Social media content creators and influencers are all over Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.
Thousands of them are estimated to live in North Texas. But how much do they earn from it, and can anyone succeed at it?
Meet DFW Makers and Influencers
You'll find Courtney Stensland at the fair, on the field, and anywhere there's good food.
You can also find Kristjan Lazarin there or promoting a sports line and skin care.
Berd Green – chef Cook up classics and cash out while doing it from the comfort of your own kitchen.
These are the DFW social media influencers who took a risk leaving their 9 to 5 office jobs to build successful careers in a growing industry.
“You know, I worked in corporate America, different jobs, and then during the pandemic, that's when I came back trying to make our YouTube,” Green said.
“I was in this job from 9 to 5,” said Lazarin, a creator/social media influencer. “You know, I had a job where I drove an hour to and from work, and it was almost like, 'Wow, I make a lot of money, but I'm not happy because I can't use it.'
“I was actually really scared to go, you know, full-time,” said Stensland, a creator/social media influencer. “I quit my corporate job two years ago.”
Getting Started: Tips from Content Creators and Influencers
These content creators say they are now making money from online entrepreneurs. We spent time with them to find out how they do it and how you can.
In Green's case, he's now written a popular line of cookbooks for his YouTube subscribers because he views them as more than just numbers.
“The focus on community is not the number of followers you have, but the quality of followers you have,” Green said.
Stensland says the key to standing above others in her profession, as she does, is knowing your audience and only promoting what you really like.
“Being from Dallas, I want people to love Dallas as much as I do,” Stensland said. “It's easy when you're promoting things you use every day.”
Lazarin has evolved from a top tennis fan and pickle player, and now, with more than 400,000 followers, says he has more branding opportunities than he can handle.
But he says you should be prepared to invest in quality equipment.
“So a lot of people don't know, you know, what it's going to be out of pocket, but I want to make sure that I'm giving the best content possible, whether it's on my page or for the company that I'm working with,” Lazarin said. “But I probably have four or five different editing apps that I'll use from a video or photography standpoint.”
You may have to agree to receive free products or services early in your content creator career.
But those who do say their base is growing, with payments of $200, $500 and $1,000 per post starting to add up.
According to Wall Street Journal research, there are 50 million global content creators, with only 13% earning more than $100,000 a year.
From side hustle to full-time job
But the money people make from this will double in 2 years to $480 billion.
This started as a sideline for these North Texans who say that if you post consistently and follow their path, it can pay off in the long run.
“You won't know what you're doing, but it's a beauty,” Green said.
