Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Kamyab.
Hi Tina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
How It All Started
My journey into social media actually started with design. I studied Graphic Design and Visual Communication, which gave me a strong foundation in visual storytelling, composition, color, aesthetics, and creative concept development. After graduating, I worked full-time for about 3 years as a Graphic Designer for a premium handbag brand, where I gained valuable experience working in a professional creative environment and developing visual content for a luxury-oriented audience.
At some point, however, I felt the desire to build something of my own. I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Design Management, and during my studies, I used the flexibility of being a student to explore different creative paths and eventually become self-employed.
Initially, I started freelancing as a graphic designer, but at the same time, I also wanted to create something that was completely my own. That was when I started my social media account.
In the beginning, I didn’t really have a defined niche. I was essentially using the platform as a creative playground and experimenting with things I genuinely enjoyed. I have always loved working with my hands, so I started creating and sharing DIY projects, for example, drying flowers and turning them into decorative artworks.
Over time, I started incorporating more food-related content. I have always loved cooking and experimenting with food, so I began creating my first food videos and noticed that they were performing significantly better than some of my other content.
That was when I started paying closer attention to what people were responding to.
Finding My Niche
I didn’t have a clear strategy from day one. In fact, finding my niche was a process of trial and error. I experimented with different types of content and slowly learned what felt authentic to me while also resonating with an audience.
I began recreating viral recipes, but rather than simply copying them, I started putting my own visual and creative spin on them. My background in design naturally influenced the way I approached food content. I became very focused on making recipes not only taste good, also playing with emotions and entertaining people. Then came the recipe that completely changed everything.
One of my first major viral videos was my Sour Patch Grapes recipe. I soaked grapes in lemon juice, coated them in sugar, and froze them to create a sweet and sour, candy like snack.
The recipe reached around 160 million views and received approximately 5 million likes at the time it went viral. Most importantly, it brought me almost 70,000 new followers in a very short period of time.
That was the moment when I realized that this could become much more than just a creative hobby.
It also completely changed the scale and geography of my audience. Until then, I had mainly been experimenting and building an audience organically. Suddenly, my content was reaching people all over the world, and I started developing a truly international community.
In a way, that viral video laid the foundation for the niche I have today.
Where I Am Today
Today, my content focuses primarily on fruits, candy, extraordinary snacks, and playful foods. I love taking something familiar and adding an unexpected or slightly provocative twist to it.
A big part of my content is therefore the combination of food and entertainment. I want my videos to be visually satisfying, instantly understandable, and a little bit unexpected.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The journey was definitely not a straight line. It was more about constantly figuring things out, adapting, and continuing even when the results weren’t immediately visible.
One of the first challenges was simply putting myself out there. Showing your face, your ideas, and your work publicly on social media can feel very vulnerable, especially when you are starting from zero and have no idea how people will react.
At the same time, I was juggling several things at once. Studying, working as a freelancer and gradually trying to build my own social media business on the side. Eventually, I had to make the decision to step away from the security of a full-time job and put more energy into building something of my own. That transition was exciting, but also quite challenging.
And then there was the reality of social media itself: putting hours of work into a video that sometimes barely reaches anyone.
But I think those moments taught me one of the most valuable lessons: not every piece of content is going to perform, and that doesn’t mean the work was wasted.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Today, I work as a content creator on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. My main focus is creating visually engaging, playful, and sometimes unexpected recipes. They should make people curious, entertain them.
My background in Design is a huge part of what sets me apart. My content doesn’t necessarily follow traditional recipe formats. I like to experiment, play with trends, and create things that are a little unusual or provocative. I think that playful element has become a recognizable part of my content.
Beyond my own platforms, I also work with brands to create social-first content and translate products into concepts that feel natural and entertaining on social media. My goal is to make branded content feel like something people would genuinely want to watch, rather than simply an advertisement.
What I am probably most proud of is my international community and how organically everything has developed
Who else deserves credit in your story?
One person who has played a particularly important role throughout my journey is my boyfriend. As a developer, he has a strong understanding of algorithms, statistics and how digital platforms work. From the very beginning, we would look at my content together, analyze metrics and platform insights, compare videos that performed well with those that didn’t, and try to understand why certain pieces of content were being pushed while others weren’t.
That analytical perspective has been incredibly valuable to me because social media can very easily become purely about the creative side. At the end of the day, social media is a technology-driven business.
Having someone who could look at my content from a completely different perspective helped me develop a much more analytical approach. Instead of simply asking, “Do I like this video?”, we started asking questions like: “Why did this video perform better? Where did people stop watching? What made people share it? What does the Insights tell us?”
I think that combination of creative intuition and data-driven thinking has been a major part of my growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tinkavideo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinka.video
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-kamyab
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bytinkavideo
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tinka.video
