Eileen Yang: How I made 30K / month at 20
Eileen went from making $12/h to pulling in $30K months at age twenty. Her secret isn’t luck - it’s learning how to turn scrappy UGC skills, and faceless marketing into real income. In this interview, she breaks down exactly how she did it (and how you can start with zero followers).
When I first started college at Virginia Tech, I basically had no money. Making $12/hour at Kung Fu Tea was simply not enough to fund rent, textbooks, food, hangouts/travel, etc. So initially, my drive to keep pushing was simply to fund my life as I entered college. However, my motivation now extends beyond money. Seeing the freedom and flexibility money gives me and how it is 1000% possible to do something you're passionate about while making money, I want to encourage others to pursue the unconventional. I also want to retire my parents and set my future family up for success. Living in America itself is also a huge privilege in itself; I'd be doing a disservice to NOT take advantage of all the opportunities I have here.
You specialize in creating viral content so let’s dive into that! How can anyone start creating content that will resonate?
- Be authentic & honest about how you feel - people LOVE authenticity and feeling related to
- Talk to the camera like it's your best friend
- Don't copy other people's content
- Tell stories, not just blanket statements
- Each piece of content must either provide VALUE or ENTERTAINMENT (or both)
Those are the keys to high-performing content. For example, here is a post I made when I was going through a very hard time mentally. It reached 500k+ views because I showcased both the highs and lows and how I came out of it :)
A lot of people might think that they need a huge following before getting started. Can you explain how anyone can get started with “Faceless Marketing”?
I know creators with <500 followers who make $10k+ / month from creating content. If you can get connected with brands and ask them if they need content to post on THEIR pages (not your own), you can still get paid for it. This is how I was able to hit my first $10k month freshman year of college. Anyone can do it as long as you're confident enough to yap to the camera & enjoy content creation. Common misconception: It's not "easy money." There's a lot of scripting, brainstorming, editing, and time that goes into it but it's 1000% worth if you want to make money online. Here's how you can do it ⬇️
1️⃣ Build a UGC portfolio (before you pitch anyone).
You can't pitch brands without examples of your work. Brands really want to see that you can film well, edit well, and create content that actually drives results. I started with products I already had at home (i.e. an acne face wash and showing my transformation through a skincare routine). Film 3–5 solid examples and treat them like real brand projects
2️⃣ Create and host your portfolio (I used Canva for free).
Make a simple, clean portfolio that highlights your work and the results. If you don’t have analytics yet, post your sample videos online (TikTok/IG) and track how they perform. Then add those view counts to your portfolio. This matters because brands want proof your style can capture attention and convert - even if it’s on your personal account.
3️⃣ Start pitching brands directly.
You can DM brands you love on Instagram with something like:
Most of the time, they’ll point you to the correct email (usually someone on the marketing or social team). You can also find contacts on LinkedIn and use a tool like LeadLeaper to pull emails. The extension is free!
4️⃣ Post your UGC examples publicly.
Brands actively search hashtags like #ugccreator and #ugccommunity to find new creators. The more content you post, the more discoverable you become - and the more inbound opportunities you’ll get!
You’re 20 years old & recently posted that you hit a $30K month. Congratulations! How did you do it?
I have a few streams of income! Big ones are: Full time marketing/product role at a tech startup, UGC, influencer deals for social media, & a coaching program I run with my friend. Smaller streams: TikTok Shop, affiliate program for a fintech company, selling digital ebooks + courses on my personal page. Here's what the breakdown looks like:
- $10K growth/product marketing management role
- $17.7K from selling a high ticket coaching program for creators
- $500 from Whop Affiliates for my friend's content program and a fintech company
- $2K UGC for a food company and an eyewear company
- $100 from Stan Store
- $430 trading
