Today we’re doing something fun: an episode swap with the Paid to Travel Podcast hosted by Maddy Garrett.

If you’ve ever wanted to level up as a content creator or UGC creator, this episode is packed with actionable advice—especially when it comes to one of the most important skills for landing brand deals: creating powerful hooks.

🎧 What You’ll Learn

In this episode, Maddy breaks down exactly:

• What a hook is and why it’s critical for UGC success
• How to create hooks that stop the scroll in the first 2–5 seconds
• The psychology behind pain point marketing and desire-based content
• How to speak directly to your target audience as a UGC creator
• Real hook examples you can use for your next video
• How to create curiosity gaps that keep viewers watching
• How better hooks lead to higher-performing content and more brand deals

🌍 Want to connect with Maddy?

Maddy Garrett is a successful UGC creator who has generated six figures creating travel and outdoor content. She’s helped thousands of students start their own UGC businesses and get paid to travel.

🎧 Listen to more from Maddy on the Paid to Travel Podcast

📺 Watch Paid to Travel on Youtube
📱 Follow Maddy on Instagram: @maddyoutdoors.coach

content creator, ugc creator, how to create hooks, brand deals, ugc, user generated content, ugc ads, social media marketing, content strategy

💬 Final Note

I'll be back next week, but in the meantime, this episode is your crash course in creating high-converting hooks that can transform your UGC content and help you land more brand deals.

🎧 Talented A.F. Podcast Production by Your Girl Media
📲 Follow: @yourgirlmedia
💻 Visit: www.yourgirlmedia.com

• Sign up for my newsletter, the Content Compass to receive free tips and tricks to beat the content creation overwhelm and get back to traveling.
• Get five shifts that will take you from travel creator to business owner with actionable next steps included. AND two private podcast episodes. Get the Creator to CEO Playbook for $5
• Say hi on Instagram

Join Us 👉 The Travel Creator Business Plan Community!

The only business-building community designed specifically for travel creators.
You’ll get:
✔ monthly business systems
✔ coworking + Q&A calls
✔ a private community of creators building real businesses
✔ guidance to help you move from “content machine” to “CEO energy”

Sign Up HERE

Join Us 👉 The Travel Creator Business Plan Community!

The only business-building community designed specifically for travel creators.
You’ll get:
✔ monthly business systems
✔ coworking + Q&A calls
✔ a private community of creators building real businesses
✔ guidance to help you move from “content machine” to “CEO energy”

Sign Up HERE

Hot take: your follower count is not the reason you’re broke as a creator.

If you’ve been obsessing over how to grow on Instagram or trying to go viral thinking that’s the key to becoming a Full Time Creator… we need to talk.

Today, I’m a little fired up in this episode

Because I need you to hear this, followers do not equal money. And the sooner you stop building your entire strategy around that idea, the sooner you can actually start to make money as a content creator.

I’m coming to you as someone who works behind the scenes in creator businesses every single day, and I’m telling you right now: I know creators with 100K+ followers who are barely making anything… and creators with under 2K followers who are bringing in consistent income.

So what’s the difference?

It’s not growth.
It’s not going viral.
It’s not posting more.

It’s strategy.

✨ What We’re Getting Into:

• Why chasing followers won’t pay your rent (and what actually will)
• The truth about becoming a Full Time Creator (hint: it’s not about numbers)
• How to grow on Instagram without making it your entire personality
• Why “going viral” is not a business model
• The biggest mistake travel creators make when trying to monetize
• How to make money as a content creator without waiting on brands
• Real, sustainable travel creator income streams you can start now
• What it actually looks like to quit your job and become a travel content creator

Let me say this louder for the people in the back:

You do not need 10,000 followers to make money.
You do not need brand deals to validate your business.
And you definitely do not need to wait around for the algorithm to pick you.

That whole narrative of:
“Grow your audience → get brand deals → make money → repeat”

…it’s not wrong, but it is the hardest way to do this.

Because here’s a wild concept—you can make money without a massive audience and that is what we are talking about today.

🎧 Talented A.F. Podcast Production by Your Girl Media
📲 Follow: @yourgirlmedia
💻 Visit: www.yourgirlmedia.com

• Sign up for my newsletter, the Content Compass to receive free tips and tricks to beat the content creation overwhelm and get back to traveling.
• Get five shifts that will take you from travel creator to business owner with actionable next steps included. AND two private podcast episodes. Get the Creator to CEO Playbook for $5
• Say hi on Instagram

Join Us 👉 The Travel Creator Business Plan Community!

The only business-building community designed specifically for travel creators.
You’ll get:
✔ monthly business systems
✔ coworking + Q&A calls
✔ a private community of creators building real businesses
✔ guidance to help you move from “content machine” to “CEO energy”

Sign Up HERE

Is TikTok dying?

Today, I’m breaking down what’s actually going on with TikTok right now—from the ongoing TikTok ban conversation to the shifts in reach, content style, and creator burnout. This is not me telling you to panic or delete the app. It’s me giving you the real strategy behind what it means to be a content creator in 2026.

If you’re trying to become a full time creator and relying on TikTok for your monetization, this episode is your wake-up call. Because TikTok might not be dead… but it’s also not something I’d build my entire business on.

What I Cover:

• My honest take on “is TikTok dead?”
• What’s really happening with the TikTok ban in the U.S.
• Why TikTok still works—but feels more unpredictable than ever
• The biggest mistake I see content creators making right now
• Why relying on one platform is risky for your monetization
• The difference between building on “rented land” vs. owned platforms
• How I’d protect my business if TikTok disappeared tomorrow

Key Takeaways:

• I don’t see TikTok as a home—I see it as a tool for growth
• I don’t own my audience on social media (and neither do you)
• If I want sustainable monetization, I need owned platforms
• Every piece of content I post should lead somewhere deeper
• Building a business > just being a content creator

Resources & Next Steps:

• Start an email list (even if it feels early)
• Create a simple lead magnet to turn followers into subscribers
• Audit where your audience actually lives

Loved This Episode?

• Share this with a friend who’s been worried about the TikTok Ban
• Leave a rating & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• Tag me and let me know your biggest takeaway

is TikTok dead, TikTok ban, content creator, full time creator, monetization, is TikTok dying?

🎧 Talented A.F. Podcast Production by Your Girl Media
📲 Follow: @yourgirlmedia
💻 Visit: www.yourgirlmedia.com

• Sign up for my newsletter, the Content Compass to receive free tips and tricks to beat the content creation overwhelm and get back to traveling.
• Get five shifts that will take you from travel creator to business owner with actionable next steps included. AND two private podcast episodes. Get the Creator to CEO Playbook for $5
• Say hi on Instagram

Join Us 👉 The Travel Creator Business Plan Community!

The only business-building community designed specifically for travel creators.
You’ll get:
✔ monthly business systems
✔ coworking + Q&A calls
✔ a private community of creators building real businesses
✔ guidance to help you move from “content machine” to “CEO energy”

Sign Up HERE