A wife, mother, journalist, and also an influencer, Walaa Ali has succeeded in a very short time in growing her social media presence on both Instagram and TikTok. Juggling so many things at a time, she still manages to create light and fun content with several videos that have gone viral. We had a talk with Walaa where she took us through her journey on social media from the very beginning.
We would like you to take us through your story from the beginning. What motivated you to start as an influencer?
It all started with a YouTube channel called ‘Lolo & Magy’ that I launched with my sister. The content was basically focused on simple cooking recipes and restaurant reviews. My brother later joined us in the channel but after 7 months everyone got a little busy with their lives so we didn’t keep the channel active. I, on the other hand, wanted to carry on as an influencer on Instagram and TikTok.
I started by creating fashion content for a while until one day I posted a comedy video that went viral with almost 5 million views. From here, and after several polls on Instagram on the type of content my followers want to watch, the majority voted for comedy and I took it forward from here.
As for my TikTok account, it is a mix of both comedy, and cooking recipes. I have more than 300K followers on TikTok and it is also worth mentioning that the videos where I have included my son, Youssef, were very relatable to many mothers and I have received a lot of positive feedback on them.
When was the moment of realization that made you feel you are on your way to fame?
It was when my videos reached 10K and 20K shares. I was also happy to see people on the streets recognizing me and telling me how much they love my content. At that point, I realized that my social media platforms were doing well and that I am on the right track. One of the videos I love the most and was happy with how it received a lot of engagement was my version of Amina Shelbaya’s Etiquette videos which has reached 16 million views.
How did your job as a journalist help you in building your social media platforms?
Social media has become an integral aspect of journalism, in fact, social media is now essential in almost every area of life. My brother has been of great help in building my social media platforms, given the fact he has good knowledge in that area, and I truly appreciate his support and effort.
In your opinion what makes some influencers succeed while others don’t?
I believe that the most important factor that any influencer or blogger needs to keep in my mind is being themselves genuinely. Faking or pretending to be someone you are not on social media will not take you anywhere, especially since audiences can always tell the difference, and no one likes to watch something knowing it is fake or pretentious.
What is the best and worst thing about social media?
The best part is seeing people who just know you from behind a screen expressing love and support. It is such a wonderful feeling when you receive a nice compliment or a warm wish from someone who doesn’t know you at all and do it just out of love not because they are waiting for something in return. On the other hand, you do not have much privacy on social media. Once you’ve put your life out to the public, there will be more people paying attention to how you live your life, and no matter how much you try to keep it private, still there is a part of your life that is exposed.
Finally, an advice you’d give to young bloggers and influencers who are still at the beginning of creating content.
First and foremost, they need to find something they love and build on it. If bloggers or influencers don’t create content based on something they are passionate about, they will simply lose interest in the whole process sooner than they think. It is hard to stay committed and consistent to something you don’t really love and you will not be able to progress in something you are just doing for the sake of fame. Plus, if you are not doing it from your heart, it will never reach the people.
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