12 Content Creation Business Success Stories [2024]
As a content entrepreneur, you get to flex your writing skills across different formats and subjects to elevate marketing campaigns.
Offering niche-specific expertise lets you provide targeted messages tailored for client goals and audiences.
With the freedom of freelance gigs or full-service agency models, starting a content studio allows creativity and strategy to enhance brand stories and digital experiences.
Whether supporting one company or many, a personalized approach backed by writing talent positions your content creation venture to drive lead generation and visibility for today’s content-compelling market.
In this list, you'll find real-world content creation business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a content creation business that makes money.
1. ContentCreator.com ($6M/year)
Anthony Gallo and Paul Xavier launched ContentCreator.com after realizing an untapped market for beginner-friendly, affordable cinematic video production courses. With just $60 in initial Facebook ad spend, they rapidly scaled to $35,000 in weekly sales and now run an 8-figure business aiding thousands of aspiring content creators globally.
How much money it makes: $6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 5
This case study article is about ContentCreator.com, an online education platform that teaches professional content creation, which started with just $60 spent on Facebook ads and scaled to over $35,000 in sales per week within the first month, becoming an 8-figure business that has helped launch the careers of thousands of aspiring content creators.
2. Tooltester S.L. ($1.32M/year)
Robert Brandl, the founder of Tooltester.com, came up with the idea after struggling to find information about website builders online while starting his own travel blog.
He quickly recognized the demand for reviews and tutorials of web tools and launched Tooltester.com to fill that gap.
The business has since grown to generate around $120k per month in revenue and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing European companies.
How much money it makes: $1.32M/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 9
Tooltester.com is a website that provides reviews and tutorials for website builders, hosting companies, live chat tools, and email marketing software, with a current revenue of around $120k per month and has made it into the Financial Times ranking of the fastest-growing European companies (FT1000) two years in a row.
3. Brotherdale ($1.2M/year)
Hunter Franklin and Marcus Taylor founded Brotherdale when they realized they could monetize their passion for creating content while traveling. Starting in April 2021, their Nashville-based agency now generates six-figure monthly revenues by focusing on ROI-driven videos and photos for marketing.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 6
Brotherdale, a creative agency based in Nashville, currently generates impressive 6-figure monthly revenue by creating videos and photos with an end goal of increasing conversions, leads, clicks, and social media followers for their clients, attracting and retaining customers through word of mouth and social media presence.
4. Rejoin Media ($1.2M/year)
Michael Gardon, the CEO of Rejoin Media, came up with the idea for his business after realizing that he wanted to break out of the 9-5 job and create a more flexible and balanced lifestyle. With capital to acquire sites and expertise in SEO and content marketing, Gardon launched Rejoin as a portfolio of web-based businesses, generating around $100,000 per month in revenue and growing at a rate of 20% per month. Today, he is focused on diversifying his business and building new products and marketing channels.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 5
Rejoin Media's CEO, Michael Gardon, shares how he built his business portfolio, which generates $100,000 in monthly revenue, without the use of venture capital, and offers insight into achieving business success through resiliency.
5. Animation Explainers ($1.02M/year)
Aaron Connolly and Dylan Healy, the co-founders of Animation Explainers, came up with the idea for their business after discovering the increasing popularity of explainer videos during a market research project. They decided to turn their passion for animation into a business and have since built a successful company that has worked with over 350 clients and created over 750 videos. Through their flexible approach and focus on storytelling, Animation Explainers has become an industry leader in the animation space, with plans to expand globally.
How much money it makes: $1.02M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 20
Animation Explainers is an animation video production company that specializes in explaining complex products, services, and messages for organizations worldwide, with over 350 clients, 750 created videos, and generating $960k annually through their services.
6. Power Move Marketing ($264K/year)
Hailey Brooke McFadden, a former college volleyball player and sideline reporter, started Power Move Marketing after realizing the lack of professional marketing services offered to e-commerce businesses. With a focus on empowering women and providing excellent customer service, PMM has quickly grown, making $22,075 per month and projected to make nearly $300,000 in its first year. By prioritizing employee satisfaction and creating a positive company culture, McFadden has found success and aims to grow PMM into a marketing powerhouse with over 100 employees.
How much money it makes: $264K/year
How much did it cost to start: $400
How many people on the team: 2
Power Move Marketing is an innovative digital marketing company founded by Hailey Brooke McFadden, which has achieved an impressive monthly income of $22,075 and is projected to make almost $300,000 in its first year, by offering a one-stop-shop for e-commerce businesses looking for a marketing powerhouse with a female positive culture.
7. Fame ($204K/year)
Tom Hunt, the founder of Fame, came up with the idea for his podcast growth service while working as the head of marketing at a B2B SaaS business. After experiencing success with their own podcast, Tom decided to launch Fame and offer the same growth process to other B2B brands. He validated the idea by converting his ex-employer into his first client and finding two more clients through a blog he had built on the side.
How much money it makes: $204K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 3
Fame's founder, Tom Hunt, shares how he started a $17k/month podcast growth service for B2B SaaS and service businesses, and provides insights on how he grew the business to $20k MRR and his plans to hit $50k MRR by the end of 2021 through prioritizing revenue and customer satisfaction.
8. Audience Ops ($120K/year)
Inspired by Jesse Mecham’s talk at MicroConf Vegas, Brian, the founder of Audience Ops, conceptualized his company with the core belief that content marketing is about building assets, not tactics.
He identified that companies miss opportunities by focusing on superficial metrics such as word counts, keyword stuffing, and click-bait rather than deep customer research and email engagement.
Brian emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and using email to maintain connections, ultimately building a valuable audience and gaining a competitive edge.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
Audience Ops, founded by Brian Casel, generated over $3,000 in revenue within six weeks of launching a validated concept, ultimately leading to a high six-figure acquisition, proving the effectiveness of productized content marketing services and strategic networking.
9. Koala Rank ($96K/year)
Arrigo, the founder of Koala Rank, stumbled upon the idea of starting his own business while working as a freelancer on Fiverr. After receiving an email about Fiverr's new Studios feature, he saw an opportunity to create his own thing and decided to click on the "Create a Studio" button. This marked the beginning of Koala Rank, an all-in-one content marketing service that now generates $8K in monthly recurring revenue.
How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $4K
How many people on the team: 1
Koala Rank, an all-in-one content marketing service for B2B firms founded by Arrigo, has grown to $8K in MRR since its launch in Jan 2020 with retention being good and March 2021 seeing a boom in subscriptions.
10. Debt To Dollars ($84K/year)
Josh Ellwood, the founder of Debt To Dollars on YouTube, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the importance of time wealth rather than just financial wealth. After successfully starting multiple side businesses, he decided to create a YouTube channel to share his knowledge and experiences with others. Through trial and error, he found success with a video tutorial on how to list your first product on Amazon, which has since gained almost 600k views and generated nearly $40k in revenue.
How much money it makes: $84K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 0
Debt to Dollars, a YouTube channel focused on teaching people how to start profitable side hustles and create financial freedom, has been able to generate over $80,000/year in ad revenue, with additional income streams from Patreon, Fiverr, brand deals, and affiliate marketing due to its success teaching others how to sell on Amazon using Fulfillment by Amazon services.
11. Niche Twins ($36K/year)
Mike Donovan and his identical twin brother Keith came up with the idea for Niche Twins after finding success with their individual niche sites. They started by sharing monthly income reports for their respective sites and quickly gained a following on Twitter. Today, Niche Twins earns over $3,000 a month and continues to grow through partnerships, ad space sales, and a weekly newsletter.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 0
Identical twin brothers build a successful side hustle starting with just $386.63, now earning $3,000/month revenue through affiliate programs and ad space, with a Twitter following of 43,000, and plan to diversify their revenue streams through their newsletter, Youtube channel, and digital products.
12. Predis ($12K/year)
Three founders with experience in tech and data science came up with the idea for PredisAI. After selling their previous company, they wanted to use their data science expertise to create a product that could predict social media post performance and provide recommendations for improvement. They validated the idea by speaking with social media agencies, influencers, and business owners, and now have 50 daily active users.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 3
Predis.ai has developed an AI-based tool to improve social media posts' engagement, with their unique technology predicting engagement and suggesting improvements, and they have currently gained 50 daily active users.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
