Alex Karpovek, better known by her social media handle @alexkwillslay, is a vibrant and well-established content creator and influencer. Born and raised in New York, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the New York Institute of Technology.
After spending eight years in Los Angeles, Alex eventually realized that her heart truly belonged to New York. The experience helped her embrace her identity as a true New Yorker, leading her to return to the city that shaped her.
Throughout her journey as a content creator, Alex has built a strong presence in the digital space, sharing insights, lifestyle advice, and personal wisdom with a growing audience. With nearly a decade of experience, she continues to inspire her followers by staying authentic, relatable, and always in tune with the vibrant energy of New York.
- What was the main motivation behind your decision to become an influencer? How did you get started on this path?
I’ve always desired to be self-employed and found joy in posting content to Instagram back in the day, when it was a photo sharing only app.
Initially, posting to Instagram was simply a hobby and brands were contacting me for little sponsorships, this sparked my motivation to advance my career as a full-time paid content creator!
- What were your initial thoughts about creating content on social media? What was your very first post?
Wow! This is fun! I could easily do this in place of my 9 to 5 job and never feel bored with my profession! I honestly don’t even remember what my first post was! LOL. Almost 9 years has passed me by, I wish my memory was better!
In your opinion, what qualities are essential for someone to become a successful influencer?
Passion. You must genuinely love being a content creator, including the content you create for your audience because your passion for your craft shines through.
Drive. The drive to overcome obstacles, you’re going to make mistakes and it’s okay but learn from them and continue your journey!
Patience and strategizing. It’s going to take awhile to build up a steady income.
What unexpected opportunities and challenges has this journey brought you?
I began as a fashion creator and then branched out into other niches that I discovered to enjoy. In 2020 I was landing paid brand deals for food and lifestyle brands. I would now consider myself to be a lifestyle creator with many interests. My unexpected challenge, for several months I stopped landing brand deals, brands weren’t reaching out to me, my inbox was dead. At times, I questioned if I should continue this journey as content creator because my income was practically $0. I realized that I made some missteps and figured out the issues that caused this, corrected them and ended up landing more brand deals than I possibly imagined!
- What changes or lessons helped you achieve success? When Instagram became more focused on video sharing this helped me stand out as a creator. I was already posting video content on TikTok so I felt the transition was easier for me, in terms of posting more video content to Instagram. I ended up enjoying creating video content much more than photo based content!
- Who has been your biggest supporter along the way? My parents, they are my number 1 fans and I absolutely love them!
- When was the biggest turning point or “breakthrough” moment in your journey? When I was furloughed during the years of COVID, this gave me the opportunity to turn my part-time content creation into a full-time job! I built up my social presence while on furlough. I was determined to make this a full-time career! Being furloughed in 2020 was a blessing in disguise because I never returned to a 9 to 5 job!
- What strategies did you use to stand out and differentiate yourself on social media? Let your personality be known and speak on camera.
- Which brand did you first collaborate with, and how was that experience for you? I don’t recall for which brand but I remember this was an unpaid collaboration. At the time I was grateful to simply get my name out there. I knew this was merely a starting point and it wouldn’t always be this way. I understood that tons of work and time was going to be required of me in order to land large scale paid collaborations. This road to success wasn’t going to be achieved overnight!
- How do you keep your content creative and original? Funny but true, I don’t really keep a close eye on ‘competitors’’ content. I post on my socials but I’m not really on there watching content regularly! I’m super creative and always have been, my mind is an endless source for innovative ideas BUT it requires recharging to avoid burn-out!
- How did your family and friends react when you decided to become an influencer? They were all super supportive!
- How has social media changed your life? Do you see the impact mostly positive or negative? Social media turned my hobby into a full-time career that I’m so grateful for.
- How do you handle criticism and negative feedback? If a response is required, I’ll respond. If people are being out of pocket vicious, often no response is best! The block button exists for a reason, right?! I continue to create with genuine intention and not let the haters get in my way of continued success!
- Besides being an influencer, are there other fields or projects you want to explore in the future? I’m open to investing for passive income and participating in charitable causes. As of now, I haven’t determined the type of investments I’ll make but once I reach this stage in my career, I’ll ensure that I have a solid plan.
- What advice would you give to someone just starting out who wants to become an influencer? Discover unique qualities about yourself and weave those qualities into your content, this will set you apart from others’. So overall, be unique and be relatable!
Just because someone said “abc” it doesn’t mean you should necessarily take their advice. Do your own research and experiment! grow your account, you’ll increase your likelihood of being paid more! Don’t play small!
