If you’ve been noticing a pushback on traditional “influencer-style” content, you’re not wrong. In an era where social media can often feel overwhelming, audiences and consumers are demanding a new kind of creator—the Comfort Creator. These creators stand out by making their audiences feel at ease, providing a sense of warmth, nostalgia, and familiarity. If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram or TikTok and found yourself drawn to content that feels like a virtual hug from an old friend, chances are, you’ve encountered a Comfort Creator.

The appeal of Comfort Creators lies in their authenticity and ability to foster a deep emotional connection with their audience. Unlike traditional influencers who focus on aspirational lifestyles that feel out of reach, Comfort Creators emphasize relatability, everyday moments, and genuine interactions. In this guide, I’ll break down exactly how to become a Comfort Creator and cultivate a loyal, engaged community.

What Is a Comfort Creator?

A Comfort Creator is someone who produces content that brings people joy, peace, or a sense of familiarity. These types of creators make their community feel happy, inspired, and safe. Their content often includes a cozy feel, relatable and authentic storytelling, and a vulnerability that makes followers feel at home. Instead of striving for unattainable perfection, Comfort Creators lean into authenticity, sharing their real, unfiltered experiences.

Although Comfort Creators started as a trend, it is gaining traction as audiences seek social media spaces that prioritize connection over competition. As users, we’re also plagued with an overwhelming amount of content, each one vying for attention and employing bait-and-switch tactics meant to illicit strong emotions to gain views and clicks.

According to Influence Online, the rise of Comfort Creators is reshaping online engagement, as users gravitate towards creators who make them feel understood and accepted.

Why Comfort Creators Are in Demand

The demand for Comfort Creators has surged as social media users seek an escape from fast-paced, highly editorialized content. Since a lot of content creators seem to only post recommendations based on paid partnerships, audiences everywhere are looking for creators they can trust deeply. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have seen a rise in content that prioritizes authentic recommendations, with users craving genuine value that isn’t paid for. All of which adds an intimate familiarity amidst all the digital noise. Studies indicate that digital fatigue is at an all-time high, leading people to engage more with content that makes them feel safe and relaxed.

Medicinal Media even explains how engagement rates for feel-good content have increased significantly in the past two years, with audiences spending more time on creators’ pages that offer a sense of comfort and nostalgia. This shift suggests that content rooted in authenticity and emotional connection is not just a passing trend but a new standard we need to shift towards in digital engagement.

10 Tips to Become a Feel-Good, Bingeable, Comfort Creator

When putting the pieces together for my new free workshop, 4 Steps to Grow Your Audiences & Land Your First Paid Brand Collab (without needing 1000s of followers), I knew that the landscape of social media is incredibly different from when I first started as a creator. As an influencer coach who is still actively growing their accounts and landing paid brand partnerships, I take it upon myself to personally distill and update strategies that won’t just work right now but will sustain long into the future.

One of those frameworks that I personally use and teach my students is called the G.A.I.N. Framework (which you can get your hands on in the workshop). It’s how my students manage what may seem impossible–growing accounts from 0 to 200k in 6 months when starting from scratch in the second half of 2024 into 2025. 

Being a comfort creator is largely steeped in the “N” of the G.A.I.N. Framework, which stands for nurture. Below, I’ll share 10 tips that you can use in your content to become a feel-good, bingeable, comfort creator.

1. Emphasize Emotional Connection

What sets Comfort Creators apart from everyone else is their ability to forge deep emotional bonds with their audience. Rather than just entertaining, they make it a point to focus on evoking emotions and relating to their audience—whether it’s nostalgia, warmth, or reassurance.

You hear it in marketing all the time–know exactly who you’re speaking to. This is why understanding who your content is for and who it isn’t for is really important. Then you’ll want to cultivate this connection deeper by engaging with your followers. Respond to comments, share personal anecdotes, and create content that reflects shared experiences. Make your audience feel like they are part of a supportive and understanding community.

2. Show Up Authentically

There’s been a shift in social media from overly curated content to raw, unfiltered moments. This is why I stress the importance of authenticity—audiences no longer resonate with picture-perfect content; they want creators who are real and relatable. However, “authenticity” has become so much of a buzzword online that it starts to feel like a joke. 

Don’t overthink it, and don’t try to force it. Authenticity is about sharing as you would with your nearest and dearest friends. It also doesn’t need to be overdone, venturing into a sort of “personal diary” territory, which I explain more of in my workshop.

Ditch the pressure to always be polished. Share your ups and downs, your wins and struggles as it relates to your industry and audience. Whether it’s a casual behind-the-scenes clip, a candid Instagram Story, or an unfiltered thought, showing your authentic self will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level.

3. Lean Into Nostalgia and Familiarity

Comfort Creators often evoke a sense of nostalgia—whether through childhood memories, a reference to simpler times, or comforting routines.

Incorporate elements from your past that others might relate to. For example, if you grew up in the early 2000s, share content that subtly references that era. For example, if you’re a food content creator, one of your recipes could be a recreation of a favorite popular childhood snack. You can also infuse nostalgia through engaging storytelling (more on that later).

In short, think about what makes you feel at home and infuse those elements into your content.

4. Develop a Cozy and Recognizable Aesthetic

Your visual identity plays a big role in your appeal as a Comfort Creator. A cozy aesthetic stretches way beyond comforters, tea kettles, and plush pillows. It’s about establishing familiarity in your own little corner of the internet.

While your content doesn’t need to be hyper-curated, maintaining a consistent, cozy aesthetic can help strengthen your brand. It is how you remain immediately recognizable without even saying a word. Many Comfort Creators do this by recording in familiar settings. Others do it through consistently editing the visuals of their content to elicit a sense of familiarity.

From the different tones of your image/video to your lighting styles to the music choices you make for Reels and TikToks–these all come together to create a visually appealing and comforting space. Consider using the same fonts and color palettes across your platforms to build a recognizable personal brand.

I dive into detail on visual identity in this post.

5. Create Content That Feels Like a Safe Space

Comfort Creators make their platforms feel like a judgment-free zone. Whether it’s through motivational messages, mental health advocacy, or simply being open about personal struggles, they cultivate a space where people feel seen and accepted.

Share encouraging messages, acknowledge your followers’ experiences, and foster a sense of belonging. Your goal should be to create an environment where your audience feels safe to express themselves.

6. Prioritize Storytelling Over Perfection

Storytelling is at the heart of the Comfort Creator movement. Instead of chasing viral trends, which have their time and place, focusing on telling stories that resonate with your audience needs to be a part of your content strategy.

Mindfully share personal anecdotes, daily routines, or reflective moments. This helps people connect with emotions and experiences that are relevant and relatable. The more human you are, the stronger your bond with your audience will be.

Do be careful to avoid turning your content into a personal diary. Remember, you’ll always want to deliver from a place of value. What can you add to your audiences’ lives that’ll make it worth their while?

7. Engage in Slow, Intentional Content Creation

It’s not always about chasing virality. Instead, Comfort Creators focus on creating content that has lasting value. Similar to the importance of finding a niche, you’ll want to get specific and deep instead of broad and undefineable.

Take your time crafting meaningful posts that are guided by intention. Ask yourself the following questions: 

• Will this content make someone’s day better? 
• What value do I seek to add?
• How do I want my viewers to feel?
• Is there something/an experience that will make this relevant and relatable for my audience?

8. Develop an Original Content Series

A great way to stand out as a Comfort Creator is to create a unique content series that your audience looks forward to. This could be as simple as a weekly storytelling session, a cozy morning routine series, or a “comfort check-in” where you share uplifting messages and reflections.

Think of something that aligns with your personality and brand, then make it a consistent part of your content. Having an original content series will not only help you build engagement but will also create a sense of routine and familiarity for your followers.

9. Share Daily Rituals and Routines

Routines are a powerful content device. This is why day-in-the-life videos are interesting–because we want to see how others live their lives. But unlike the flashy, unrelatable lives of public figures who attend red carpet events and exclusive launch parties, people want to see others just like themselves! This is why I tell all my students to lean into all the reasons why they think they can’t be successful as a content creator. 

Comfort Creators often share their daily rituals—morning coffee routines, slow evenings, book recommendations—to create a sense of predictability and warmth.

Invite your audience into your world by sharing your simple routines. Whether it’s a journaling session, a skincare routine, or a cozy weekend vlog of running errands, these small details can make your content feel like a comforting ritual for your followers.

10. Build a Supportive Community

Being a Comfort Creator isn’t just about the content you post—it’s about the community you build. Foster an interactive space where your followers feel heard and valued.

Encourage meaningful conversations, host Q&A sessions, and ask your audience about their own experiences. Show genuine interest in their stories and make them feel like an integral part of your journey.

5 Comfort Creators Doing It Right

Before we wrap up, I want to leave you with a few examples of Comfort Creators who are doing things right. These creators span across various niches and industries, proving that there’s a space for everyone.

Niamh MacKinnon

Niamh’s content can best be categorized in the travel niche. However, she focuses on exploring her hometown on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. This is a great example of creating travel content even when you don’t have the ability to travel internationally yet.

Malissa

Malissa is a book content creator who conveys a very cozy vibe. She relates other interests to her love for reading, like perfumes and pajamas, even showing an outfit of the day to accompany her current read.

Julyssa Rose

A small business owner, jewelry designer, and metal smith, Julyssa is most well-known for her tea tray videos. While she falls into the niche of jewelry and metalwork, her content showcases her life as a small business owner, down to her daily journaling and morning rituals.

Jack Callaghan

Jack’s an interior and home decor content creator who is doing things differently. He’s most known for his resets–a seemingly mundane task that all of us do in our daily lives. Not only does he share tips for cleaning your space, he also subliminally inspires you to design your space intentionally by showcasing his space in every video.

OG Slime

In case you find yourself thinking, “My niche is too obscure for me to become a comfort creator,” let me introduce you to OG Slime. Ask anyone who their favorite comfort creator is and most likely, OG Slime is going to be on that list. They’re a small business that sells slime (talk about being incredibly specific). Their videos are simple–an ASMR scoopability of all the slime they have for sale. It follows the same exact format every single time, yet their views are always high. They even use the same music every single time, proving that there are ways to grow beyond always chasing what’s trendy.

Wrapping Up

Becoming a Comfort Creator is about more than just aesthetics—it’s about creating a digital space where people feel safe, understood, and uplifted. By prioritizing emotional connection, authenticity, and storytelling, you can build a brand that not only resonates with your audience but also makes a real impact.

The rise of Comfort Creators signals a shift in the digital landscape. People are craving genuine, feel-good content, and now is the perfect time to embrace this movement. So, if you’re ready to create content that makes people feel seen and comforted, start implementing these tips today.