This NYC creator's 5 secrets to millions of followers

Author

Brett Dashevsky
August 02, 2024

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Hey! Welcome to the Creator Economy NYC newsletter — the premier place for all things creator economy in the Big Apple.

And a special welcome to the 320 new subscribers who joined us this past week!

About a year ago, we hosted our first “speaker” event, and 60 of you RSVP’d. Fast forward a year, and we had over 500 RSVPs to our latest event on Monday.

The best part? Seeing familiar faces from a year ago. Thanks for sticking with us.

In today's newsletter, we're sharing insights from our live interview with Nadya Okamoto at Monday's event. Nadya, a New York native, shared some absolute gems on growth as a creator and brand.

Let's dive into it.

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PARTNERED WITH SIFTSY - COMMENT SECTION ANALYTICS

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CITY SPOTLIGHT

The path to influence: lessons from Nadya Okamoto's founder-creator journey

Nadya Okamoto is a force to be reckoned with in the creator economy. At just 25 years old, she's already founded multiple companies, run for public office, and amassed millions of followers across various platforms.

Growing up in post-9/11 NYC, Nadya faced personal challenges that fueled her drive to make a difference. This resilience carried her through Harvard, where she balanced studies with running a nonprofit and even a city council campaign — all while laying the groundwork for her current venture, August, a sustainable period care company.

As a self-described "geriatric Gen Z," Nadya leverages her social media savvy to grow both her personal brand and her business — which is crushing. At our recent event, Nadya shared invaluable insights on content creation and brand-building. Let's dive into the five key takeaways from our conversation:

5 key takeaways on content creation and growth

1. Create consistently and experiment often

In the world of content creation, especially short-form video, Nadya emphasizes the power of consistent output and relentless experimentation. Her approach is both simple and demanding:

"I was making 100 videos a day for like months," she said about growing her accounts.

This high-volume strategy isn't just about flooding feeds; it's a calculated method for rapidly testing different ideas and increasing the chances of creating viral content.

TL;DR

Don’t fear high-volume content creation as a strategy for growth. Consistency and experimentation are your best tools for discovering what resonates with your audience. Remember, each piece of content is a learning opportunity and viral success often comes after many attempts — especially in today’s world of short-form content with almost slot machine-like algorithms. Spread your luck!

2. Share your story - authenticity builds stronger connections

Nadya credits much of her success to her willingness to be open about her personal life and experiences.

"I share my story because... there is that sort of community building from other people who have gone through the same thing," she explained.

By discussing her mental health struggles, family background, and personal challenges, Nadya has fostered a deep connection with her audience.

TL;DR

Storytelling is a powerful tool for building audience connection. Sharing vulnerabilities and real experiences can create a powerful bond with your audience. It's not just about showcasing successes, but also about being relatable and human.

3. Tailor content to each platform, but leverage cross-platform synergies

Nadya's content strategy recognizes the unique strengths of each social media platform while also capitalizing on cross-platform opportunities. She views TikTok as a top-of-funnel awareness tool, while Instagram serves for deeper engagement. Importantly, she notes the ripple effect of viral content:

"When we go viral on TikTok, we'll gain followers on Instagram, but not vice versa."

So, TikTok is where she’ll focus on creating highly engaging, trend-driven content here with the goal to capture attention quickly and drive awareness. Then, funnel those viewers to their Instagram to foster a deeper connection and lead to clicks to their site.

By understanding these platform differences, Nadya can create content that resonates best with each audience while maintaining a cohesive brand message across all channels.

TL;DR

Develop a nuanced, multi-platform strategy. Understand each platform's unique role in your content ecosystem and tailor your approach accordingly. Remember that success on one platform can actually drive growth on others, so think holistically about your social media presence.

4. Adapt to the 'explore page' era by creating discoverable content and strategically reposting.

Nadya highlights a significant shift in social media consumption:

"The last era of social media was all about... looking at content of people you already follow. Now we're being fed content of people we don't follow."

This move towards 'explore page' content has influenced her strategy of reposting successful content, as each repost has the potential to reach a new audience.

On the power of reposting, Nadya shared an anecdote about how she reposted two “evergreen” videos that were made a year ago and are still going viral today. It turns out that your content's shelf life can be much longer than you might think! A piece of content that resonated once has the potential to do so again, reaching new audiences each time it's shared.

TL;DR

Focus on creating content that's not only discoverable but also has lasting relevance. It's about understanding how algorithms surface content and optimizing for these new patterns. Don't be afraid to repost or repurpose successful content, as it may reach new audiences each time and continue to drive engagement long after its initial creation.

5. Don't let perfectionism hinder your content output

Nadya advocates for a "publish over perfect" mindset in content creation. She candidly admitted:

"We make mistakes all the time because I have no idea what we're posting tomorrow."

This approach prioritizes timeliness and relevance over polished perfection, allowing for rapid iteration based on audience response.

She discusses staying current with trends and maintaining a consistent presence, even if it means occasionally making mistakes. The key is to learn quickly from these missteps and keep moving forward.

TL;DR

Prioritize consistency and timeliness over perfection. Embrace a "publish over perfect" mindset to stay current and engaged with your audience. Remember, in the fast-paced world of social media, regular, relevant content will often allow you to outperform occasional, polished pieces.

The Big Apple’s influence

Nadya's journey as a creator and founder is deeply intertwined with her NYC roots. Growing up in post-9/11 Manhattan, she was immersed in the city's unique energy and resilience from a young age.

New York is just this beautifully chaotic energy. You get off the subway and it's chaos and you are just focused on like where you're going and you have to stay focused.

This fast-paced, high-energy environment shaped Nadya's approach to content creation and entrepreneurship. She credits the city's intensity for developing her ability to focus amidst chaos — a skill that serves her well in the rapid-fire world of social media content creation.

Moreover, Nadya points out how growing up in New York instilled a certain confidence and worldview:

When you grow up in New York, you are taught to think that, like, this is where culture is defined, but that ego is absolutely bred into me.

This NYC-bred confidence has been instrumental in Nadya's journey, fueling her drive to start companies, raise capital, and put herself out there as a content creator.

Wrapping it all up

As you navigate your own path in the creator economy, consider how you can apply these lessons to your work. Whether you're a content creator, marketer, or founder, there's something to be learned from Nadya's approach.

Want to see these strategies in action? Follow Nadya and August:

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See you next week,

Brett

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