Where can you locate a platform that is creator friendly? Advice from 4 successful creators |

Every creator deserves tools that meet their requirements and help them grow -however, they don't always meet their promises. Here's what 4 successful creators are looking for in creator-friendly platforms.

"It was a nightmare," says Em Connors of The Creative Bodega .

When Em first launched her Canva course, a plugin she used for her WordPress site was not working. Students had signed up to the course but at the beginning of the day, there was no way anyone was able to log in.

"We could not figure out the reason. What a tense time! I can't imagine that my heart rate has been as high, and there was absolutely no one to speak to," she remembers. Em was searching for answers online and in forums which included a Facebook community of users of plugins however, she found no one could help her.

This is an experience that is familiar to the majority of creators. Many platforms within the world of creators don't consider their creators' interests firstusing questionable methods that include a insufficient transparency, misleading charges, and a lack of offering support.

Each creator should have tools that are creator-friendly that prioritize their needs and support their growth. For a deeper understanding of what creator friendliness (and the absence of itis actually as, we talked to four creatives on their experience:

Em Daniel Connors  Solopreneur, expert in branding and marketing as well as an educator and the founder of The Creative Bodega.

Becky Mollenkamp  Feminist life coach, podcaster, and founder of The Gutsy Boss Club community.

Adrian Dalsus  musician, marketer educator, creator Despegue Musical. Despegue Musical.

Khe Hy , a.k.a. "Oprah for Millennials", the founder of RadReads and also a Notion pro.

What is it that makes a platform user-friendly?

There are a myriad of factors which make a platform friendly to creators and user-friendly, but it comes down to whether creators are confident that the platform has their back.

1. Support for accessibility

Whenever you get stuck, you should have the assistance you require. It sounds simple, but it isn't always available. For Em Creator friendliness, it's having the ability to communicate with a real human being to discuss any concerns or concerns.

"Creator friendly is being able to inquire about somebody and receive an answer quickly. It's just nice to be able to talk to someone else, which is not often the case in the present."

Em Connors The Creative Bodega

As entrepreneurs crafting experiences and cultivating relationships, most entrepreneurs want to work this way in their own companies. "I'm trying to assist you in any way possible," Em says. "Ask me your questions -- I may not always know the answer but I'll do my best. This is what I believe makes people feel very comfortable."

Becky says: "Knowing that the company is committed to responding to customer needs will ensure that you're able to have the support that you require in a prompt manner. If a business doesn't accomplish this at the outset and then you're left with no choice but to run."

2. User-friendly

Tools that support creators also have to be easy to use regardless of backgrounds or experience levels. Simply because something is natural to a particular category of users does not mean that it is intuitive for everyone.

"Addressing the demands of all different age groups is crucial because anyone can become an artist at any time!"

-Becky Mollenkamp Becky Mollenkamp

Becky views herself as a good yardstick:

"One option for me to determine if a program is creator-friendly is whether I'm able to easily figure out how to use it without screaming. While I'm technically proficient however, I'm now at the age of 40 and am no longer the prime demographic of tech firms."

She explains, "Too often, tools were designed by people who grew up on the Internet and not for people similar to me. If I'm able to easily discover how to utilize an item, then the company thought beyond the twenty-somethings, and is committed to making a tool for everyone creators."

3. The creator's journey is ahead

A platform should also work for creators all along their process, says Khe Hy -- whether the goal is to make a sales site user-friendly or making a checkout process extremely smooth, all the way to using features that manage the workflow of affiliates and upsells.

"Creator-friendly means that a product recognizes and anticipates the requirements of creators."

--- Khe Hy, RadReads

Creative friendliness is a way to plan for what's coming next for the person who created it "before they realize how to go about it," he explains. "A often, people are starting with something very simple and then expanding their product offerings."

The stress of unfriendly creator platforms

It's frustrating to feel like you can't get assistance from a system you count on for running your business.

Like Em, Becky has found herself battling the silence treatment. "I first began my learning experience using a platform with horrible customer service," she shares. "When I had problems with my course, I was required to send an email. The email didn't get a response automatically acknowledging that they'd received the question. In addition, I didn't get any answers for the vast majority of the inquiries I put in."

The importance of being a good friend to creators doesn't stop at support requests. Businesses have the chance to place the needs of creators at the forefront of their customer experience. Missing or disregarding these opportunities makes creators feel like they're dependent on the platforms' decisions.

For Adrian an online platform, the disdain for creators looks like suddenly making changes or eliminating features that require him to be re-taught how to use the tool. Communicating with the supposed experts does not feel supportive when, as he states, "you can clearly see that they're trying to get you to spend extra time and money in the of the platform."

The most difficult experience Adrian had as a creator as well as a businessman was using the tool for creating websites. "It took a long time to learn the process to do very easy tasks, and it could be susceptible to an error at any time due to a plugin upgrade, or even bad luck" he remembers. "Knowing that websites and websites of my clients and customers could cease functioning anytime, regardless of how expensive it becomes hiring all the essential tools to have a professional web site is absurd."

You can almost see his blood pressure rise in his words, "Just thinking of [these] platforms makes me feel very frustrated and helpless. overwhelmed, confident and worried about everything which could happen in the event that I don't have any control!"

Where can you find platforms that are creator-friendly?

Like most buying decision-making, artists can be taken in by companies. But as Adrian adds, they're still making a decision based on their experience and learning to recognize a brand with a focus on the creator's needs:

And the outcome? Creators think they've made the most appropriate choice but end up frustrated over and over again because they have to figure it themselves, with the help of their service providers."

So what should you avoid? "Tools with higher costs with the growth of your database] like the majority of email marketing providers. Service that require additional payments or hidden charges in the subscriptions they have to use templates, courses, or other information."

Additionally, be aware of devices that are expensive, especially as you're starting with. Khe cautions that "Creators will spend money on services, but if you get started with a price that is too high -- whether through your tiering or through how you design your plan -- it could be expensive and too soon." Adrian says, "Having to pay over $100 upfront per month -- just to learn how to utilize a platform or try to figure out how to make profits there isn't going to work for the majority of creators."

What features should you seek? Adrian recommends seeking out tools developed with the creator in mind from the start and with a reasonable price, customer support, and complete transparency from the business.

"Although this may sound like a cliché, ask what are the company's values, goals, and mission of the organization? What is their plan for the future? Do they actually want to expand? Did they create a product or service that they're currently trying to sell but have no intention of developing it?"

-- Adrian Dalsus, Despegue Musical

There are numerous other factors that make an online platform user-friendly, from how the transaction fee structure is set to the ability to accept directly-paying customers . (Learn more about the way in which's the CEO, Spencer Fry, thinks about creating a culture of friendliness for creators and the reasons it's the guiding principle of the company.)

As Becky puts it, "There are always choices. My money will always go to those who truly are concerned about me and my experiences, not just about making money."

The Creator Friendliness Index

The Creator Friendliness Index uses 20 rating factors to determine the extent to which a firm's policies are towards creators.            -- Check out the platforms that are on your side