Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Bui
Hi Michelle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always posted TikToks of my life, mostly mini vlogs, makeup, and random videos but I started getting more serious with being a UGC creator at the end of January when I started my Instagram, it also works out because in the case TikTok was gonna get banned my backup plan would be Instagram.
I have a mutual friend whom I’ve always seen on my Instagram feed and I randomly reached out to her (hannie.ugc) one day and asked her how she started, she encouraged me to give it a try and I did! the growth was slow but the more I stayed consistent with my videos the more I was able to build a target audience
I’ve always liked documenting my life and creating videos whether it be a full YouTube vlog or 1 minute TikTok and I’m always running out of storage on my phone so posting these clips was always a fun way for me to share my life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I will say the growth was initially slow but I realize people in the UGC community all have similar goals and are willing to help each other by engaging with one another posts and resharing. every now I’ll have a video surpass my normal view/engagement count and for others, it’ll completely drop so it can be challenging at times to play with the algorithms.
I also started posting videos more at the beginning of my 2nd year spring semester as a nursing major in college so at times my schedule would get super hectic because I had to balance my exams, social media, and family and friend relations, but I will say posting made the semester fly by.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Right now I’m a university student at UTA and I’m majoring in nursing, next semester I will officially start nursing school, the process of getting in was a rollercoaster because at first I got waitlisted and was crushed, I thought I had to change career paths and the entire month of march was depressing for me because I had no idea what I was going to do for the fall 2024 semester but on April 12th I got a call that offered me a seat in the nursing program at my school.
At first, I tried to keep my social media a secret from my friends and family. I was honestly worried they would call me a “sellout” or cringe for “acting like an influencer” but when they started finding my account they were a lot more supportive than I thought which I appreciated. I love to treat them with beauty products that I’m sent to because most people I know are also obsessed with skincare, especially my mom. I feel like I haven’t done anything monumental that I could be proud of but I was able to treat my family out to a nice dinner from the money I made doing UGC, I have hopes that one day I can do more for them for their endless love and support.
I’m proud that I decided to start, I know people who don’t like me and think what I do is cringe but I’m glad that I’m able to disregard their negativity and just do me. because nonetheless, this is also a side job for me that I can find enjoyment in!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I feel like I’ve learned things about myself like I was genuinely so cringy and annoyed in 2020, I had a very loud pick-me personality so from covid when I had a lot of time alone I was able to develop a calmer personality and just go with the flow, nothing was in our control 4 years ago so the best thing we could’ve done is just enjoy the time you had.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michellebui.my.canva.site/michelle-bui-ugc-portfolio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellee.buii/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556890096127
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ69Cut79OhI6pKf3oFDpuQ
- Other: https://linktr.ee/michellebuii
