SN Spotlight: The biggest challenge being a content creator is learning that you cannot please everyone: Geet

Popular on social media handles for her willingness to help people across the world ace their command of the English language, content creator Geet has amassed a loyal follower base online.

After perusing engineering in college, Geet studied further and earned a doctor of law degree. Even after being paralyzed and being in a wheelchair since the age of 10, Geet did not give up on life or the willingness to help society. Today she runs a small NGO in the Delhi/NCR region to support slums and work with children.

She started her social media page at the end of August 2015, with motivation stories, quotes, and thoughts. Within 6 months, she had 1.5 million followers.

On Moj, she is teaching English in a fun and relatable way using comedy and relatable messaging. Her videos will also address daily life struggles from how to overcome stress, best study tips, relationship advice, gaining confidence, women’s issues, and women empowerment.

In conversation with Social Nation, Geet spills the beans behind her content creation streak, social media journey, challenges and opportunities, mantra to remain consistent, and more.

Excerpts:

How has been the new year treating you so far? Any hashtag that you’d like to associate 2022 with?

My hashtag for 2022 is #thehappiestyearofmylife.  At the end of last year, a song was trending “Thank You for the happiest year of my life”. Despite new lockdowns and what is going on with the pandemic, for some reason I feel really hopeful this year.

On a personal front, I have made many changes and let go of toxic people, thought patterns, and situations. On a professional front, I have been experimenting with new styles of content and have seen a positive response.

Could you tell us how did your content creation journey on social media start? What’s your favorite part about the entire process?

I grew up with the dream of being an actress. But many people discouraged me because I am in a wheelchair. So, I started a social media page at the end of August 2015, just to gauge if the public would be open to an actress in a wheelchair. I initially posted motivation stories, quotes, and thoughts on social media, along with letting people know about my dream.

Within 6 months, my page had grown to over 1.5 million followers. In mid-2016, I started creating and posting short comedy videos as well as motivational short films on socially relevant topics. The response was phenomenal with many of our videos going viral on topics such as domestic violence, child labor, and saas/bahu relationships.

Seeing the positive impact I could make using social media, I continued to create short films with powerful messages for society.

In February 2019, I started using a short video platform. Actually, I started using the short-form video app for a funny reason. My 87-year-old grandmother loves to act and we had some time on our hands and we created a series of short 20-second comedy videos together. So I thought the short video app would be the perfect platform for these short-form videos.

So I actually started using the short video platform just to post these comedy videos. But, being a motivator at heart, I casually also uploaded some of my motivational videos.

And to my surprise, those just took off. The response was overwhelming. I posted videos on topics like saas-bahu relationships, self-confidence, and domestic violence. These videos each amassed hundreds of thousands of views. In the comments section, I had people telling me that my simple, less than one minute, videos were changing their thinking, their lives.

It was funny, but my comedy videos didn’t do too well. Instead, my motivational and socially relevant content did phenomenally well. In particular, I make a lot of videos on relationship issues.

Then in April, I started a second account for teaching English (EnglishWithGeet). My viewers seemed to be very keen on learning English. Although I am not an English teacher, growing up in the US, and being a lawyer, my English was strong, so I decided to give teaching a try. And I was shocked at the response. Within, I believe, one week, I had 100K followers on my English teaching account.

I actually love everything about the process. From conceptualizing ideas to bringing them to life to seeing the audience’s reaction and the change in their lives. It is all very fulfilling as a creator.

Do you remember your first ‘viral’ content piece? If yes, then what was it about and how did you react after it boomed?

Some of our very early motivational short films went viral. One was about the need to be patient with our parents when teaching them new technologies and the other was about respecting homemakers and the work they do. It was a surreal experience to see the number of views, comments, and shares rise.

I was literally repeatedly refreshing the screen and telling my parents how many new views the videos had gotten. And when relatives and friends started calling and messaging my parents that they had seen our new videos, it was an awesome feeling to see them so proud.

People’s comments on how our videos were changing their thoughts and behavior motivated us to continue creating.

Also Read: SN Spotlight: Following trends is the new normal but being real and authentic stays classic forever- Ramsha Sultan

What are some of the challenges that you face on social media and how important do you think it is to engage with your audience?

The biggest challenge being a content creator is learning that you cannot please everyone. And there are many people who will hate on you, not for anything you did or didn’t do, but just because they feel like it. You have to have thick skin and also choose to ignore the 10 negative comments and focus on the 100 positive ones.

Of course, take constructive criticism in stride and be open to suggestions and improvement, but always do/say what you believe in in the end. And do not lose heart when haters hate.

I think engaging with your audience is key to social media. I guess we often focus on the media part and the creation of videos, but the social part is also just as important. Building a community of people who support you and who you can support is vital to social media success.

And the audience is mostly responsible for the types of content I actually end up creating. Many of my videos are based on questions/concerns my audience voices in comments and DMs.

Besides creating content you also run a small NGO to support slum children. What motivated you to start an initiative as noble as this and how has the experience been so far?

After graduating from college, I worked for a leading law firm in the US with clients such as Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks. But growing up, I wanted one thing from life. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to change the world.

I think that is why I switched careers from Engineering to Law. I thought, as a lawyer, I could help people. And I did. I worked on several cases free of charge for those in need. But it wasn’t enough.

I volunteered at homeless shelters, juvenile jails, hospitals, schools, community centers. But it still wasn’t enough.

Then several years ago, I left a promising career in the US to move to India to volunteer and help slum children and at-risk youth. And I haven’t looked back.

I run a small NGO in the Delhi/NCR region, in which we go directly into the slums and work with children, through story-telling, song, dance, and drama. We teach them positive values and encourage them to dream and succeed in life. We counsel and encourage at-risk youth and adults. Many of them have given up drinking, smoking, and other bad habits.

Through involving them in social service projects, motivational talks, one-on-one counseling, and organizing free talent shows, we encourage them to channel their energies towards positive goals. We also visit the youth jail facility on a periodic basis to try and impact the lives of the youth detained there in a positive manner.

It has been an amazing experience so far, and am waiting for the pandemic to end to continue my work.

For me, social media has been an extension of my work in the slums. Where physically going into a slum I am able to reach 20-100 people with a particular message. On social media, I am able to reach hundreds of thousands, if not millions, with the same message.

During the pandemic, this has been particularly helpful, as going into the slums is not an option due to social distancing.

Your shift from making comedy and motivational videos online to making videos teaching English is something worth noticing. What made you take up this step?

Currently, I make both motivational and English teaching videos. As you know, I started with making motivational videos. But in April 2019, I started a second account for teaching English (EnglishWithGeet). My viewers seemed to be very keen on learning English and many of them requested that I teach them.

Although I am not an English teacher, growing up in the US, and being a lawyer, I was always strong at English, so I decided to give teaching a try.

And I was shocked at the response. Within, I believe, 1 week, I had 100K followers on my English teaching account. Seeing the response and receiving feedback that my videos were making a difference and helping my viewers to learn English has motivated me to continue teaching English online.

What do you think is the simplest way we can help each other? And what motivates you to keep on going?

Helping someone can be as simple as sharing a smile, which can brighten someone’s day. Taking the time to listen to someone who needs to vent their feelings. Being a shoulder for someone to cry on. Calling an old friend out of the blue just to let them know “I am thinking of you” can make someone feel a little less lonely. It is the smallest gesture that can make the biggest impact.

Also simply asking someone, “What can I do to help?” is often the best place to start.

What keeps me motivated to keep going in life is my faith in God and the support of my family. What keeps me motivated as a content creator is the loving online family I have who constantly supports me through not only watching my content but also leaving encouraging comments and messages.

Knowing that I am making a difference in someone’s life somewhere keeps me motivated.

In your journey so far is there any moment in particular which you’ll remember throughout your life?

I was at a market a few years back and a lady came up to me and said, “I am your biggest fan!” People often say this but don’t even know your name, so I didn’t think much of it at first, but then she continued. She told me that her husband passed away 6 years ago and she went into depression.

Then two years ago, her 16-year-old daughter also passed away and her depression got deeper.

But then she started watching my videos and she said that my videos have brought her out of depression and are the reason for her smile today. She shares my videos with everyone around her in the hope they can help them too.

Whenever I feel demotivated as a content creator I remind myself of this and many other testimonials and that keeps me going.

Everyone has someone they look up to or wish to work with. Who has been your in life and whom do you wish to work within the near future?

Rather than a particular person, it is a medium I want to work on. I would like to be in a web series, TV serial, or feature film. That is my dream.

With the short form of content taking over social media. Why do you think long-form of content will never die?

I believe there is a place for all lengths of content. If you want to learn something in-depth, long-form content is definitely the way to go. If you want to sit down and watch a movie with your family or friends, again, long-form content is what you will turn to.

How do you find Moj as an effective medium for content creation?

Moj is an amazing platform with very talented creators. For me, in particular, I am drawn to Moj for two reasons. First, it has such a large user base that when I create content, I know that it has the opportunity to touch and change millions of lives. My channel @theofficialgeet has 1 plus million followers and the other channel @englishwithgeet has amassed 763K followers on Moj.

Second, Moj has an initiative called #LearnOnMoj through which many of the top content creators in the areas of education, business, fitness, motivation, etc have come together to create content to help viewers learn and improve themselves.

We, as a society, spend countless hours browsing short videos, so why not gain something useful? #LearnOnMoj is aimed at doing just that, which is very in line with my personal vision and goal for my content.

Lastly, what keeps you going in life, and what would be your advice to all the people seeking that little push to kick off all the things they plan to do?

My mantra has always been, “Concentrate on what you can do rather than on what you cannot do and God will make all things possible.” Focus on your strengths, work on your weakness and never give up.