Aden Wang by no means got down to change into a content material creator — he was simply cleansing his home. However with a digicam rolling and a knack for aesthetics, his routine chores rapidly became polished movies that now attain tons of of hundreds of viewers.
By day, Wang is a data-driven consumer expertise designer. Off the clock, he creates home-focused content material for Instagram and TikTok, the place he’s constructed a mixed following of greater than half one million. He favors Instagram Reels, the place over 429,000 followers tune in for his satisfying cleansing montages and design suggestions. On TikTok, greater than 92,500 followers comply with his artistic course of.
Wang’s movies are powered by his ardour for residence life — and supported by his spouse and their canine. We spoke with him over Zoom about rising his viewers, the nitty-gritty of his modifying workflow, and the way he balances a full-time profession with a thriving facet hustle in digital creativity.
Aden Wang’s Creator Playbook
Credit score: WAITING FOR ART
Mashable: How do you discover inspiration or concepts in your content material?
Aden Wang: My inspiration primarily comes from my life. I do a whole lot of stuff at residence as a result of I work at home more often than not. I’ve a canine, and I’ve a spouse. I do nearly all of the housekeeping — so the DIY initiatives, the cleansing, the cooking, and the furnishings rearrangement. I’ve a whole lot of stuff to do in the course of the day. My inspiration is principally simply documenting my life. Hopefully, some a part of my life is inspiring to different folks. I principally simply file no matter [my] each day exercise is. So, for instance, if as we speak I’ve a brand new package deal are available that I actually love, I might simply file unboxing and set it up in my residence. Or if I’ve a weekly cleansing challenge, then I might simply file your complete cleansing course of.
I’ve to do the work anyway, so I’d as effectively file it. I discover methods to file it from completely different angles. I get inspiration from different creators as effectively, how they use transitions and completely different digicam angles to make the video extra enjoyable and interesting. So, simply attempting to make the each day tour a bit extra fascinating to folks. That is the primary aim.
You should be always filled with concepts, then.
To be sincere, my thoughts and my mind work like a number of folks. So I’ve a thoughts that is occupied with my full-time job. However my full-time job is principally a skillset that when you purchase, you do not have to fret about it. You simply have to search out an issue and resolve it. That is it. In order that’s my product design job. One other thoughts is the creator thoughts, always searching for new concepts. For instance, what DIY challenge ought to I do subsequent?
So whereas I am having a gathering at my full-time job, I take into consideration the subsequent DIY challenge. The place ought to I drill? The place ought to I add a shelf to make this area a little bit bit extra purposeful? After which one other thoughts is my furnishings, as a result of my furnishings is definitely proper on the left facet of my display. At any time when I am having a gathering, after I pivot to the left facet, I see my furnishings. I will take into consideration how I could make the area even higher. My thoughts’s always occupied with new concepts. That is how my thoughts works.
Do you ever expertise burnout? And what do you do once you really feel that?
The one burnout I really feel is when working with manufacturers as a result of when working with manufacturers, you may have particular standards, pointers, and dos and don’ts. You aren’t doing what you like anymore. You are simply following pointers, however utilizing your house to include your content material into their content material. That is the one time I really feel wired.
What was your first viral video or put up, and the way did it change your method to content material creation?
Initially, I used to be posting pictures as a result of Instagram was an image-focused platform. After which they switched to a video-focused platform. So when Reels began, I attempted a number of completely different movies, and my first viral video was rearranging my residence; a top-down chook’s eye view of my lounge. I used to be recording a time-lapse of me transferring my furnishings round and altering your complete lounge for a structure. And that video received one million views. That was the primary time that I ever received that many impressions on one piece of content material.
How lengthy did it take so that you can get there?
Once I first began, I by no means strived for that. I might simply file no matter I felt. I did not assume an excessive amount of, to be sincere. Now, I give it some thought, I would like issues to get viral. However earlier than, after I first began, I did not even care.
At what level did you understand you possibly can flip your content material right into a full-time profession and generate earnings from it?
Once I reached about 50,000 followers. That is when manufacturers began reaching out and asking, “Hey, how much money do you charge for [a] video? How much money do you charge for an image ad?” That is after I began getting items as effectively. And that is after I began seeing the monetization potential with my platform, despite the fact that I do not actually care about that a part of the earnings. I’ve a full-time job, nevertheless it’s good to have an additional earnings so my spouse and I can go take pleasure in our lives on the market and go journey and purchase stuff I like, which is sweet. However after I actually began was after I began with my present company. That is when the whole lot actually boomed.
As a result of they’ve the sources to assist me out and in addition assist me handle my contracts, all I’ve to fret about is content material creation. That is all I must care about. In order that helps so much. Earlier than, I needed to handle the emails and communications, the whole lot. With a full-time job, I haven’t got time for these issues. Final yr was the yr that I really felt like I used to be really getting cash from this factor.
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Are you able to break down the way you earn a living?
As a creator [on Instagram], I do not actually earn a living from the platform. You are not YouTube; it is Instagram. Instagram would not pay you an advert income share like YouTubers. They’ve advert income from the platform, however Instagram is nothing. My creator earnings relies on model offers and partnerships.
Are you able to type of stroll me by way of your workflow from ideation to publishing a put up?
I’ve two routes. One route is serendipitous creation, the place I do not actually take into consideration making something, however one thing strikes me, identical to a light-bulb second. When I’ve one thing, I must do it instantly, so I shut my laptop computer and arrange my tripod. It would take me about an hour to shoot the whole lot as a result of I have already got the idea in my thoughts — I simply must execute it.
After I shoot the whole lot, I’ve all of the content material on my iPhone. I plug it into my laptop computer [to transfer the footage]. I begin a folder and open up my modifying software program. I exploit Remaining Minimize Professional more often than not, however typically I additionally use Adobe Premiere Professional, relying on the challenge. So open up the stuff, throw the whole lot in, and begin tough trimming. You do not have to go so exact as a result of I depart the exact framing after I add music.
The very first thing I do is throw the whole lot into the timeline after which begin eradicating the pointless stuff. You might have that tough timeline. After which, now, the enjoyable half: Open up your Instagram, go to the true tab, after which discover music.
And then you definitely begin listening to every one of many songs in your headphones whereas taking part in the timeline in your editor, so that you get a way of which tune will probably be finest to suit that particular content material. I attempt to intention for the trending music as a result of the trending music helps to extend impressions and discovery, and other people like that. But when I can not discover any good matching music that is trending, I simply use common music. After I discover music, I am going to YouTube, discover that precise music, and I obtain that file and drag it right into a timeline.
That is after I begin beat matching. I attempt to match a particular beat. That is one of many causes my content material is enjoyable to observe, with the music and the whole lot. Additionally, I hold the background noise from the unique clip, so it appears like you’re doing it as effectively. You’re in that setting. However then, have one thing within the background music to assist elevate the temper. I trim it all the way down to lower than one minute, as a result of I do not prefer to make my movies longer than one minute. I hold the whole lot shorter.
So after trimming, I am going by way of it yet another time. Now, it’s the colour modifying course of.
So that you add an adjustment layer. You tweak the shadow, you tweak the spotlight, you tweak the saturation. As a result of my house is vibrant and there is a whole lot of colour in right here, I are inclined to tune up the saturation a little bit bit to make it extra vibrant and pleased, like temper boosting. After which, after adjusting the colour, is after I begin including textual content overlays. I discover lots of people do not add textual content overlays, simply depart the video as is. However I like to begin with an introduction [that says] what I am gonna do.
They’re given an opportunity to contemplate. All through the video, I add the titles of every gadget and the chapters. Generally, I additionally add a few of my private emotions, what I am occupied with, and the clips to make it extra participating, like having a dialog with the viewers. So, after including all of the textual content overlays, I am going by way of that yet another time after which export it.
After I export it, the humorous factor is, I do not actually use the music from the Instagram composer. I import the precise file that I exported. I select the identical music, however I dial the [volume of] the unique music down to 1. So principally, you do not have that music taking part in within the background. The audio is definitely the observe that I exported from my video, as a result of that manner, I will be capable of hold the beats correct.
After that’s including captions, altering the Reels cowl, tagging the folks that you simply prefer to tag, after which including the geotag. After which hit publish. In order that’s your complete workflow. That is the serendipitous creation that was speaking about.
However typically when I’ve a particular factor that I must do, it is perhaps in my head for a yr. As a result of if it is a huge challenge, I want the braveness to do it. I additionally must carve out your complete afternoon to do a giant challenge. So I do not all the time have time. For a [DIY project], you may make a mistake or should reshoot one thing. That takes time to repair. In fact, I did not present that. I simply wish to present folks how straightforward it’s, however really it is not straightforward.
Does modifying take an analogous period of time for each of those?
Modifying is definitely quick. Modifying is simpler than the capturing itself. As a result of once you shoot, you need to always examine your footage proper after, even only one second. You run as much as the steps, that one clip it’s worthwhile to run again down, return to your iPhone, examine the footage to see the way it seems, if the tempo that you simply’re working up is just too quick or too sluggish, you, if it’s worthwhile to regulate that, if it’s worthwhile to reshoot. After which additionally the angles. So I’ve to redo the very same factor over once more to simply get the precise clip. In order that takes a whole lot of time.
Which platforms do you assume have been most vital in rising your viewers and connecting with folks on-line?
It is undoubtedly Instagram. My supervisor inspired me to cross-post it to all different platforms like YouTube Shorts and TikTok, so I have been doing that. And TikTok is now steadily rising. I began a yr in the past, and now it is nearly to 100,000, however I do not actually handle it. I do not have interaction with anybody there. I simply cross-post no matter I put up on Instagram. So that’s doing fairly effectively as a result of that is a separate supply of earnings. Some buddies do not have the cash to pay your viewers base on Instagram, proper? However they do have the price range to pay in your TikTok follower base. So you continue to get one thing as an alternative of nothing. So it’s good to have a number of platforms to monetize. However I am primarily specializing in Instagram as a result of I solely have a lot power and sources to deal with one platform.
What recommendation would you give somebody who’s beginning out in content material creation as we speak, trying to construct a group much like yours?
Lots of people assume content material creation makes some huge cash, so that they give up their job and deal with it. I do not advocate that. I undoubtedly advocate sticking with a job and having content material creation as a facet gig as a result of, for me, I want the 2 issues to steadiness me out. I can not simply deal with one factor at a time. Once I burn out on one facet, I depend on the opposite facet to assist me destress. I like to recommend having one thing to steadiness it out to maintain your scale even. Do not depend on content material creation for a dwelling as a result of that is not actual. And if you happen to solely deal with content material creation, you’ll solely get extra confused, and your life goes to get extra depressing.
I simply advocate folks go straightforward and discover their area of interest. Actually create content material that you simply like, not simply copying different folks and attempting to go viral, however actually discover their distinctive perspective. You can begin out of your passion. No matter you are doing as a passion, you possibly can flip that into your creator alternative. That is your content material.
