Case Study:

How I grew on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with short-form video

THE CHALLENGE

After 14 years working as a copywriter for startups, I knew how to craft messages that got attention. But when it came to creating short-form videos, it felt like I was starting from zero.

I had never been on camera, I had no video editing skills, and I wasn’t sure if anyone would even care about what I had to say.

What I did have, however, was over a decade of storytelling and marketing experience. And I knew that if I applied the same principles I used in brand copywriting, I could make short-form video work—even as a beginner.

THE APPROACH

Instead of focusing on “looking professional” or going viral overnight, I leaned on three things I knew well: clarity, story, and consistency.

Here’s what I did:

• Hook-first thinking: I treated the first seconds of my video scripts like a headline and thought, “What would make someone stop scrolling?”

• Storytelling structure: Beginning, middle, end, even in 30 seconds. After experimenting with different storytelling formats, I realized they were not so different from copywriting. The most successful videos always had a main message and a clear takeaway.

• Consistency over perfection: I committed to posting 4–5 videos per day, just on TikTok. Some flopped, some went viral, but experimenting was what helped me understand and predict what would also perform well on other channels, like Instagram and YouTube Shorts.

• Truly engaging with my audience: I paid attention to comments, analytics, and repeat questions. This helped me figure out what resonated with my audeince, and gave me content ideas for future videos.

I saw every video as an experiment and a learning opportunity—I was testing and refining my processes along the way.

THE RESULTS

Within a year:

• I built a 30K+ combined following across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

• My videos consistently reached 10x–20x my follower count in views.

• Several videos went viral, including one that reached 3M+ views and drove thousands of new followers across all three channels.

• Most importantly, I went from feeling nervous on camera to showing up authentically and confidently, and now I help others do the same.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. Attention is earned in the first 3 seconds. If you don’t hook people early, they’re gone.

2. Authenticity beats polish. The videos where I spoke honestly, not perfectly, always performed better.

3. Stories stick. Explaining through narrative and personal anecdotes (instead of just facts) built a deeper connection with my viewers.

4. It’s a repeatable process. Short-form growth isn’t just luck. It’s a strategy that anyone can learn.

FROM CASE STUDY TO CLIENT WORK

What started as a personal experiment became the foundation for my business.

Today, I help:

• Founder-led brands → clarify their story and show up on video with confidence.

• Creators → build authority and grow an audience using storytelling-driven video.

This case study is proof: the same skills I used to grow my own presence can be applied to your brand.

Ready to tell your story and grow your audience?