We recently connected with Amanda Pacropis and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
While it may sound cliche, it simply takes hard work and determination. If you want something bad enough you can absolutely make it happen. Even if it means working through weekends, missing social events, and drowning in work for a bit.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I always knew I wanted to work in advertising. I went to the University of Delaware where I studied Marketing & Advertising. After college, I worked in the pharmaceutical advertising space for about 5 years. I hated it. It was all budgeting and media planning – nothing creative. In fall of 2023, a friend of mine told me about UGC. I spent the entire month of September watching Tiktoks and Instagram videos from other creators then I dove right in. I was juggling UGC and my 9-5 for 6 months until I was making more money from UGC than my 9-5. I went full time in March of 2024 and haven’t looked back!
If you are not familiar with UGC, it stands for User Generated Content. Essentially, brands hire me on a contractual basis to make Meta/Tiktok ads for their use. I am not an influencer, no one knows who I am in the ad, I just create the content and then it is in the brand’s hands.
Over the last year, I have been able to expand my business to coaching, creative strategy, directing, and Tiktok Shop. My content brings authenticity, relatability, storytelling, and conversions.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
In August of 2023 my friend mentioned UGC to me. I was instantly intrigued! I was in a 9-5 job that I despised and I’ve always enjoyed making content. I spent most of September learning all about it online and decided to give it a go. My first few gigs were so low paying, but exciting nonetheless. It was a side hustle for me until March. This was the first month that I had made more from UGC than I did at my 9-5. I put in my notice and never looked back!
Since then, I have worked with over 100 brands, I have strong relationships with clients, I offer coaching to new UGC creators, almost TRIPLED my 9-5 salary, and found success on Tiktok shop.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I always make sure I am easy to work with – efficient communication, quality deliverables, and I do my research. At this point in my career, I’d say 85% of my projects are repeat clients. Make sure to follow up with a client if you haven’t heard from them in awhile. Maybe pitch some new ideas. At the end of the day, clients are looking for someone who will deliver great work with the least amount of chase down.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amandacreatesugc.com
- Instagram: @contentbyamanda_
