Entrepreneur: Sam DeMase
Biz: A Power Mood
Tilt: Career advocacy and resume remodeling
Primary Channel: TikTok (180.6K)
Other Channels: Instagram (176K)
Time to First Dollar: Four months (March 2021)
Rev Streams: Brand partnerships; TikTok creator fund ( about $100/month); guide; online courses
Our Favorite Actionable Advice
- Listen to your audience: After her TikTok grew an audience, her followers began asking for the content products, like resume guides, they wanted.
- Maximize your content: Sam cross-posts her videos on TikTok and Instagram.
- Create passive income streams: She’s hosted virtual workshops but now is adding self-paced courses, which are available whenever people want to purchase them.
The Story
Sam DeMase is a self-proclaimed “Career Bestie” who studied business at New York University NYU before working in recruiting and training and development for the past 11 years. She’s been a self-advocacy and career confidence coach for four years. Sam offers one-on-one coaching, which includes advice about leadership development, promotions, and negotiations.
In December 2020, Sam launched the content side of her business on TikTok, providing career advice and other related content. There’s no such thing as an overnight success, but this TikTok case study comes close to it. In just four months, Sam’s TikTok account blew up. Her post, How to Respond to ‘Tell Me About Yourself in an Interview, earned 3.4M views. At the same time, she started her Instagram account, where she reuses her TikTok content.
From there, Sam began exploring brand partnerships and selling a step-by-step resume guide and a virtual career course.
Early in A Power Mood's business, her @TikTok video on how to respond when an interviewer asks, "Tell me about yourself," hit over 3M views. #contententrepreneur #creatoreconomy Click To TweetFinding her content tilt
“I started creating content because I wanted to provide people with knowledge on topics that aren’t often talked about. I provide folks, especially women, with the tools they need to be upwardly mobile in their careers in a system that doesn’t always serve them,” Sam explains.
Her work is rooted in self-advocacy – how each person can be their biggest advocate in their career. “Becoming a self-advocate in my own career was a game-changer for me, so I knew I wanted to share this knowledge broadly,” she says.
Sam leaned into video content right away, making her a perfect TikTok case study. You’ll see reels after reels after reels on her Instagram but rarely a still photo. “I was able to grow on Instagram because of reels,” Sam says. “With TikTok, I do a mix of hopping on current trending sounds and also making content about topics I’m passionate about.”
Listening to the audience
A few months into posting the videos, followers began asking for content, including a resume guide. “There comes a point where some of your followers will want more than the free content you provide. Listen to those folks; they are your people,” Sam says. “It’s important to listen, ask questions, take polls, and find out what your audience is interested in seeing from you.”
Listen to your audience. They'll tell you the content products they want. That's what happened to career coach Sam DeMase of A Power Mood. #passioneconomy #careeradvice #contententrepreneur Click To TweetOnce she gained followers, Sam promoted her first virtual career course, which ended up with 20 students. Later this year, she plans to launch self-paced courses, which add another passive income stream to her business.
Sam rarely collaborates with brands on sponsored content. When she does, they need to resonate with her audience. “It has to be related to my audience and niche to keep their trust,” she says.
Recently, she created a sponsored TikTok for Zip Recruiter. The rate is based on her follower numbers. “I have 175K followers, so I charge $1.7K per post,” Sam says.
Formulating a business plan
Sam created a loose plan with the following goals: Reach her target follower count, be featured in an article, collaborate with another TikTok creator. This TikTok case study has ticked off all those boxes and more.
From the beginning, she knew her target audience and content creation strategy: women ages 20 to 35 who want to advance in their careers and need tools to help them do so. Content is posted every other day on Instagram and TikTok. (She uses weekends to batch her content creation.)
She still has a day job as in recruiting but is considering going full-time as a content entrepreneur if her self-paced courses this fall do well.
Advice for content entrepreneurs
An early-stage content entrepreneur, Sam has some advice for others just starting: “Be your authentic self. When you do, your people will find you. Remember that your content isn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t need to be. Find your niche. Figure out who your specific audience is and speak to them directly with each piece of content you create. Serve your community with great content before you start selling to them.”
Advice for #ContentEntrepreneurs: Remember your content isn't for everyone. It doesn't need to be, says Sam DeMase of A Power Mood. #creatoreconomy #contentcreators Click To TweetAbout the author
Bonnie owns Word of Mouth, a content agency specializing in social media, content marketing, and editorial writing. She's written for Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Coveteur, Man Repeller, Health.com, and more. She loves wearing fanny packs and laying in the fetal position.
