Meet Folasade Daini, Our First Creator Takeover

We’re switching things up today with our very first creator takeover, featuring @folasade_daini!

We first reached out to Folasade after seeing a LinkedIn post where she shared how excited she was to join the Notion for Creators program! Folasade put together this edition to walk you through her journey, from the early days of just trying to get the money flowing to the systems (Notion 🤔) that help her stay organized and financially steady.

One thing we’re aiming to do with this newsletter is spotlight creators who can share their experience and real tips on what’s helped them along the way. There’s a lot of good stuff in here, so we’ll let her take it away!

Until next time,

—Danielle & Binh

Introducing Folasade Daini 🎤

In Q1, I made $16k as a creator. But just a few months before, I was struggling.

For a long time, content creation was just an expensive hobby. I bought the latest tech, paid for masterclasses, and spent countless hours creating content but I wasn’t making money.

Even though I was doing all the right things, my creator business wasn’t built to last. I didn’t have a system for making consistent income.

Along the line, I got my first Notion template and it helped me begin to build out my business and content engine. Now I have built this Creator Monetization Kit that helps me show up consistently, monetize my content without burnout, and have consistent $5K months.

In this newsletter, I share the steps that have helped me build a financially-sustainable creator business, and how you can do it, too. From ideation to monetization to scripting, filming, editing, and distribution—all the good stuff!

1. Monetization starts from your ideas; not after you’ve hit publish

If you don’t optimize your content ideas for income, creation will always be just another expensive hobby.

So, while brainstorming and developing your content idea, think monetization. Not after filming, not after editing, not after publishing, but right then and there as the ideas are still forming in your mind. Just like brands create content to meet their goals, you also need to let your goals direct your content strategy!

For example, I have a $25k revenue target this quarter. In planning my content, I’ve had to think about:

• What income sources do I want to prioritize?

• What kind of content do I need to hit this goal?

• How often do I need to show up to hit my revenue target?

My answers to these questions inform my content strategy. What I do next is use my Content Planner to organize everything. And just like me, you can start being super intentional about monetizing your content too.

2. Build a system for repeated brand partnerships

92% of creators earn most of their revenue through brand deals, according to this 2023 Creator Earnings Benchmark Report. However, even these can be inconsistent, especially if your strategy is to wait for them to come to you.

You must also put yourself out there. This is how I got 3 brand partnerships in Q1; by actively showing my dream brands how I could help meet their marketing goals. You must be ready to pitch like crazy!

One thing that helps is if you genuinely like or care about the brand. As someone who’s been on both sides as a creator and the one cutting the cheques, I’ve learnt that brands can sense a money grab from a mile away. So, make sure that you also have actual value to offer. There’s peace in knowing you’re driven by purpose, not profit.

Here are some steps to guide you as you put yourself out there:

• Make a list of your dream brands (ideally a mix of brands you already use + those who you’ve observed to be creator-friendly)

• Create a sample post that matches the quality of content they post. It is very important that you tell your story authentically and with originality. Don’t forget to tag the brands in the post and your stories

• If and when they reply via DM, use the pitch template I shared in this video to introduce yourself and ask if they’re open to influencer partnerships. Make sure you’re clear on the value you offer, and also highlight any USP you have.

To prepare you ahead, you will get a lot of nos. But like they say, all you need is one yes! So, keep pitching until you find the brand that will say yes to you.

3. Get a 9-5 with your content creation skills

This is the part you won’t hear from most creators, but you don’t have to go full-time with content creation as you know it. The same skills you apply in content creation can land you a 9-5 that brings in consistent income.

Now I can guess that your next question might be how do you get a role that not only pays your hydro bills on time, but also still leaves you with enough to invest in your RRSP.

Let’s break it down into 3 steps!

• Document everything you’ve done so far in a portfolio and on LinkedIn. That account you grew from 0-1000 followers in 60 days? Share screenshots if you have them. That creator community you managed as a volunteer? Quantify the growth. Feed this information into this free creator portfolio I made for you.

• Include the job title in your LinkedIn header to that title so recruiters can find you. For example, if you’re looking at applying for social media strategy roles, put the title ‘Social Media Strategist’ in your bio.

• Once you do this, you can start applying actively to roles that are a good match. After applying to each role, send the hiring manager an introductory DM/Email to give you an edge over other candidates.

Thank you for reading so far! Being a creator is hard work, and even if you might not yet be where you want to be, remember good things take time. But good things without a working system take forever. So, start being intentional about setting up a structure while waiting on the results.

You can build your system step by step, or skip the trial and error - grab my entire Creator Monetization Kit for a faster start. You’ll get:

• The Content Planner I use to monetize my content way before I hit post.

• The Brand Deal Guide that's landed me partnerships with Kajabi, Claude, Wealthsimple, Flodesk, and many more.

• My Media Kit with exact samples on what to include to get replies from your dream brands

• The Script Template I've used to build a strong community of loyal followers who buy from me.

• and more!

And those results? They’ll come! Not to sound dramatic or anything, but what I just shared with you was a life-changer—not just for my creator business, but also my mental health.

Good luck! And cheers to having your bills on auto-pay because you chose to document your life 🤭

—Folasade Daini