We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful KARYNA KAZHAMIAKINA. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with KARYNA below.
KARYNA, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
My name is Karyna. I’m an immigrant from Belarus. I came to the USA at 19 years old, alone, with a small level of English, with no parents or friends. It’s not that I wanted to leave my family and friends, but really wanted to have a better life.
My story started back in the USA. When I was ten years old, I spent three weeks with an American family as a kid that suffered from the consequences of the Chornobyl accident. It was a game-changing experience: meeting new people and visiting the high school here. I loved the American way of education. We were living a normal life where everyone had the right to say what they wanted and felt free. I wish I had that feeling in my own country. After seeing a different life here in the USA, I felt like a completely different kid when I returned home. I started comparing and asking questions, and when I finished high school and got into the university,
I was always about personal growth and development. I moved here with $500 and, within 5 years, managed to buy a townhome for myself and my dog. Now I work as Marketing Project Manager; I graduated with Bachelor’s in Marketing without a student loan; I started my Instagram and YouTube blogs about life in the US, bringing awareness to young women and helping them grow personally and self-develop. Looking back, it has been a challenging journey, but it led me to be who I am today.
I have recently launched a new company that helps international students come to study English in the US. We have schools in different states around the US and also help get F1 visa.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Karyna. I’m an immigrant from Belarus. I came to the USA at 19 years old, alone, with a small level of English, with no parents or friends. It’s not that I wanted to leave my family and friends, but really wanted to have a better life.
My story started back in the USA. When I was ten years old, I spent three weeks with an American family as a kid that suffered from the consequences of the Chornobyl accident. It was a game-changing experience: meeting new people and visiting the high school here. I loved the American way of education. We were living a normal life where everyone had the right to say what they wanted and felt free. I wish I had that feeling in my own country. After seeing a different life here in the USA, I felt like a completely different kid when I returned home. I started comparing and asking questions, and when I finished high school and got into the university,
I was always about personal growth and development. I moved here with $500 and, within 5 years, managed to buy a townhome for myself and my dog. Now I work as Marketing Project Manager; I graduated with Bachelor’s in Marketing without a student loan; I started my Instagram and YouTube blogs about life in the US, bringing awareness to young women and helping them grow personally and self-develop. Looking back, it has been a challenging journey, but it led me to be who I am today.
I have recently launched a new company that helps international students come to study English in the US. We have schools in different states around the US and also help get F1 visa.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I have been an influencer for almost 5 years now. I have a very engaging following on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. There’s a huge path I followed in order to get the followers and start my social media accounts.
2013-1015 – I went to Minsk State Linguistics University to study languages. This experience helped me elevate my English to the next level.
2015 – I moved to the US, where I had excellent language practice. It was the best decision in my life. Guys, if you want to practice a foreign language you’re learning – going to the country where people speak this language is the best decision you could make. 🇺🇸
2016-2021 – I went to Harper College to study web design and interactive media. I learned a lot about web design, digital marketing, and graphic design that I currently apply in my work and blogs.
2016 – Started my digital marketing company and got the first 2 customers.
2017 – QA tester courses. I learned even more about user experience and websites.
2018 – I took a few courses to improve my Instagram blog quality.
From @alexandramitroshina – blog visual
From @veryire – write better texts
From @ler_chek – promote your blog
2019 – Took a course from @linguamarina on how to be a YouTuber and started my two channels. Recommend the course to anyone!
2021 – 2022 – Studied Marketing at Colorado State University Global. Graduated last year. So grateful for this experience. I did learn a lot about marketing that I incorporate in my daily work.
2022 – Took Instalogia from @alexandramitroshina and Master Reels from @instacoachmike .
2022 – Wrote a guide that helps people earn online on a freelance and elevate their brands from unknown small businesses to bigger corporations.
2023 – Growing my Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube blogs, and my digital marketing company, helping my customers with social media, web design, email marketing, and digital marketing.
You can’t just tell people one secret of how I got these many followers. There are always many years of hard work behind that one secret. You can sign up for a personal consultation with me by sending me a message on Instagram: www.instagram.com/karynausa. But let me tell you a few hacks that will double your views and engagement of Instagram stories.
Below are my Top 50 Social Media Stories Ideas that you can start incorporating into your business today:
1. Behind-the-scenes content: Share sneak peeks of your daily operations, product development process, or team culture to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your business.
2. Tell your followers what made you happy in the last 24 hours.
3. Show what you carry with you in your bag.
4. Employee Spotlight: Highlight individual employees and their unique experiences and perspectives, giving your followers a glimpse into the human side of your business.
5. Talk about philosophy: what is the purpose of living, what is love, can the person become whomever they want, does fate exist, or do we choose it ourselves?
6. Best citations from books that inspired you.
7. Give your followers advice based on the situation that happened to you recently.
8. User-generated content: Encourage your followers to share their own experiences and content related to your brand and then re-share it on your own page.
9. Set a new or remember an existing ambitious goal and write down your action plan to achieve it.
10. Announce a post that will be published later. That will make intrigue.
11. Ask your followers if they know some obvious things, like why the sky is blue. (or why leaves fall, why a volcano erupts, etc.). If they don’t know, explain.
12. Post a meme or a joke.
13. Share your accomplishments and show the way you got them.
14. Reveal some shocking/secret information. For example, how much your YouTube Channel brings you income.
15. Share the top places where you want to go.
16. Talk about your limiting beliefs and how you overcome them.
17. Engage in some kind of creativity and capture it on video. People like to watch such processes.
18. Share your favorite app and how it helps you.
19. Ask what three things they would take with them to a desert island.
20. What would you tell yourself as a child?
21. What would you do if you won 1 million dollars in the lottery?
22. Q&A sessions: Host Q&A sessions where your audience can ask questions about your products or services or even about the industry you’re in.
23. Discuss the recent worldly known event.
24. Shopping results and comments. (Can be from food to car shopping).
25. Create interactive games, like finding smth on the picture or guessing the correct answer.
26. Give feedback on some of the popular comments under the recent post.
27. Create a teaser video and post it in stories to lead people to a longer video.
28. How much money do you need to not think about working for money? And what would you do if you didn’t have to work for a paycheck?
29. If you could change one thing in this world, what would you change?
30. If you had a time machine, where would you go?
31. Share your plans or fears with your followers.
32. Tell a story from your childhood or show your memorable photos from different events.
33. Show your change for the better process (like the procedures, sports, trips, completed training, or after a book you’ve read).
34. Favorite movies, cartoons, books, or music.
35. Imagine your life in 30 years.
36. What do you have that no one can take away?
37. Feature the song that lifts your mood every time.
38. Is there something you really want to do but don’t do? Why?
39. What events in the city or country do you want to attend?
40. Play some popular games in the stories, like charades, by showing a lion, for example, and asking your followers to guess the animal.
41. Lifehacks in the field where you are an expert.
42. Show your daily routine and time management.
43. Challenges and contests: Run fun and interactive challenges or contests that encourage user participation and create excitement around your brand.
44. Your pets – what they do, how they play, how old they are. Who else would you like to have?
45. Polls and surveys: Engage your audience by conducting polls or surveys and sharing the results on your social media channels.
46. Show the process of how you repair. How you do things on your own, and it turns out cool.
47. Influencer partnerships: Partner with influencers in your industry to create content and reach new audiences.
48. Use the practice of gratitude. Tell your followers what you’re grateful for.
49. Film a master class, cook a recipe. For example, a DIY craft or a delicious breakfast.
50. Timely events and holidays: Take advantage of timely events or holidays to create relevant and engaging content, such as a special offer or a themed social media post.
Remember, the key to successful social media stories is to create content that is interesting, relevant, and valuable to your audience.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients is the world of mouth, but I know you might be trying to sign up your new client today. I teach people how to use your social media in your advantage and get new clients from there. You can create engaging content, collaborate with influencers, set up ads and gain new following this way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.karynausa.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karynausa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karyna.kazhamiakina/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karyna-kazhamiakina/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LearnWithKarynaUSA