Jane in NYC — Short-Form Content & Community Growth
Role: Content Creator & Community Builder
Platform: TikTok, Threads
Industry: Food, Lifestyle, Local Discovery
Timeline: 11/2025 - now
Overview
Jane in NYC was a personal content initiative focused on exploring hidden food spots, local experiences, and cultural moments in New York City through short-form video content. The project served as a real-world content and audience growth experiment, applying platform-native storytelling and performance-driven iteration.
Challenge
The challenge was to build engagement and reach organically on a highly competitive platform without paid promotion, while developing a consistent content identity and testing what resonates with local and niche audiences.
Strategy
I approached the account as a mini content lab, focusing on:
Platform-native storytelling (TikTok-first hooks and pacing)
Short, engaging narratives optimized for discovery
Consistent tone and visual identity
Iterative content testing based on performance signals
Results & Impact
Achieved 149,000 total views over a 90-day period
Generated 4,643 interactions (likes, replies, reposts)
Grew the account to 460+ followers organically
Reached 43,800 views in the last 30 days alone
Multiple posts performed strongly, with:
17.7K views and 669 likes on a single post
11.5K–9.3K views across additional entries in the series
These results demonstrated the platform’s potential for long-form content discovery when storytelling and audience alignment are executed effectively.
Execution
Created and published short-form videos highlighting NYC food spots, hidden gems, and local experiences
Applied strong opening hooks, concise captions, and on-screen text for clarity
Experimented with posting formats, pacing, and storytelling styles
Analyzed video performance to identify patterns in engagement and reach
Maintained consistent branding and content voice across posts
Results & Impact
Grew the account to 11,000+ total likes organically after 1 month.
Achieved multiple high-performing videos with significant reach:
90K+ views on a nightlife-related post
20K+ views on food discovery content
13K+ views on lifestyle commentary
Built a niche audience interested in local discovery and authentic recommendations.
Key Skills Demonstrates
Content Strategy & Planning: Built a structured, serialized content approach rather than isolated posts
Audience Insight: Identified emotional themes that encouraged reading, saving, and sharing
Platform-Native Writing: Adapted tone and format to Threads’ text-first, conversation-driven environment
Community Engagement: Fostered interaction through authentic responses and consistent presence
Performance Analysis: Interpreted engagement signals to refine content length, pacing, and cadence.