The 9 to 5 Is Back...With A Twist

The term ‘creator’ often evokes the Alix Earle archetype: a young, ambitious influencer pursuing social media fame in lieu of a more traditional career path. And indeed, Earle’s (among others’) public success has popularized a tantalizing alternative to a conventional job. Ironically, however, we believe that some of the biggest (and most profitable) creators will emerge from the most staid professions–jobs that require postgraduate degrees (e.g., a doctor) or considerable experience in a certain field (e.g., a CMO).

These ‘professional creators' benefit from 1) the inherent exclusivity of their categories, and 2) the increasing need for their expertise.

Unlike many other internet subcultures, a professional niche has a significant barrier to entry–extensive schooling and / or experience–that necessarily limits the number of creators in the space. As a result, fewer creators have the opportunity to ‘own’ categories that demand a qualified voice and, by extension, to offer products / services that serve these communities.

As the internet–our de facto resource–continues to expand, trusted professionals will only generate more value for their consumers. As we discussed last week, they can help organize and parse tailored, high-impact information. Because the professional’s online role is educational and often weighty, they compete with other content primarily on relevance, accuracy, and presentation (and less on entertainment value). Consequently, once these creators are established as reliable sources, their following typically remains highly engaged.

But even with these relative advantages, why would a successful professional be interested in becoming a creator? In short, for the distribution advantage and community building.

Like any consumer company, professionals’ businesses are well-served by social platform marketing and an identifiable face. The individuality that a creator’s content reveals is particularly valuable in fields where professionals and their offerings can seem virtually indistinct to outsiders. Social content can be helpful in communicating the subtly divergent methodologies of equally qualified experts. And should these professionals choose to parlay their online brand into ancillary income streams, their community will serve as an integral partner in launching products / services. They can both inform product-market fit and provide real-time feedback as projects are iterated.

While we feel professionals are extremely well-positioned as creators today, we also believe their window of opportunity is wide. Because they serve a fundamental need for qualified guidance, they are less impacted by fads or impermanent platforms. And as our digital landscape inevitably evolves, we are confident in their continued relevance.