“I started experimenting with social media back in 5th grade by posting short videos onto YouTube before shorts actually existed. Once I came to the United States, I started filming videos of myself playing games on YouTube, and I ended up getting my account monetized through that.
When TikTok started trending around 2021, I decided to give that a try. I was playing a lot of Minecraft at the time, so I decided to post videos of that. My first few videos only got a couple hundred views, but once I started sorting through and editing my videos, my view count increased. This was when I had my first big video, which received around 3.6 million views.
Eventually, I lost interest in playing Minecraft, and transitioned towards making product reviews. Product reviews became big on TikTok, especially with TikTok Shop, where you can easily buy and sell products. I really enjoy doing product reviews as I get the product for free, and earn commissions for every sale. Something that surprised me was that people actually valued my opinion on these products, and trusted me enough to buy them.
Over the last two years, I’ve collaborated with around 40 different companies. For a period of time, I collaborated with different drone companies. I now have 15-20 drones around my house from those sponsorships.
For me, the best part about creating content is being able to express my creativity. I get to come up with ideas and actually watch them happen. I can see people actively engaging with my videos and buying the products, which is very rewarding.
The downside of social media is that there’s always going to be some toxicity out there. No matter how much effort you’re putting in, there will always be people who are unhappy. This was an issue for me when I was first uploading videos. I had a strong accent and stuttered when I was talking, and people started commenting about it. This is really just something you have to deal with, with being a content creator. Actually, because of this, I was able to fix my stutter and my accent gradually became less noticeable as well. Now, I like to view them as opportunities for growth and have learned never to feel too discouraged by them.
Overall, I think content creation is a great opportunity, especially for people with good marketing skills. Throughout my journey, I gained over 55 thousand followers and around one million likes. It’s been a wonderful experience for me, starting with YouTube and moving to gaming and Minecraft, and now, to product marketing. Working with different companies has taught me valuable skills, like pitching myself and collaborating with others. It’s been a huge learning experience for me.“
