8 Things Actors Should Know About Creating Their Own Content
Drawn from what is actually said on camera, so you can decide whether to
spend the 10:02 watching it.
Content means more than social posts
Keena Ferguson defines content broadly: what you put on socials, but also short films, pilots, theater shows, PSAs and commercials. The same five steps apply whichever form you are working in, so treat a self-produced short with the same planning you would give a posting strategy.
The first step actors skip is asking whether the thing they are making is purposeful and whether it actually matters to them. Intention is what keeps you creating past the first piece, rather than making something once and stalling.
Your why is not just marketing copy. It is what you return to when a project goes wrong and you need fuel to keep going, and it is what lets you speak passionately enough that collaborators want in. People join projects when they understand why you need to make them.
Heidi Dean's warning: actors jump on whatever trend is hot without tying it to a core value or belief. Chasing what is hot also kills the fun, because you are creating out of obligation instead of purpose. Tie a post to your why and you attract an audience that cares about what you care about.
Creating in a bubble and then announcing a finished project means the audience has no idea who you are or what you want from them. Build the community while you are still making the thing. If the project speaks to skateboarders, be in connection with skateboarders long before launch day.
Actors assume a good idea has universal appeal, but you do not watch everything on TV or like everything on social. Get specific about who buys your jar of jam: where they live, when and why they buy, how they find it. Being specific does not lock other people out, it just tells them what to expect.
Keena's shortcut for identifying your audience is to research your comparables. If you are making mom content, look at the mom creators and mom films you follow, then tailor to the audience they already reached. If those viewers like that work, they are likely to like yours.
Give yourself a deadline and make it nonnegotiable
The bonus tip, and the one Heidi calls the most important of the session. Artists procrastinate and get stuck in perfectionism. Set a daily time to write, a time to create, and a delivery date you treat as fixed, or the other five steps never produce anything.
So many actors try to create [music] their own content, but skip the exact steps that it takes to make it successful. Today, we're breaking down the five steps that you can't skip over if you want to create your own content. And I'm bringing in the best person, Tina Ferguson. [music] She's an NAACP award-winning actor, writer, and producer who's appeared on hit shows like Atlanta, SWAT, and All-American. And now she's a film and TV director [music] with credits on AMC and Wet TV. Let's do this. Hi Kina, thank you so much for being here. Um, you're a content creator, right? And you've worked with so many actors as well on their content, so I'm sure you have seen it all. Um, what is the first thing you see most creators skip that they shouldn't? - Yes. So, one of the first things that I see is that they are not creating with intention.
And I like to be really clear when I say content creation because that's really a broad term and that can apply to obviously your content you create on socials, but it can apply to short films, pilots, if it's a theater show, if it's a PSA, if it's a commercial, right? It's all content. And so the first thing that people skip is creating with intention. And what that means is what you're creating, is it purposeful? Does it matter to you? And this all plays a part because when you create with intention, it helps you continue to create, [music] right? Which kind of ties into the number two thing, which is to know your why, [music] right? As artists, right? If we're artists and we love to create, there's a reason we love to create. There's stories inside of us. And so, why are you creating what it is that you are creating? And the reason we have to stick to knowing your why, not only for marketing, not only for our audience, but it's also because it's how [music] we build community to come in and create with us.
It's how we build collaborators. When we know our why, we can speak to it passionately and we [music] can allow people to really understand why it is I want to create what it is. And the other fact about this is when it gets tough, when things aren't going right, when you're creating, you can come [music] back to knowing your why, which will continue to motivate and fuel you in order to keep going. - All right, I love this so much. Um, create with intention. Um, also knowing your why. So many creators don't do this, and I actually see this on social media as well. I see actors, they're just like hopping on random trends without trying to tie it into some core value, belief, or something in their life. And I just I've witnessed this over the years. Random content attracts random people. [music] Um, but if they can tie it into their why, it just it it has a deeper meaning and it helps you attract an actual audience that cares about the same things as you. So, [music] I love - Yes.
And it helps you to keep creating, right? As opposed to like, oh, what's hot now? What what should I do now? And when you don't have any purpose or passion behind it, it doesn't become fun. It just becomes this thing that you're doing because everyone tells you should do it. And that's not why you're an artist, right? [music] So, um, which kind of then goes into the next point, my number three tip, which is marketing before you create, right? Sometimes it's really easy to create in a bubble, to go away and to be make all these amazing things and then go, "Hey guys, look, I'm here. here's my great project that I've been working on. And meanwhile, everyone else is like, "We haven't heard from you. Who are you? What do you want us to do?
What?" So, marketing before you create, how are you setting up your audience to be excited about what's to come? How are you getting them ready? How are you building, especially if you're creating in a new way or a new content? Let's say you're speaking to, I don't know, people who sew or you're speaking to skateboarders or you're speaking. How have you created community with these people that you want to be in connection with what you're creating? You can't just pop out and say, "Hey guys, I created this great thing and it's all about skateboarding." And the skateboard community is like, "We don't know you at all." So, you want to market before you create to build that community. So, when you're ready to launch and you're ready to put your project out, there's already a built-in community, which [music] community equals audience. Knowing your audience, you need to know who your audience is and you need to be specific about that. Now, I know Heidi has her jars of jam and this all relates to your jars of jam, right? It's like who is your audience, [music] right? Who's buying what jars of jam? Where, when, why, how, where do they live, where do they get their jam?
All of these things matter because you can't reach an audience if you don't know how to get to them. And I will also let you know that right now in the market that we're in in Hollywood and creating what's most beneficial to [music] networks, to streamers, to other companies is do you have an audience that is coming with you that maybe they haven't reached yet or they don't have access to. And so that's really important. - It's so important. And I feel like too many actors think, "Oh, I have this great idea and it's for everybody." But it's not for everybody. Not you don't watch everything on TV. You don't watch everything on YouTube. You don't like everything on social media. So assuming that the content you're creating is going to be for everyone is a huge mistake. And I see that all the time as well. Um do you have any tips that maybe could help my viewers really figure out their audience? Even a mini tip.
- Yes. So one of the many tips is what is your content like? So who are your comparables? Do you create? You know, I'm a mom and a wife. So, am I creating mom content? Well, who are some of the moms that I love and I follow or who have created films that tie into that and then tailor that to their a. Okay. If they like that, they would love my things, [music] right? And I think what you said is so powerful. I think it's hard because artists want to appeal to everyone, right? It feels good to say like everyone loves what I do, [music] but just because you're specific with your audience doesn't mean other people that aren't your audience won't also find you.
It's just giving people a way in to know what to expect and to know what they're getting into. [music] My husband watches a lot of movies that really I'm not the audience for, but I actually really love them and come into it as well, but they reached him and through him they reached me. And so I think that's important. But my first tip would be who are your comparables? researching that um people that are like you, whatever it is you're creating. - Great advice. See, this is why I had Kina here. She is the go-to on this topic. Now, what's the fifth thing that a lot of actors and creators miss when trying to create content? - So, this is one of my favorites. This is building for long-term fans, [music] not just for one project or if you want to take it to social media, one post or one topic. Remember that what you're building is still a career.
you're still building a journey. So, you want people to be able to come on board and stay with you. Again, what does that create? Collaborators. [music] What does that create? People who want to help fund, help donate, become a part of your uh what I say like your, you know, your voices of fans that are willing to be like, have you watched, have you seen? Right? I always use the example that when I did one of my films, I just did a quick little post, [music] a little live where I was like, "Yay, if you want to donate, so many people donated to this film that I did." Not because they just loved that movie I was about to do. What they loved was that they had seen me over time create something, put it out, stay true to my word, do the next project, get it out. So, you're building these long-term fans. And so now I have people that if they know I'm creating something or I have a show, they're ready to show up for me because I've shown up for them as a creator. And so that is my fifth tip, which is build for long-term fans.
You're not just building for this one project in a bubble. - I love it. You're building for the big journey of content creation, just like the journey of being an actor. It's it's a marathon, right? Not not a sprint. All right. If you've been on my channel before, then you know I love bonus tips. So, it's time for a bonus. You have a [snorts] bonus tip for us today? - I do. Favorite favorite favorite bonus tip is give yourself a deadline and stick to it. That might seem simple, but people love to procrastinate.
Artists love to get in their head and become a perfectionist. What you do, you give yourself a deadline and you stick to it. Give yourself a time to write every day. Give yourself a time to create. Give yourself the deadline and it is a nonnegotiable. Hina has taught us so much today, but that tip right there is the most important tip of the day because you can do one, two, three, four, and five, but if you don't give yourself a deadline, it will never get done. And she's the queen of getting it done. I'll tell you that right now. And she's got a little present for you. It's a get it done checklist to help you get all of this done that we talked about today. And you can access it right in the description below. Thank you so much, Kina.
I I mean every time I bring you into my community with my techsavvy actor students or anywhere, it's such a joy and I learn so much. [music] So, thank you for helping so many actors with their content creation journey. - Of course. Thank you, Heidi. I love being a part of your community. I love talking to your community and I love absolutely what you're doing. You have changed social media for artists and actors. So, thank you for having me and I love this. - Awesome. Well, don't forget to connect with Kina on her social media channels right in the description and get that get it done checklist because without it, you may not get it done. So, go get that down below. And until next time, you want to sign off with me?
- I do. - We'll see you on social. - Social. Bye.
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