Hooked with Julia and Nick

Hooked by Playkit

Most social media advice out there is totally useless, and nobody seems to be talking about how they actually grew their company on social. So we decided to create a podcast that pulls back the curtain on exactly how to grow your brand, your audience, and your impact. Each episode is a radically transparent, fun, and totally real conversation with top creators, marketers, and brand leaders. We'll dig into the actual tactics, real metrics, and actionable playbooks that you can immediately use to dominate on social.

Episodes

  1. 5D AGO

    Behind the Scenes of Playkit: How Alexis Hedley Manages 200+ UGC Creators and Millions of Views

    Alexis Hedley went from posting one viral TikTok in college to managing 200+ creators and millions of views as Playkit’s Campaign Manager. In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to succeed as a creator or land your first role in the UGC space. From monetization frameworks to horror stories of creator outreach, Alexis shares the tactical insights every founder, brand, and aspiring creator needs to know. What you’ll learn: • How Alexis went from creator → strategist → campaign manager.• The 4 monetization “buckets” every creator should know.• Why you don’t need a huge following to make money.• The right way (and wrong way) to pitch brands.• What creators get wrong about “finding a niche.”• Why startups are the best place to launch a content career. Timestamps: 0:00 – Cold open: Alexis on content & monetization 0:09 – Intro to Alexis Hedley, Campaign Manager at Playkit 2:00 – The For You Page, TikTok Lives & how algorithms influence behavior 14:00 – Alexis’ background: small-town California → Ole Miss → first viral TikTok 23:00 – Breaking into startups with no experience (and first big lessons) 26:00 – The money behind UGC: what creators actually charge 30:00 – Creator outreach horror stories & how to stand out 35:00 – Why startups are the best way to break into content + taking initiative 46:00 – Running her first campaign, making $10K in bonuses, & helping friends quit jobs to create full-time 56:30 – How Playkit structures creator pay: weekly payouts + bonuses 1:02:00 – Finding your niche: what you love to create vs. consume 1:06:00 – The 4 monetization buckets every creator should know 1:13:00 – The evolution of UGC: hook + demo → skits → founder-led content 1:23:00 – Rapid fire: craziest excuses, proudest moments & final advice If you’re a founder or creator who wants to grow your engagement and eventually monetize your accounts, you’re going to love this. Tune into this episode of Hooked on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!

    1h 26m
  2. SEP 16

    Breakdown: Garrett Rothstein’s Viral Content Playbook. From 100 TikToks to Millions of Downloads

    Garrett Rothstein (founder of Queue, ex-Snapchat, Bird, Quibi) shares how he turned TikTok into a growth engine, engineering features for virality, building a captions matrix, and iterating 100+ times before hitting his first breakout video. If you’re a founder, marketer, or creator, this is a masterclass in how to design products and content for distribution. Timestamps: 0:00 – Cold open: 100 TikToks before the first viral hit 1:15 – Intro: Who is Garrett Rothstein & how Q + Playkit teamed up 4:00 – Building Q & engineering the “swipe with a friend” feature for TikTok virality 9:20 – The captions + iteration matrix (inspired by MrBeast) 12:00 – Why some videos flop & others go viral: hooks, pain points, and couples content 19:20 – Triggering comments, planting Easter eggs, and why shares matter most 25:30 – The comment section as the new Reddit 31:10 – Lessons from Snapchat, Bird, and Quibi 36:00 – Gamification, streaks & consumer psychology that drive growth 39:00 – Founder life: balancing CEO duties with content creation 44:30 – Staying sane: health, habits & mental resilience 48:20 – Advice for students + how to get hired as a creator 56:30 – The future of AI in content: slop vs. real utility 1:07:00 – Rapid fire: biggest flop, consumer psych tricks, daily routines Whether you’re scaling a startup, running campaigns, or just curious about how virality actually works, this episode will leave you with playbooks you can apply right now. Don’t forget to listen, subscribe, and share Hooked on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube to catch every new drop.

    1h 20m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Most social media advice out there is totally useless, and nobody seems to be talking about how they actually grew their company on social. So we decided to create a podcast that pulls back the curtain on exactly how to grow your brand, your audience, and your impact. Each episode is a radically transparent, fun, and totally real conversation with top creators, marketers, and brand leaders. We'll dig into the actual tactics, real metrics, and actionable playbooks that you can immediately use to dominate on social.

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