In TikTok’s early days of mostly dance challenges and lip-syncing exchanges, Shola West, a Gen Z career advocate, speaker and educator, spotted a gap.
“I decided I wanted to come on the platform to share tips and tricks from my career working in the media industry,” she says.
Now affectionately known as the “Big Sis to Young Creatives” — with accolades including Forbes 30 Under 30 — West is building a digital brand around providing career advice to rising professionals.
“I didn’t go into it thinking it would be a social media business per se,” says West. “It was about adding value.”
Now, it’s her full-time business.
The social media entrepreneur makes her money from brand partnerships, workshops, and other aligned collaborations.
Want to learn more? You’re in luck. I chatted with some of the best in social media entrepreneurship and I’m diving into trends, tips, and more below.
Table of Contents
What is social media entrepreneurship?
Social media entrepreneurship entails building a business using social media as the predominant method of driving sales and marketing.
The concept goes hand-in-hand with a surging “creator economy” — the term used to describe influencers or content creators who leverage their digital platforms to produce, distribute, and monetize their content, often generating revenue from brand partnerships, paid advertisements, and affiliate links.
Other forms of social media entrepreneurs might have businesses in sectors such as ecommerce, consulting, and beyond.
Why is social media entrepreneurship so popular?
It’s rare to encounter a business that’s not tapping into social media in some way. In the U.S. alone, 77% of small businesses use social media for essential functions like sales, marketing, and customer service.
It’s no wonder, as these same online platforms are the hunting grounds for buyers: One in four consumers prefer searching for brands on social media platforms over search engines. And when it comes to how consumers value individual creators, 49% make daily, weekly, or monthly purchases based on influencer posts.
I think it’s safe to say social media is a lucrative channel for entrepreneurs. It’s also a low-cost, high-reward business tool for people with creative minds but tight budgets.
Top Social Media Entrepreneurship Trends
1. Short-form video is dominating.
Across the board, social media platforms are really pushing and prioritizing video right now. Short-form video is the fastest-growing content category on LinkedIn, and the platform recently started testing a vertical video feed (similar to the formats on Instagram and TikTok).
“I’ve been seeing an explosion of video podcast interviews,” says Gigi Robinson, founder of Hosts of Influence. “It’s allowed for opportunities where you can better relate to a brand, or a founder of a brand, which may make you a more loyal customer.
2. People want to see behind-the-scenes.
On a similar note, how-the-sausage-is-made content is booming.
“Some brands do this quite well,” says Emma Sneddon, a freelance social media manager, referencing examples like REFY and Free Soul.
In the Free Soul post below, the brand celebrated International Women’s Day with various events — and a video that showcased not only what the brand is about but the people behind it.
“Rather than purely saying, ‘Here‘s our product, please buy it,’ they’re showing more behind-the-scenes content. They’re getting their employees involved.”
3. There’s a rise in influencer marketing.
“We’re moving towards more authenticity over aesthetics,” Sneddon also shared with me. “Social media entrepreneurs are starting to focus on raw, relatable, more personality-related content.”
As brands catch on, many are turning to micro-influencers (creators with 10,000 to 99,999 followers) rather than celebrities to showcase their products and services through original content.
Sixty-four percent of marketers have worked with micro-influencers in the last year, and 47% say this group generated the most marketing success.
“Back in the day, people felt like you had to have a million followers to get partnerships, to land brand deals, to get opportunities,” says West. “That’s not the case anymore. If you have a strong niche and a well-engaged community, even if you have 5k followers, you’re still able to gain access.”
Tips for Social Media Entrepreneurs
1. Don’t be afraid to carve out a niche.
In a saturated industry, presenting something fresh by leaning into your unique experience, expertise, and interests is what will set you apart. That’s what West did, and she tells me it’s working in her favor.
Similarly, my newsletter, podcast, and community platform Stella is a network specifically connecting Black women in media. That’s by design — and it works: Niche communities can foster greater user engagement and loyalty. They also promote a stronger sense of belonging and relatability.
2. Be adaptable.
Part of mastering social media is experimenting across platforms.
“I think platform diversification is key,” says Robinson. Don’t be afraid to add and evolve — oftentimes, what’s waiting are massive rewards and new customers. Don’t be afraid to pivot, either.”
For example, Substack launched the Creator Accelerator Fund, which incentivized creators to migrate their subscriber communities to its platform, offering a host of tools and services.
3. Be consistent but intentional.
Develop a social media posting schedule that best suits your business model — and stick to it. But don’t get bogged down by the notion that you need to post at a certain cadence just because you’re seeing it from another person or brand.
“Consistency for everyone looks different,” Sneddon tells me. “I always say quality over quantity. You want your posts to be value-driven and to actually add something to your audience. You don’t want to be posting every day just to try and keep consistent.”
Regardless of the frequency, social media maintenance can get tedious. Schedulers like Vista Social and Buffer are helpful alternatives to manual posting, and I know a lot of companies and creators who have had great results with them.
Also, most social media platforms have built-in scheduling tools you can tap into.
And if you’re ever feeling burned out creatively, West has a tip: She says that AI, when used responsibly, can be a great resource to help generate new content ideas.
For example, HubSpot has an AI-powered blog idea generator tool that can help you brainstorm ideas when you’re stuck or hone an idea into something you can work with.
4. Collect your own data.
If there’s anything we learned from TikTok’s temporary U.S. ban, it’s that we can’t assume platforms — and the data that comes with it — will exist forever.
Create your own email marketing system to ensure you’re collecting emails and other pertinent information from your online community.
5. Build a community.
Successful social media entrepreneurs, says Robinson, know the difference between an audience and a community. The biggest differentiator lies in engagement.
“Your audience is the people that are often supporting you, but your communities are the people that buy into you. When you are able to be successful with social media, you‘re able to convert, and you’re able to make money because people want access to you.”
In other words, community is central to conversions.
Sneddon agrees. She says you should be constantly “engaging with your audience, asking them questions, and replying to comments.”
She adds, “This will build your community and have people coming back to your page because they know you’re going to interact.”
Don’t be afraid to self-promote.
If I could share one main takeaway from these conversations — and my own experiences — it would be that you have to drive your business forward yourself. This is why one of the best strategies for sustaining a career as a social media entrepreneur is self-promotion.
“Closed mouths don’t get fed,” says Robinson. She’s locked in 15 gigs since the start of 2025 by sharing her past work loudly across her social media channels. Work, after all, leads to new work.
