How to hire a creator

How to hire a creator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step creator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a creator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new creator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a creator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a creator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a creator to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a creator that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of creator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Creator	Description	Hourly rate
   Creator	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$12-45
   Data Science Internship	A data science intern is a trainee who wants to gain working experience in the field of data science. Data science interns assist data scientists in collecting, analyzing, and interpret data sets to drive optimization and improvement of product development... Show more	$11-35
   Sales And Marketing Internship	In a sales and marketing internship, one of the primary duties is to assist in marketing-related tasks under a manager's supervision. The responsibilities will vary depending on the orders or directives given... Show more	$13-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Website Traffic
   • Video Content
   • Instagram
   • Photography
   • Twitter
   • Comic Books
   • Product Development
   • YouTube
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Graphic Design
   • Sketch
   • Search Engine Optimization
   • Pinterest

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage website updates and support social media initiatives on Facebook and LinkedIn.
   • Develop with PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, jQuery, HTML and D3.js.
   • Produce videos that would regularly make the YouTube homepage.
   • Create and host various videos for YouTube channel, GameBrand.
   • Pull statistical information and used the data for PowerPoint slides and graphs
   • Help create content to be used for social media (Instagram).

   More creator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your creator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A creator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, creators' average salary in nebraska is 55% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level creators 73% less than senior-level creators.
   • Certifications. A creator with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a creator's salary.

   Average creator salary

   $49,598yearly

   $23.85 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level creator salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average creator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$77,106	$37
   2	New York	$68,484	$33
   3	Oregon	$67,803	$33
   4	California	$65,642	$32
   5	Georgia	$60,585	$29
   6	Maryland	$57,437	$28
   7	Texas	$56,897	$27
   8	North Carolina	$55,008	$26
   9	Iowa	$52,222	$25
   10	Pennsylvania	$51,968	$25
   11	Tennessee	$49,212	$24
   12	Louisiana	$48,441	$23
   13	Utah	$43,960	$21
   14	South Carolina	$42,352	$20
   15	North Dakota	$40,473	$19
   16	Montana	$37,549	$18
   17	Indiana	$36,848	$18

   Average creator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Maxim Healthcare Group	$55,874	$26.86
   2	Steve Madden	$49,947	$24.01	1
   3	City of Austin	$47,717	$22.94
   4	VaynerMedia	$47,395	$22.79	3
   5	Skyline	$46,220	$22.22
   6	PowerToFly	$45,634	$21.94
   7	University of Washington	$45,108	$21.69
   8	Ad Council	$43,049	$20.70
   9	Capsule	$42,882	$20.62
   10	Mojo Vision	$42,755	$20.56
   11	SoundCloud	$42,602	$20.48
   12	VGM Insurance	$42,522	$20.44
   13	Patreon	$42,315	$20.34
   14	Future Motion	$42,287	$20.33
   15	Abridge Info Systems	$42,287	$20.33
   16	Brave	$41,745	$20.07
   17	Nutcracker Therapeutics	$41,534	$19.97
   18	ATOMIC	$40,483	$19.46
   19	Amazon	$40,003	$19.23	2
   20	Americorps	$38,552	$18.53

4. Writing a creator job description

   A job description for a creator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a creator job description:

   Creator job description example

   VaynerMedia is a full service global agency built for the now. We deliver integrated programmes across creative, strategy, production, and media all under one roof that drive tangible business results for some of the biggest brands in the world.
   
   We are creators, creative industry rogues and stars. We are not just on the internet; we are creating the stuff the internet and the world wants to see. We're curious, hungry and passionate about what we do - and the people we do it with. We move so fast and make so much good stuff it's tough to keep up with. And we need more folks just like us, the unconventional, less-obvious, unseasoned ( or over seasoned ) creative pros. But above all - passionate makers and culture shakers.
   
   Want in? We love subversive artists, obsessive makers, dedicated creators and we don't care if you're baby fresh to the workforce or working on your third act. What's your hustle? Documentarian? DJ? Sports junkie? Fashionista? Blogger? Vlogger? Retired logger? Are you an Insta-feind? An unabashed Tik Tokker? Or both? We're down with all of that. Just as long as you love making and are really good at it.
   The Creator:
   
   + Has a demonstrable passion for making creative content across a spectrum of media platforms - social, streaming, AR, music, film, interactive, etc.
   
   + Extraordinary design, editing and/or writing skills
   
   + Actual videography or design education OR the equivalent professional experience OR side-hustle/passion project that shows your skills and stuff
   
   + Familiar working with almost every content creation format out there: Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Creative Suite & design templates in Canva or Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, TikTok, Instagram, FB Live, etc.
   
   + Self-starter - unafraid to move from thinking to doing - from ideas to making
   
   + Responsible, accountable, cool and always kind because you love the magic of collaboration and learning
   
   + Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and German
   
   The Gig Is:
   
   + Mastering the ability to turn any branded content into a volume of social gold (clips, gifs, graphics, photos, stories, copy, etc.)
   
   + Working with a wide range and quality of video and static imagery - from a collection of photography to short video clips and films
   
   + Collaborating with our creative and strategy teams, to create and manipulate video, photography, copy, gifs, short clips, streaming stories etc.
   
   + Honing your design, editing and writing skills utilising standard industry software and social platforms
   
   + Wrangling, rolling with your teammates on rapid fire requests and seriously tight timelines while keeping a chill, proactive attitude
   
   + Sharing your passion and skills and learning craft from others - adding your ambition to that of the agency

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right creator for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with creators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit creators who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your creator job on Zippia to find and attract quality creator candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting creators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new creator

   Once you've selected the best creator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new creator first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a creator?