It was 10 years ago when Ester Tania started uploading makeup tutorials and fitness-related content on YouTube. At the time, the platform was already oversaturated with makeup gurus, and gaining subscribers became an increasingly difficult task for smaller channels such as Tania’s. Despite the small number of views she was getting, giving up never crossed her mind. Tania’s motivation for continuing and staying consistent wasn’t because she wanted to achieve fame; it was more the fact that making videos brought her joy. However, it still goes without saying that Tania desired an audience to share her beautiful creations with.
Like millions of other people during lockdowns, Tania was stuck in her Nicaraguan home back in 2020. That year, she had come across a YouTuber who talked about TikTok, explaining how it was the newest platform to “go viral on.” Tania took it as a sign to give it a try. “Okay, this is it,” she thought. Even though Tania had invested hours upon hours editing videos for YouTube and Instagram in the past without gaining massive results, she had no hesitation in joining the app. “I just knew that something good would come of it,” she tells me.
Unlike other popular TikTokers who had millions of followers, Tania didn’t have the best equipment – in fact, all she had was her phone. She hung a sheet on her dresser to use as a backdrop, and she carefully propped her phone against random items like boxes and water bottles. Tania didn’t have a ring light either, so she was fully dependent on natural lighting, which she took advantage of by waking up early in the morning to record in. She began making tutorials and eventually started sharing her personal stories on TikTok. Tania was able to gain an audience thanks to her engaging storytelling, and eventually, she asked her followers to send in their own stories for her to share. What came next was an outcome the actress had always dreamed of – her videos were going viral, and her follower count was increasing at an incredibly fast pace.
Tania’s TikToks were gaining millions of views, likes, and thousands of shares. Her content had a far reach, and her videos extended to international viewers. The reason for this was simple: The majority of the narratives were from women who had faced difficult situations in their personal relationships. These videos helped others to recognize red flags and signs in their own relationships that most victims have difficulty seeing due to abuse or manipulation. To put it simply, people deeply resonated with Tania’s story times.
"A lot of people watch the story times about husbands cheating, or domestic violence, or how to start recognizing red flags,” Tania explains. “And this is something that has helped many, many women get out of abusive relationships or relationships that might potentially become abusive.”
After her videos continued to go viral, other creators on TikTok decided to follow suit. Today, the “story time” genre continues to dominate on the platform – and we have Tania and her audience to thank.
Two years later, Tania now boasts 2.2 million followers on TikTok. "It's hard to sit here and quantify or try to think of what two million people look like, but that's a lot of people, and a lot of them do come back to my channel, and that's what makes me happy,” she tells me.
And while the “story times” did propel Tania to her newfound fame, her “self care” content and tutorials are more reasons why viewers keep coming back to her page. Tania’s page has become a safe space for both men and women who want to focus on improving their lives and relationships. Because of her encouraging and loving videos, she’s owned the nickname “Self Care Sister” (a fitting title her own sister came up with). "I get a lot of people saying when they come into my channel they associate with it with a safe place, with self-care, with positivity, self-love, and healthy feelings and that is super valuable,” she says.
Tania’s large following on TikTok has greatly impacted her own life as well. She’s partnered with some of the biggest brands since her rise as an influencer, including ColourPop Cosmetics, Disney, Hulu, the NFL, Burt’s Bees, Suave, and EM Cosmetics. She now even has her own collection with Au Naturale Cosmetics. These partnerships have positively affected Tania’s family and friends as well. "My family benefits, my friends benefit, the people around me benefit. It directly affects my followers because I love to give away products," she adds.
A makeup guru’s closet is often coveted by many women. These days, the biggest makeup artists on YouTube flaunt their large beauty hauls they gained from the biggest brands. To my surprise, Tania’s makeup haul wasn’t located in a dedicated walk-in closet like other famous content creators have. Instead, Tania maintained a simple, average-sized cabinet of some of the products she's received – the rest she gives away.
"I donate probably over 90% of the PR that I'm lucky enough to receive," she explains. "I have a rule where I only keep one item from every box that I'm sent."
Tania donates shampoos, makeup, or self-care products to different organizations, including the homeless, domestic violence, and women’s shelters. She gifts the rest to her family, friends, and her followers.
Tania’s advice to anyone who wants to make content? “Just start,” she says. “Don't wait for the perfect moment, there's never going to be a perfect moment. Don't worry about the lighting. Use a lamp, use natural lighting. Keep it simple.”
“Just start. Don't wait for the perfect moment, there's never going to be a perfect moment."
Tania also advises anyone who is looking to make content to make something they personally enjoy. "If you make a video that you yourself love to watch, other people will love to watch it,” she adds. “That is why you need to start today – because you can look back in a year, and say 'oh man, what if I had started a year ago.' Don't wait!” To Tania, having fun while filming or creating is an absolute must. "If you don't do it your way, you're not gonna have fun, and in the long run, it's just not sustainable.”
“It's very important to build your community,” Tania explains. In the beginning, she would go live 5 to 6 hours a day to build her community. Going live is incredibly important if you want to gain a loyal audience. “It's a really good time to show your personality, show a little behind-the-scenes. It's really valuable time that makes it easier for you to be able to connect with them when you're already post-content.”
According to Tania, the same people who are present in your lives will continue to show support in the next content you upload. For this reason, it's important to give them attention, and to answer their comments and questions. At times, fans during Tania’s lives will ask to be acknowledged and request for their names to be called – a simple task that Tania is more than glad to do for her followers. “It’s nice – it makes a big difference,” she says. Tania's last advice is to stay authentic and to be yourself when you're streaming, and that it's key to also be happy when you're doing so.
Of course, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and putting yourself out there is no small task for many women who are dealing with their insecurities. When I asked Tania how she was able to be so confident and charismatic, she gave credit to her mom, who helped build her up. Her single mother raised Tania and her siblings with a lot of love and attention. When Tania was young, she told her mom she wanted to be an actress – and her mother took her to an audition in LA not too long after. Because of her mom’s attentiveness, Tania and her four siblings have returned the same energy. "She is the matriarch, she is the queen, and we treat her as such,” she explains.
Her single mother raised Tania and her siblings with a lot of love and attention.
Regardless of the millions of followers and many partnerships she’s gained, Tania has stayed true to her roots, remaining down-to-earth and generous. In the past, when she was still relying on YouTube for views, Tania would have dreamed of being invited to events held by beauty companies that invited some of the biggest influencers. Now, she gets that and more, and she’s incredibly grateful for it. Of course, like with any job, being a content creator can be difficult at times. When I asked Tania what keeps her motivated, she gave credit to her fans and family. Knowing that her content is helping others helps her to keep going, and she will not be stopping anytime soon. Her favorite part about making content is the beautiful messages she receives from viewers who are able to resonate with the stories she shares. “It's beautiful to see people relating and commenting,” she says.
If you asked what an influencer's "perfect day" might look like, you'd probably expect them to say that they'd spend time at the beach or enjoy a romantic night in Europe. For Tania, it's none of those things. Her perfect day involves her family and her loved ones: “It would be being in the kitchen with my family, cooking a meal together, sitting down for us to eat together, and watching a movie together,” she explains. "Ultimately, my happiness lies with my family, and that's where my heart is."
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