Being a content creator can be lucrative and compared to other businesses such as ones that require a brick and mortar, you can have massive profit margins.

However, being a content creator (blogger, youtuber, and/or influencer) does require some cost and I believe that as your elevate your brand so will the amount you spend. One of my goals this year is to post consistently on my blog, YouTube channel and social medias.

I’m leveling up my content, investing in a team, elevating my brand and putting some respeck’ on my name as a digital creator… and guess what? Most of those things cost.

So how much do I exactly spend as a content creator?

I’ve broken up my expenses into categories. Some of these I pay monthly and some I pay yearly. This doesn’t include things like office supplies or conferences. These are strictly expenses I can expect to pay each month and/or year. Obviously, you don’t have to use any of these things but I wanted to share exactly what I use and pay for to keep BreonnaQueen.com going….

Organization & planning:

1. Google Drive: $20/yr
I use Google Drive to house most of my documents and photos. I love Google drive because no matter where I’m at or the device I’m on, I have access to all of my things. I
=$20

Social Media Assistance:

1. Tailwind: $105/yr – I use tailwind to help me with Pinterest. I don’t have the time to pin 3-4 times day each day. With Tailwind, I take a few hours out of the month and schedule all of my pins! I’ve been using Tailwind for a little over a month now and my Pinterest monthly views have DOUBLED! Click here to signup for Tailwind and you get $15 off!
2. Planoly: $7/month – I use planoly to not only schedule out my instagram post but also my stories! I like planoly because they get you the best times to post, extended analytics and you can automatically post your hashtags as a comment for your new post!
3. Tubebuddy-: $16/month
Tubebuddy is a free web browser extension that integrates directly with YouTube’s site and helps you to optimize your channel better. I pay for the extended version so I can really look into keywords and SEO for my YouTube channel. I highly recommend TubeBuddy and I use it a few times out of the week!
4. MailerLite: $84/year –
I’ve used a few email providers and I always go back to Mailerlite because it’s easy and simple. Your first 1,000 subscribers is free and you get access to everything! You only pay once your grow past that 1000, which is why I pay. Click here to get a $20 credit when you sign-up for mailerlite!

Analytics:

1. Google Analytics: free
This what I use to look at my blog analytics such as page views, average time on site, unique visitors and monthly visitors
5. YouTube Analytics: free
This what I use to look at my YouTube analytics

Graphics & video:

1. Lightroom & Photoshop: $100/yr
I use adobe lightroom to help edit my photos. Photoshop was also included in the bundle.
2. Canva: free
I use canva to create my YouTube thumbnails, Pinterest pins and other graphics
3. Final cut pro: $300/ one time free
I use final cut pro to edit all of my YouTube videos. I use to use imovie which was free on my Mac and eventually upgraded to Filmora Wondershare which I highly recommend for beginners who want cute videos that are easy to create!

Money & Budgeting:

1. Quickbooks: $12/month
I use Quickbooks to help me manage my money, expenses and taxes.
I use to use wave apps which is similar and free. However, I prefer Quickbooks because it gives me expected taxes to pay quarterly, syncs with Turbotax and a few other programs I use.

Education:

I believe you should never stop learning! While I invest events, conferences and seminars, I have not included those things because the events I attend truly depend on my needs and what’s being held. I do not have a set amount for events I attend

1. LinkedIn Learning: free
LinkedIn Learning is $29.99 a month. However, I get it for free since I have a library card! I enjoy watching different courses on different things such as how to use Final cut pro better!
2. Skillshare: $100/yr
Skillshare is similiar to LinkedIn Learning as you have access to an abundance of coures.
Click here for 2 free months of skillshare!
3. Kindle Unlimited: $9.99/month
Yall, I LOVE Kindle unlimited lol. I’ve had it since 2016 and use it often for downloading cookbooks and quick reads.
Click here for your first month of Kindle Unlimited for FREE.
4. Scribed

Hosting & Domain Name:

1. Siteground: $6/month
Prior to siteground, I had all the website hosting including godaddy, hostgator, fatcow and bluehost. They all were just okay.

… then I got siteground and the game changed. With siteground, my website is faster, it backs up everyday, customer service is better, I have unlimited emails and can add unlimited websites to my hosting. I highly recommend siteground.

Services:

1. Photographer : $900/yr
I have a package with my photographer where I take photos ever quarter. I do plan to increase my sessions to every 6 weeks but right now, I just do every quarter and in-between I use my own camera!

So in total, how much should I expect to spend each year?
About $2,221.00/year not including things like conferences, office supplies, photoshoot props, running ads, traveling or meals.

This may seem like a lot to some but compared to other traditional businesses, this is relatively low! You don’t have to use all of the things or any of things I use and often times, most of the above software offers trials and free plans!

I choose to invest in my business because I know it’s worth it and I’ve made a return on my investment every year.