Creator Etiquette: Essential Guidelines for Professional Online Content Creators

The Do’s and Don’ts of Creator Etiquette

When interacting with other creators in the industry, it is important that we follow certain creator etiquette tips in order to maintain a safe and respectful environment. Here are a couple do’s and don’ts.

DO

Understand some creators will be asked to be compensated for their time or assistance.

You have the decision to go forward with the interaction. But DO NOT haggle the rate they quote you. Just like when a client tries to haggle you, it is a sign of disrespect.

Take all advice given with a grain of salt and hours of research.

Remember, these are your peers in this field, not your mentors unless you have that set circumstance. No one in this industry knows everything about it. And more specifically, we don’t know your situation or the specifics in it.

Find and build a community of creators, whether in person or digital.

No one other than other creators will 100% understand what we go through in a days work. Building a community with my peers has been essential in my growth and I cannot imagine this without them.

When posting on sites like Reddit, and on comment trains made by other creators such as on Twitter, read and abide by the rules.

They are all their for a reason. Whether it is moderators trying to protect and entire subreddit and the creators in it, or creators trying to help others boost their engagement, the rules are usually there for protection of some sort. Read them thoroughly and follow them please.

Research everything, even things you don’t think will need digging into, dig anyway.

This will prevent a lot of the questions you may need to ask, and also help keep you safe, organized, and sane.

DON’T

Do not ask someone to refer their buyers to you.

There is a plethora of reasons we do not do this. For one, some creators can be very possessive of their client books and will not want to share. For two, every creator provides a different experience and if a creator refers you to a buyer, and the buyer has a bad experience, the creator who referred the buyer could lose them because of a situation out of their control. Another note on this, if you ask someone for a referral be sure it is a creator you know very well and both of you are knowledgeable on the experiences you provide. Also, it helps to stay within the field of buyers in your brand and niche, so if you are absolutely going to ask someone, as a creator in your brand and niche.

One of the worst things you can do as a creator is hijack another’s promo.

Do not do this. This is a reputation ruiner. Examples of this would be posting your link under someones post, posting suggestive or leading comments under someones post, leaving a call to action to your accounts rather than theirs. Do not attempt to piggy back off someone elses work.

If you are cold messaging buyers, be sure to read into the profile in depth before messaging.

This will prevent you from accidentally messaging creators who are in the same space. Don’t ever try to sell content to a content creator. It is in poor taste.

Do not attempt to sabotage other creators.

Do not downvote or dislike other creators posts or comments to attempt to get them down-ranked. This will not improve your algorithmic standing. If you are not getting engagement, change your strategy. Don’t attempt to destroy others.

Navigating the creator space requires a mix of professionalism, mutual respect, and a willingness to learn. By following these do’s and don’ts, we can foster a supportive environment that benefits everyone. Remember, this industry thrives when creators respect one another’s time, boundaries, and efforts. Consider other creators to be your coworkers on the corporate floor. We are all in our cubicles, however far from each other that may be, but we all have to exist within the same workspace.

Be mindful, stay informed, and never stop growing both as a creator and as a part of this community. Success isn’t just about what you achieve—it’s about how you contribute to the ecosystem we all share.