The 4 Pillars of a Strong Creator Brand (Don’t Overlook These)

Read Time: 3 Minutes 4 Seconds

Hey — Thomas here.

In today’s edition:

• 4 steps you need to build a solid brand foundation

• Insight on how to clarify your brand’s purpose and value

• And even more…

No matter your experience level, most creators will face unexpected roadblocks.

Stagnation. Burnout. Audience drop-off. Decision paralysis.

Today we’ll break down the 4 key things to workshop so you can prevent this:

1. purpose

2. value

3. audience

4. content series

Let’s make sure you have a solid foundation.

1. Start with Why

Most creators jump straight into making content.

But without a clear purpose, it’s like driving without a map.

Without purpose, content feels hollow.

Instead, if you start with “why,” you can ensure that your content always has a general guideline to direct the vision.

Here is how some other creators and brands have done it:

Liquid Death: Make water edgy

Dollar Shave Club: Make shaving convenient

Chloe Shih: Creativity for W2’s

Daniel Dalen: BTS of an 8-figure business

Mark Rober: Science made exciting

Duolingo: Learn languages easily

Life of Riza: Visual storytelling

Ryan Trahan: Turn the mundane into adventure

Jerry Lee: Helping you get a job

MKBHD: All things tech

Karat: Banking for creators

So how do you go about figuring this out?

Many of you may be coming to the content world with an idea, a passion, in mind.

Take that idea, but overlay your personal experiences into it.

Start with what you’re passionate about, but dig deeper—

ask yourself,

“what experiences have shaped this passion?”

This is where your unique perspective comes in.

Step 1: Identify Your Core Passion

• What topics, industries, or causes get you excited?

• What could you talk about for hours without getting bored?

Step 2: Overlay Your Personal Story

• What challenges have you faced that align with this passion?

• How has your journey shaped your view on this topic?

Step 3: Define the Problem You Solve

• How can you take your personal experiences & interests and create a unique stance on a problem people face?

Example:

If you’re passionate about fitness, think about your own journey. Did you struggle to stay consistent or find motivation to get fit? Maybe you had a negative relationship with food. Your “why” could be grounded in helping improve people’s relationship with nutrition in the context of getting fit.

Purpose isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the foundation. 

It’s what makes you memorable.

Once you have this locked in, you’ll have a clear lens through which you can create content.

2. Determine Your Value

There are three core types of value you can offer as a creator.

Most successful content fits into at least one of these categories:

1. Information: Educational content that teaches or shares insights

• tutorials

• how-to’s

• deep dives

This type of value helps your audience learn something new or solve a problem.

2. Entertainment: Capturing attention and creating an experience. It’s the type of content that makes viewers stop scrolling.

• humor

• visual spectacle

• skit

• montage

Entertainment content taps into emotions like joy, awe, or surprise, making it highly engaging and shareable.

It creates an experience that viewers want to be a part of and share with others.

3. Relatability: This is where you connect on a human level. You make the viewer:

• feel seen

• feel understood

• have a shared sense of identity

It’s sharing experiences, stories, or struggles that others can nod along to and say, “Wow, that’s literally me.”

Understanding what kind of value you bring helps define your niche and sets the tone for your content.

But here’s the thing.

The best creators & brands often have 2 types of value going on at the same time:

Trikko: Entertainment + Relatability

Duolingo: Entertainment + Information

Daniel Dalen: Relatability + Information

SMASHD: Entertainment + Relatability

12Pell: Entertainment + Information

So, think about how you can mix and match these types of value to create content that’s unique and multi-dimensional.

3. Find your Audience

Speaking to “everyone” usually means reaching no one.

Your voice gets too generalized. Too bland.

So let’s simplify it.

Imagine you’re making content for one person.

Just one.

Let’s humanize them:

• What age are they?

• Where do they live?

• What kind of work do they do?

• What are their dreams?

• What are their interests?

• Their hobbies?

• Their fears?

• What’s holding them back?

When you can picture this person clearly,

you can speak directly to them.

You’ll know:

• what kind of content will resonate

• what problems they need to solve

• how to connect on a deeper level

Remember: When you focus on creating content for this one specific person, it becomes more authentic, relatable, and impactful.

And here’s the thing—

it ends up resonating with many more people who feel like you’re speaking directly to them.

Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, start with one.

Make content that’s tailored, personal, and niche, and watch as your audience grows with people who truly get you.

4. Create Your Content Series

Now that you’ve:

• defined your “why”

• identified the type of value you’re offering

• selected your ideal audience

It’s time to turn all of this into action with a tailored content series.

This is where you bring your “why” to life through repeatable, engaging content that delivers consistent value and speaks directly to your audience.

Look back at your value pillars:

• information

• entertainment

• relatability

Here are a few different content styles that may spark your interest.

Information - Teach your audience something new

• Tutorials -  @stealth_health_life teaches how to cook deceptively healthy foods

• Subject-Matter Expert - @janice.journal shares everything about 3D animation.

• Podcast Clips - @steven brings in experts or creators to discuss niche topics.

• Product Reviews - @mkbhd reviews tech, cars, software, gear.

• Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) - @danieldalen shares his learnings as an 8-figure entrepreneur in Hong Kong.

Entertainment - Creating an engaging experience for your audience’s leisure.

• Art - Day in the life of @karocrafts and her various art pieces.

• Travel Content - @theloverspassport showing us the world.

• Challenges - @jennyhoyoslol’s viral, yet very normal challenges.

• Highlight Reels - @houseofhighlights, all things basketball.

• Parodies/Satire - @sullyfinlay the corporate fiend.

• Skits - @jercho1’s scripted scenes that keep his viewers guessing.

• The Absurd - @grvymcgee’s animations.

• Laughs - @fuckjerry.

Relatability - Personal experiences that make viewers feel understood.

• Lifestyle - @yoojinslife takes us with her through her daily life. @sukeslife’s “Day in the life of a regular Japanese guy.”

• Life Lessons - @mylenesmind shares thought-provoking realizations she’s had about life.

• Enjoying the Mundane - @timmchiusano teaches you to chill out.

• Shared Dread - @weshree films his life before mandatory military conscription.

• Family - @zachandtee share about their lives over food.

• Living Abroad - @bibijaneangelica shares lessons she’s learned living abroad.

Now, it’s very hard to take all your value pillars and cram them into a single video format.

So, we propose a different approach.

Create 2+ different content series.

Each series has a different purpose for your brand.

Imagine you’re a travel creator.

You can make a number of different video styles:

• Information: Teaching the audience travel hacks to spend less money and do more.

• Entertainment: Show what it’s like to explore new, beautiful places.

• Relatability: Expose the deeper struggles of living this lifestyle.

You can make content creation so much easier by divvying up your content into these buckets.

That’s it. 4 pillars. Want me to clarify anything or go deeper into these topics?

Send me a reply to this email.

I’ll be looking forward to it :).

This is just part one of a greater series on defining the content creation roadmap. We’re super excited to continue with part 2 next week.

We’ll see you in 7 days :).

Sincerely,

Thomas