Pro Filmmaker Turned Creator: How Will Kyaw Grew 700k+ Followers on IG and TikTok

Pro Filmmaker Turned Creator: How Will Kyaw Grew 700k+ Followers on IG and TikTok

GUEST-STARRING WILL

Sometimes saying yes to a new experience will open the doors to infinite success.

In today’s episode of the Full-Time Influencer podcast, I sat down with Will of @willkyaw. We have been friends for quite some time now and most notably, I had enlisted Will to film and photograph my clothing line (Tina Lee Creations) in Paris last fall. Since then, we have continued to keep in touch and have even traveled to Qatar together for a press trip.

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Will has amassed quite a large following on social media but his background is quite different than your typical content creator. Prior to making Instagram and TikTok his full time job, Will was in film and was helping to shoot everything from TV commercials to documentaries and more. His resume is stacked with projects for AirBnB, Sony Music, and Diesel. The amazing part? Will is only 25 years old!

So how did Will find such viral success on social media at such a young age? We deep dive into his pivotal career change, as well as his best kept tips for success.

1. Don’t be afraid to take a chance on yourself.

When he was 18, Will decided to take a gap semester and backpack across Asia. At the time, travel influencers were seeing exponential success and these users directly inspired him to document his travel journey. Flash forward a few years later and he was living in Shanghai and ultimately decided he was not going back to school. Instead, he was able to get a headstart in his film making career and social media was put on the backburner for the time being.

2. Treat social media like a full-time job.

When the pandemic hit the world, Will left Asia and moved back to the states. Because of this move, he left behind a lot of connections in Asia and realized he had to rebuild his career in the US. With more time under his belt, Will was able to treat social media like his full time job and was actively posting across Instagram and TikTok on a daily basis. Soon enough, he garnered a following and even connected with other like minded content creators where he was able to cross-promote and learn additional skills from others.

3. Establish your niche early on.

With Will’s unique background in traditional filmmaking, this naturally segwayed into his current niche. Now, he harnesses the power of social media to teach others how to achieve cinematic transitions and edits (mostly with an iPhone). By continually focusing on three types of video content: camera tricks, beautiful destinations, and humor, Will was able to find huge success across platforms.

4. Harness the power of shareable content.

Will’s most popular TikTok teaches how you can use the exposure feature on the iPhone to capture a gorgeous sunset. A lot of users did not know this was possible and given that many others have iPhones, it was shareable content that was already set up for success. The icing on the cake was that it was also visually appealing so users would not click out of it right away. This video went viral overnight and by the next morning (with 30K new followers), Will was already pumping out more content to keep the momentum going. By continually relying on the covetable shareable content pillars, you’re bound to find viral success.

5. Use your social proof to secure brand deals.

After Will’s newfound popularity on social media, he immediately knew he had to take advantage of this moment. Soon after, he started reaching out to a plethora of related brands in his niche for campaigns and many of them came back with a yes! The newly established social proof propelled his content and he was able to turn this into paid brand deals with a snap.

6. Know how to market yourself to brands.

The one thing about Will is that he knows how to market himself to a brand. In order to stand out, he has perfected the email pitch. When introducing himself to a brand, he always makes sure to link his socials, form a connection and push to jump on a call as soon as possible. Once they agree, Will makes small talk with the influencer or PR contact and gets to know him or her on a more personal level to help form a stronger bond. From there, share ways you can help them achieve their goals and never be afraid to push for a long-term contract.

Pro Tip: When making small talk, keep the F.O.R.D. method in mind! Talk about the other person’s family, occupation, recreational hobbies, and lastly his or her dreams!

7. Say ‘yes’ more!

Will is a “yes man”. He is always willing to try something new and has found a lot of amazing connections and networking opportunities by saying “yes”. This industry can quickly force you to become jaded but remember there are so many amazing outcomes that could happen if you agree to go to a free event or to meet up with another influence and so forth.

8. Go after volume.

On Instagram, we tend to be more cautious in what we post for fear that it won’t perform well. We all know that TikTok has established a more casual vibe so Will is not afraid to post a lot - sometimes several times a day. These days, sometimes being too polished and perfect can be a bit of a detriment because it can come across as too practiced to outside users.

At such a young age, Will has really done it all. From filmmaking to influencer, his hardwork and commitment to success really paid off.

FIND WILL’S SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS HERE

INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE