Kaila Yu, popstar, ex-member of Nylon Pink, Los Angeles Magazine and Rolling Stone journalist, import model, public relations specialist, writer and actress shares her insightful input on influencing. Yu has over 500,000 followers on TikTok and over 140,000 on Instagram.
Yu started on MySpace, she said she enjoyed creating content on the platform but expressed that it was difficult to switch from MySpace to Facebook and Instagram.
Back then, it wasn’t so evolved and breaking through as an online presence wasn’t easy, but she is an example that hard work pays off.
Yu expressed she paid little attention to TikTok until the pandemic started; she built her following by posting three times a day on the platform for a year, helping her find out what her audience did and did not want to see.
She suggested staying engaged with your audience by paying attention to their comments.
She said if something performs better, she would keep going in that direction. Creating content that resonates with your audience requires listening to their suggestions and demands but also staying true to yourself.
Yu has developed her niche. She focuses on travel journalism and Asian-American matters. Although these two topics don’t usually go together, they work for Yu and her audience. She encourages everyone to find their niche.
She only picks brands she likes or that would resonate with her audience. She referenced Shiseido, a brand that she loved since she was a child. Paid advertisements should be accepted for brands and products that the influencer believes in.
Some smaller brands usually provide a code or a link and that’s how they track the engagement, but bigger brands like Shiseido usually track engagement like views, likes and comments, Yu said.
Regarding organization, Yu recommends a color-coded online calendar for its flexibility and ease of use. Finding a system that works for you with a balanced amount of colors is important.
She suggests scrolling through TikToks for inspiration but also making sure to credit creators and avoid plagiarism. Hop on trends but make sure to know when to hop off.
“Know your audience on a deeper level,” Yu said.
Engaging with your audience, replying to direct messages and sometimes going on someone else’s profile and seeing what they are posting and leaving an encouraging comment under their post.
Yu said consistency is key when establishing an online presence. She recommends posting one TikTok every day for 30 days, even if there is a lack of engagement at first. Yu thinks that one’s online presence growth is comparable to taking care of a plant.
“Start a new account where you’re not embarrassed to try funny things,” Yu said.
TikTok is funny and you should be yourself on it and not be embarrassed to try fun things, Yu said.
Yu also landed a book deal with Penguin Books, to release a book called “Yellow Fever Hustler” in 2025. She was inspired to write about “yellow fever” after the massage parlor shooting in Atlanta in 2021 and she feels like conversations should be started on this topic. The criminal only targeted Asian women.
Her tips on writing a book are creating a routine and writing every day; she said that starting is really important. Your writing days will fluctuate from really short to longer. Consistency is key.
She has a lot of hobbies outside of work and she thinks that they are important to manage a work-life balance. Because she is a travel journalist she loves traveling, but she is also a foodie and lately she has been fascinated by the ocean and diving.
Check out Yu’s article on the Los Angeles Magazine website to find out more about her opinion on the TikTok ban in the U.S.
Fabian Marian can be reached at [email protected].
