I think for a lot of people the issue is the expectations coming in. When content creation was first introduced, it was framed as a way for people to get way more money doing this over a "normal job".

Even now, people still want to give Medium a stab because of articles where writers talk about their 4-figure monthly earnings. Little do we realize that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that we as a viewer/reader aren't being told.

I believe content creation can become more viable if we temper our expectations and if people were more up front and honest. That or emphasize that you don't necessarily need millions of followers in order to make something sustainable from this.

I know with Youtube, getting 400 or so loyal fans that support you financially is pretty significant.