I Am That Content Creator Podcast

Ep#73 The TikTok Ban Explained: Instagram Changes and the Future of Content Creation

• Kristen Werner & Mia Steel • Season 1 • Episode 73

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Are you ready to transform your content creation game and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing social media landscape? In this episode, Mia and Kristen break down the impact of the U.S. TikTok ban, Instagram's latest updates, and how creators can pivot and thrive.

We dive into:

  • The TikTok Ban: What it means for 170 million U.S. users and why creators need a diversified digital strategy.
  • Instagram's Evolution: From grid customization to longer videos and advanced editing tools, discover how Instagram is stepping up for creators post-TikTok.
  • Content Creation Mastery: Learn why video marketing is the ultimate skill for creative freedom and financial stability.
  • Email Marketing Power: Find out how owning your audience through email ensures long-term success, no matter what happens on social media.

Plus, hear real stories of creators who have built multi-million dollar brands on TikTok and how they’re preparing to pivot during uncertain times.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why content creators need to master storytelling and adaptability.
  • Practical steps to build a sustainable brand across platforms.
  • The importance of owning your audience through email marketing and community building.

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Speaker 1:

Are you ready to master the art of creating content that converts?

Speaker 2:

Hey, I'm Mia, a mum of two who went from being a burnt out ambo to six-figure content creator in less than a year, all while navigating a late ADHD diagnosis.

Speaker 1:

And I'm Kristen, also a mum of two and a former corporate branding queen turned entrepreneur.

Speaker 2:

My dyslexic brain sees marketing very differently, and that's my superpower, and together we're showing women like you how to master video marketing and create content that generates income, whether you're just starting out or ready to scale?

Speaker 1:

we are breaking down everything from landing brand deals to building your own empire.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to. I Am that Content Creator podcast where we turn scroll stopping content into serious income. No filters, no fluff, just real strategies from two neurodivergent mums who get it. So let's turn your phone into a video marketing machine and let's go.

Speaker 1:

Let's go, Guys, be professional guys.

Speaker 1:

Oh my God, you've got to love the makeshift podcast that's going on right now. So, if you're listening to us, welcome to this week's podcast. Mia and I thought we had to have this conversation with you. That's all around this TikTok ban Like, what does it mean? What does it mean for social media, the Instagram changes that have been happening, the freaking chaos that's been going on Now, right now, just to talk of chaos, because I feel like we really need to let people know what's going down here, mia and I are going to do this podcast where we are just slack-chacking to each other back and forward so that we can bring you these absolute nuggets of gold right.

Speaker 1:

So what I am doing right now? Currently, if you just want to shut your eyes and just imagine where I am, I'm out in my gym shed. If you've watched my Instagram stories, you know I've got this beautiful gym shed. She's a bit dirty, she's a bit chaotic. I've got this beautiful gym shed. She's a bit dirty, she's a bit chaotic. I bloody love it In. There is my clothesline. We live in the windest place on earth, so it all works out right. Checks out. However, I've hung out the sheets. I've hung out a quilt, so I am tucked inside the quilt like, not in the quilt, but the quilt is hanging over the line. I'm in there Best fucking acoustics for a podcast ever. So in the future, mia, I just feel like you and I need to just hang out in my bedsheets and do a podcast together. No, seriously, if you want really good acoustics, I would highly highly recommend it.

Speaker 1:

But today, all things aside, we are going to talk to you about this TikTok ban. Now, for those of you that have met us, what up If those of you hasn't? What is wrong with the way I'm speaking? For those of you that haven't quite met us, we both started our journeys and grew our personal brands and then our business brand on TikTok. I've had an Instagram business since Instagram first started.

Speaker 1:

I started my very first business on Instagram in 2015, the first account I ever did and when I started Instagram, I started with a pure purpose of being a business-focused platform. It was never for me, social media has never been really about being social with friends and family. It's always been about growing a business, ever since 2015, when I first started. So I started Instagram and have enjoyed that platform, but always felt really kind of stuck and tight and tucked and like a bit of a square peg in a round hole, if you want to call it that. It just felt like I had to be something that I wasn't and I enjoyed it when stories came out, because I really felt like when stories came out, I could be more authentic, I could be myself, but the whole 24 hours lasting. And then reels came out, because I really felt like when stories came out, I could be more authentic, I could be myself, but the whole 24 hours lasting. And then reels came out and, look, I like reels. But then reels for me turned into B-roll and turned into very aesthetically pleasing and it really again felt inauthentic to who I am and what I want from my audience. And so for me, before I even met Mia, I made a decision that, if I could grow, I was kind of really curious.

Speaker 1:

Tiktok Curious actually had created a digital course called TikTok Curious, which was a huge success, and I had so many creators join that. But when I first started, I was literally curious, like, what is this TikTok about? And it wasn't the 2020 boom that happened. I think I joined 2022. And it was literally me being like, look, I'm going to go to TikTok, I'm going to have some fun, I'm going to create some content and look if I can grow a thousand followers in 30 days, then TikTok is my platform. So I went there and I played, I practiced, I did weird shit. My first TikTok would have been horrendous. I should go find it. Actually, we should probably put that in the show notes just to give people a giggle, mia.

Speaker 1:

But I did start there and what I found was instantly I didn't care, and I think part of that was because I didn't know anybody on the platform. So for me I was like cool, this is like the wild, wild, freaking West. I'm here just to create content. I don't really care, I'm just going to put my message out there. I'm going to literally treat this like Instagram stories, but they last forever. And what I noticed is, all of a sudden it started to gain traction and I started to love creating content and I started loving just turning it on when I was in my PJs. I get up early in the morning to do work, so I would create content then and it would resonate with people and I loved, loved that and I grew to the 1,000 followers and from there, that's where I created the TikTok Curious Course and you know, mia, and I will talk about in this podcast then how we came together, but today we wanted to talk about what's been happening in the US with the TikTok ban.

Speaker 1:

What does that mean? And then also like a big conversation around how important it is to understand content, to understand video marketing, so that you can put those skills to any platform. So, mia, I suppose for you like same question maybe how did you feel about when you started TikTok and why did you love it and what? How do you feel? Let's start with that how do you feel about this whole TikTok ban? Because so many things have happened and we want to talk about them. And we want to talk about Instagram and the changes that came out with the old Zaka motherfucker. God. I love that meta just came out, but it's a different conversation for a different minute, so hit us with that Convo.

Speaker 2:

Well, look at us doing another makeshift potty. Last time we did this I was driving in the car from Queensland back down to Melbourne and we recorded a podcast on that trip, because I was alone in the car driving all that way and it was so much fun. So again I have locked myself in the car. We are nearly finished school holidays so I had to just jump in the car and get away for the kids to do this podcast. But sometimes you just got to do what you got to do and if you're listening to this and you have your own podcast, get on Slack or whatever voice message yourself and turn it into a podcast. It actually works really, really well. So I'm wondering if my acoustics are a little bit better than yours, Kristen, because I'm in the car. But I do like your sheet idea. I'm happy to meet you under the sheets every now and then. If that's what you want to do, I'm open. But oh my God, what a freaking whirlwind of a week on social media. If you are not a TikToker, you might have just seen a few posts on Instagram about all this, but I don't know how I feel about what's going on.

Speaker 2:

When the TikTok ban was getting closer to that, January 19,. That's the cutoff date. That's when it's going to go dark. I sort of thought it was getting closer to that January 19. That's the cutoff date. That's when it's going to go dark. I sort of thought like it was just not going to happen.

Speaker 2:

And then when it did, it was so weird. It was like the Canadians, the Australians, like all these random careers that you've never seen before just kind of talking to each other and we're like, are they gone? They're gone, oh my God, they're literally gone. And then 24 hours later or not even, they were back and gosh, there's so much drama going into this big band and we're going to talk to you about it and give our take on it all. But in regards to your question, Kristen TikTok, well, obviously, if you guys know me, TikTok changed my fucking life and when TikTok first came out, we were in Melbourne lockdown. So I was in lockdown with two kids under two. I had a bit of time on my hands and I was pretty bored and I had that postnatal shit going on. My family couldn't visit, I couldn't see friends, my babies were just like consuming my whole entire world and we couldn't even go outside for a walk.

Speaker 2:

I think we were allowed to go within a 5k radius on a walk. So I would walk to the same park every single day and that was my life for nearly two years. So I had a lot of time on my hands and I remember logging into TikTok for the very first time because to me I'm a bit the same as Kristen. Like I wasn't on social media, I just had my normal personal account on Instagram and Facebook, whatever. I just post pictures of my dogs and my kids. I wasn't really into the whole business side of Instagram as such. But when I downloaded TikTok, like I felt like this was something cool. Like Instagram isn't me. I didn't really like the aesthetics and all that sort of stuff. And I remember posting a quick video just doing some stupid dance. I think I know. I remember now it was. You know those guys. We love them the what are they called? Having a perimonopausal moment, the uninspired, unemployed, I can't remember. You would know who I'm talking about the two guys. That is hilarious. Anyway, they did this dance and I was watching it. I'm like, oh, that's so cool, I'm going to learn this dance because I'm so bored. And I literally learned this dance and just put it on TikTok and I knew that none of my friends are on TikTok. So I'm like, oh, this is hilarious. But then I kind of just never thought much of it and whatever.

Speaker 2:

But it wasn't until we set off in our caravan to travel around Australia that I kind of went back on TikTok again and I'm like, oh, I'm just going to scroll and it's pretty funny. And I posted a video that we took on our trip of these gorgeous little wombats it was a mum and a baby wombat crossing the road and I posted it just on a random TikTok account Like I wasn't really posting much, and it got like 300,000 views. And I was like, holy shit, like that was my very first like dopamine hit that TikTok ever gave me. And I'm like, wow. And I had all these people messaging me saying, oh my God, you have to do this video with this trending sound and so much engagement. And I even had a company from overseas email me and say that I wanted to buy the rights to this video.

Speaker 2:

And I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was just like, whoa man, this is absolutely nuts. And from then I was hooked. And well, what happened next is a whole long story that I'm sure most of you already know I started, you know, user-generated content, but my home was on TikTok and I will forever be grateful for TikTok, for what it has brought me. So this ban that has been circulating and getting lots of hype, I'm still not sure how I feel about it, isn't it funny?

Speaker 1:

It's something that I didn't think I had strong feelings about. You know this social media ban in terms of going dark, but watching these US creators talk about the fact that it's going dark soon and you know what that meant I kind of went a bit deeper and I was like it really like it's changed my life too. I mean, I wouldn't have met you, I wouldn't be running a six figure business Like it's. I think it's something that even before I started going on TikTok like I'll be brutally honest on Instagram I was watching TikTok and seeing all these trends and part of me was like, yeah, the trends happened first on TikTok, Then we get the three months later.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, like very Instagram about it, and and kind of had my I want to say nose out of joint because I thought, you know, it's a platform that's not for me, it's for young kids, it's for it's a bit rogue I like to do. You know I'm in brand and marketing. I want my stuff to be perfect and professional and on brand and tiles and all that kind of stuff, and I thought TikTok was a bit too loosey goosey. But then I realized I'll make Kristen as fucking loose, as there's a lot of structure and a lot of strategy to what I do, but at the same time, when I create content, I just want to share the content Like I want to create it because I'm passionate in that moment. I don't want to put a face full of makeup on and have my house presentable. I need to share what I need to share with my community when it comes to me, and that's part of being a manifesting generator. It's probably part of potentially, the ADHD I have, my undiagnosed ADHD. You know it's just that passion within me that when I am inspired I want to tell you, I need to instantly tell you. And so for me that was difficult with Instagram because you did have to curate it a bit more. And so with the TikTok ban and jumping on TikTok like you, it was just fun posting stuff and seeing what happened and the engagement and you know people actually commenting and sharing and liking and getting involved with your content kind of blew my mind because that was, you know, it wasn't really happening on Instagram at all. And so to watch these content creators on TikTok and see their followings they've built the hard work that goes in, like the consistency that it takes to grow a following, to grow a platform is unbelievable. The consistency it takes to grow a following, to grow a platform is unbelievable. The consistency it takes to grow a platform is unbelievable.

Speaker 1:

And you know we talk about show up every day, create content and build an audience that way, and so to have that taken away without being able to have any say whatsoever, as somebody that runs a business like if that was us, I'd be a little bit paralyzed. I mean I think I was to be brutally honest. I mean, we've had holidays and the kids have been obviously on school holidays and you know, both you and I have taken some time off and we've also done some deep work and some mentorship and all that kind of stuff to realign ourselves. But I think I also, with this whole discussion around the band, I think I was a bit paralyzed because I was like, well, if I keep showing up here and then it gets banned, does it get banned for us? What happens to our content? And then so we turned to Instagram and went, okay, well, we need to get good at Instagram and how do we grow there? So it was a bit kind of even murky for us, but I can't even imagine what it would have been like for them.

Speaker 1:

Like I think sometimes we devalue TikTok as this rogue bit of whatever bit of loosey-goosey kind of content space of dancing teenagers and dancing trends which also hilarious that one of your first TikToks was a dancing trend because, like, I can't imagine that, but now I really want to see it.

Speaker 1:

But I think we kind of maybe undervalue the power that a platform like TikTok has and for me personally and this is coming from someone that has grown businesses on Instagram, grows a business now but has grown previous businesses and has a winning business that I grow on Instagram and I know it is harder for me personally to have grown that and curate the content and be on top of the trends and all of those things.

Speaker 1:

But when you create content on a platform like TikTok, it makes you be a better content creator, it forces you to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, it makes you just hit record. It is the confidence trainer that I think every content creator needs, and so to see that there are people that have built their businesses multi-million dollar businesses or just start outs, that you know the amount of people that have created a product, for example, and then done a video on TikTok that's gone viral, because TikTok goes viral quite easily. Sometimes if it's good content or relatable content or content that people want to be a part of to see their business, then absolutely implode because of that one TikTok. Now that can happen on Instagram, don't get me wrong. Oh, that's the thing.

Speaker 2:

Like there are so many small businesses that would have never blown up if it wasn't for TikTok, and so many creators as well, and that's probably why they came to TikTok because for some, for a lot of people Instagram it just doesn't have the algorithm that is sophisticated enough to connect the right people together. The algorithm is terrible over there and you've got to work really, really hard to get a couple of hundred views and it's very, very frustrating, especially for a small business. You come to TikTok. One video one video can change your whole entire life and just blow your business up. So to have that taken away by those thousands and thousands of small businesses in the US would have been absolutely terrifying and from what I understand, it's not over yet would have been absolutely terrifying. And from what I understand like it's not over yet that they've extended the ban for 90 days and Trump's talking about a 50-50 deal. So who knows what's going to happen. But you would be shitting yourself and especially if you're a creator and you've got a few million followers and to have that taken away is pretty scary and it is a stark reminder that you probably shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. And I mean I admit yes, I've got an email list and we work on that all the time, but a lot of my content and a lot of my personal brand has been built on TikTok, and you know that's why, as much as I hate Instagram, you know, I'm looking at spending some more time there or repurposing content or looking at how I can show up on Instagram as my true TikTok self because, like you said, tiktok is loosey, goosey and that's why I love it. Like you do not have to get dressed up, you do not have to have an aesthetic house, you don't have to have a perfectly curated feed, it is just raw and relatable and that's what we all love about TikTok. And, to be honest, it's not just for business, it's for personal as well. Like if it wasn't for TikTok, I would still be sitting here wondering what the hell is wrong with me. Why am I so different? Why am I weird? Why can't I fit in anywhere?

Speaker 2:

It was TikTok that made me realize that perhaps I had ADHD and I just related with so much of the content. It was not funny and for the first time in my whole entire life, I didn't feel alone. I didn't feel like I was the only one that felt like this and I made so many connections. So many creators, you know, had DM'd me, messaged me, even a lot of people that just watch my content saying, oh my God, thank you so much, I love your content. This has helped me.

Speaker 2:

I went and got diagnosed and I started medication and this has changed my life and, you know, when I was watching creators create that type of content, I decided to start my ADHD TikTok account. To start my ADHD TikTok account for me in a way to just finally express how I felt in a bit of a creative way, but to pay it forward for the creators that you know were brave enough to speak about their mental health issues on social media and helped me, you know, discover more about myself. So I wanted to give that back and I started my account and it blew up and I made so many connections and you know is such a nice corner of TikTok that I love being in and you know it's it's it's a really rocky time because if TikTok actually does finally get banned for good, I mean the flow-on effect of that, like it's going to affect Australia. Whatever happens in the US, we will usually follow. And if it is a national, what do you call it national security threat, like they say it is? Then what's the bet? Australia goes, well. Maybe we should ban it as well. So it is a rocky time and I do feel for all the US creators and small businesses that have just built their whole entire life on TikTok and have, you know, made money, changed their life, all the rest of it.

Speaker 2:

It's, yeah, a pretty scary time for them, and I don't know about you, kristen, but I feel like the algorithm has changed a little bit. A lot of the US creators are saying that something weird is going on. A lot of their stuff is getting censored. There's speculation that Zucker, motherfucker, has bought TikTok. I don't think he has, but you know there's a lot of, you know, talk on TikTok, tiktok about what's going on and what's happening. So it's kind of like a watch this space keep creating on TikTok because you love it, but just, you know, look at it as this kind of reminder that, oh, okay, I really need to grow my email list, perhaps get on Instagram or YouTube or what have you, and start thinking about, oh, social media can be taken away in an instant.

Speaker 1:

And I think you're right, I think that's something that you know with TikTok as a platform itself. Like you have grown an incredible following with your ADHD account, especially just sharing your story, which I think is so incredibly important. That's what makes those accounts grow so much is bringing that connection, sharing stories, connecting and, if nothing else, it just proves time and time again that connection and storytelling is the piece of content creation that makes the magic. You know, it wasn't until we had conversations my account felt so dead. It was sitting at about 14,000 followers and it just wasn't moving. And like the algorithm is powerful on TikTok for sure and I think that's the really clever part Like it's such a good algorithm that does connect the right people with the right content and the SEO is so high. Like if you Google search anything, the SEO is, you know, usually a TikTok will come up as the first answer. So the SEO is there. It knows that the algorithm is intelligent and, I think, far more intelligent than certainly the meta algorithm itself. If we go back to just the idea around that my account was stuck at 14,000 followers, the reason that it was, you know, is part of the algorithm, part of maybe the content I was creating, to be perfectly honest, and then all of a sudden I started a storytelling content piece that just blew up and it was all around speaking to women 40 plus the 40 plus side of TikTok where we were literally talking to women 40 plus around how to create content, how to show up on camera, building confidence around that and sharing stories. That created connections and within I think less than a month, my account blew up by another 15,000. And it was engaged. There was people talking in the comments. They were asking questions, much like the ADHD account that you've got me at, where people want to talk about themselves at the end of the day. So you need to give them that content and you need to inspire them to have those conversations and you need to understand your audience well enough to know what they really want. So all of a sudden now I'm surrounded by you know, this community of women that want the content I'm creating. So it's more enjoyable to create the content. And you know there's two sides of that in terms of when we're creating content and building confidence around content, showing up and just doing and creating and failing and failing forward and learning, and you know trial and error is what is going to build that content creation, what is going to build that muscle? And so for me, that's.

Speaker 1:

Again, it goes back to that whole TikTok. I was going to say trend. It's not a trend. The whole TikTok challenge, which is you just have to create content to see what works and what doesn't work, and that's what's incredible about these accounts on TikTok and what would have been so hard for these content creators to then go. Okay, well, where do I turn now?

Speaker 1:

And a lot of them, I reckon, will turn to YouTube or YouTube Shorts and use that as a platform that they may put most of their time and effort into, because I don't think that one's really going to go anywhere. And you can monetize that one a lot better. And again, you're in storytelling content, you're building connections that one a lot better. And again, you're in storytelling content, you're building connections. You're going much deeper than a seven second reel or you know even a three minute reel or whatever that is.

Speaker 1:

But you know, at the end of the day, like you've absolutely nailed, it's email marketing needs to be built an audience that you own their email list, you know. That's the key here is because then you can communicate with them anywhere and you can say hey guys, I've you know TikTok's been banned, so now I'm going over to YouTube Shorts. Come over here, meet me here, or whatever that might be. You don't lose your community. You can take them with you. And I think that's a podcast for another day about building that email list. Which we've done before, and certainly something we do inside of our membership is teach people how to build a thriving email list and how to grow it with lead magnets and so forth. But yeah, it's a scary time and I think it'll be interesting to see what unfolds.

Speaker 1:

Like you say, who knows what's going to happen if it gets banned in 90 days?

Speaker 1:

Who knows what will happen?

Speaker 1:

Whether TikTok will stay the same or no doubt somebody is building something right now that is going to explode soon. But I suppose the key is to keep creating content and to keep speaking to your audience and learn that it's about you just showing up and building the trust with your community so that if you do say, okay, guys, I'm moving to Instagram now. That's my preferred platform. They'll follow you if they love the content, or with your email marketing, letting them know where you're going, or, for us, the podcast. This is, for us, the part that we love the most is creating this content and then sharing that on social media. So looking for pathways that you can continue to grow a business and continue to thrive in this space, regardless of what platform is in front of you, and I think that is really important piece of this puzzle is to make sure you and I think that is really important piece of this puzzle is is to make sure that you're creating content that can go anywhere and you can pivot if and when a pivot actually needs to happen.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's the thing. It's just, it's diversifying yourself and you know you look at some of the really really big, big creators. They make sure that they're kind of across all the platforms and I know that's overwhelming. You've got to repurpose to YouTube and Twitter and Instagram and Facebook and all this stuff. There are tools to help you with that. But you know the big rigs make sure that they do that and make sure that they're everywhere, because awareness is everything you know and there are tools that will help you repurpose, you know, to Facebook, to Instagram, to YouTube shorts. Just do it anyway. Like, even if that type of content maybe isn't right for that platform, just get it out there anyway. You never know, it could just be that one video that you know makes all the difference. So really start thinking about repurposing across all platforms and spending the most amount of time on the platform that you absolutely love and I mean that is TikTok for us. But we are as much as you know, we don't really love Instagram because of the way that creators are kind of forced to show up there Not forced to, but the way that creators feel like they have to show up there. That's why I don't like it.

Speaker 2:

But I understand that as a small business, we got to be there. You know and I was just looking at some stats before Facebook is the biggest social media platform in the world. Still, as much as everyone hates Zuckerberg, it is the biggest. I think there's like 3 billion monthly users on Facebook. So you can't just turn your nose up at it and just go I'm not going to post there because I hate it, or you're going to hurt your business. And you know there's a lot of creators on TikTok at the moment saying fuck meta not going there, fuck that shit, let's go to Red Note, where are we all meeting. And that's fine if you're a creator and you want to, or you're just a creator for fun, or you just want to consume content. But when you're a small business, content. But when you're a small business, you kind of have to be everywhere. And Meta being one of the biggest platforms in the world, I know it's hard. You don't want to support these kinds of platforms because you might not agree with how they're run or who's running them, but you kind of your back's up against the wall sometimes when you're a small business. And you know we don't like spending money on ads, but you just got to. You have to.

Speaker 2:

So we're going to be spending a little bit more time on Instagram trying to, you know, figure out how we can grow there. We've both got our personal Instagram accounts set up. Now We've got the Hive Hub Collective account, which is always going to be there, but we've had a bit of a think through and understand that personal brands are really, really important, and so we're going to be posting on our separate personal brand accounts, all leading to the same offer. But you've just got to find that content that resonates with your audience, no matter what platform that you're on, and I know myself. I have chosen not to start making reels that I think are Instagram worthy.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to be starting to try to connect with my own audience in a way that is me and authentic to me, because I think once you look past the aesthetics on Instagram, you know you can have the fancy lights, you can have the fancy editing, you can do all the things that the gurus tell you to do, but at the end of the day, it is you and it is your messaging and it is the connection piece that people are going to resonate with and be drawn to. So I myself I don't have. I will burn out if I try and live up to Instagram standards every time I post. So I'll be posting the type of content that I like posting there and I'm going to see how it goes and I'm going to be testing and trialing, like I did on TikTok, and just seeing what works. And I think that if you stay true to yourself and you have a message for a very particular person, they will find you there as well.

Speaker 2:

Even though the algorithm isn't as good as TikTok, you still got to try. You can't just be like, oh nah, fuck that shit Not doing it. Well, you can't. What are you going to do if TikTok does kind of disappear? Or if it doesn't disappear? Maybe it's just not going to be the same as it was before. So you really have to start thinking about this stuff.

Speaker 1:

It's fair to say, mia, that even with the need for email marketing and having that as your customer base and making sure you've got that customer base, I think what's also important to shine a light on here when we're talking video marketing and we're talking user-generated content and that side of the video marketing space, I suppose is, even though you've got you know, if one of the platforms goes down, for example, if you've learned a skill like UGC, user-generated content where you're creating content for a brand and you're doing brand videos for them and they're paying you, you've got a way to continuously make income. So if, for some reason, a platform goes down, but you've got that skillset that you can transfer to other areas, now it's never going to be that every social media platform goes down, so you can't do it anywhere. What we're passionate about, I think more than anything and certainly maybe in 2025 and understanding where the world's going is with something like UGC. We see it as a foundation. So this is like get to know this stuff, get to understand converting content, get to build confidence in being a content creator. You can then turn that skill set anywhere. You can turn that skill set to creating better Facebook ads. Like we've said, if you're a small business, or you can turn it to understanding the right content creator to choose as UGC content creator for small business, or if you're somebody that's just starting out in this space, that doesn't have a big following, that's wanting to get paid.

Speaker 1:

What we do know from doing this and certainly what I know from doing this for 15 years' experience is it's hard to build a profile. It takes time, it takes energy, it takes effort to do that and it doesn't financially reward you very quickly. Where UGC learning this skill set does, you can learn the skill set and we've had members inside our community, like Kirstie, for example, who came into our community. She learnt the UGC which we're now Video Marketing Mastery, which is really getting you to understand video marketing and the power of that. She learnt that through the course that is in there in our community and in 12 hours she approached a brand and they're like yep, love it. She got paid $400, new Zealand dollars for her very first video for a brand in a brand partnership. So that is now a skill set that we've seen her content absolutely explode tenfold in terms of her confidence, her clarity, her connection with her audience, her point, her purpose, her magnetism as a personal brand has completely changed because she's learned that skill set and that's probably, I think, certainly what we're most passionate about, and certainly I think what's done like a full flip in 2025 is we've always been passionate about this, but now we've actually seen hang on a minute everybody that has done this course with us has had success. Everybody has seen an improvement in their content. Everybody has got confidence that is growing. Some people have done it and they're not doing UGC, because that's not what they're passionate about, but they've got the skillset and I think that, if nothing else, is fundamental to this whole process. So, yeah, I suppose that is important to remember in this whole conversation, and important to remember because we've got the ability to teach our community how to become better at content, and right now is the perfect opportunity to say what we teach allows you to turn to YouTube, podcasting, video marketing, tiktok, instagram what other platforms are there? All the platforms, facebook Reels, all the things Because, at the end of the day, if you've got that foundation, you can grow, and that is what I think is really cool about this whole process. At the end of the day, we're not ratting on Instagram or we're not ratting on TikTok or whatever, but it's more talking about the fact that what we know from our experience this far, what we've learned, what we share, what we teach inside our community, is that video marketing is everything.

Speaker 1:

Whether that is you as a content creator, who, potentially you're just starting out, you're like, oh, I'm curious about this, I want to land some brand deals and get paid by brands to create content which, as we know, can be called UGC brand deals, and get paid by brands to create content which, as we know, can be called UGC. Or maybe you are a small business owner or you've been doing content for a while but you're just not making the money that you thought you'd make and you might be starting ads, or you might just be wanting to do more organic content. It's about getting really good at the content that's going to get you paid. It's about learning, converting content, storytelling content, creating moments with people, and sometimes that doesn't always happen with, you know, a seven second B-roll. So how do you do that? Do you do it through stories and getting better at showing up on stories on something like Instagram, or is it that you're on TikTok and you're wondering how to create better connection with people? It's about creating that content that really does connect with people and that's something that we love teaching in our community. It's something that I think you know, without blowing our own trumpet we like doing and we enjoy doing and I think we're quite good at it, to be honest, because we are really authentic and really real. And I do love the fact that you know you are going to turn to Instagram and be your authentic self, and I know I certainly am. I am in my stories, I am, I'm in my stories, I do try to be in reels but, like you said, the algorithm isn't as generous as, say, tiktok, but I do believe, with this swing, knowing Zaka motherfucker, he's going to potentially try and change the algorithm to suit that, to really bring in those TikTok users. So if you're on Instagram, please know that me and I do still love it as a platform because we love content creation. It's just we've seen and we've tested and we've tried and we can see what works and how to make it work and we want to make sure that we can teach you the power of good converting content. And so, with Instagram, the Instagram grid did change, which did crack me up a little bit, because they changed. The night before the TikTok ban happened in the US, instagram decided to make the Instagram profile, the grid rule, the same size. The TikTok ban happened in the US. Instagram decided to make the Instagram profile like the grid reel, the same size as TikTok. So they're four by five, so good on you. And then they updated to three minute reels, again trying to be like TikTok. And then, because CapCut is also banned in the US I don't know if it still is or whether it's the 90 day thing, because it's a parent company of TikTok, is it Like it's connected with TikTok and all that? So then Reels and Meta came out with Edits, which is basically a CapCut version.

Speaker 1:

So you know, I think whatever platform you choose to be on, as long as you enjoy it, like Mia said, you've got to love the content you create. And if it comes from a place of love and it comes a place of sharing, connection and being genuine with your content, you will attract your audience. You will build a personal brand that is absolutely magnetic and that might be that you do B-roll on Instagram because that feels good to you, amazing, and then in your stories you share a little bit more of you. Maybe that is. You want to try TikTok and get curious about it, just to build your confidence muscle with content. So, whatever you choose, there's not a right and a wrong way to do it, but hopefully this I was going to say TikTok hopefully this podcast has shared a little bit of what's been going on.

Speaker 1:

Do we know what's going to happen from here? Absolutely not. Will we share it as we unfold it? Absolutely, so yeah, if you have heard this and it's inspired you to get curious about video marketing, then head to the link in the bio, head to our socials and you can get our free webinar that tells you all about, introduces you to what this video marketing process is and how you can get really fucking good at it and get paid for your content and, at the end of the day, that's all we want. So for now, that is it, and we'll see you very soon.