How One Creator Did It

Welcome to the most recent installment of our collection, Creators Unlocked, the place we converse with creators to know what it is like behind the screens of the tweets and TikToks to be taught from their experiences.

Immediately, we’re unlocking Katie Xu’s creator journey, from being the mind behind the social media accounts of firms like Kapwing to being a TikTok creator with 80,000+ followers.

Katie’s TikTok has grown in leaps and bounds due to a number of viral movies that includes her evaluation and recommendation about what makes a profitable creator. On this interview, we talk about Katie’s unconventional strategy to advising creators and take a look at her plans for development as a creator.

Q: What impressed you to begin creating content material on social media?

I’ve all the time been concerned about social media and have been creating content material for a very long time – not less than since center faculty. Earlier than, it was for myself, golf equipment in school, or the cafe I labored at. However I solely began lately creating content material to construct my private model.

It took some time to get to that time as a result of I needed to take time to collect the braveness to lastly begin placing myself on the market. Till this level, I had been hiding behind different manufacturers, working their social media as a enterprise. Now, I really feel like inspiring and empowering folks by way of content material and have even began getting messages that my movies assist folks get the braveness to begin for themselves.

Q: And what was the push to get began doing social media for your self, not simply different folks?

I stumbled upon freelancing by chance, but it surely opened me to a world of people that have been doing enterprise with no social media presence, and I turned the person who helped them do this. That was eye-opening to the significance of social media in entrepreneurship. As I constructed experience in social media, I noticed a chance to construct my private model and that was what acquired me began.

Q: What sort of content material do you create, and who do you create it for?

The shortage of a area of interest doesn’t assist a lot right here, however the content material I create paperwork my journey as an entrepreneur and content material creator and helps me share my ideas, concepts, opinions, and experiences with all my varied endeavors. The perfect viewers is aspiring content material creators and entrepreneurs, however I hope my content material can attain and assist a broader viewers.

Q: What’s in your instrument stack for content material creation?

For video creation, TikTok is the place it’s at. I don’t like creating movies outdoors it as a result of it provides too many steps to my workflow, which I wish to maintain easy. Even when enhancing for purchasers, I log into their TikToks as a result of it feels extra pure and native.

By way of monetizing my platform, I take advantage of Stan for my link-in-bio as a result of the consumer expertise is so clear. And it makes the movement of buying [my products and services] simpler for my viewers.

Q: What are your targets for 2023, and the way will you measure their success?

By way of content material creation, I’d say diversifying my model and making a long-term, sustainable enterprise out of it. That’s my final purpose as a result of whereas I really like creating on TikTok, a platform that you simply don’t personal may be taken away at any time. The algorithm can resolve sooner or later to cease pushing my content material.

Additionally, some background: I took a niche yr to pursue content material creation and I’ll be going again within the Fall [of 2023]. Once I do, ideally, I’ll have a model that I can take with me and proceed to doc my life.

Q: That’s so fascinating – when it comes to diversifying, what platforms are you contemplating? Are you trying outdoors of social media?

Undoubtedly – I wish to construct a publication or not less than an e-mail checklist. I’ve heard from many creators how vital it’s, and I positively see the significance as I slowly begin to construct my very own. It’s comforting to know that I can all the time attain my viewers.

I’m additionally tentatively contemplating beginning a podcast – and I say that as a result of I’m hesitant to leap on simply any medium or platform as a result of I prioritize focus and doing issues properly. However you possibly can maintain folks’s consideration a lot better with a publication or 30-minute podcast than a brief video. The devoted readers and listeners actually turn into your core viewers.

Q: The concepts you share on social media lean in direction of the unconventional. What would you say your artistic course of is like? How do you give you concepts for content material?

I might say my technique of arising with movies can be a part of the unconventional goodness of my content material. Earlier than attending to creating content material, I labored backward when it comes to technique. So I made a decision for myself what sort of content material I like, what I need my model to seem like, and what could be the very best technique to get my concepts on the market.

There’s lots of nice recommendation about which concepts you have to be sharing, easy methods to share them, and on which platforms, however it may be algorithm-oriented, which finally ends up being restrictive to creators. Personally, on TikTok, I need my movies to be uncooked, low-effort sharing of concepts. I need them to be issues I give you on the spot which are good no matter flashy enhancing or fashionable music.

Q: The lo-fi strategy positively works – you’ve gone viral a number of instances already. And I do know that with virality comes stress, amongst different challenges. How do you navigate challenges as a creator?

With going viral got here lots of visitors, and whereas it wasn’t an enormous problem, I wasn’t totally ready to obtain the inflow. I had no official area and couldn’t deal with all of the incoming inquiries.

One other factor is that content material creation has been time-consuming. So I can positively see it being a problem if I needed to stability faculty and dealing for an organization alongside creating. To be trustworthy, I haven’t fairly discovered that stability but.

Scrolling is without doubt one of the hardest issues to deal with since you’re so used to partaking on social media as a client, however once you do it professionally, you must pay ten instances extra consideration. Your thoughts is all the time content material analytically, breaking down the creator’s strategy and pondering up enhancements. It might take up extra time than senseless scrolling.

Q: How do you navigate the necessity to earn a dwelling from content material creation with creativity because it turns into extra of a enterprise?

My scenario is a bit totally different from different creators as a result of my earnings isn’t reliant on model offers – it comes from the enterprise I constructed earlier than beginning to take social media extra significantly. So fortunately for me, earnings is fairly regular.

The half the place the stability will get tough is that it could suck the enjoyment out of content material creation if that’s all you do. I do it for manufacturers, and I’ve to do it for myself as properly. I’ve spoken to so many creators who wish to work on their very own content material however are so targeted on working for others that it turns into tough.

Q: What recommendation would you give to somebody who’s simply beginning to take their social media significantly and construct their model?

One, notice that content material creation is a talent that must be labored on and never only a fortunate break that occurs to anybody. In fact, folks get fortunate and go viral however if you wish to pursue content material creation sustainably, it has to turn into a part of your routine. Deal with each video you place out as observe in order that even when engagement isn’t forthcoming, you possibly can keep constant. The large creators make it look straightforward however they’ve expertise, whether or not in enhancing or storytelling, or just connecting with folks.

Two, for my part, you must turn into the area of interest. I believe niches are a really nuanced dialogue, however you must notice which you could’t conceal behind the class.

Even with cooking movies, in the event you’re simply doing tutorials on YouTube and that’s all you wish to do, nice. However in the event you ever wish to develop as a model and develop into different elements of your trade like releasing a cookbook, you must be prepared to talk in your movies and inject your persona. That’s what builds actual reference to an viewers.

Q: You talked about that you simply make most of your earnings from consulting – however have you ever began making earnings from publishing on social media? And might you rank your streams of earnings from most to least worthwhile?

I’d say my favourite technique proper now’s teaching and dealing with folks to construct their manufacturers. It’s fulfilling to assist them determine what they need to be doing and supply them with readability. Then after that may be working with manufacturers, which is not bringing in an excessive amount of cash but, however is rewarding all the identical. Though to be trustworthy, I desire working extra within the background for manufacturers to earn cash than straight up promoting one thing on my social media.

Q: What are some challenges you’ve confronted relating to pricing your providers as a creator?

My greatest problem is unquestionably understanding what to cost. I’m studying each day easy methods to value confidently and even what worth determines how I select to cost my work. I look ahead to having a greater perspective in a few years, however proper now I’m nonetheless serious about the distinction between time vs. value-based pricing.

So many issues go into why a model deal prices a specific amount – it’s not simply the time you spend or your follower depend but additionally your talent as a creator to ship nice content material and promote a model convincingly.

Q: Is there something, particularly, you are maintaining a tally of within the content material creation area for the long run?

I’ll positively be maintaining a tally of YouTube Shorts. I simply suppose YouTube is unquestionably a risk relating to the video area.

Takeaways

• Katie discovered success on TikTok by specializing in uncooked, low-effort content material that prioritized sharing concepts over flashy enhancing or fashionable music. This strategy allowed her to face out from the group and showcase authenticity, which helped her acquire a loyal following of greater than 70,000 followers.
• To construct a sustainable private model, Katie plans to diversify her on-line presence throughout a number of platforms. She acknowledges the dangers of relying solely on one platform like TikTok, whose algorithm might change or cease selling her content material. By constructing a publication, contemplating a podcast, and maintaining a tally of rising platforms like YouTube Shorts, Katie goals to make sure her model’s long-term success and stability.
• As a creator, Katie stresses the significance of injecting persona into content material and changing into the area of interest, quite than simply becoming into one. She believes that this strategy helps construct an actual reference to the viewers and opens up alternatives for growth throughout the trade. For example, if a creator shares their persona whereas making cooking movies, they’re extra probably to achieve releasing a cookbook or constructing a private model round their experience.
• With regards to pricing her artistic providers, Katie’s greatest problem is figuring out the precise value. She is consistently studying easy methods to value confidently and considers each time and value-based pricing. Elements similar to talent as a creator, the power to ship high-quality content material, and convincing model promotion all play a task in figuring out the precise value for her providers. This concentrate on worth ensures that she will be able to present the very best outcomes for her purchasers whereas nonetheless incomes a good earnings.