You Don’t Need Followers To Earn: The Anti-Influencer Path With Meg

We share how to earn online without chasing fame or virality, using UGC, thoughtful affiliate marketing, and flexible freelancing. Meg explains the anti-influencer method, step-by-step ways to land gigs fast, and how to build a resilient community and income stream you control.

• What anti‑influencer means and why it works
• Building community on Facebook without oversharing
• UGC vs influencer marketing and brand budgets
• Authentic affiliate picks that convert and scale
• Amazon on‑site and TikTok Shop requirements
• Getting started with UGC apps and portfolios
• Platform strategy across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
• Posting cadence, batching, and creative cycles
• Freelancing for stable cash flow and skills
• Pitching with metrics and securing retainers
• Growing email lists and simple entry offers
• Free and paid community structure and value

The freebie is land a UGC gig in one day. You can find it on my TikTok. It’s in my link in bio. It’s like the first thing there.

https://www.tiktok.com/@megthecreator_

Are you ready to streamline your business and elevate your client experience? Right now you can get 30% off with my discount code: https://share.honeybook.com/shannastar

You can try Pic Time for free with my code and get an extra free month when you upgrade to a paid plan: head to the notes and click the link to start your beautiful galleries today

https://davistaphotography.pic-time.com/referral

Transcript

Meet Meg And The Anti-Influencer Idea

Shanna Star 0:07

Hello, all you fabulous people. Welcome to another episode of the Shine Podcast. I'm your host, Shauna Stark. Today's conversation was new for me, which I'm so excited about. We talk about a ton of business and how to make money online. And today we're gonna go a bit deeper with how you don't have to actually be an influencer. But uh Meg believes to be an anti-influencer, and she has an anti-influencer method, and she makes and teaches how to make money using a UGC, which is user-generated content, freelancing and TikTok workshop without chasing about followers going viral or burning out. So Meg, known as Meg the Creator, is an introvert-friendly entrepreneur, mentor, and content strategist who shows everyday people how to build a sustainable online income without becoming an influencer. After leaving her government job in 2020 and running a successful social media agency, Meg developed the anti-influencer method, a simple proven system that helps creators earn through online platforms. And what began as a way to pay off her debt has grown now into a movement through her courses, community, and mentorship programs. Meg has helped thousands of students, including introverts, stay-at-home parents, and everyday professionals learn how to make money online in ways that feel authentic and sustainable. So let's get right to the conversation. Welcome, Meg, to the Shine Podcast. I'm so excited to have the conversation with you. And after you just got back from a magical New York City trip. So welcome, yes. Thanks for having me. Yes. I know you said you got back really late last night, but you're looking bright and cheery and fabulous. So good job. Yes. Yeah. So today I know that you do so many things well. And one of the things that you talk about is that anti-influencer economy and method that you have. And then also to some introverted, friendly side hustles. And so that's what I want to get into today because I know so many people don't always like to be the face of it or show themselves or they're scared to. It can be a scary thing to put yourself out there. So as a start, let's define that a little bit. And what is an anti-influencer method or economy and what does that look like?

Meg 2:16

Yeah, it's a person that wants to make money online without the fame, the followers, and the burnout. So that can come in many different ways. But I think I look at it as someone that doesn't want to share like their whole personal life online because as we know, um, a lot of influencers, you know, they share their day in the life or they share their kids, or they share their kids and they choose not to share their kids. And like all of those things I feel like a lot of introverts, you know, don't resonate with. And so sometimes you feel like as a shy person or as an introvert, where do you fit in? Like, where do you where can you make money online that doesn't involve growing a following, selling a product that you don't even give a crap about or whatever? And so that's where kind of the anti-influencer economy comes in. Yeah, yeah, that's perfect.

Shanna Star 3:05

And how did you then start to build your community on that? I know you've had a loyal community without going technically viral and have cultivated and deeply engaged that. So how do you build that when maybe you're not showing all the pieces of you? And what does that look like?

Meg 3:19

You know, it's so funny. People ask me that, and it's so weird that I look back on my journey and I've kind of became like an influencer, but not in a way of like telling people to buy products. Like I'm just influencing influencing them, I guess de-influencing them, kind of okay. Yeah, be de-influenced, right? And so

Defining Anti-Influencer And Authenticity

Meg 3:36

the way that I think people relate to it the most without having to like go viral or tell them to buy this or tell them to buy that is I'm just very like authentic and normal. Like I live in a small town, I sound like this, I you know, I don't have flashy things, and I think people just resonate with that because well, specific people resonate with that because they're like, oh my gosh, if I'm gonna make money online, I have to have a fancy car, I have to have a fancy house, I have to be aesthetic. Like that's what the vision is, right? And that's not true. And so I actually built my community on Facebook. I have a Facebook group, and I think a lot of people resonate with that because I mean, we're all on Facebook, if we like it or not. At some point we look at the app, you know, it's not just for like the aunties on there, like there's like a community to learn from and people to resonate with. And so I think people just resonated with me being like normal, real, like I wear t-shirts, I have two kids. And yeah, I think that's actually how I cultivated it.

Shanna Star 4:38

Yeah. I I have seen that a lot more lately within the past like year or so, where people who are huge influencers with a large following are starting to maybe not show their kids' faces or they're starting to take out certain elements of it, which I appreciate because we don't need to see every aspect. We can see the 5% that they choose to show us, which is totally fine. Um, yeah. And I totally agree with that too. Like I've of course I still like to watch some of the highly curated content. It's fun, it's appealing for the eyes, right? But that doesn't necessarily mean I trust everything that they're they're selling because they tend to sell so much. There's so many things, so many sponsors coming in that I don't usually buy from them. It is the small ones where I'm like, ooh, I feel like I trust her. She's maybe at how much money I make and my kind of lifestyle. And so I trust those as well. And do you find that to be true for you?

Meg 5:32

I do. And I find too that brands see that as well. Um, so instead of paying one influencer $10,000, they would rather pay UGC creators, which is one of the side hustles I talk about, $1,000. So like they can pay 10 creators $1,000 versus one influencer $10,000. And I think a lot of brands are seeing that and noticing that authenticity is what's selling now. And I think what is happening too is I've noticed it a lot. A lot of the like bigger influencers are trying to become more relatable and it comes off a little odd. Like you can feel it where you're like, but weren't you just in your Lamborghini?

Shanna Star 6:09

Yes, right.

Meg 6:10

Like you're like, which is fine.

Shanna Star 6:11

Like I don't own that.

Meg 6:13

Yes. Yeah, it's like if you own that, I'm obsessed with that for you. But like, yeah, you know, it's like the typical buyer, you know, is like I think like I looked at the demographics. It's like women from 30 to 40 is like the typical buyer and they have families, you know, all not that influencers don't have families, but like we can't afford a Lambeau. You know, so I think it's just it's just the relatability factor and the authenticity, kind of like you just said, they're getting $20,000 sponsorships to talk about this Awala. They maybe never even use that cup, which I love AWALAs. If you're listening, Awala, I love you. But you can be sponsored by them too. Yes, yeah. Yes, because I actually use you, but like there's just you see it that the influencers are like, oh, this is the best lotion for your skin. And then two days later it's another one. Yeah. And you're like, which get your bag. Right. Um what's going on?

Shanna Star 7:10

I think that's super encouraging to smaller, even like my podcast is I I love what I do and it's growing, but it's been encouraging for me to know some of those statistics because then I'm like, I don't need eight million followers to start reaching out to companies that I do love and use regularly. Exactly. And I think that should be encouraging for those listening too that you don't need to be scared to reach out to some of those businesses because they're looking for smaller companies, people, brands, whatever that looks like. And I know it can be scary, but the the worst thing they can say is no, you know, that's really exactly.

Meg 7:45

And like a little tip on that too is like if your bet if your biggest brand is A Walla, since you're talking about them, I would literally go on to like Google or ChatGPT and be like, give me comparable but smaller brands that are like AWALA

Community Building Without Going Viral

Meg 7:58

that you can then pitch, you know, right? And you might want to have a higher chance of landing those because for one, they're a smaller company, they may would want to work with smaller creators, and even if they don't have a huge budget, whatever, get your foot in the door, you know. That's kind of how I look at it. Yeah.

Shanna Star 8:13

Do you how do you feel about affiliate? Because I know for myself, like I use certain things for my photography business that I've used affiliate links for. And since then, I've I've shown them like I've used you for affiliate. Now I want some some sponsored things too. Tell me about how you roll into that and what you feel about affiliate.

Meg 8:30

Yes, I actually like affiliate marketing and I think it's fine because technically TikTok shop is all affiliate marketing, essentially, and also Amazon on-site commissions, which is those are two side hustles that I do recommend people do. Those are both affiliate, I think, um, especially if you're doing it in an authentic way. So when I started TikTok shop, I was just promoting any and everything, and I think it was coming across that I was promoting any and everything, and no one was caring. Like I mean, the sales were low. Well, then I came across this dry shampoo that was like a non-aerosol dry shampoo that I actually really loved because it was made for like dark-haired people, and that was something that you didn't typically see with shampoos, was they they were like the white color or like the light color. Yeah you could see them. So when I came across one that I actually loved, I posted about it every day on my TikTok shop account because I loved it and I was like, this is gonna work for me. It was my very first video that ever went viral on my shop account, eight million views, and I made like 60k off of that one video.

Shanna Star 9:27

That's amazing. That's so much fun.

Meg 9:30

Yeah, it was so much fun. And I like, I was like, I actually love the product, you know. And so I love affiliate marketing. And I think kind of like what you just said, if you use something and you love it and you want to share it and get compensated for people buying it, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

Shanna Star 9:43

And I agree with Amazon too. I know we use them probably very differently, but as a full-time photographer, and then that my side right now, hopeful building is the podcast here, is I use it for when people have photo shoots for what clothing should I buy? If they're bachelorettes, or here's items styled by themes. And so I get to really help clients one-on-one. Yes. And it helps me to be like, well, what should I wear? I've already created something that I approve of, love, and have had clients purchase in the past. So not only can you get a commission from it, it really makes you look more professional, depending on how you use it, because you have something set up and it makes your life easier because you've already done it. Absolutely. So absolutely. I agree. How long have you been using some affiliate marketing? Tell me a little bit about how you've grown.

Meg 10:29

Um, so I started with Amazon, um, Amazon Influencer in 2023. And I started on the side of like the Amazon on-site commissions, which is where you make the videos and they go to the product pages. And then if somebody watches the video and buys, you get the commission. That was the way I started. But then as my business grew, like people were like, What mic are you using? What headphones are you using? What is that? What is that? You know, and I was like, Oh, but it was like the actual things I was using. What tripod are you using? I was like, oh my gosh. So I created like a little like content creator, like uh shopping list, pretty much like the idealist. So I use it in that way for my community. Um, so I've been doing that since 2023. And then in 2024, I started doing the TikTok shop, which was like a similar situation to the Amazon, except you posted them on your TikTok account and the commissions were way higher, like 30% commission.

Shanna Star 11:25

Wow, that's huge. Yeah. So I know a lot of people have been trying to get into TikTok creator or sell, you know, all of that. What are the rules behind that though? Before they can start doing that.

Meg 11:35

So TikTok shop for creator, you have to have 1,000 followers minimum to get into the pilot program. Once you're in the pilot program, you can only post five shoppable videos a week. Okay. They change that. But then um, once you have 5,000 followers, that's when you're in the full TikTok shop for creator program and you can post have 500 a week. Like there's no limit. Whatever you want to do.

Shanna Star 11:57

And um, and actually a thousand is pretty low for followers, really. I mean, it's it's still hard to get to sometimes, depending on the videos and the algorithm, but that's not terrible.

Meg 12:08

So right, yeah. And I tell people, I'm like, you know, you can get there pretty quickly because I've noticed because I've started a bunch of new accounts just to like test the algorithm. Yeah. And for some reason, after accounts get to like 200 followers, it like pushes you out. It tries to get you to like a thousand

UGC Vs Influencer Marketing For Brands

Meg 12:24

quickly. Like I grew like almost every single account I've done this on. It's like once you hit that 200 threshold, if you just consistently keep going and keep going, you'll get to like 1k in like five days. I don't know what it is. It's weird. And I've tested a theory with a couple of other people too, and it's like similar. So I was like, okay. Um, but yeah, TikTok shop is great income potential. I mean, it can be draining if you know you don't like posting all the time. But I tell people I'm like, I'd rather do that any day than like go sit in an office. So yes, that's how I look at it.

Shanna Star 12:56

I was listening, uh looking up some statistics earlier, and I was like, I want to know what like consumers are reporting or whatever. So I looked up as of late of this year, so 2025, uh, 86% of consumers were reporting that, like you said, authenticity is what's vital for deciding which brands to support. Uh and so they're actively seeking the human-driven content, which I know you're all about as well. Uh and I think you said that even earlier, the UGC content creators, is that right? Will you talk a little bit about that for those who heard it and they're like, don't know what that is?

Meg 13:28

Yes. And it's like, I hate that they have this fancy word for it, but once you like break it down, it makes sense. So UGC stands for user-generated content, actual users creating content for products that they love. That's essentially it. What it is though, that's different than influencer marketing is you're creating content for brands and they're paying you for your content, not for your followers. And so I like have to repeat that to people because it's like they just want your content for various reasons. They want to sell their product, they want to get brand awareness to their product, they want to get people to sign up for their website, their app, their service. Like UGC can be used across any niche. It does not matter. That's why I tell people they're like, oh, well, I'm a 55-year-old man who's never done this, this, and this. And I'm like, dude, you can do it because every brand has a target audience. You are someone's target audience somewhere. Like, I'm 31 years old. I'm not Medicare's target audience yet. Right? So not yet. So, like, you know, there's brands everywhere that need content to promote their things. So that's the easiest way I can explain it to people. And why it's called user-generated content is because these brands want real users. Now, where it gets a little like different is you're basically acting, essentially. I mean, what's good about UGC is you are you probably would pitch brands and work with brands you want to work with. Like you have the choice. So if you want to do pet UGC, like if you have a bunch of animals, you would obviously be more interested in that because you like animals. You want to work with brands that also like animals. So that would be something that fits you. If you are a UGC creator and you work with like beauty products, but you don't really like beauty products. I mean, you can do it to get the experience of like reading a content brief, like what the brand tells you to do, the scripts, like you can get that experience, but that's probably not what you want to do long term because it may even come across in the content. Of course. Like the brand may be like, eh, you know. So like I don't think it's necessary to niche down immediately, because I do think you need to get your experience, but I do think once you've been in the game for a few months, it is something you need to start thinking about because it will come across and you will start performing better for those brands. Yeah. Sorry, that was long-winded.

Shanna Star 15:49

No, not at all. And it's interesting because like we all use things that we've been influenced by, whether it's friends or online or commercials, whatever that looks like. And so we can, I know you said you don't need to niche down, but it's pretty easy because we have products we already love and use. We just have to look around the house and be like, where did I get that? What was the brand? What you know, that's really all it takes at first to start being like, how can I reach out? Where can I reach out? And exactly. I know you explained UGC already, and it's interesting to think of it as like, well, that's the commercials. And rather than the company paying to make a commercial, they're paying users who already made the commercial, they're just making the company rather than you get money for the product, like you said. Exactly. Yeah. So in some ways they might be saving money, they're for sure saving time because they don't have to come up with the ideas, and so it's a great way for them to get content and reach new audiences and new people. So I love that. For sure. Yeah. So now how do you start doing that? What's the way to start doing like UGC content and reaching out that

Affiliate Marketing That Actually Converts

Shanna Star 16:50

way to be able to get paid for that to for commercial?

Meg 16:53

Great question. So I tell people to start on like apps, join brands, billow, incense. There's so many now. Tribe, I could go on. Those are probably the first, the best four that you can go on and either get like gifted collaborations to start just to like build your portfolio. For anyone listening, a portfolio is just basically like a book of your work that's digital. So you would put that in to show brands what you've done. And yeah, I think join brands is a great one to get started on because when you go on there, you don't have to have a portfolio. You just go on there, fill out your port your profile, and then you do what they call certifications. It sounds crazy, but it's not. They tell you exactly what to do. They're like, do a selfie with a product. So you go on there and literally take a selfie with a product. Like it's like it's like so so simple. And then that means you can now apply to selfie with a product jobs. And there's brands on there that literally will pay you $50 for five or whatever selfies with a product. I find that so funny and like interesting. It is.

Shanna Star 17:57

And so talk a little bit about too then what and maybe it depends on, of course, the brand that you're going to and shooting for here. But what are uh some social media platforms that you love? I know you've talked about TikTok, and of course we're on Facebook for some community. Have you seen a dip or rise in Instagram and some other social media platforms as far as selling and making money?

Meg 18:20

Yes. I when I first started doing UGC, so mainly now I do UGC for like tech. So I do apps and websites because in the creator space, like that's a lot that I help people with. So I've noticed over like the last six to seven months that people are trying to cross-post their things on Instagram versus TikTok. Now, TikTok is great for reach, and TikTok you can go viral with literally zero followers. And I feel like it's harder to grow on Instagram, but I do feel like the community and like once you grow your Instagram and it's going well, like you're you're set. I feel like it can drop off easier. Yes, it can drop off easier on TikTok. You also have stories on Instagram that I feel like are 10 times better than TikTok stories, like it's unmatched. The the DMing on Instagram, literally 10 times better than like my TikTok DMs are just like completely bamboozled. I don't even know, it's like crazy there. And I also noticed the growth on YouTube too. So, like a lot of brands used would just focus on TikTok, and then they were like, oh, we need to start cross-posting to Instagram and YouTube now with YouTube Shorts. And I actually resonate with the YouTube thing for one. I feel like I've had a lot of like people buy my program from YouTube. I feel like those people are just like ready to go. And I feel like a lot of people are still yearning for like the long form content. But what I've noticed is my shorts have grown my channel completely from zero subscribers. The shorts have literally done all the work, which I find so crazy. The long form is there to keep to keep people interested interested. So brands are seeing that as well. Like I literally have an active um deal right now on my YouTube for one video, and it's $700. And I have 3k subscribers, like literally so small.

Shanna Star 20:14

It's interesting. I still haven't used it for myself. I still use YouTube. I go there to watch the long form content of influencers, people that I've been following since 2013. So I haven't even jumped on that, but okay, I'll write it down. I'll have to do that. Yes, get on there. Yes. And I do want to say too, you talked about having like th uh 3,000 followers on there. And I want to go back to that too, because so many times we're like, well, that's great. We of course you have the money coming in or the sponsors coming, whatever that looks like. And I started before I even did affiliate or any money coming in from platforms, I had a full-time business with my photography business with under 3,000 followers. And I still was

Amazon, TikTok Shop, And Requirements

Shanna Star 20:54

busy year-round. And just like you said, it's it's the consistency, it's the people who are following you, it's the people who love you. And so that's important to remember too for those listening is you don't need a huge following, even to make money or to continue a business as long as you have the consistency and you have the people who love you have found you, then they're gonna keep coming back.

Meg 21:17

Oh, 100%. I and something I didn't even like mention, but like before I ever did Amazon or UGC or any of this, I feel like I had like a whole separate life from 2020 until 2024. I did freelancing. That was all I did, and I didn't even have a social media account at all. Like I had I had a personal account, but like I literally never posted on it, never did anything. And I was making multiple six figures from freelancing. And so that's what I tried to tell. That's a whole nother part that I teach in the anti influencer method is freelancing because I'm like, my gosh, you can do anything. Like literally anything that you've learned, you can offer is like a service. Like there's someone out there that needs it. You just have to find your person, your people. And so yeah, I resonate with that too because I'm like, you don't even need social media to like have a business, you know? So yeah. Talk about the freelancing thing. What were you doing freelancing? And how are you funny? It's so funny. I was a social media manager. Didn't even have an account. You're exciting. Not even kidding you. My very first client. Well, my very first client was a project manager. Okay. But um it was like with a website development company. How the heck I landed in this, I don't know. But as soon as I I think it was the confidence on my interview. That's what I tell people too. I'm like, you have to be confident on your interviews that you can do the job. Like they need to know that they cannot continue their business without you at this point, you know. So I tell people confidence is like the most important thing and being prepared for your interviews. Like research the company, have some questions ready. Like, be, you know, be ready, be prepared. And so my very first one was a project manager. And then the second client I landed was a social media manager. And I think, like I said, I think I just convinced them, like, I can help you. I don't even know how I said that. I had no experience. This was 2020, so it was like a different ball game with everything going on. But yeah, I just started doing that. And then I started getting referrals, I started applying to other things. Then I brought on a business partner. We hired an assistant. It was like a mini agency. And we did that until like the very end of 2023, beginning of 2024. I just kind of got like burnt out from it because running an agency is a lot, you know. A lot. Yeah. So I was just like, whoo, that was a lot. But um, if like as just a person, like a stay-at-home mom or someone that won't even wants to make a full-time income without like gr doing an agency, you can just free do freelance anything. Blog writing, copywriting, social media management, virtual assisting, executive assisting, project management, operations management, like anything. Anything you want to do.

Shanna Star 23:59

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What UGC Is And Who It’s For

Shanna Star 25:16

it changes all the time and algorithms change and platforms change constantly. As soon as you figure out it's like, shoot, now I lost it. It's gone. You know, they change, which that's all right. It's okay. We don't always pivot. But I want to talk a little bit about those listening are like, okay, well, that's great. And I need to be consistent. And um, even if they have a strategy in place, like maybe they want Tip Tuesdays or founder voice notes or whatever that looks like. And that's great if they have a strategy, but how often are you seeing that it's important to be posting? And again, this might change tomorrow. Do you see something that's consistent bringing in people? How often is it that you should be posting?

Meg 25:54

Um, I guess it would depend on what you're doing. So, like if you're doing TikTok shop, you would need to be posting every day. You have to keep your account active. You have to. If you're doing UGC, you don't really have to have an account at all to land UGC gigs. Only if you land like a gig where they're asking you to basically post on a branded account. So some gigs will ask you to post for them, like the tech UGC. And for those, you post every day. Like there's like it's kind of the same thing. So I guess posting every day is probably like important. Yeah. Depending on what you're doing, because staying consistent is important even when things go up and down. Like even myself, I actually haven't posted in a couple of days on my main account because I was on a trip. And like I know I'm already going to be fighting for a week to get my week. Yes, which is fine because I I ride the up and downs. And of course, it's kind of this the same kind of like in my Facebook group, but in my Facebook group, it's a little different. I post multiple times a day over there, and I have people ask questions. So they kind of help me keep it going. But um, in my Facebook group, I can schedule post. Can't do that on TikTok. Like you can do it on TikTok, but it's like terrible. It just doesn't work. It's always glitchy, and I find the same on Instagram too. Like I don't like scheduling posts. So the only place that I feel like you can be like really organized with your content is Facebook, and it doesn't affect your reach. Right. That's literally the only place. But so to wrap it all up, I do think posting consistently looks different for everyone. But I think to make a brand happy or to stay consistent on TikTok, those specific things you need to post at least once a day.

Shanna Star 27:36

Yeah. I I really like what you said about the consistency. It really depends on the person, like you said. If I if you only have the have the capacity to post three times a week, two times a week, that's great. Yeah. But do that. Make sure you're showing up those weeks. And what is great, and I have found, you know, you hear this right when you start creating and you're listening, and people are like, batch create some things. So you're not, I know for myself, I don't get it on every day. I don't brush my hair every day. Absolutely. I'm doing admin work, right? So I actually correlate it with when I have podcast interviews, I'm like, good, had to run a brush through my hair. That means I'm gonna be in front of the camera today. And if you have some ideas written, you get them done, you can upload them, you kind of have them ready to go for that batch. And that way you can have a month ahead and you're not fighting yourself, you're not feeling creative, you've lost time, whatever that looks like. Batching is incredible. Um, and what I'm sure it's something you do or have done. And how do you feel about it?

Meg 28:36

Yes, I love batching, and it's something that I teach my students as well because a lot of the gigs that we do, you do have to post, you know, on a branded account. So I'm like, one day, like sit there, kind of the same thing. Like get ready one day and sit there and batch enough videos for seven days. Like it will literally change your life, you know? And so I'm the same way. I if I have to get ready one or two days a week, those are the days that I will record a YouTube video or record like five TikTok videos because I don't always feel inspired either. I think that's another like myth with like content creators and influencers. Like, I know they go through it too. They're like, they must always be like inspired and just like so creative. Oh heck no. Absolutely not. Like sometimes and it shows in my content too, because I'll just slap up the most random thing that doesn't make any sense. But I'm like, I had to get something out today. And so it's just kind of like the batching, I think not only protects like your process, but it also protects like your piece. Yeah. 100%.

Shanna Star 29:40

I totally agree. And motivation, you might have it for a couple days, whatever that looks like. Yeah. And you can have discipline, but there still has to be that creative component of figuring out what's going to relate with people and what makes you excited and what comes out as authentic. And not to bring this into it, but I fully believe like looking at my month, like my period month. Oh, absolutely. I have days where I'm so creative

How To Start UGC: Apps And Portfolio

Shanna Star 30:04

and I'm like, those are the days I've got to get out the content or at least write down the ideas. And I have days where I'm like, I don't want to talk to people. And so that's how I schedule it. And I think that's not always talked about enough that that's okay and that's normal.

Meg 30:16

Um, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think I used to not think about that at all. Like I was just like, oh my gosh, why am I feeling so lousy today? And then I started like looking at like when I would be inspired. And so yeah, I think it's okay to give yourself grace and just be like, these are my rest days, these are my creative days because it it ebbs and flows, like everything does business ebbs and flows, content. Like I might have this post that does really well, then I'll have this one that tanks. And you know what? I've gotten used to it. I used to would like literally delve like my whole self-worth into these posts and just be like, what is going on? I'm hated. Yes, yeah. Right. No one cares. Yeah. Then finally I was just like, you know what? The algorithm just does what it does, and it'll be good in like a couple days, whatever.

Shanna Star 31:07

Yeah. Something that I heard, and I'm sure you've heard this too, but I like to think about it when I'm I'm feeling like it's it's not enough, you know, because I we still get those ones that don't pop off, right? And we get not very many likes. And I have heard that if you think about it as you're speaking in front of a group, and if you get 10 likes, you're speaking to 10 people or 10 clients, or if it gets a hundred and that's not enough, you're in a room of a hundred people, that's a huge deal. And you're still influencing or encouraging or entertaining, whatever that looks like, that many people. And so when you think about them as actual people in front of you, it changes how you think about those likes as well.

Meg 31:44

100%. Yeah, I love that perspective.

Shanna Star 31:47

Yeah. So I know you said you went from like UGC to full-time income, and you know, we don't always feel inspired and we don't always want to create. So those listening, they're like, okay, well, if it's full time, how many hours are you working actually per day? What does that look like? I know, like you said, it ebb and flows, and some days life is gonna take a hold, especially with kids. But how many days on or how many hours on average are you working per day?

Meg 32:12

So I have like two separate sides of my business. I and I share with them openly because people do value like transparency. So like running the anti-influencer method, which is the course and community where I help people, that takes so much time.

Shanna Star 32:26

Yeah.

Meg 32:26

Because I do calls, I do, I mean, I don't even can that's like a full-time thing. I mean, I probably do 20 to 30 hours a week on that specifically. Now, when it comes to the things that like I teach people to do, like UGC, Amazon, all those things, I probably two hours a day, maybe. Some days I don't even work on it because I've batched. So I like to tell people maybe 10 hours a week. And from that specifically, I make 7K a month from UGC still because I still do the UGC for one to stay in the game and know like the trends. Because when things change, I like to tell my students, I like to update my course. Like if I get out of it, you know, I don't want to be seen as like so far out of it that now it's like out of touch, you know. So I'm constantly like helping people get jobs and making brand connections and all those good things. So yeah, I think I there's like two sides to it. I probably work like 30 hours a week, but only 10 of those hours are actually for like UGC, and that's making 7K a month, which is literally a full-time income in where I live. Yeah.

Shanna Star 33:31

Oh, absolutely. I think that's important to like recognize because you're still putting in the work, because sometimes I think we have a skewed vision of either you're working 24-7 or they only have to work five minutes and that's it. And so it's good to actually hear you're still putting in the hours, you're still working. Um, but hopefully it allows some flexibility in that because the kids and because you have a family and um and things happen and kids get sick and they throw up, and it's like, forget it, not working today. We're taking them to the ER, or you know, whatever it looks like. Yeah.

Meg 34:02

Like literally, just right before we got on this, my husband's off today. We had just got back at 1 a.m. Apparently, my daughter's stomach was hurting, so she had an accident in school. She's five, so he had to go pick her up, which luckily we were both here, so he could go do that. And then tonight I was supposed to have one of my calls for my community, but my oldest daughter has a game

Platform Trends: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube

Meg 34:24

and gymnastics. And I was like, You guys, I can't. So yeah, it's like it's nice to be able to pivot, like when things come up, you know, and things do come up with kids like all the time. Yeah, something like last time we were supposed to meet, it was Thanksgiving week, they were off, and then because they go to a school where they're off one, they do year-round school, so it's one week off every month. And then literally since then it snowed here, they were off for like a whole week, and then it's about to be Christmas break.

Shanna Star 34:55

I'm like scrolls our hands up. I wish y'all could see that, but I love that.

Meg 34:58

Yeah, productivity is gone, but it's fine.

Shanna Star 35:02

But that's really also part of why we start businesses. Uh a huge chunk was I want flexibility and freedom. And so often I know for myself, when I started, then I'm like, oh, I need to hustle 24-7. I'm out of that and it's not maintainable. Um, I understand where people want to do that at first, but the reason we start is I want to enjoy the sunshine sunshine during the day. So I take my lunch break at the pool or the beach or whatever that looks like. Uh, and we have to be allowed to pivot, but we also have to give ourselves permission to do so because then when we are able to, we're like, nope, gotta keep working. So I agree. I agree. So talk a little bit about your community too that you work on. I know that's the bulk of where your uh energy and your time is at right now. How did you build that community and build that part of the business?

Meg 35:53

So I uh started posting on my TikTok account in June of 2024. And what started as just posting for fun, I literally posted like all the side hustles I had done. So like the freelancing, Amazon, and I just I had only been doing UGC for maybe like a year at that point, I guess. And then I just started TikTok shop. So I was just kind of like updating people on my journey and what I had been doing, and everybody was just flocking to the Amazon thing. They were like, what are you doing? What are you doing? So the Amazon part of my business is really what like started everything. I created this little digital product. It was $5 and it was how to get started, and that product over delivered, like 100%. Like it was probably worth. I mean, it was way more worth than five dollars, but it helped me grow my email list. It helped me get people into a community. So what I started doing was everyone who bought that guide, I dropped them into the community. Well, then I was like, hmm, what if I just put everyone in here from my TikTok? So I put it in my Link and bio. And within like two months after launching it, it had grown to 3,000 people. And so I was like, oh, I have people in here. So I just started like posting in there and like giving people tips and tricks and being like really helpful for free. And I think that's kind of how I am in general. I'm super helpful and like want to help people. And so I think it was just natural for me to answer people's questions. Like if they had a question, I don't gatekeep. I answered the question. If they needed this, I would like I was doing free audits. Like obviously, I don't do that now, but like at the time I would audit their accounts for free. And like I did that for probably like a month or so, and then I started charging for audits. Then I started charging for one-on-ones, then I started doing one-on-one coaching. And then finally I was like, oh, well, let me launch my community. So I actually launched my course that is now the anti-influencer method on Black Friday last year. And so it's been around for a year now. So yeah, I have like the free community, which is about 20,000 people, and then I have my paid community, which is like 2,000-ish people. And so yeah, I built it off of just being like super helpful, just like answering questions and giving people feedback. And so now the community kind of serves itself, if that makes sense. Like, yes, I'm in there, I still answer questions. I have a girl that helps me run the community. I post a bunch of stuff, I sell people into my course. That's pretty, pretty much one of the main things that I do in there. But also, like, if somebody has a question, somebody else will answer it. You know, so it's just very like nice. I don't know. Like, I I enjoy it, it's really fun.

Shanna Star 38:35

That's amazing. I wrote a few things down too about we forget the things that we're good at sometimes, uh, our zone of genius. So, like as a photographer, there's a lot of things that are like, well, duh, of course, they know how to do that. But I get a and in a graphic designer too, people be like, Oh, it took me an hour. And I'm like, why? And so we sometimes forget that just answering those questions and that can be great content, uh, to use just the simple things of what are the questions that you get that are good content starters. Um then also what you said about email, and I know it feels like unsexy, but email newsletters or getting emails are so important. Um, because I always think of and I heard this too, of if social

Consistency, Posting Cadence, And Batching

Shanna Star 39:20

media crashed, if they took down social media, now you're left with how do you reach out to those people? You don't own any of those social media platforms, but you own that email and you own those. And so it's important to have something. It could be a small newsletter with just updates. And I know that's not super exciting at first. Uh so but building emails are it's incredible. I love that. Yes, it is. And where did you if you were going to uh give some advice today about how to start either UGC or just starting on those platforms? I know you started with a five-dollar digital product. What are some it's some little bits of advice that you tell people this is how to start building?

Meg 40:03

Yeah, I tell everyone now to start with UGC. And I wish I would have started with UGC because at the basis of any good business is good content, good marketing. And if you learn the basis of good content, good marketing, you can literally take that skill anywhere. So if you're working with brands and you're learning how to create good videos, you're learning how to sell their product, you can take those same skills that you're learning and getting paid for to sell your product, promote your business, whatever. So I tell people to do that because it's like on-the-job training, essentially. You're getting paid $300 for one video and they're telling you exactly what to say and what to do, and you put it together and send it to them. You learn so much from that experience that you can now do whatever the heck you want to do. And so I tell people that starting with UGC, it may seem daunting and it's gonna be a lot different than anything you've ever done before, but just literally start messy and dive in. Kind of like what you said earlier. What's the worst a brand is gonna say no? They don't know you, they're not blasting you on their social media, like we just turned down Megan Spencer for Brandil. Like they don't care. She only had 3,000 followers. No one cares, and no one has to know. Like, if you pitch a brand and they say no, okay, like it is totally fine. There will be plenty that say yes to you, and you're getting experience as you're doing it. And so, and I'll also tell people more advice is just don't start with pitching. If you don't have experience, don't start with pitching because it will be it will be a bit discouraging. Yeah. Start with the apps, start with getting your experience on Join Brands Below Incense Tribe because you can get the experience and then you can put the content in a portfolio that you could have that then when you go to pitch, you have something to show right and you can feel more confident in that pitch. So that's my advice.

Shanna Star 41:51

I think that's super important too, because sometimes when we're pitching, we're like, I love this product, I use it. And they're like, Well, that's great, but do you have some numbers to show us? Do you have some anything to show us? And the numbers don't need to be huge, but you need to come prepared. So I think that's important to have for sure.

Meg 42:05

Yes, you just remind me of something. I always forget this part. I always tell people too that it's so important to lead with like metrics. And even if you don't have metrics, just act like you know because what you're there to do for a brand is convert. So if you come at a brand and say, I can help you convert, whatever, I can help you get X amount of signups, I can do this, I can create content that does this. They will hire you 10 times more than any other creator because you understand where you fit into their marketing strategy. And so if you're just like, I create, I use an AWALA and I'd like to create content for you because I love they get about a thousand of those a day. For sure. A thousand of those a day. And I can tell you they don't care. They just don't care. Like everyone uses their product, you know. But if you come at them as more of like a strategic partner, like I understand where this content will take you here or take you there, they will hire you ten times more than any other creator, hands down.

Shanna Star 43:06

I I know for myself too, I know you said it's bigger companies like that, you know, yeah, won't remember you. But for myself, like there's photography things that are very niche. No one's gonna use this software or program unless they're already in that position. And so in my mind, I'm like, they aren't getting pitched as often. Uh, which to me, that says, okay, even if they say no to me, this is the first touch point. So then I can say, oh, I'm just following up six months later, a year later. Uh, I've been using the product for here. Here's how many photographers follow me, or here's even a graphic, just to continue that touch point if it's something that I know you could sell well for them. Absolutely. And I I'm sure you do the same now because you've been in the game for a while, is I always like to gamify some of those statistics. It used to be it hurt when you would hear no. You're like, oh myself. That means they don't like me. I'm not good enough. You know, and it feels that way no matter what the product is or service that you have to offer. But now I like to do it is how many times what is the percentage that they're going to say yes? So is it in 20? Is it one in a hundred? Okay, that means I need to send out a hundred. And if you view it more as metrics, like you said too, it can become kind of fun. And then you're like, okay, one in a hundred is kind of low. How can I change that? So then you learn how to improve those pitches as well. So yes.

Meg 44:30

And I always would love to like gamify, like you said, the retention rate that brands would want to come back and work with me. I would be like, I love this. My master plan is working.

Shanna Star 44:41

Yes. I love that. Have you had quite a few businesses reach back out to you and want you to continue and continue?

Meg 44:49

Oh, yes. Yes. Um, and the good thing too in like the tech UGC space is a lot of those are longer-term contracts, which not that you can't get that in like physical product UGC. You absolutely can. What I think I see more in like physical product UGC, which is like the typical that we see, like talking about beauty products or helm products, whatever, they start with like, you know, a gig. Like we're not going to retain you to start. We want to see what you got first, which is fine. Like that, and I honestly think that's that's good because you see if you like them, they see if you like you, etc. But I do see in the tech UGC space, a lot of them would just start with like big

Freelancing As An Anti-Influencer Path

Meg 45:28

contracts. Like we want you to work with us for three months to off the start, which can be really encouraging for someone that's just start starting because they're like, oh, well, I have you know guaranteed income for three months or six months. Like I've even seen some that are six months. So yeah, I I've had quite a few brands that will be like, yeah, we want to work with you again, or we want to go ahead and retain you for six months, three months, whatever. So yeah, it's pretty cool. That is that is really cool.

Shanna Star 45:56

Will you tell us? I know you have a little freebie somewhere to send us so that we can start to get in touch with you because you've had so many things you've already shared, and I know there's so many more that we haven't gotten to, not even close. So, where's that freebie at and how can we get in touch that way?

Meg 46:12

Yeah, so the freebie is land a UGC gig in one day. And it is a guide that has all of my, it has my pitch templates in it. It has places to land UGC gigs, it also has my free Facebook group community. Um, you can find it on my TikTok. It's in my link in bio. It's like the first thing there. Um, yeah, it's a great guide to get started and just excel as an introvert. It's actually broken down as like introvert ways to land a gig in one day. Because in theory, you can. If you get signed up on those gigs, on those um apps and then go and apply, you can literally get hired in like 24 hours. I've seen it done. I've seen it been so it's pretty cool.

Shanna Star 46:54

That's so encouraging is when a lot of us have been in a stuck place or had a really hard 2025. And so knowing that there's ways to make money from home, even though you still have to work, you still have to get up, there are ways to do it and to have some money coming in when things are tricky. Yes. So mm-hmm. Yeah. Then maybe you'll love it and make more.

Meg 47:13

So, you know. Exactly. Like what starts as $15, a $15 gig can literally lead into $10,000 a month. Like I have students that make more than me with UGC. That's like I'm like, that's my that's my coach's dream.

Shanna Star 47:27

Yes, yeah. Uh, I feel the same even just about Amazon affiliate. Like it started with yay, two dollars this month, and it just continues to build. Um, but even that two dollars, you're like, yes, as soon as that gift card comes in, then it it's yes. It's so fun. Will you tell us then how we can find you, how we can find your TikTok so that we can get that freebie and find and follow you.

Meg 47:49

Yeah. So on TikTok, I'm at Meg the Creator with one underscore. And then I'm at Meg the Creator on YouTube, no underscore, at Meg the Creator with two underscores on Instagram. I hate that I had to do that, but y'all get it. It's okay.

Shanna Star 48:04

It's all right. And we'll have it all linked in the bio and all the things too, so that they're running, jumping, whatever, they'll be able to click right on it and find you. Sounds good. Is before I let you go, is there anything else that you feel that we haven't touched on that keeps kind of coming up for you to either encourage in business or personal that you just would love to share from your heart today?

Meg 48:24

Yes. I feel like I always get the question of can I do this? Will it work for me? I see it work for other people. It will literally work for you. It doesn't matter where you are in life, what you look like, how old you are, anyone can do this. And I assure you, because I have tons of people from all over the world that do this, all different ages, everything. So you can do it. Don't just start messy, start doing it, then refine. Don't make it perfect. Start messy, then make it perfect. And it'll never be perfect. Never. But you can you can make things better.

Shanna Star 49:00

Yes, yeah. I I do love what you said about that because I get stuck on adorable grandmas who are pitching, laughing, entertaining. And I'm like, yes. So you're right, it doesn't matter the age, what you look like, what there is someone for everyone, and it's adorable. So I love that. But thank you so much for everything that you've shared today. And we'll be sure to follow you and find you. And I'm gonna go sign up too, so I can continue to stalk you. So you're fabulous. Thank you for having me. Are you a photography business owner looking to elevate your business? I started using PickTime and am absolutely in love. I have been looking for a different solution, and this has been it. It is the ultimate streamline for workflow and enhancing client experience. It has beautiful galleries and it's easy for clients to navigate, download with all of images, or you can select how many images they download, which is incredible for my business. I also love the AI integration, which means if you have more than six people in the gallery, they can just simply click on their face and look for them and download those photos. I love it. It has a built-in e-commerce capabilities, making it simple to sell those digital downloads, prints and merchandise, all in one place. Now you can join the thousands of photographers who trust PickTime and me not to just store your work but grow your business. You can try it for free with my code and get also an extra free month when you upgrade to a pay plan. Link is going to be in the notes, or you can head to divistaphotography.pick time.com slash referral. You can head right to the notes and click on the link so you can start your beautiful galleries today.