Zach Williamson runs a successful social media business from San Francisco, earning up to $40,000 a month. At 29 years old, he manages popular social media accounts and helps big companies with their online presence. Williamson's journey in social media began when he was just 18. He saw other accounts posting paid links and thought to himself, "I could do that too." This simple idea grew into a business that now covers many areas of social media work.
Today, Williamson owns two big social media brands: Culture Crave and Latest in Space. Each of these has over a million followers across different social media platforms. These accounts don't just post content – they also have shows on Snapchat Discover, which helps them reach more people and make more money. Besides running his own accounts, Williamson helps well-known clients like Rolling Stone and Friday Beers with their social media. He does things like managing their accounts, creating graphics, and writing content for them.
Williamson's story includes everything from sending messages to potential clients to restarting brands that now get billions of views each month. It shows how social media can be both a job and a way to build a business. Read on to learn about the strategies, challenges, and lessons from building a one-person social media empire.
Who is Zach Williamson?
Zach Williamson
Zach Williamson is a 29-year-old man who works with social media. He lives in San Francisco, a big city in California known for its technology companies. Zach is what we call a social media strategist and content creator. This means he's really good at understanding how social media works and knows how to make interesting posts that lots of people want to see.
Zach is special because he's very good at building and managing online brands. An online brand is like a company's personality on the internet. It's how people see and think about a company when they're online. Zach knows how to make these online brands popular and successful.
He owns two very popular social media accounts:
1. Culture Crave: This account talks about the latest news in movies, TV shows, and video games. If there's a new superhero movie coming out or a popular TV show is ending, Culture Crave will post about it.
2. Latest in Space: This account shares news and interesting facts about space, astronauts, and science. If a new planet is discovered or a rocket is launched, Latest in Space will tell people about it.
These accounts are very popular. Together, they have more than 1 million followers. This means that when Zach posts something on these accounts, over a million people might see it. That's like filling a big sports stadium ten times over!
But Zach doesn't just post on regular social media. His accounts also have shows on something called Snapchat Discover. Snapchat is an app where people share photos and videos, and Discover is a special part of Snapchat where professional content creators (like Zach) can share longer videos and articles.
Besides running his own accounts, Zach also helps other big companies with their social media. Some of his clients are very well-known, like Rolling Stone (a famous music magazine) and Friday Beers (a popular social media account that posts funny content). For these companies, Zach does lots of different jobs:
- He manages their social media accounts, deciding what to post and when.
- He makes graphics, which are pictures designed to look good on social media.
- He plans and runs paid social campaigns. This is when a company pays to have their posts shown to more people.
- He writes content for these companies, creating posts that their followers will enjoy.
All of this work has made Zach very successful. He's been able to turn his understanding of social media into a business that makes a lot of money.
How Zach started his business
Zach's journey into the world of social media started when he was just 18 years old. That's about the age when most people are finishing high school or starting college. But Zach was already thinking about how to make money online.
It all began with a simple observation. Zach noticed that some social media accounts were posting links that they were being paid for. These are called sponsored links or affiliate links. When someone clicks on these links and buys something, the person who posted the link gets a small amount of money. Zach saw this and thought, "I could do that too."
This idea sparked Zach's interest in social media as a business. He started to learn everything he could about how social media works. Here's what he did:
1. Building social media accounts: Zach began creating his own social media accounts. He tried to make them interesting so that lots of people would want to follow them.
2. Creating gallery sites: These are websites that show lots of pictures or videos about a specific topic. Zach learned how to make these sites attractive and easy to use.
3. Learning SEO: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It's a way to make websites show up higher in search results on Google. Zach studied this to help more people find his websites.
4. Using Google AdSense: This is a program that puts ads on websites. When people click on these ads, the website owner (in this case, Zach) gets paid. Zach learned how to use this to start making money from his websites.
All of this was new to Zach, and he had to learn it by himself. It wasn't easy, but he kept working at it. His hard work started to pay off:
- After 4 months, one of his social media accounts got its first 100,000 followers. That's a lot of people!
- After 8 months, that same account reached 1 million followers. This is a huge achievement in the world of social media.
At first, Zach mostly used Twitter and Instagram for his social media work. These were the most popular platforms at the time. But over the years, as new social media platforms appeared, Zach learned how to use those too.
It's important to understand that when Zach started, social media marketing wasn't as common as it is now. There weren't many courses or guides on how to do it. Zach had to figure out a lot of things by trying them out and seeing what worked. This experience helped him become very knowledgeable about social media, which is why he's so successful today.
Early growth strategies
When Zach first started building his social media accounts, he had to figure out how to make them grow. He couldn't just post anything and expect people to follow him. He needed a plan. Here are some of the strategies Zach used to grow his accounts:
1. Posting all the time: One of the most important things Zach did was to post content regularly. This means he was putting new posts on his accounts every day, sometimes several times a day. Why is this important? Because when people see that an account posts often, they're more likely to follow it. They know they'll always have something new to see.
2. Watching what's popular: Zach paid close attention to what people were talking about on social media. If a topic was getting a lot of attention, Zach would make posts about it. This is called "trending content." By posting about popular topics, Zach's posts were more likely to be seen and shared by lots of people.
3. Making friends with other social media users: Zach didn't just focus on his own accounts. He also tried to connect with other people who had popular social media accounts. He would talk to them, share their content, and sometimes work together on posts. This helped him reach more people and grow his own audience.
4. Using different social media platforms: While Zach started with Twitter and Instagram, he didn't stop there. As new social media platforms became popular, Zach would create accounts on them too. This way, he could reach different groups of people who might not all use the same social media apps.
5. Creating interesting content: Zach worked hard to make his posts interesting and fun to read. He might use eye-catching images, write clever captions, or share surprising facts. The goal was to make people want to like, comment on, and share his posts.
6. Engaging with followers: When people commented on Zach's posts, he would often reply to them. This made his followers feel connected to him and his accounts, which made them more likely to keep following and sharing his content.
7. Using hashtags: On many social media platforms, hashtags help people find content they're interested in. Zach learned how to use hashtags effectively to help more people discover his posts.
8. Analyzing what worked: Zach paid attention to which of his posts got the most likes, comments, and shares. Then he would try to make more posts like those popular ones.
Interestingly, Zach says that many of these strategies still work today. Even though social media has changed a lot since he started, the basic ideas of posting regularly, sharing interesting content, and connecting with others are still important.
By using these strategies consistently, Zach was able to grow his accounts quickly. Remember, he got to 100,000 followers in just 4 months, and 1 million followers in 8 months. This rapid growth helped Zach start turning his social media skills into a real business.
Getting his first customers
After Zach had built up his social media accounts and learned a lot about how social media works, he was ready to start making money from his skills. But getting those first paying customers wasn't easy. Here's how Zach did it:
1. Affiliate work: Zach's first step into making money was through affiliate marketing. This means he would post links to products on his social media accounts. If someone clicked on the link and bought the product, Zach would get a small amount of money. This wasn't a lot at first, but it taught Zach how to promote products online.
2. PPC and CPM marketing: These are types of online advertising. PPC stands for "Pay Per Click" - advertisers pay when someone clicks on their ad. CPM stands for "Cost Per Thousand Impressions" - advertisers pay for every thousand times their ad is shown. Zach learned how to use these types of ads, which helped him understand more about online marketing.
3. Creating his own websites: Zach didn't just stick to social media. He also made his own websites. He used the SEO skills he had learned to help people find these websites on Google. Then he put ads on the websites using Google AdSense. When people visited his websites and clicked on the ads, Zach would earn money.
4. Internship at CollegeHumor: A big break for Zach came when he got an internship at a company called CollegeHumor. This was a popular website that made funny videos and articles. The internship turned into a job. CollegeHumor was already famous on YouTube, but they needed help with other social media platforms. Zach used his skills to improve their social media presence.
5. Networking: Working at CollegeHumor was important for Zach not just because of the experience, but also because of the people he met. The team at CollegeHumor, including people like Ricky Van Veen, Kai Hsing, and Dave Rosenberg, introduced Zach to other companies that needed help with social media. This is called networking - meeting people who can help you in your career.
6. Cold messaging: One of Zach's biggest early clients came from what's called a "cold DM" or cold direct message. Zach sent a message to Cycle & ESPN (a sports network) even though he didn't know anyone there. He offered to help them with a project called Buckets, which was a short video show on Twitter. They said yes, and Zach used his network of sports-related social media accounts to promote the show.
7. Proving his worth: With each job, Zach worked hard to show that he could deliver results. When he helped CollegeHumor improve their social media, it proved that he knew what he was doing. This made other companies more likely to hire him.
8. Adapting to client needs: Zach learned to offer different services based on what each client needed. Some might want help managing their accounts, others might need help creating content, and others might want help with advertising campaigns.
Getting these first customers was challenging. In 2012, when Zach was starting out, not many companies understood how important social media could be. Zach had to convince them that his skills were valuable. But each success made the next job a little easier to get.
How Zach markets his business now
Now that Zach has established himself in the social media world, he has different ways of getting new clients and growing his business. Let's look at how he markets his business today:
1. Word-of-mouth: This is when people tell others about Zach's work because they like it. It's like when you tell a friend about a great restaurant you visited. Zach's past clients often recommend him to others. This is one of the best ways for Zach to get new clients because people trust recommendations from others they know.
2. Showing off his successful brands: Zach's own social media accounts, like Culture Crave, act like a living resume. When potential clients see how popular and engaging these accounts are, they want Zach to do the same for their businesses. It's similar to saying, "Look what I did for my own accounts. I can do this for you too!"
3. Relaunching culture crave: In June 2023, Zach gave Culture Crave a fresh start. He updated its look and the way it shared content. This worked really well - in a short time, Culture Crave gained over 300,000 new followers and now gets more than 1 billion views each month. That's a huge number! This success story helps convince new clients that Zach knows what he's doing.
4. Reaching out to potential clients: Zach doesn't just wait for clients to come to him. He actively looks for businesses that might need his help. He sends them messages (called "cold outreach") through different channels:
- Direct messages on social media
- Emails
- Messages on Slack (a communication tool many businesses use)
- Job applications for social media positions
5. Offering free evaluations: Zach offers to look at a company's social media accounts for free and give them advice. This is a clever way to show companies how he can help them. Often, after seeing Zach's evaluation, companies want to hire him to improve their social media presence.
6. Sharing his knowledge: Zach sometimes writes articles or does interviews (like the one this article is based on) where he shares tips about social media. This helps people see him as an expert, which can lead to new clients.
7. Staying up-to-date: Social media is always changing, with new platforms and features coming out all the time. Zach makes sure he knows about all these changes. When he uses new features successfully in his own accounts, it shows potential clients that he's ahead of the curve.
8. Networking at industry events: While not mentioned specifically, it's common for people in Zach's position to attend social media and marketing conferences. These events are great places to meet potential clients and learn about new trends.
By using all these methods, Zach keeps his business growing. He doesn't rely on just one way to find new clients. Instead, he uses many different approaches to make sure his business stays successful.
Future plans and strategy
Zach's future plans involve expanding his brands beyond just social media:
1. Building community first: Zach's strategy was to build brands mainly on social media, where people get their news.
2. Backwards integration: Now that the community is established, he's working on:
- Building newsletters
- Creating websites
- Developing apps
3. Industry focus: With the end of Hollywood strikes, Zach plans to work more with movie studios and streaming services to market upcoming projects through Culture Crave.
This approach shows Zach's long-term thinking and ability to capitalize on established audiences.
Challenges and lessons learned
While not explicitly mentioned in the interview, we can infer some challenges Zach likely faced:
1. Early days struggle: The interview mentions that in 2012, influencer marketing was in its early stages, making it tough to carve out space in the market.
2. Constant adaptation: The social media landscape is always changing, requiring Zach to continually update his strategies.
3. Balancing multiple projects: Managing multiple brands and client work simultaneously requires excellent time management and organizational skills.
Advice for aspiring social media entrepreneurs
Based on Zach's experience, here are some takeaways for those looking to build a similar business:
1. Start early: Zach began at 18, giving him time to learn and grow with the industry.
2. Be persistent: It took months to gain significant followers, showing the importance of patience and consistent effort.
3. Diversify: Zach works across multiple platforms and offers various services, reducing risk.
4. Network: Many opportunities came through connections, highlighting the importance of building relationships in the industry.
5. Stay current: Zach's success comes from understanding and leveraging current trends in social media.
Learn more about Zach and his business
You can find Zach's work at:
- twitter.com/culturecrave
- twitter.com/latestinspace
- twitter.com/factsonfilm
- latestinspace.com (for the newsletter)
Zach's personal Twitter is twitter.com/mytweetsmid .
If you want to contact Zach or get a free evaluation of your social media, you can email him at zach@fromthedrafts.co.
Conclusion
Williamson's success stems from a multifaceted approach to his business. By developing his own branded accounts such as Culture Crave, while simultaneously offering services to established clients, he's created a diverse business model resilient to market fluctuations. This dual strategy of building personal brands and providing expert services showcases a robust approach to social media entrepreneurship.
