If you’re a part time content creator and you’re struggling to manage your time, that doesn’t mean you’re a failure, you might just need to change your tactics. One of the most important aspects of being a part-time content creator is setting realistic expectations. If you are working another job or have other obligations outside of streaming then you must consider how much time & energy you can dedicate to content creation without burning yourself out.
Optimize Your Content
Optimizing your social media & content posting outside of live streaming can significantly reduce your daily workload. Take advantage of free scheduling tools within platforms you are on to post new content consistently. You may even consider additional third-party scheduling tools to assist with this. Create batch content when you can & schedule it out so your posts are regular or without long breaks in between. Content platform algorithms generally don’t favor accounts with large lapses of content so you want to maintain consistency as much as possible.
It’s also worth working out a way to make one piece of content work for you across multiple channels. Recycle content and make it work for you – can you recycle your stream highlights on Twitter or TikTok? Can you upload your VODs to YouTube? Can you get some candid behind the scenes footage or your creative projects/IRL ventures to make shortform content or long form?
You may feel a burst of creativity & draft up several social media posts or have some time to edit & schedule some short form content like stream clips. We also recommend sourcing some help from your moderators & viewers by reminding/asking them to clip your content for you to repost.
Work Smarter Not Harder
We recommend selecting a fewer number of platforms to post on that keeps it manageable for consistent posting. With part-time streaming you don’t want to burn yourself out by spreading yourself too thin across too many platforms. There can be a pressure to be active on all popular social platforms. You may consider creating an account on each of them to secure your handle, but not being an active poster immediately unless you decide you can dedicate the time/energy to it without compromising yourself.
Now that we know we should be selective for what platforms to be active on – how do we decide which ones? Social Media is generally used to connect with your audience/community outside of live streams. If you are a fitness content creator your audience is likely to be more active on a platform like Instagram instead of X. If you are a gaming content creator your audience is likely to be more active on X than Instagram. Do some research on what platforms appeal to your target audience & start with being active on those.
Keep To Your Schedule
It’s impossible to manage your time if you’re not holding yourself accountable. Having a strict schedule (e.g. 7-10pm M/W/F) can help you set expectations for your availability and make it easier to gather repeat viewers. Sometimes other obligations only allow you to stream more sporadically, try to set a rule that’s a little looser that you can still follow consistently. Having a rule like “I always schedule social content at the weekend.” or “I only stream in short bursts in the evening.” will help you to get into the rhythm of content creation even when your weeks are never the same.
It’s important to be mindful of not burning yourself out by streaming for too long or too often. You may have a more open day that you can stream longer than usual on which is okay in moderation, but keeping to your schedule will help you keep time for yourself and your other obligations, and help you stay consistent for longer.
Stay Informed
Whether you’re working on content part time or full time we recommend checking out other Creator Academy courses like Mae’s class on dealing with burnout and Noah’s class on knowing when the right time to go full time is!
