How to Build a Marketing Plan As a Solo Creator

Creating and marketing are two different jobs. Creating is what you put into the world, and marketing is the actual plan to earn a living from your content.

Most solo creators handle the first one and improvise the second. You might publish on a schedule, or maintain a content calendar, and still have no plan for turning attention into revenue.

A marketing plan for a solo creator doesn't have to be complicated. But it does involve developing a path, also known as a marketing funnel, to move your audience from the point of “seeing your content” to “making a purchase.”

The difference between creating and marketing yourself

As a creator, your "product" makes you money in some way. Either you’re making money from the content directly (like a Substack newsletter), or you’re making money from sponsorships, or your content leads to some type of offer, like coaching or a paid digital resource.

Companies selling software or physical goods spend real money getting someone to think "this thing for me." There are a lot of failed products in the world, and it wasn't necessarily that the product itself was inherently bad… it's that no one saw the need for it.

I worked at a software company for many years that spent almost $0 on marketing and saw this happen: no one knew that the product existed. Word of mouth wasn’t enough.

While it's true that some creators find wild success by going viral, that isn't the case for most. The ones that continue to build a following put a lot of energy into their visibility on multiple platforms.

You've got to think about marketing, except on a small budget (or no budget) and no marketing department behind you tossing around creative ideas.

3 parts of a solo creator marketing plan

A marketing plan doesn’t need to be complex. You figure out who you're talking to and how to reach them. Then they need to enter your marketing funnel so eventually they decide to spend money on whatever you’re offering.

1. Know your audience and where they hang out

Start with who: Who likes your content and your product? If you have some variations in your audience, create a profile of each (also called an Ideal Customer Profile or ICP).

Then think about where that audience is likely to exist. They might be on LinkedIn, or subscribed to a handful of newsletters in your niche, or follow specific YouTube channels.

Ask yourself: Why do people come to this platform versus others? What do successful creators do on this platform? How can I engage with my audience on this platform (comments, etc.)? What would success look like for me on this platform?

I use podcast guest appearances to market myself, so part of “getting in front of my audience” includes appearing on podcasts they listen to.

2. Build a strategy of discoverability + direct reach

Your marketing needs two halves: discoverability and direct reach.

• Discoverability is how new people find you, and it usually comes from social platforms or search.
• Direct reach is what happens once you’ve collected someone’s email address. Now you can contact them on your terms, without an algorithm dictating visibility.

The two work together. Someone finds a post through discoverability. They subscribe to your newsletter, and now you have direct reach. You aren't dependent on a platform to reach them again.

If you don’t have a newsletter, a high-quality lead magnet will also work: someone provides you with their email address in exchange for a resource.

I have a very clear process to move people through my funnel using content:

1. I write content for my blog, which is picked up by Google Search.
2. I cross-post my blog to Medium, which reaches a different audience.
3. Each blog post has a call-to-action, offering a lead magnet.
4. If someone downloads my lead magnet, I now have an email address.

I also repurpose my blog posts into social posts to increase my audience reach. One blog post might become three or four LinkedIn posts, plus a carousel.

3. Set goals you can actually track

Marketing teams usually have quantifiable goals, like they want to increase newsletter subscribers (so they have more direct reach) or that they want a certain number of people to buy the product they’re promoting.

Your goals should be specific, but they also need to cover each stage of your marketing funnel, from discovery to conversion (purchase). Start with the long-term goal and work backward until you have meaningful actions you can accomplish.

• Short-term: Improve consistency. Post a certain number of times per week on your discoverability platform.
• Mid-term: Increase your audience engagement. A specific follower count is meaningless unless people actually engage with you, so they’ll take the next step to enter your direct reach.
• Long-term: Revenue. You’re able to use a combination of discoverability and direct reach to gain new clients, product sales, or opportunities.

Annual goals are usually way too lofty for solopreneurs, which is why I work in 90-day goals instead. Remember that marketing tactics take time. If you're not seeing results after a few months, that doesn't mean the tactic failed. It simply may not have gained steam yet (especially with search and social). Tweak as you go, but give something a real chance before you drop it.

Build marketing into your schedule (not around it)

The best marketing plan is the one you'll actually do. Set aside time for it the way you set aside time for creating. You’ve got to go beyond a content publishing calendar and actually work on the funnel: how people move from finding you to purchase.

One of the hardest parts about being a creator is that it requires so many different skills. You don't have to figure all of them out alone. A consultant, a course, or a creator community can give you direction when you're stuck. My first lead magnet and email sequence were developed with help from a marketing consultant. Treat it as an investment in the business.

The worst thing is to continue with no plan and just hope for the best. Think of the small neighborhood pizza place that hoped to grow based on word-of-mouth. Be the local pizza place that did such an amazing job with marketing that there's a line out the door.

Tips for building a solo creator marketing plan

• Start with one platform, not five. Pick the one where your audience already hangs out and get consistent there before you expand.
• Block off time on your calendar for marketing. If it's scheduled, it's more likely to happen. Even 30 minutes twice a week adds up.
• Track what brings in audience and what brings in revenue. They’re often different. Knowing each number matters for which goal.
• Ask other creators what's working for them. Specific questions get specific answers. "How much time do you spend on Instagram each week?" is more useful than "How do you grow your audience?"

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