Isabella, known as @isabellakateblog, has been a content creator for around two years. She shares fashion & lifestyle content on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. She enjoys sharing her outfits on social media and building a community. In this interview, Isabella tells us about her journey and she shares how to grow on Pinterest (she grew her account to 780,000 monthly visitors)
I had always found stuff like this really cool and had wanted to do it for a really long time. In May 2020 I started a YouTube channel and created an instagram account with the goal of growing my YouTube channel. But, my passion for Instagram overtook the one for YouTube. So, YouTube now is more like a side thing. Instagram is my main platform. My niche has changed several times and it is a growing journey, but I enjoy getting to understand Instagram and how it works.
I am a lot more used to photo content. Video content is where I start getting uncomfortable. I have tried to adjust because of how fast TikTok is growing, but for me photos are more natural and I take them so much that I enjoy the photo aspect from Instagram. Another thing is that on Instagram you can connect with your audience a lot better, because you are able to send direct messages. My dms are where I connect the most with my followers, as it allows me to get to know people best.
Related: 5 Ways to Build a Community as a Content Creator
I’m a high school student at the moment and would love to turn content creation into a part-time job while I’m still in high school. I have been getting more brand deals and I am trying to convert those into paid collaborations, which is not the easiest. I am not sure how long I will be creating content for, but I am planning to do it through college because it is fun to do.
I always loved Pinterest. A few months ago I started doing idea pins, which have so much more engagement than regular pins. A lot of people in my dms ask “what are your Pinterest tips?” and “how do I grow like you did?”. And honestly, for me it was accidental. I started doing idea pins and then I started gaining views and followers. At one point I got my account to 1.2 million monthly views.
Idea pins are so huge. What works for me is creating a long idea pin around “summer outfit ideas” or “halloween costume ideas”. I have a Halloween costume idea pin and it does not even contain my own pictures – I repurposed them and I also state that those aren’t my own photos. But that one has gotten over 3 million views. I think a lot of people who go on Pinterest, just immediately go for just the pins and I think playing with other features and utilizing idea pins is what you need to be doing because it gets you the most views and insights in the long run.
Related: 3 Ways To Monetize Your Pinterest Account
I honestly haven’t been consistent lately. When I’m on top of my game I post 2 idea pins daily, which is definitely hard and time consuming to do that while also posting on other platforms. But, I think one or two a day would really be good to keep it consistent and keep the content running. My idea pins are usually repurposed from my Instagram. Whenever I post on Instagram, I will post 10 pictures in a carousel post. And so I’ll always make an idea pin with 3 pictures, and then I’ll make another idea pin with other 3 pictures and so on. So, I get few idea pins per Instagram post.
I’ve had people from Pinterest go to my instagram and I find it really cool that the channels can be connected. On the idea pins where I repurpose Instagram content, I always make sure to include my instagram username so people can find me on there. Cross promoting your channels is very important because if someone likes your content in one platform, they will likely like your content on other platforms, but it is hard to do sometimes.
Klaia definitely. For such a long time I was winging it. Before posting, I would scroll back to my emails and that is what drove me crazy, because I get so many emails. I was trying to scroll back and find what code I need to use, what is my affiliate link, what hashtags do I need to use. It was so disorganized and so messy. In May 2022, I had just gotten back from a trip and had all these brand deals I needed to do. I was very overwhelmed and had seen Klaia on my Instagram feed for a while. So, one day I thought I had nothing to lose, so I signed up and immediately loved it!
I love the platform so much because it really helps me organize everything and love having all the details in one place. Now when I get a brand deal, I immediately plug all the details into Klaia and it makes it so much easier – it helps me see all of my campaigns in one place.
I usually ask a family member to take my pictures because it is easier for me. I have used a tripod in the past but it doesn’t work for me.
I would recommend Klaia for organizing brand deals and google calendar. I organize everything on google calendar, such as my posting schedule and deadlines. Preview is my favorite apps to organize my Instagram feed – I used unum for a long time but they had limited free features.
There are so many things I would do slightly different if I had to start again. I was 14 when I started creating content and I changed a lot since then and so has my approach. I would have done less blogging and would have tried finding my fashion and lifestyle niche right away.
When I started creating content, I also joined group chats and I didn’t know they were bad – I just thought I would be meeting people but they ended up being engagement pods. Obviously there are things I would change but I am happy with how everything turned out.
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