Today we’d like to introduce you to Joyrdan Williams.
Hi Joyrdan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am in Influencer/UGC creator from Statesboro, Ga but I’ve been based in Atlanta for almost 5 years now. User-generated content can be videos, photos, etc.. made for brands who want to increase brand awareness on social platforms. I started my journey last summer June 2022 by doing an unboxing for a company called Goodwipes. I saw a lot of creators getting paid for things like this so I did it for fun so that I could get noticed. They loved the video and ended up hiring me to create monthly videos for them. From there, I knew this was something I wanted to do long-term. As an influencer, I would sometimes make videos for free in exchange for products but once my audience began to grow I realized my worth and stopped accepting gifted collaborations. At that point, I began to get paid for every video on my feed. Knowing my worth is what got me to where I am today. I am able to make a generous amount of money from home just by creating videos with my iPhone. I would have never been in this position if I did not realize early on the places God would take with me with my talents.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been smooth at times but also bumpy. I’ve had to face many challenges such as almost losing my Instagram account in October. I was banned for 4 days, and although I had an audience on TikTok as well – it was still very scary because I had just gained over 12,000 followers. So I felt like all of my hard work that had gone into that was going down the drain. Thankfully I got it back 4 days later but I’ve also worked with brands who got content made and never paid me. However, I didn’t let these challenges break me down. Instead, I took it as a learning lesson and moved on with new knowledge that I didn’t have before.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe you can tell us more about your work next?
I make viral content videos on TikTok and Instagram for brands who need more awareness coming from influencers like me. I specialize in lifestyle content. Some examples of things that fall under that are skincare, beauty, fashion, fitness, etc. I am a multifaceted creator so I don’t like to limit myself to just one thing. I’m known for my videos on TikTok and reels on Instagram. I’m most proud of a video I did for a wellness company called Rae Wellness. It got almost 10 MILLION views on TikTok. I never thought any of my videos would reach that many people but by the grace of God it did. That video alone got me over 10,000 followers. It was a moment I will never forget! What sets me and my content apart is my personality, I try to be as authentic as possible in my videos because when people come to my page I don’t want them to think that anything is faked or for show. I want them to see the real raw version of me. In this industry, it’s easy to fall for the aesthetic looks and vibes, which is okay on certain occasions. But at the end of the day, brands are going to hire you for YOU.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is to aim for the sky. My price per video used to be extremely low because I thought if it was too high brands would not want to work with me. I soon realized that this was not benefitting me at all, and if I wanted to get to where I wanted on this journey, I was going to have to start realizing my worth. So I increased my prices, and to my surprise people were paying it. I couldn’t help but imagine how much money I missed out on by charging below what I was worth. However, it was a lesson learned so I don’t beat myself up about it. But through these experiences, I am also learning that the worst someone can say back to me is no. Which is okay because if they see the value in my content, they’ll have no problem paying me accordingly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/joyrdan
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jay.sogroovy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8wNYSU2PQ0NqwGgBEHrMg?sub_confirmation=1
- Other: tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joyrdanw
