The emergence of social media has brought with it a wave of content creators, who are impressing audiences with their content. But how does one differentiate themselves from the crowd? While the OGs or the pioneers in content creation have made their mark – there is a new tribe of GenZ influencers who are unabashedly vocal and comfortable in their skin.

To understand the industry better and know more about how content is monetised, a panel discussion – featuring content creators Tarini Shah and Prabhleen Kaur Bhomrah, and Akshay Bhatnagar, Co-founder, HYPD – was held at TechSparks 2022 in Bengaluru.

What sets GenZ content creators apart?

To kickstart the discussion, Tarini highlighted how GenZ have distinct personalities, and are inclined towards originality. In her case, it is her editing skills that have made the right noise.

“I like to be creative and want to show it through my content. What sets me apart is everything from the way I talk and walk, or connect with my audience. I feel everyone has a certain content format that they can be identified with,” she added.

Agreeing with Tarini’s point of view, Prabhleen believes that it isn’t easy to make your voice heard, particularly in an age when there are several content creators. That’s why having an X-factor is critical. In the initial days of content creation, she would post picture-perfect images that attracted a whole lot of bashing. Over a period of time, she realised that there was nothing more important than being real – this is when she started her hashtag #NoFilterWithPKB, which went viral.

Thinking long-term as content creators

As someone who runs HYPD – a platform that empowers content creators to have a sustainable income – Akshay believes that there is an innate correlation between a content creator and a founder.

“When a founder starts to think about his company, there’s a problem statement that he needs to solve; it’s the same with a content creator. Everybody starts from zero, which means the journey has to start from the beginning, and it is this correlation that helps us in building the algorithm and data sets,” he added.

Tarini believes that there is nothing more important than a content creator’s connection with their audience. If a platform gets banned, something new will come up – your audience is likely to follow you wherever you go!

“You have to create that connection with your audience by experimenting with content, and expanding. I recently started a podcast, where I am vulnerable with my audience, and I also urge them to share their experiences,” she shared.

Furthermore, Prabhleen believes that it is the YouTube community that are true loyalists. The platform encourages mostly long-form content, which gives content creators an opportunity to connect better with their audiences.

“There’s not much editing or transition. We put out our real parts and our audience can see how we stay alone, or the mental challenges that we face. They find a space where they can belong,” she added.

Monetising content

Recalling her initial journey, Prabhleen shared that when she was 19, she suffered a setback in academics, due to which she had to drop a year. It was a point when there was much uncertainty and she had no vision of her future. This is when she bought a tripod and decided to make YouTube videos.

“I remember a product video that had gone viral and that’s how I gained visibility. I continued with college later on, but wasn’t so serious. When the lockdown happened, I moved to Instagram and that’s when my No Filter campaign went viral. I told my parents that within a year, I will make a sustainable income and I was able to do that,” she added.

Akshay believes that in this information age, GenZ are making informed choices to follow the unconventional path. That’s why they want to become influencers and content creators – interestingly, the entry barrier is low, and creativity is what makes you tick.

“Our platform is for the future, it is about empowering the creators. You own your revenue channels, so you don’t need to work for someone you don’t want. Creators need a monetisation channel and we provide that – we want them to be creatorpreneurs,” he shared, adding that being a content creator is nothing short of a full-time job!

As Akshay explained, HYPD is not reinventing the wheel – they are enabling content creators to earn more.

“We are conservative on the number side – our aim is to get 10,000 creators to earn Rs 1 lakh per month. Creators will define the next five years,” he concluded.