Because of her frustration of not getting any acting roles that suit her age, Esther turned to TikTok and made one video just for fun. She never thought that her first TikTok video would gain over 150,000 views after a couple of hours and open opportunities for her to become a content creator. Today, Esther shares her journey as a content creator in her 60s.

About Esther Brzezinski

Esther Brzezinski is a content creator with over 100,000 followers on TikTok and 90,000 followers on Instagram. Her career as a content creator started when she posted a TikTok video using an aging filter and then took it off to show how she really looked as a 64-year-old. The 15-second video gained 150,000 views after a few hours. Her online following continued to grow after. 

After her video received so many views, she made sure to engage with everyone by answering them in the comments section. She continued posting content with the same theme — about age is not my cage — and realized that it resonated with a lot of people. 

She adds, “It shocked me. I did not realize that there was a community of 50+ on TikTok, for instance, because that’s not what we generally perceive. It [TikTok] definitely aged up a lot.”

Esther also realized that some people in TikTok didn’t want to participate but would only want to view her videos. She received tons of messages from her viewers about their experiences and struggles in life. From there, a community was built. 

“They would talk about their lives. They would talk about not being seen, having spouses that passed away, and they’re lonely and sort of feeling that their lives are over. So there was sort of this community.”

What Type of Content Best Works for Esther

Browsing through Esther’s Instagram account, it’s evident that most of her content has the same format — her head is positioned close to the camera, and she talks about a specific topic with subtitles displayed in the video. 

When asked whether this type of content works well with her followers, Esther answered:

“The talking head concept just sort of worked for me. I guess it gives that sense of intimacy. It’s not about the whole ‘what I’m doing today’ or ‘what I’m wearing’ [type of videos]. My point was just to talk about aging.”

What’s your most viral video?

Besides the first video Esther created, there are two other videos that did extremely well. She shares, “On Instagram, I did one where I said I still like going out and having fun even though I’m 65. And that has 1.5 million views, and it freaked me out.”

Esther did a similar video, but this time, it was for TikTok. In the video — which has already gained about 1.7 million views — Esther talked about how she still has a passion and loves hard. She jokingly comments, “I used that word. Yes, I did. And that might have helped without realizing it.” 

Esther credits the success of her videos to many things, like her preferred content format (a talking head with nothing else going on), her appearance, the sound of her voice, and her expression. But she’s proud to say that it’s her personality coming through her videos. 

Esther on Brand Collabs

Esther didn’t expect that her videos would blow off — the same way she didn’t expect that brands would approach her the moment she reached 10,000 followers on TikTok. Presently, her content is monetized, and she earns from them. 

“As of late, I am now monetized with bonuses, and more brands have reached out. More cosmetic type companies or for creams, facial cleansers, and under-eye, anti-puffing serums along those lines. Brands that fit into the demographic.”

What’s your favorite collab?

Out of all the brands Esther worked with, her collab with Il Makiage is her favorite. In fact, she’s doing a third campaign with the brand. She shares, “I enjoyed working with them because I love their products. They were very clear and concise with what they wanted, and they were very professional.”

She continues to share her experience with brand collabs with another company called Ina. It’s a new company making feminine hygiene products for all age groups. The brand created a special type of moisturizing liquid for women after menopause, and Esther posted a TikTok video for that.

“That [menopause] is a huge issue that nobody talks about. They gifted the product to me, and I did get compensated, as well. And I was pleased to talk about the issue women over 50 have and women who are postmenopausal. I was proud to do that, and the product was amazing.”

Challenges as a Content Creator

Esther finds it challenging and frustrating to keep up with all the changes happening on different platforms. She frequently has to figure out why the number of her views is going down or why a video doesn’t seem to get the same traction as others. 

“YouTube changed because I was posting many of my podcasts on the platform, and then all of a sudden, it was all about shorts. And so, I thought, I’m going to make some of my YouTube and TikTok videos. I kept some on my phone without the watermark, and I started putting it as shorts, and it started to work.”

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A post shared by Esther Brzezinski (@estieb)

Esther also mentioned that it was difficult for her at times to engage with her followers. She was answering every response left by her followers, but over time, it became difficult to keep up. 

She explains, “I was always engaging and answering to everyone, and then it became overwhelming. Like, ‘what do I do now?’”

Deciding What to Post on What Platform

When deciding what content to post on different platforms, Esther shares that she uses the same for all platforms except for Instagram. She explains, “I am more careful of what I put on Instagram. I try to post daily [on other platforms], but not as much on Instagram. Maybe it’ll be like twice a week sometimes.”

Esther feels that Instagram is more business-oriented, which is why she’s cautious about what she puts out there. She continues, “I can’t really pinpoint why, but I just feel that it’s one of the platforms that’s taken more seriously.”

How Esther Handles Negative Comments

Esther had dealt with plenty of negative comments since she started as a content creator. She used to receive comments from people tired of seeing her content focused on the same topic — aging. She also received messages on Facebook from people saying she has had work done, cheek implants, or plastic surgery. 

At first, Esther answered these negative comments but realized that it will only become a never-ending battle. She explains, “I would answer honestly and say, ‘I haven’t done any injections since 2019’, which is true. I tried to be really honest, but it was futile because the arguments would just continue. So, I backed off and just ignored.”

Esther also shared that she came across plenty of profiles using her name and image. She reported it over and over, but nothing happened. She says, “That’s very frustrating. I am mortified that people are using my image and my name for romance scamming.”

Main Revenue Streams

“Most of the monetization comes from collaborations. I receive bonuses from Facebook, but it’s not a ton. I would say that collaborations are more.”

All the brand collabs Esther had in the past started the same way: companies approach her and not the other way around. But she shares that she already has plans in approaching companies first for brands collabs. She says, “That’s something that I’m thinking about doing. I guess I want to get more cloud before I do that.”

Advice for Aspiring Content Creators

Esther is a firm believer in consistency and wants aspiring content creators to see the importance of being consistent. She also shares how crucial it is to engage with followers and treat them as friends. She continues, “If they align with what you’re doing, just comment or befriend them.” 

Esther also encourages aspiring content creators to acknowledge the fact that people have very short attention spans and to create content that’ll grab attention in the first three seconds. She encourages anyone who wants to enter the content creator space to use the resources available online to cope with this demand, “There are so many videos and newsletters online that you can look up and learn about what works and doesn’t.”

What’s Missing in the Content Creator Space

In the future, Esther wants to put the spotlight on smaller creatives rather than being struck by celebrities or people with millions of followers. She adds, “I think there are so many good creators out there who have a smaller following but are just as amazingly brilliant and talented. I believe they deserve a lot more attention.”

Esther’s Goal for the Future

Esther wants to keep doing what’s doing right now — which is creating content — but would like to be represented. She explains, “As an actor and a voice artist, I am represented; I have an agent. I believe, at this point, I would like to have some sort of representation, as well. I’m starting to look into that because things are thrown at me, and sometimes, I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to do or if I could have negotiated better.”

Esther has experience being a businesswoman but admits that her role as a content creator is different. It’s a new industry, and she often comes across people who ask her to get involved with things, which she’s unsure if they’re right for her. 

She also wants to work with brands that she feels are more aligned with what she’s all about. However, Esther doesn’t know how to get the ball rolling. Because of this, she reiterates her need of being represented. She says, “So I guess in the future, I’d like to find representation, like a manager or agent of some sort. And it’s interesting because there are not many agents that do content, at least from where I live in Canada.”