We’re reaching out to some popular creators to get their best tips and tricks for success and better understand the ups and downs of life as a trailblazer on the internet.
This week, we caught up with popular TikToker Zoi Lerma (@zoifishh). Lerma is a former college soccer player, who first went viral for her dance videos in 2020. Since then, Lerma has amassed over 5.6 million followers on TikTok and over 414,000 followers on Instagram. Her social pages also include lip sync, comedy, makeup, beauty, and lifestyle content.
Lerma has frequently made videos with other popular TikTokers—including Charli D’Amelio, Jack Wright, Markell Washington, Cassidy Condie, and others. She’s also partnered with top brands, like Revlon, Urban Outfitters, and Netflix.
We chatted with Lerma to discuss her content, career, online presence, partnerships, advice for other creators, and more.
What is your favorite kind of content to create?
I really like doing viral dances because that’s what my page was built on, but I also love doing makeup videos and outfits videos.
Have you always been a dancer?
No, I haven’t! I’ve actually only ever played soccer my whole life–I tried doing a dance class once because all my friends in middle school were dancers and let’s just say I was so bad…I never went back.
What lessons have you taken away from your athletic career, and how has being an athlete impacted your career as an influencer?
The lessons I’ve taken from my athletic career have been consistency, focus, and leadership (more for myself and my own life and less for the team as a whole). Being an athlete definitely engrained a routine into my day-to-day life. When I stopped playing soccer, I was able to create a routine for myself without depending on athletics or school like I always had! It taught me independence for sure.
What’s something you do each day to maintain your online presence?
I try to post on at least one social media platform a day–and if I really don’t feel like posting at all, I make sure to get ideas from social media for what I should post the next day or in the future!
How did you meet Charli D’Amelio, and why did you decide to team up for some videos?
I met Charli a while ago at the old Hype House, but we didn’t really hangout until we saw each other more with mutuals. I think we decided to spontaneously make videos together.
You’ve partnered with brands like Revlon, Urban Outfitters and Netflix. What advice do you have for creators making sponsored content?
My biggest advice is to make content that you genuinely love and are proud to put out there. Most of the time sponsored content is seen as a quick thing to “get done”, but people and brands can see through content you obviously didn’t enjoy making. Always be proud of your work!
Do you ever work with musicians to help market their music on TikTok?
I have met with musicians before to give advice on how to market music. Sometimes musicians will come to me and other creators to see which part of the song a viral dance could be made with it, and it ends up working out sometimes!
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to an aspiring creator?
One piece of advice I would give to an aspiring creator is to not wait. If you really want to put your work out there and show everyone your gift, don’t hesitate! There are millions of people everyday showing off their work and talents, so why shouldn’t you? But also, don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out as fast as you want it to. If you want it to work badly enough, it always will.
What’s next for you?
I see myself doing so many new projects this year and in upcoming years in general. I want to dive more into YouTube, diversify my content, and to test my different talents to see what I could be good at. I also want to travel a bunch this year and create new experiences!
Thank you, Zoi, for chatting with us!
Are you a creator who has gone viral? Email grace.stanley@fragmnt.com for a chance to get featured in an upcoming newsletter.
