Influencer
How Alice Li Is Mastering the Beauty Content Game Online
From a full-time Yale student to a marketing professional, Alice Li has balanced her academic and career pursuits while emerging as a successful beauty creator.
By exploring her passions, experimenting with various formats, and partnering with her business-savvy best friend — who now manages her deals and advocates for lucrative brand collaborations — Alice is steadily bringing her dreams to life.
Who Is Alice Off Camera?
/Alice made it clear that, while balancing a full-time marketing career, she is currently pursuing content creation around beauty products as a part-time pursuit.
She shares, “My agency work in marketing actually complements what I do when connecting with brands, and my professional success has significantly contributed to the influece I enjoy today.”
Alice’s dual role within a marketing agency gives her unique insights into what brands value in a creator and a deep understanding of the business side of an influencer career.
She says, “I’ve come a long way in building my online presence, and working with various talents while gaining business insights has been crucial to my success.”
“Ideally, I’d love to make content creation a full-time endeavor,” Alice adds. “However, continuing to work in a related sector is a unique advantage that not many creators have, so I’m making the most of it while expanding my marketing knowledge as I grow my presence.”
The Beginnings of Alice Li’s Creator Career
Alice’s content creation career began with simple posts featuring fashion outfits, keeping up with the latest trends, and trying out different clothing brands, all before video content became dominant.
“It all started during my first year of university when I began posting on Instagram more consistently, back when video content hadn’t yet taken over,” she shares.
During her four-year journey as a content creator, Alice took a year off to focus on her studies. When she returned, she approached her career with a new strategy, explored different formats, and partnered with a professional to manage the business side.
“It wasn’t until last summer that I started focusing on videos with the help of Connie, my manager,” Alice reveals in the interview.
The Transition To Video Content
Shifting from photos and stories to video content marked a significant turning point in Alice’s journey.
“At first, I wasn’t comfortable with videos,” she says. “If you look at my older ones, you’ll notice I barely spoke.”
Alice revealed that it took her time to adapt to the current scenario, where being vulnerable and raw is essential.
“Once I embraced that mindset, my growth accelerated,” she notes.
Alice credits much of her success in mastering video content creation to her supportive community of friends and family, who provided valuable feedback and suggestions throughout her journey.
The Creative Process
Alice believes that creators who excel in any given niche are also often avid consumers in the space.
Therefore, she attributes her ability to stay on top of trends, create relatable content, and maintain a high level of influence to her extensive content consumption.
“I’m constantly on social media, thinking about what people want to see, what’s popular, and which trends I should join,” she shares.
“It’s become a habit,” she notes. “Even when I’m doing my makeup or trying new products, I approach it from a consumer’s perspective, rather than creator.”
In addition to her understanding of trends and relevance, Alice takes a value-oriented approach to creating engaging content.
“My viral videos often have an educational element or a touch of controversy,” she notes. “For example, one of my most popular videos involved using multiple colors of blush to add dimension after applying foundation. It sparked a lot of debate in the comments, which I believe contributed to its success.”
The Role of an Agency
Working with an agency has been a game changer for Alice, bringing her closer than ever to her full-potential as an influencer.
She explains, “I was on my own for most of the time, and it wasn’t very productive.” “When I signed on with Connie, things changed. She handles brand connections and negotiations, which takes a huge load off my shoulders.”
Connie’s role extends beyond just management; she also helps Alice strategize and generate ideas for future content. “It’s like having two heads thinking at the same time,” Alice told us. “It makes the journey of being a creator a lot more efficient.”
Navigating Brand Deals and Collaborations
Working with her best friend’s talent agency has given Alice a competitive edge in managing inbound inquiries and warm leads from followers and local brands.
“Brand deals come from either inbound or outbound inquiries,” she says. “Connie handles the outbound outreach, while I receive inbound inquiries from brands that have seen my videos.”
Alice explains that brand deals typically involve detailed negotiations on compensation, product promotion, and ad authorizations.
“The agency plays a vital role in securing these deals and ensuring that the collaborations align with my brand and resonate with my audience.”
Adding to the business side of things, Alice emphasizes that niching down and focusing on one specific area has allowed her to land better deals and guarantee higher conversions.
“By honing in on beauty products and shopping, I’ve been able to secure more lucrative deals, as nearly 90% of my audience are Canadian and American females who share these interests,” she reveals.
The Future of Alice’s Influencer Career
Looking ahead, Alice’s goal is to transition into full-time content creation while expanding on her very niche audience.
Following the notion that language is no barrier if the content is self-explanatory, Alice aims to appeal to more users interested in fashion and beauty.
Keen on expanding her reach and influence, she adds, “Right now, my audience is mainly in Canada and the U.S., but I want to appeal to a global audience. My niche is already well-defined, so it’s about reaching more people who are interested in what I do.”
Advice For Aspiring Beauty Creators
While Alice’s strategies and approaches have advanced her career, she believes that growth could have happened much faster with different strategies.
Her main advice for beauty creators is that growth is the biggest challenge: “You can’t control the algorithm, but with quality content, you will eventually go viral. It just takes time for your work to resonate and for your craft to truly flourish.”
Get Comfortable Being Yourself
Alice highlights the importance of patience and persistence.
“Many people think content creation is easy money, but it’s a 24-hour grind,” she states. “You have to be diligent in posting regularly, filming regularly, and getting comfortable in your own skin, especially on camera.”
She also advises aspiring creators to focus on the first few seconds of their videos.
“The first three to five seconds are crucial. Your content needs to be clear, concise, and interesting right from the start. This is what captures people’s attention and keeps them watching.”
On Doing Things Differently
Alice advises beauty creators to focus on mastering delivery and public speaking.
“I was terrified of speaking on camera at first,” she explains. “Each 30-second video would take me two hours to film because I would stutter and get discouraged. But that’s a process every creator has to go through.”
As Alice looks to the future, her focus remains on growth as a creator and individual.
“I just want to keep improving, keep creating, and keep inspiring others,” she adds. “This journey is far from over, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.”
