I’ve been blogging since 2012, when I graduated from my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training. Blogging was really starting to take off by that point, and now, almost eight years later, it’s a term people recognize and, for the most part, understand. In fact, I’d even argue that blogging laid the foundation for the Influencer. But in a world where there are so many content creators, bloggers and influencers, how do you support your friends who do it? And if you’d like to become a content creator, whether it’s a side hustle or a career change, how do you earn a living?!

I wanted to put together this little post because the other day, someone shared an Instagram Story that said, “After I play a YogaByCandace yoga vid on YouTube, I leave the next video start and I let the ad roll. This is how you support content creators.” I re-shared it, and many people responded that they didn’t realize that by playing the YouTube ad, they were supporting us. So here’s a post to break it down for ya, in case you’d like to support me or any other content creators and are unsure of what to do.

How to Support Content Creators on Instagram

Interact with Posts: Liking a post means a lot, but leaving a comment goes a long way, too. Specifically, if the comment is a thoughtful comment or more than just an emoji or two. It tells the algorithm that the content is important. The more interaction a post gets, the more that person’s content will be suggested to other users with similar interests. Engaging with a sponsored post, specifically, really helps the content creator because it sends the message to their sponsor that this was a good partnership and may improve the chances of them working together again.
Saving or Sending: Saving a post by clicking the little flag button on the bottom right hand side of a post also works in our favor with the algorithm, and so does direct messaging the post to a friend. All this interaction simply communicates to the algorithm that this content is important enough to be shared or saved, so it should be suggested to other people with similar interests.
Interact with Stories: Responding to Stories, sharing Stories, or participating in the polls/questions also helps because it tells the algorithm that the content creator’s work is engaging and therefore should be suggested to other users.
Sharing is Caring: If you love the content a creator is putting out, simply creating a Story or permanent post telling your followers about them is hugely helpful. In a way, we’re all influencers because we all have a following, and nothing is more powerful than a recommendation from a friend, so if you truly like what a person is putting out, sharing that and tagging them is huge.

Shooting in Los Angeles for Revlon (see vlog here)

How to Support Content Creators on YouTube

Engage: So by now you’re seeing a trend here with how to support content creators. The engagement metric is vital, and we can’t survive without it. If you like a video, hit the thumbs up icon. If you dislike it, hitting the thumbs down still helps us because it tells YouTube that the content has moved you enough to dislike it. If you feel moved to leave a comment, that is also helpful, and while any comment is great, even one with a simple, “Nice!” comment, something more thoughtful like, “It was too cold to leave my house today so practicing yoga with your online vids was a great option” is much more helpful because the algorithm is smart. “Nice!” can seem spammy or like a bot is doing the work, but a thoughtful sentence tells the algorithm that a real, live human being felt moved enough to write a comment, and therefore this content should be suggested to others with similar interests.
Sharing is Caring: If you love a particular YouTube creator or video, sharing about it on other platforms like Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook can go a long way because it exposes other people to our content.
Use the Codes: When content creators share an affiliate code for a product you’d like to try, using their codes will usually (not always) give a commission to the content creator, and get you a discount.
Let the Ad Run: Clicking out of the ad that rolls during a video we’ve created gives us a tiny percentage of a cent. Letting the ad run gives us a slightly larger percent of a cent. Actually clicking on the ad if it’s something you’re interested in gives us much more (like a whole cent, ha!). So if you have the time, let the ad run.

How to Support Content Creators on Blogs

Engage: Blogs are a dying breed, so keeping the ones you read and enjoy alive by commenting on blog posts is hugely helpful. Feel free to ask questions so the content creator will respond to you and create a dialogue.
Sharing is Caring: Sharing posts you like on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or in an email is really helpful to the content creator because your share could help turn other people into regular readers.
Buy Through Their Links: Generally, when a content creator has an affiliate link, they’ll link something within their blog post (and a disclosure will be at the top of the post letting you know there are affiliate links embedded within). If you feel moved to shop, clicking through those affiliate links help the creator earn a small commission (usually between 2-5%), so while it’s not a lot, it can really add up if everyone who reads is doing it, and that can help sustain the content creator’s business.
Sign Up: If the content creator has a newsletter, sign up for it, and when it’s emailed to you, open it. We get open metrics and click through metrics which are then used to help figure out what kind of content we should create, and what kind of partnerships we should look for. If you see something interesting within the newsletter, clicking on it and checking it out lets us know that is the type of content you like. Forwarding it to a friend who might enjoy is also hugely helpful because that friend may turn into a reader.

How to Support Content Creators when They Create:

Talk About It: When content creators you love debut a new creation, whether it’s a line of merchandise, or a podcast - it doesn’t matter what it is, talking about it online to your following is so helpful. As I mentioned above, nothing helps us out more than someone vouching for you. Recently, a woman took it upon herself to share how much she loved the Mantra Box®, and we subsequently saw them fly off the shelves. Her infectious, authentic enthusiasm came through clearly via Stories, and it directly impacted our business. But let’s say you’re already a yoga teacher, and you’ve already taken a 200 and a 300hr yoga teacher training. If you love us, and we come out with a new training, and you honestly feel it’s a good training, simply telling your friends about it is hugely impactful. Even if one of your friends doesn’t sign up, maybe they’ll become a daily blog reader or weekly podcast listener. The more our community grows, the more we’re able to help others, and the more our business thrives.
Rate and Review: If it’s an item that can be rated and reviewed, taking a minute to do that can be so beneficial to content creators. Take a podcast, for example. The more ratings a podcast gets, the more the algorithm understands that this is a podcast that should be suggested for other people who listen to this genre of podcasts. Therefore, the podcast may be suggested or come up higher in searched by those types of listeners.
Buy It: Not everything a content creator puts out is something that you want, need, or have the budget for. But if it does tick those boxes, your support in purchasing the item is much appreciated. For the most part, content creators are either sole workers, or the head of a small business. Either way, your support could mean the difference in being able to pay hosting fees or rent for their office space, if they’ve got it. We can always choose how to spend our money, so if a product truly resonates with you and is within your budget, being a paying customer means so much.

We really appreciate your support of YBC® and all we do. Let us know in the comments section what type of content speaks to you the most, so we can keep it up!