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In the age of social media, algorithms and viral content, social media users are increasingly looking for ways to stretch the concept of “15 minutes of fame” into full time careers as content creators, influencers and media personalities.
Recently, thanks to TikTok, that arc has played out with viral trends like Jools Lebron, the creator behind the “very demure, very mindful” trend, or Haliey Welch’s “Hawk Tuah” viral moment. Both Lebron and Welch join a long list of names who are working to take bursts of notoriety into sustainable careers.
Notably, Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton have had a five-year go at this since first appearing on the hit Netflix show “Love Is Blind” back in 2020. Since then, the couple has sketched out somewhat of a playbook for capitalizing on virality and turning it into a viable career path. Last month, the couple launched The Love Seat podcast with sponsorship opportunities for brands.
“I remember Lauren saying that we don’t know how big the buzz of this show is going to be, how long it’s going to sustain itself. That was something we both understood early on,” said Cameron Hamilton, on a recent episode of the Digiday Podcast. “So we said, let’s hit the ground running and create as much content as we physically can.”
Here are a few highlights from the conversation, which have been edited for length and clarity.
Content experimentation
Cameron: I’m very passionate about artificial intelligence. I’ve tried to create technical content, sometimes talking about nothing too crazy technical, but trying to give people a little bit more of the background of that. I’ve found it hasn’t gotten as much traction as I want. But my cooking content, for example, has gotten way more traction. The audience really loves that and they especially love seeing my interaction with Lauren, giving her the food and getting her reaction.
Lauren: Yes, there are different responses. But I think for me it’s more important to just be true to what I enjoy. I want to share what I like with you as opposed to sharing what you like with you.
Keeping revenue flowing
Cameron: As a creator, you don’t always know when the next brand partnership is going to come through. So being able to diversify is a wonderful thing. You’ve got with the YouTube [channel], of course, and the podcast, you have just the AdSense revenue based on the number of plays of the episode. That’s very important. We are looking to diversify even more and possibly do membership subscriptions or possibly do merchandise.
Navigating politics
Lauren: For me personally, I thought that this election was too important to not speak out. Even if it’s just telling people to vote, that was important just to let them know that there are stakes in this election. You have to get out and make your voice heard, so I said it. Some things are more important to me personally. I know a lot of creators don’t feel this way because they’re afraid of their money. They don’t want to lose this opportunity, that opportunity.
