems but you're
like, why am I doing all this?
It's just me, I'm the only oneCan I just name things, whatever
(09:21):
I want to name them and searchthem up in my Google drive for
your Dropbox, wherever you'resaving stuff, and find things,
y'all.
This was such an eye-openingthing that you want Like we have
a whole chart with percentagesin the report that this was the
number one thing that peoplethey're saying they were
struggling with this.
(09:41):
So if you are someone who is inthe creator economy and you
serve like digital clutter orlike workflows processes like
this is definitely a place foryou to step in and support this
community.
But also, without systems inplace, it's really hard for us
to stay consistent and work onthose monetizations and just
(10:03):
those different things that youdon't have time for.
You quote, don't have time forthese other things, y'all.
It's because you're a mess.
You are such a mess on the backend of your business, and I'm
not saying that as like pointingmy finger at you.
This was pointing finger at metoo, like I was a mess for a
long time in my systems and myprocesses, which is why we are
(10:24):
actually working on someproducts for helping you have
better systems and processes inyour business.
Last year, we released we haveour product, the Business
Booster Bundle.
You can grab it today.
It's less than $100 for you togo in.
We have our launch tracker.
I'm showing you behind thescenes of our business and the
other pieces that can help youin your digital business.
(10:46):
But we're going to be workingon a lot of other things, like a
lot of lower ticket products,because this is what y'all have
also told me.
It's like we want to understandworkflows, how we can get better
.
We're just we're in the works,so heads up, it's coming your
way.
But if you're feeling likeyou're constantly overwhelmed or
making content is just sofrustrating because you're
(11:06):
trying to do it on the fly, orlike you're trying to really
dial in your workflows andyou're just overwhelmed by the
whole thing, this is the onething that if you're like,
what's the one thing I shouldfocus on this year?
It's getting organized.
It's getting your digital lifetogether.
It's making sure that you havesystems and processes in place
in areas that you currentlydon't have any.
(11:26):
If you currently don't have any, you know that I'm talking to
you and we're gonna figure thisout together.
Actually, in fact, if you'rewatching on YouTube, tell me in
the comments like type the wordworkflows and let me know if
you're interested in learningmore about what that can look
like, because I have some ideas,but I would actually love to
reach out to you and get somefeedback directly.
Or, if you're listening to thisand you want to know more, send
(11:48):
me a DM on Instagram or send meif you're on my email list.
Hit reply, because this issomething I think that we can do
big things with for workflowsand processes and SOPs, because
y'all, I got so many templates.
I have so many templates forall of this stuff and I can't
wait to share them with you.
But again, if you want to knowmore about what folks who
answered the survey had to say,go to crystalprofitcom forward
(12:10):
slash annual survey report todownload the file and see all
the direct quotes and what otherpeople said, because there were
other challenges and gaps thatcreators can fill and fill.
I said it again, kathy, thereyou go.
I want you to go check out whatsome of those other struggles
were.
All right, well, let's get intothe big event right, the main
(12:33):
attraction, what we're reallyhere today, because that is what
creators need to focus on now,like right now.
So, based on the data and whatwe saw in our report, where you
need to pay attention to andwhat should be some of your
priorities, if you haven'tfocused on this from the
beginning of this year, or maybethis last month or last quarter
(12:55):
, maybe you set this as one ofyour future goals, but it's how
to create sustainable content.
What does that mean?
That means how can you have asustainable content creation
will, or have something that isgoing to be your system in place
so that you do not burn out?
(13:16):
Because this is again one ofthe things that just makes me so
sad is when people burn out andthey stop creating altogether,
is when people burn out and theystop creating altogether.
We are trying to createsustainable creators, and that's
not just people that are, youknow, interested in saving the
planet.
I'm talking about saving yoursanity and helping you show up
(13:39):
consistently Again, there's thatword consistently like,
whatever that means to you andyour creator journey.
But I want to really make surethat you think about this,
whether or I can't even talk nowwhether you are at the
beginning, you're a baby,beginner creator and you're just
(13:59):
getting started, you'recrawling before you can walk and
you're just trying tounderstand what this whole
creator business is about, oryou're a more seasoned,
professional creator.
You've been doing this for awhile but you're on the edge of
burnout, like let's figure out.
What are those systems, whatare those processes that you can
put into place so that you havea sustainable content creator
(14:22):
journey, because that's what I'mmost interested in.
I want you to be able to createwith confidence, but I also
want you to be able to show upand keep creating.
So that is really one of thethings that you should focus on
how can I make my contentcreation processes more
sustainable, whether that's forposting on Instagram, it's
posting on YouTube, it's writingyour emails to your audience,
putting out a podcast episode,whatever kind of content you're
(14:45):
creating, or whatever you'redoing.
Putting out a podcast episode,whatever kind of content you're
creating or whatever you'redoing, is it sustainable?
Because if it's not, and you'relike, oh God, what I'm doing,
like I'm staying up until late,like way, way, way past midnight
, to finish my last episode orto get it published or to
schedule things out, or I'mworking on weekends and I don't
ever get to see my familybecause I'm doing this, or I
don't get to hang out with myfriends because I'm constantly
(15:06):
like that is not sustainable.
So get to a point in yourcontent where it is sustainable
and you're truly enjoying whatyou're doing.
The other piece, like the otherpiece that you should focus on,
is monetization that feelsnatural.
Now, what I mean by this islike what are the most effective
ways that you can actuallymonetize your content without
(15:28):
feeling salesy?
Because this was one thing thatcame up, this was one of the
direct quotes.
It's like marketing feels grossand monetization feels even
worse because I feel salesy andoverly promotional.
And this was not the only time,like it wasn't just one person
one time that has said that tome.
It is multiple people that havetalked about I don't like
(15:49):
marketing, I don't enjoy it, Idon't know how I can monetize,
because I don't want to soundsalesy and I don't want my
audience to be disgusted by metrying to promote something in
my content.
So we're going to focus on thatmentality in Podcasters Connect.
So if you have not joined us,we have a free membership that
(16:11):
you can upgrade and do all themonthly coaching calls and
content audits and do that.
But you can join us for freeinside Podcasters Connect.
You can go to crystalprofitcom,forward, slash join or, if you
download our report and you'renot part of our community, we'll
send you an invitation.
But what this is is it's aplace for you to understand how
monetization really works.
(16:32):
We just did a training allabout how I do proposals and I
send information to brands andthe brands that I've worked with
and what I've learned fromworking with brands who have
actually paid me to collaboratewith them and create content.
And I've learned how to notfeel salesy and how to not feel
(16:54):
gross whenever I talk aboutthings in my content on my
podcast, because, at the end ofthe day, the piece for me that
really clicked is whenever Ifeel very natural and I feel
like I am offering something ofvalue to my audience.
That's what feels like naturalto me.
That's what I.
One of the key mission andvalues of this podcast since we
(17:15):
started is adding value, nomatter what I do every single
time.
I have to show up here and addvalue to this community, and
that's how I don't have thisidea of like, well, I can't talk
about B-School, or I can't talkabout DCA, or I can't talk
about my own products orservices.
I'm like, no, no, no.
All of those things add value,and so that's how I lead with
(17:38):
all the monetization strategies,all the different promotional
strategies that we share on here.
So, anyway, that's just like alittle teaser of the coaching
that we do inside PodcastersConnect.
So, come check us out, comecheck us out and this is the
other piece is like, based on,you know, the feedback that we
got, what creators need to focuson.
The third one is community andcollaboration.
Y'all, more creators arerealizing that you cannot do
(18:01):
this alone and you shouldn't,you shouldn't do this alone,
y'all.
I did this alone for a reallylong time and it was sad, it was
lonely and it wasn't until Imet other creators.
It was around 2019, 2020 when Istarted to expand my network
and get a lot more connectedinto other areas of the online
industry, and I'm like, sodeeply grateful for the people
(18:25):
that I have met on this journey,because that community and
collaboration and accountabilityand just friendship y'all.
I know some of these are sobasic, but having those
connections are going to becrucial to help you have that
sustainable content that wetalked about.
Some of the monetizationopportunities that I've had have
come from networking places,like different friendships and
(18:45):
conferences and events that I'vehad have come from networking
places, like differentfriendships and conferences and
events that I've attended.
Like getting introduced todifferent people and I just
cannot stress this enough likereally leaning into networking
or partnerships or growing yourcommunity or guesting on
podcasts, whatever that lookslike for you.
That should be one of yourgoals in the coming quarters, in
(19:06):
the coming months or even inthe coming years, and I think
that, no matter what stageyou're in, if you really focus
on creating and cultivatingthose relationships and making
those a priority for you, thatreturn on investment is just
going to be priceless.
It really is, because you'regoing to find people that are
just like you.
(19:26):
Like I said, download thecreator report and you will see
there are people that are justlike you out there and you don't
have to go far to find them.
They're here, they're in thiscommunity and a lot of them are
already in Podcasters Connect,hanging out asking questions,
adding an insane amount of valuethat I don't want you to miss
out on.
So I feel like I'm just likeI'm on my soapbox now about
(19:50):
finding collaborations andworking with other people,
because it is.
It is my like seasonedpodcaster soul coming back to
tell you these are the thingsthat I wish I would have known
in my journey, and I wish Iwould have been more connected
with people whenever I firststarted.
So the key takeaway here is godownload our annual survey
(20:12):
report.
It will be so helpful for you,even if you don't have an
audience, because I know some ofyou are going to download this.
You're like oh, I servecreators.
This is great intel.
Yeah, it is.
I already.
I did all the work for you.
Like, this is a 20 page report.
I don't even think I told youthat this is a 20 page report
that my team and I put together,and I I mean, I'm biased.
(20:35):
I think it looks fantastic.
It was designed so beautifullyand it is just going to be the
very first annual report that wehave done, and this will
continue to be a trend that wedo from now on, because one it
was so fun getting to talk to somany of you creators.
Two, I learned things about youthat I didn't know that I needed
(20:56):
to focus on.
And three, I think it's just agreat example of y'all are
always asking me how do I getfeedback, how do I learn more
about my audience?
You do a survey.
Y'all do a survey.
You don't have to go to thelinks that I did of creating a
report and creating a 20 pagereport, creating a landing page
for it and doing all that stuff.
But I do think that leaninginto who your audience is, who
(21:19):
your community is, and what theywant to learn from you, is
super important.
So go check it out Again.
Go to crystalprofitcom forwardslash annual survey report and
take a look at it.
Let me know your feedback.
You'll get an email where thereport will be delivered and if
you find something of value,please respond and let me know.
(21:40):
I would love to hear from you.
I will never get sick ofhearing from this community
because y'all are so awesome,but that's all I have for you
today, so make sure you hit thatfollow or subscribe button
wherever you are watching andlistening today.
If this is your first timetuning in, what an incredible
one to join us for the veryfirst time.
Make sure to join Podcasters,connect and check out our
(22:03):
community, but, as always,remember, keep it up.
We all have to start somewhere.
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