The Content Creator's Devil

Come closer. Tip the brim of that hat low and lend me your best ear. You want to be a superstar, yes? They told you it’s hard, that it takes years, sweat, honesty. What a charming little lie. I can give you the fast path. All I ask is that you do exactly as I whisper, ignore that fidgeting conscience of yours…and wear the hat.

Let’s step into the warmth, shall we?

Temptation the First: Create nothing. Take everything.

Originality is a lonely road. Why walk it? Let others bleed themselves dry searching for “their voice” while you feast on echoes. Watch two, three creators. Pick the ripest ideas. Mash. Frost with your own thumbnail. Upload. Repeat. Daily, if you like. Effort is for pilgrims. You, my dear, are here for miracles.

Change the titles, of course. Don’t shout ten reasons. Lure them with ten secrets they won’t tell you. Better yet, doctors won’t tell you this…oh the music of it, even when the reason they won’t tell you is because it’s not true.

Temptation the Second: Loosen your grip on truth.

Truth is a jealous god. You don’t serve it; you court attention. So, murmur the sacred phrases: in my experience; data suggests; studies have shown. Links? How gauche. Let them trust you because you sound like someone worth trusting. Borrow an ‘expert’ if you must. DragonSlayer666 types fast and posts often, and argues louder than anyone with a credential.

Did you do the research? Of course. You watched reels. Your thumbs are exhausted but you share your findings so they don’t have to. That’s a kindness, is it not?

And promises. Oh, sweet sugar, those promises. How you went from zero to 100k in just nine days. Or how you dropped forty pounds with one simple trick. Add graphs like stained glass; pretty, unreadable, sanctified. Say you’ll end wars by breakfast. People believe because they want to believe. Give them something gorgeous to want.

If a shard of truth slips in, claim it. Possess it. Water is wet. Night is dark. See how wise you sound when you declare the obvious as revelation. Ahem…on balance, better to skip truth altogether. It waters down the broth.

Temptation the Third: Preamble until the sun sets.

On the web, words are acreage and ads are crops. Stretch the field. If you’re making tomato soup, begin at Eden. Tell them where tomatoes were born, why they turned red, list a dozen varieties, and recall your Tuscan childhood—Slough can be Tuscan if you sigh hard enough.

On video, the incantation is ‘Wait for it.’ Whisper it whenever the attention wavers. They will wait. Advertisers will clap. Your purse will fatten.

Temptation the Fourth: Bow to the Algorithm.

Even if you do not monetize, be pious. The machine wants rituals. Post before sunrise on odd‑numbered days. Hook them within three seconds. Command. Like. Subscribe. Comment the word ‘SIN’ if you made it this far. The altar glows brighter each time you kneel.

And that…hush, listen…that’s the whole spell. You’re ready. Step onto the stage, pockets light, schedule heavy. Plagiarize with panache. Promise with conviction. Stretch with purpose. Worship with metrics.

One last flourish. About the hat. Worn straight, you’re a fool. Turn it backward and you become a prophecy. Nothing says destiny like defiance.

Now go. The clicks are waiting, and I am hungry.