I'm obsessed with creators who are actually making it work. Not the ones who are all smoke and mirrors, but the ones who are genuinely building businesses, getting paid, and doing it in a way that feels real.

That's why I had to get Rom on the podcast. I found her on TikTok (obviously), and within seconds of watching her content, I was hooked. She's the real deal – three years into full-time content creation, working with brands, and actually making money doing it.

And here's what I love most: she started accidentally, just like so many of us.

From Corporate Burnout to Full-Time Creator

Rom's story is one I hear all the time – freshly graduated, stuck in a corporate job that felt soul-crushing, thinking “there's gotta be more than this.”

Spoiler alert: there was.

She started posting on social media with a “freak around and find out” mentality (her words, and I'm stealing them). No grand plan, no five-year strategy, just posting and seeing what happened.

And you know what? It worked.

Within three years, she'd built a personal brand, grown multiple social media pages, started working with brands, and had other businesses paying her to consult on their social media strategies. She's done TV, radio, podcasts – the works.

The Content Creation Skills That Actually Matter

Here's what Rom says separates the best creators from everyone else: it's not your lighting, your editing, or your aesthetic (though those help).

It's your ability to communicate and captivate an audience.

If you're not capturing people's attention in the first 1-3 seconds, you're going nowhere. And that comes down to how you structure your hooks, how you deliver your message, and whether you're convicted in what you're saying.

The technical stuff? That's the easy part to learn. The hook structuring, the tonality, the nuance in how you speak? That's where the magic happens.

How to Create Hooks That Actually Work

Everyone's obsessed with downloading “1000 hooks” templates, but Rom breaks it down way simpler:

Your hook has three parts:

1. Visual hook – the imagery you're using
2. Verbal hook – the first thing out of your mouth
3. Text hook – what appears on screen

The best hooks use buzzwords your audience is actually searching for: money, love, results, whatever matters in your niche. Even if it's not the entire essence of your video, use those words to get people in.

But here's the key: what you say AFTER your hook matters just as much. You need to deliver value, answer questions, and actually give people what they came for.

Always think about your target audience. What do they want to hear? What are they struggling with? What results are they after? Then reverse engineer your hook from there.

TikTok vs Instagram: Why You Need Both (But Start with TikTok)

Rom describes it perfectly: TikTok is like being at the pub with your mates – casual, social, no egos. Instagram is more like a corporate boardroom – polished, professional, curated.

On TikTok, you can post five times a day just sharing your inner monologue and grow an incredible following. People consume you like a TV show.

On Instagram, it's more magazine-style. It's intentional, aesthetic, curated. Though Meta is starting to shift toward more casual, undone content (which is why you're seeing more TikTok-style videos doing well on Reels now).

But here's the truth bomb: if Instagram isn't working for you, STOP STAYING WITH A BAD BOYFRIEND.

Give yourself 30 dedicated days on TikTok – posting at least once a day – and I guarantee you'll feel silly for not starting sooner. The ability to be seen on TikTok is unbelievable.

From Free Products to Four-Figure Brand Deals

This is where it gets juicy.

Rom started like most creators – brands would send free products, she'd post about them, everyone was happy. Then she started noticing something: these brands kept coming back to her. They weren't just sending free stuff for fun – they were getting value from her content.

So she tested something. A skincare brand wanted to send a new product. She replied: “Sure, for $180.”

They said yes.

Then they came back the next month and told her the ad they ran with her content generated $32,000 in revenue.

That was the brain chemistry shift moment.

She wasn't doing them a favour by posting free content. She was providing a business service that made them serious money.

Now she charges four-figure amounts for single videos (in Australian dollars, mate). And here's what got her there: she created content with products she already owned, as if brands had sent them. She built social proof that her recommendations actually impacted purchasing decisions.

When it came time to pitch and charge, she had tangible evidence that her content worked.

Why Micro-Creators Are Making Bank

Here's something that'll blow your mind: brands are way more willing to pay micro-creators with highly engaged audiences than big creators with 200,000 followers who get crickets on every post.

Rom has a client with only 3,000 followers on TikTok charging $500 per post. Why? Because she has an army of committed, engaged people who watch every single piece of content.

The spend versus return for brands is much better with engaged micro-creators than with big influencers who have low engagement.

So if you're just starting out and think you need a huge following first – wrong. Focus on engagement, connection, and building trust with your audience first.

The Creator Business Model That Actually Scales

Rom recently burnt her business model to the ground (in the best way).

She was doing lots of one-on-one clients, which was great money but not scalable. So she kept four handpicked one-on-one clients and launched Create Clubhouse – a membership where people can access live coaching calls, a private podcast with industry experts, and workshops on everything from negotiating with brands to becoming a better UGC creator.

At $40 a week, it's accessible to way more people than high-ticket one-on-one coaching. And she's passionate about making it accessible because social media is one of the few billion-dollar industries geared in favour of women.

If you're a woman with something to say and you want to take up space and grow a business – get on social media and do it.

The Daily Non-Negotiables for Content Creators

Content creation should be like brushing your teeth – a daily non-negotiable.

Not every piece needs to be high-effort, high-production. It can be a trending audio, a seven-second B-roll with text, whatever. But you need to show up consistently.

People want to plug into creators they can consume frequently and connect with. You can't do that if you're only showing up here and there.

Rom's process includes:

• Filming B-rolls and ideas in the moment (not writing them down for later)
• Using the creative energy when it drops in
• Creating one idea three different ways (face to camera, carousel, B-roll with text)
• Having a strategy and reverse engineering content to achieve specific outcomes

Because here's the truth: if you're creating content without a strategy, without an outcome you want, you're wasting your time. Social media should work for you, not the other way around.

What Actually Makes Brand Deals Happen

Rom's shift to consistent brand deals came when she stopped posting randomly and started posting with intention.

She leaned into her strengths – speaking candidly like she's on FaceTime with 20,000 best friends. She paired that with great lighting, intentional edits and cuts, and strategic sound choices.

You don't need to be the most aesthetic, clean, crisp creator. You need to understand YOUR strengths and lean into them hard.

And always overdeliver. Even though Rom's established now, she still goes above and beyond on brand work. Why? Because they always come back, and it sets her apart in an industry full of cash grabs and quick fixes.

The Bottom Line

If you're sitting on the sidelines of content creation because it feels scary, cringe, or overwhelming – stop.

You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Give yourself 30 days of showing up on TikTok every single day and watch what happens.

Because the opportunity to build a profitable creator business has never been bigger. And it doesn't require a massive following, a luxurious lifestyle, or being someone you're not.

It just requires showing up, being authentic, and treating it like the legitimate business it is.

 

Connect with Rom on INSTAGRAM or TIKTOK