Creator Monet McMichael Is Striking Big Brand Deals and Connecting With Fans

Before walking the L’Oréal Paris Fashion Week runway in a bright yellow ensemble last October, TikTok creator Monet McMichael experienced a whirlwind of nerves backstage. This was her first time on the runway. “We got [to the venue] at noon and ended up walking at 9 p.m.,” McMichael said. “It was a lot of glam time leading up to the moment. It was unreal.” L’Oréal is just one of the high-profile brands McMichael has recently inked deals with. Shortly after graduating from Rutgers Nursing School in May 2022, she became a full-time creator. Since then, she's worked with big brands across beauty and skin care on TikTok and Instagram, including Google x Pat McGrath for its "#ShopWithGooglePartner" campaign, Charlotte Tilbury’s Disney "#StepIntoMagic" campaign and a collab with MAC Cosmetics. Forbes estimates her earnings, primarily from lucrative brand deals, at around $4 million. McMichael began her social media journey nearly a decade ago, starting as a 14-year-old YouTuber. Now, at 24, she’s amassed 3.8 million followers on TikTok, 1.2 million followers on Instagram and 418,000 subscribers on YouTube. Building a loyal fan base sets her apart from other creators. Her average engagement score is 13%, per Forbes. In an industry famously obsessed with authenticity, an engagement score of 2% is considered impressive. But forming and maintaining brand relationships has helped win her big projects. “I'm not partnering with just any brand just because of whatever the exchange is,” McMichael told ADWEEK. “It's because I genuinely like the products, and that's the bottom line.” Learning social media McMichael arbitrarily began posting outside of YouTube across her other social platforms when she was 21. Along the way, the TikTok creator learned how to select the right soundtrack, craft creative captions and, most importantly, refine the first three seconds of her videos to instantly capture attention. "I've definitely learned a formula that I like," said McMichael. "It goes back to my bottom line of [doing] things that feel authentic to you and don't try to fit into other people's expectations." On YouTube, her videos span from 30 minutes to an hour, a long-form format that she considers her niche. She delves into the comments section to identify the most highlighted or replayed parts of her videos, which she then repurposes to TikTok, maximizing the potential of each video. In a recent ASMR video (a popular social media trend where people experience a pleasant reaction to sounds), which took about 45 minutes to shoot, McMichael experienced a nosebleed while filming. Instead of deleting the footage, she repurposed that into a snappy, relatable clip to drive organic conversations with her followers. “[McMichael] clearly does long- and short-form well. Definitely a social media unicorn,” said Jess Phillips, CEO of influencer marketing agency The Social Standard. Own brand in the making Looking ahead, McMichael is evolving from what she calls a discovery phase toward a more intentional approach to her projects. This involves more collaborations, especially beyond social media. Last year's project with Pat McGrath stoked an interest in acting. Ultimately, McMichael wants to build her own brand, a path also chosen by fellow creators. Addison Rae, for instance, has her own brand of makeup and skin care tools with Item Beauty, while Emma Chamberlain's business ventures include Chamberlain Coffee. "I could see myself eventually making a brand … something I'm really passionate about," McMichael said. "But I want to make sure I know what that is before I embark on that journey."Check out the full Hot List here.