A few months ago, me and several other YouTubers went into business together to launch our own channel. Since then we have grown bigger and better than ever! We are surrounded by fans constantly, which is totally surreal for us.
We share our journey as we grow in this article, so be sure to look out for us! Also, make sure to check out our website at www.itsAFANdynasty.com where you can find all of our things like t-shirts, books, and videos!
Beside sharing our personal life stories, we also talk about career tips and how to achieve your dreams.
Starting your own tikTok channel is free, and you can pick any name for it! You do not need to link it to your personal profile or use your full name. Many people create simple blogs as “Hey World” or something more elaborate like “My Life Story.”
You can also add rich media content to your videos such as pictures, GIFs, and even YouTube links. There are many free website creation tools that make this easy to do.
There are of course, ways to make money from your tikTok account but this isn’t necessarily part of the plan at first. Your goal should be to gain enough followers and watch stats to prove that people love what you put out there and want to see more!
By giving people what they want, you will get famous very quickly.
As we already mentioned, tik tok is a very popular app that allows you to make short videos or songs and upload them onto your profile. You can then get feedback from other users and measure success by the numbers!
My name is Isabella (Izzy) Rose and I created my own tik tok channel in March 2018. My channel gets over 1 million views every month, which is pretty cool!
What makes my channel special is that I use funny, relatable content and I always try to include at least one of each of the following- self-reflection, motivational speech, song or dance, food or fashion look, social commentary, and just plain fun.
By staying focused on having entertaining videos, my audience has grown on tik tok and now it’s where I make most of my money.
As you may have noticed, there are lots of people creating crazy, hilarious content for the internet’s biggest social media app — tikTok!
Mostly they do this by filming themselves or others doing something humorous and putting it into a movie or music video style format. These content creators then typically use the hashtag #TBT (Throwback Thursday) to promote their videos.
By buying an inexpensive pre-made collection of TBT videos, you can start producing your own viral content quickly!
I bought my first set in July 2018 and now I create my own weekly videos using them. My followers enjoy watching me recreate these jokes that we know and love, so why not make some money while having fun?
My most popular video is called “Breaking Up Is The Most Romantic Thing… EVER!” It is about two broken up teens who find out that their mutual friend has a surprise proposal waiting for them. This makes both kids realize how much they mean to each other and need to be together again! They work through all of their issues and agree to give their relationship one more chance before breaking up for good. Written by me, performed by myself, watched over 100,000 times!
It is very easy to produce entertaining YouTube videos, even if you don’t have any film experience. Many people have made theirs simply by experimenting with different styles and finding ones that appeal to watchers.
My channel features me as “AS IF IT WASNT MYSELF”, or as some people call me, my online self-brand.
I make educational YouTube videos about beauty products and fashion. My audience loves me because of how fun and entertaining my content is!
My following has grown rapidly due to my success in marketing myself on social media sites like TikTok (a mobile app now owned by ByteDance).
On this app you can create quick music/lip sync songs and add funny lyrics and dance moves to them. It is very popular among teenagers and young adults.
Many teens use it to make their own tik Tok songs and gain popularity quickly. By marketing yourself on apps like TikTok, you get exposure for your personal brand while also making money.
Since my channel started back in May 2018, I have over 1 million subscribers and almost 2 billion view count all across my various platforms.
My followers grow to over 1 million people within just one year of starting my channel!
I’m talking about here not only about how many people follow me, but also how engaged they are with what I share. Many users comment and ask questions or give feedback on things I talk about.
It feels good when others agree with you or tell you something that makes you feel better about yourself or your product.
That is definitely part of why my tikTok success was so fast! But there are other reasons too.
This article will go into more detail on some of these reasons.
As seen with my last tikTok challenge, MyKiwiStyle, creating entertaining content is a powerful way to gain followers. With the explosion of social media sites like Instagram and Snapchat, becoming popular has become more about having fun offering your audience something that they want.
Running your own channel comes with its own set of challenges however. One being how long you should devote to YouTube or other platforms to grow your channel.
It’s easy to make the assumption that the more hours you put into your channel, the more viewers you will get, but this isn’t always the case.
You see, the process of getting views takes a lot of work beyond just putting in time. And the more times you put in, the less likely you are to give up. This can easily turn into wasted energy and frustration.
My first tikToks were mostly comedy or fun videos, but my popularity grew as I transitioned into storytelling videos.
I started creating stories about my life and posting them online to see how many likes I would get! It was very inspiring when I noticed people connected with me and even asked for help with their own problems!
At times, it felt like everyone wanted something from me, which is why I made my second tikTok: Ask Me – Help Others Find Happiness. Here, I would talk about different things that make someone happy and ask if they could do anything to add those things in their lives.
That got lots of comments and reactions because people feel inspired by my positive energy. People say I’m an inspiration, and it makes them feel good about themselves.
My next tikTok: Follow Your Dreams -And Do What You Want To Do- is all about encouraging others to follow their dreams and not let society stop you from being who you want to be.
Alongside my channel, I have started creating t-shirts with my design studio that feature quotes or pictures related to my channel. My latest designs are some very clever ones!
I have also created fun picture frames using painted wooden pieces and decorations I designed myself. These frame designs all come together in my shop at Shopify – they’re called Funky Frames and you can find them here.
These products take time to make so I only produce what I have enough material to make of my own supply and through collaborations. But now, I really enjoy making them and getting great feedback from people who purchase them!
By adding this additional revenue stream, I was able to spend more time promoting my channel and finding new ways to grow my audience. Since launching my t-shirt store in August 2018, I have been consistently earning over $2,000 per month which has allowed me to keep investing into my channel!
At times, I even earn more than $5,000 per month which is totally insane because I didn’t actively promote my channel until recently! It feels incredible being able to put food on the table while still having time to relax and focus on other things like studying or reading a book.
Having an income source that doesn’t require too much effort makes it easy to stay motivated, especially since I know that I could easily be deprived of this money if I don’t work hard.
Another pivotal point in my journey was realizing that TikTok thrived on collaboration. Instead of just using the app to promote my YouTube channel or my Shopify store, I decided to team up with other creators. These collaborations weren't always with big names; sometimes, they were with up-and-coming TikTokers who had unique perspectives and content ideas.
By combining our audiences and cross-promoting, I saw a surge in engagement. Our combined creativity produced content that neither of us might have thought of individually. It was during these collaborations that I truly understood the phrase, "two heads are better than one." Not only did these joint efforts introduce me to a broader audience, but they also led to lasting friendships and ongoing creative partnerships.
TikTok's live stream feature provided yet another avenue for me to connect with my audience in real-time. Live streaming on the platform was an opportunity to showcase a more authentic and unfiltered side of me. Instead of pre-edited videos, my followers could engage with me directly, ask questions, and even influence the content of the stream.
These live sessions became weekly occurrences where I discussed everything from content creation to everyday life challenges. They transformed my relationship with my audience from a one-way conversation to a dynamic, two-way interaction. The raw, unscripted nature of live streaming also allowed my personality to shine through, making me more relatable and approachable. Furthermore, the tips and gifts from my followers during these streams became another unexpected income stream.
The beauty of TikTok is that it offers diverse tools and avenues to grow, engage, and monetize. My journey might have started with simple video uploads, but it quickly morphed into a multi-faceted digital career. To all budding creators out there, remember to experiment, collaborate, and most importantly, stay true to yourself. The digital world is vast, but there's space for everyone to shine.
