After training four strategists from scratch, who went on to generate 100M+ views across four different apps, I want to share what I’m learning. A lot of founders I talk to struggle to find the right people for this role, especially those founders who aren’t native to TikTok or Instagram.
I’m not either, so I get it.
To get there, we hired over 12 juniors strategists to find the three who truly stood out. One of the other strategists was already a senior, so I’ll focus on those three juniors here. Those are the ones who you’ll most likely need to find, train and hire.
The first thing you’ll notice about great juniors is that they’re fully native Gen Z. They already “speak” the platform (they understand the codes of content) even if they know nothing about mobile apps, AI tools, or B2C UGC marketing.
Many of them have dabbled in influencer marketing before, which is exactly what you’ll need to help them unlearn.
They need to forget influencer marketing. That content mindset doesn’t work for UGC. It’s a completely different skill set.
Once that’s out of the way, have them study hundreds of UGC videos. Build a library of content from competitors and similar apps. Teach them the core multi-account UGC formats. If you don’t know yourself, let them go through those, or through the library you’ve put together.
There are usually four or five main ones, but the real limit is how much you can convince your creators to do for what you’re paying them. Each format performs differently in terms of conversion, and your strategist needs to know it’s not just about views — because views are easy.
After enough exposure, push them to experiment. A strategist needs at least 1,000 videos under her belt — dozens of tests, iterations, and formats — before she finds her first viral hit. Once she gets that first million-view video, and if the dopamine hits, there’s no going back. Give her as many accounts and creators as possible so she can move fast, experiment and see what works.
She needs to become obsessed with her strategies. She needs to check multiple times a day how the videos are doing. She needs to care.
The most underrated skill of all: communication. Your strategist will often be managing creators directly. Honestly, that’s the best setup. Vertical integration like this always drives better results.
She needs to stay patient when creators get demanding or difficult and learn how to persuade them to try new ideas and trust her direction. That’s critical, especially when testing new formats or increasing posting frequency. The best strategists aren’t just creative thinkers, they’re people who know how to build trust and friendship with creators.
That’s what it takes to find and train strong junior viral strategists and creator managers.
The takeaway is that you don’t need someone with a fancy background or proven talent. You need a hustler who can communicate well. About 30% of my junior hires ended up massively outperforming expectations, which is huge in a space where hardly anyone is truly qualified or fits the typical resume mold.
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