Real student stories
@calebulf



Nearly 3,000 students.
@calebulfCaleb Ulf164.2kfollowersThis course changed my life. If you want to get into content, start here.
@nathaniellie_nathaniellie20014.1kfollowersGot a video with 14k views! This win was before I started CUT30, but still feels relevant to share as it might help someone else in here, especially designers/creatives. For this video, I designed a running shoe concept for Zach Pogrob. I love Zach, and I love Saucony, so when I saw a post of Zach running in them, I got the idea of doing a concept collaboration between the two. This is me using the idea of permissionless work, creating something of value for someone else without asking for anything back. The video gave Zach the opportunity to post to his story with the text 'I'm ready whenever you are Saucony.' So the post had the potential to actually land him a collab. I basically gave him a lay-up. The video currently has 14k views, which is my most by far. I've also seen this work for other creators. Kweinbydesign got 7.1 million views on a video doing a concept for The North Face. I think she even landed a job there. She has been absolutely smashing it. So if done correctly, doing permissionless work and sharing it can do wonders.
@method4fashionIsidora5.1kfollowersI definitely didn't create as much content as I'd originally planned, but even the few things I made taught me so much. I genuinely feel like a whole new world has opened up, and for the first time I feel like I actually get it. I've gained 1,200 Instagram followers (starting from fewer than 500), 300+ newsletter subscribers, my best video reached 37K views, and my best carousel got 3.5K likes and 3K saves, which feels pretty crazy considering this was my first real attempt at creating content, and I only made 7 posts in total. But more than any of those numbers, the biggest win was overcoming my complete mental block around creating content and putting myself out there. It honestly opened my mind to so many possibilities, not just for this business, but for everything else I do.
@sebellSebell43.7kfollowersI took nearly 2 months off from posting after some great momentum last year and was genuinely worried I would lose it for good. My 2 recent videos have both done well. I was stuck at about 16K followers on TikTok for a long time, but after re-posting my reel there, it's now surpassing the original post on Instagram, around 4K new followers since posting these 2 videos. Don't give up, even if you have to take a break. And don't sleep on a platform just because another one loves you more sometimes.
@maxxrosenblumMax64.3kfollowersMy first 1M-view video of 2026 is a brand partnership, a huge leap for me, considering all of my previous branded content struggled to cross 10k views. Two major factors unlocked this growth: We aligned the narrative with the final week of the BNP Paribas tennis tournament, riding the wave of existing search and social momentum. I actually took a week-long vacation right before this. Stepping away from the daily pressure to produce content allowed me to return with the clarity needed to execute.
@drkerbelyudikerbel45.8kfollowersA little over a year ago I started Cut 30 with literally zero knowledge of social media or how to make a video. Had never even set up an Instagram or TikTok account. Never used CapCut. Didn't even know the basics. This past week I just crossed 100k followers across all channels. And honestly, there were quite a few months where I barely posted, I should be even further along if I had stayed consistent. It's been an awesome journey and feels like I'm still just getting started.
@mike.ljubsamike41512.3kfollowersMy IG had flatlined with views 50/50 followers to non-followers. I wondered if it was an IP issue from starting my account in Jamaica, so I had a friend start me a new account in the USA. I just started posting my old stuff there, and it's popping off already. I have more followers after 4 days than I got in 4 months before. Given the size of my niche I'm quite happy with views in the thousands for now, and 3 of my vids are already around 10k in 4 days.
@aashhhhhAash Patel72kfollowersThought this one was going to be a fail because I made a few mistakes with the editing and timing, but it's actually doing ok! Very slow growth to start but I'm seeing lots of progress. All this to say, this program is amazing and I've been learning a lot from you guys, so thank you! I found a niche that I wasn't planning on even posting about. I wanted to focus on my concept designs, but honestly this has been a really cool learning process.
@mani.think_Mani938followersAfter doing Cut30 and posting content back in March, I was able to get a new job as a strategist at an agency and also got my first brand deal with COMPLEX, making some greenscreen videos. I still only have 400 followers, but to anyone in here grinding, it really puts into perspective you never know who's watching! It was complete silence, then it felt like everything happened at once. Thank you Cut30.
@longgamebenckj4qsxpdr6.7kfollowers60 days ago, I started a Golf content account with zero followers and zero idea of what I really wanted to do. In 35 posts, I have multiple videos either right at or above 100k views, so many comments and shares, and I just hit 1k followers! Thanks to the framework, I now have a vision of what I want my content to be. This course has helped me so much and teaches me how to keep evolving.
@nielshovenNiels Hoven7.9kfollowersWe just had our first customer sign up who said she heard about us from Instagram! We've only been getting a few hundred views on our videos there, so I can't wait to see what happens when we really get our content working. We have a premium-priced product too, so I'm really surprised that we didn't even have to nurture them in our email list for a while.
@dtcfashiondecodedAlex Greifeld24.4kfollowersAfter 30 days of daily posting to a pre-defined niche (fashion industry), I passed 500 followers on IG starting from zero, had one video hit 50k views on IG and two others hit 20k views on TikTok. About 50% of my videos on IG are hitting at least 1.5-2k views, and I feel like I have a better handle on how to write an effective script.
@caitlyngradmarketingCaitlyn Grad19.2kfollowers2 recent wins for me: I ran a tag sale the other day, so I poked fun at it and made a video, 24K views and counting in just 16 hours. (It also performed well in trial reels, reaching almost 10K views.) Video #2 was a travel video in NYC about a pub. It hit 40K views on trial reels but didn't do anything crazy on my main feed.
@matthewcrtvMatthew PahlSide effect I really didn't expect to get from building these videos... feel like you inevitably just get smarter... especially in your field. The research, the ideating, having to compress a concept down to 45 seconds & be able to articulate / teach it. Didn't see that coming but it's probably one of the best parts of this.
Adam32.9kfollowersHad views stall out over the past couple months. Big win is a few videos pushing past 10k again and this one getting really solid retention (until the CTA, teaching the lesson of pulling it into the middle of the content and not the end). Overall I added in better captions hook, more title use, and more graphics in general.
@monicaseggosMonica SEGGOSMy Cut30 video is still moving on Instagram! I'm now at 93.7K views. Today, I also had an invitation to create a garment for a fashion event paying homage to Alexander McQueen in London this Fall. It's a huge deal that I'm even posting, but to also have all these great things happening means a lot to me. Cut30 works!
@kanica.sofakanica12th video of Cohort 22 and 24 hours later... 63K views + 400 new followers + 1700 profile visits! I make my videos in English for Cut30, posted on a brand new account. Then I remake them in French for my original page (which had ~2000 followers). Same script. The French one is the one blowing up.
@samtravelsSamantha Shankman59.3kfollowersThere's 3 print magazine stories coming out this Spring where I'm quoted as an expert on farm hotels, perfectly timed to launching my product, 100% thanks to the videos I learned how to make and how I learned to think and tell that story in Cut30. Better than any PR firm in the world.
@edc2ndamenMatt21.2kfollowersMy results are too good not to share. Across TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, my content reached over 4.1 million views and helped drive a 39% increase in website sales, while posting an average of just 1.7 times per day. Cut30 kicks ass. And I’m still not even that good at this yet.
@bellevillevtShelley MacDonald51.9kfollowersI put up a video saying that I wanted a new wholesale partner, and within six days had three interviews, got to choose which one I wanted to work with, and now have a 2k-3k /wk new client. So much so that I hired new staff. NPR contacted me to be on the radio for the holiday season.
@sravanteasravanti1502.3kfollowersBack-to-back wins both crossing 100k views! Leaning into intellectual content is a big win for me, I find educational content performs consistently well, but these outperformed my usual videos. Definitely knew these topics would incite a debate which helps!
@bonusfootageTom Boyd65.5kfollowersMy wife went from 100 followers to 6,000 in 45 days and just hit her first 1M video. She didn't officially go through Cut30, but she eavesdropped on some of the calls and I shared feedback from the Slack group, and somehow she's had more success than me!
@dizzybeemarketingCatherine SullivanI officially hit 50K across IG and TT and just want to say THANK YOU so much for putting together Cut30! It gave me exactly what I needed to get going and this community has been a great on-going resource for inspiration and support.
@gripguygolfdcollura1.9kfollowersI found success combining another sport (F1) and a new gear release via the Red Bull and golf collab. I think the cross interest with F1 helped: views on this were significantly higher than anything else (1500 on TT and >500 on IG).
@marymorgan.bizMary Morgan6.5kfollowersHow a basic Instagram story turned into 374 comments and 7 new client leads, from ONE ChatGPT prompt. Before: 12 likes, no engagement. After: 389 comments + clients DM'ing 'send me the link.' Same story, different ChatGPT prompt.
@avidgolferdfwSean Welch6.1kfollowersUsed some of the things from here to help with the hook, edit, and on-screen caption hook for this video. It's somewhat of an ad because it's an announcement for a tournament series we're starting locally... but it's ripping.
@nomadchimpCody137followersI've posted all my videos on YT shorts. They all do decent except yesterday I accidentally marked it as 'safe for kids'. That video still has 3 views. Today's video and all other videos outpaced it in the first 5 mins.
@shivam_playgroundShivam DehinwalI joined Cut30 and started posting to promote a side project. I crossed 10K Instagram followers, had several Reels reach 1, 5M views, and my Kickstarter raised 1,000% of its original goal. Cheers to Cut30!
alissaI made my first One Shot video and saw immediate traction. I'm a bit floored honestly. 3.4k views isn't a ton overall, but it's a 566% increase from my last four reels, which averaged 517 views each.
AlexanderSmall win but still, the first oneshot got around 1300% more views than the average. We get 100 to 120 views with reels I tested. The oneshot hit over 1700 views. I think I can build on that.
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