When I stop to think about what I do for a living, it almost sounds crazy; I am a full time Magic: The Gathering player and content creator.

Despite the fact that over 30 million people have played Magic at some point, I would guess there are probably only around 100-200 people in the world who do Magic content creation as their full-time job. This is a logical but extremely low number, as for every full-time content creator out there, there are thousands (if not tens of thousands) of folks making content either for fun or trying to break in to full-time content creation. Content creation has the triple whammy of not being able to support that many full-time people, being a highly desirable gig, and being something that anyone with a computer can attempt to do.

So, what is an aspiring content creator to do?

Well, you've made a good start by reading this article! I've been doing Magic content for almost ten years and been full-time for over six, and today I'd like to share some advice with you. Please note that while I am specifically talking about Magic because it is what I do, most of this could easily apply to almost any form of content creation, even beyond YouTube and Twitch to things like being in a local band or doing stand-up comedy.

So, let's get started!

1. It's Not Your Job Until It's Your Job

This is perhaps the most important piece of advice, as it's the one most likely to keep you sane.

Nobody just becomes a full-time content creator. You don't go to school for it, you don't fill out an application, and you don't just go from 0 to 60. Content creation almost always starts as a hobby in one way or another, but as things grow and are successful it can blossom from a hobby that costs money, to a bit of a side hustle that pays for itself or makes you a little extra on the side, and if you're lucky enough income to go full-time.

Think of it like being in a band.

Bands don't just sign up to play Madison Square Garden opening for The Foo Fighters. They usually start as a group of friends with mutual musical interests just hanging out and looking to create something cool. Bands spend a lot of money on equipment, practice space, recording time, and more, just to hopefully play a few shows at crappy bars to their friends. If they're lucky, they maybe start to pick up a small following and can try and parlay that into slightly bigger shows, catching the eye of some bigger acts in the area, and maybe even a small label looking to help them record.

It takes a major confluence of practice, skill, and luck for a band to make it past this step.

It's also important to realize that being a full-time content creator isn't just hitting the "play games all day but get paid" lottery. Being a full-time content creator is an unbelievable amount of hard work that most people never see.

A full-time content creator is essentially their own one-person business. Not only are you the performer, but you're also your manager, PR person, editor, social media manager, agent, account, secretary, and psychologist, and you need to juggle and manage all of these at once while knowing that your entire livelihood depends on it because if your business fails, you fail.

This is not something you should take on lightly, and definitely not something you should take on full-time unless you are making enough consistent income to justify the time put in and stress.

That's why it's important to not treat it as a job when you first start, and also why it's important to...

2. Establish What Your Goals Are Up Front

There are many different paths and ways to do content creation, but it's important to have an idea of what your end goal looks like so you can have an idea of what kind of roadmap you're looking at.

If you just want to have some fun making content when you can and share it, hoping folks will like it, that's great! This is a very healthy way to do things and will provide probably the most enjoyment for the least amount of stress. Do what you can, when you can, and just try to enjoy it. There's nothing wrong with being a weekend warrior!

However, maybe your goal is to eventually go full-time, and that's okay too! Having being a full-time content creator as a lofty goal is totally okay as long as you recognize that it is going to be a long road and it's a marathon, not a sprint. There are many steps in the process and many pitfalls along the way.

You can't just quit your job and start streaming 50 hours a week and expect to feed yourself, so you need to figure out ahead of time how much time you can reasonably commit to making content. Then figure out what you can do in that set amount of time. Maybe it's two night streams a week, or one YouTube video a week, and that's fine. Put your best foot forward, focus on learning and honing your craft, and most importantly...

3. Figure Out Why Someone Would Want To Watch You

This is by far the most important step for anyone who's doing basically any creative endeavor in an environment with any amount of competition. It may sound harsh, but why would anyone want to watch your content?

There are countless options out there vying for people's time and attention, what is it that is going to make people skip over the more established names and watch you instead?

I'm going to use some content creators I admire and respect as examples here:

Reid Duke - You watch Reid because he's simply one of the best Magic players in the world. He has a long time, hall of fame resume, lives and breathes Magic, and is one of the most recognized players of all time. This alone would be enough, but the fact that he's also excellent at articulating his thoughts about the game and an all-around great guy pushes him over the top.

Aspiringspike - You watch aspiringspike because he is relentlessly dedicated to his craft. The amount of time he puts into his decks is apparent as he is constantly churning out awesome new ones. His consistency in producing quality Modern content is unparalleled and he is a great example of a lesser-known player making it as a content creator without needing to leverage big name recognition.

CovertGoBlue - You watch CovertGoBlue because he's The One In Best Of One, and like tons of other Magic players on MTG Arena you play best of one Standard. CGB properly singled out an underserved section of the community (as most content produced is by competitive players who play best of three) and latched onto it with a charming mix of personality and production value. CGB is the perfect success story of a relative unknown doing everything right on his way to the top.

So, what's going to make people watch you?

If you can't answer this question and are serious about growing as a content creator, you probably need to go back to square one. Whether its competitive gameplay content based on results and high Mythic ranks, more fun content like interviews with a cool twist, a focus on entertainment or production values, or whatever it may be, you need to have something that makes you stand out. And maybe it's not gameplay; maybe it's humor content, cosplay guides, lore exploration... there are many different options, but you must have some sort of competitive advantage over your competition.

Make content that you yourself would want to watch, but also make sure you...

4. Go With The Flow Of Your Medium

While you do want your content to stand out in a crowd, you also do need to follow the trends and rules of each medium. There are many different places to create content and each has own particular guidelines that need to be addressed.

For example, success on YouTube often comes from laser focusing on one thing and doing it really well. Again, CovertGoBlue is a phenomenal example of this. For over 1,000 days in a row, he posted a new best of one Standard video on his channel, so you'd know exactly what you're getting each and every day. If your content on YouTube is too scattershot, you end up confusing the algorithm because lots of folks only want to watch some of your content and YouTube just sees that as people not being interested enough in your stuff to want to promote.

When it comes to Twitch, CalebDMTG has it down to a science. You can be a little more relaxed and free form on Twitch because you're live for a longer period of time, but having a clear time slot and being on most days of the week in that time is huge. Ideally this time slot is not the same as the other major creators, but that isn't always possible. People rarely tune in for an entire eight hour stream, but knowing when you're around allows your content to become part of your daily routine. Streaming is more like radio, while YouTube is more like on-demand TV.

However, both Twitch and YouTube are more long form content platforms, which does not translate well onto short form platforms like Instagram and TikTok. EmmaSkyeward is an expert on those platforms, growing huge followings with her perfectly tailored short form content. She nails all the latest TikTok trends and her success speaks for itself.

On the podcast front, a cast like Limited Resources or Lords of Limited provide you with a clear place to go every week for a specific type of content (in this case Limited strategy) with very clear expectations. This is another great case of specializing into a niche, ideally one that's being underserved.

While it is very important to diversify yourself as much as possible and I'd strongly suggest being on as many platforms as you can handle, it's also important to start yourself on the ones that most fit your style and main idea for your content. Put your focus into what works best for you, and you can always branch out later as you grow.

But most importantly...

5. Have Fun!

This may sound like silly advice, but the reality is that your primary goal for content creation should be personal satisfaction and fulfillment. I could go on and on about how to handle your taxes, burnout, and the shifting tides in the content landscape, but the reality is that these things would only apply to the minority of folks who have made it all the way to full time.

Make no mistake, full-time content is a lot of work. It's a fun, enjoyable, and extremely rewarding gig, but it is all consuming and frankly not for everyone. It also changes your relationship with the game, as what was once something you loved is now something you need. I rarely play Magic "for fun" anymore because I play so much during work hours, so when it's time for me to relax I'm gonna go play some Starcraft 2 or do literally anything else.

Be creative and good luck!