Keith Lee is a Cultural Catalyst in the Creator Economy.
He started posting food reviews on TikTok in 2020, and since then, has amassed over 17 million followers on the app and transformed hundreds of businesses in the US thanks to his loyal audiences seeking out Keith’s recommendations.
5 years into his journey as a social media creator and food critic, we invited Keith to join our CEO Jenny on stage at SXSW Austin. Known for his on-the-go feasting, we have worked with Keith on multiple occasions in partnership with our client DoorDash, and our sponsored videos with Keith consistently hit views in the millions, and sit at the top of our top-performing list.
Recognizing how Keith has turned a hobby into a fully-fledged business, Keith joined us on stage to speak about mastering the art of influencer entrepreneurship.
The queues for the stage where we would speak with Keith were a testament to the impact he has had on the Creator Economy.
With his wife and children in the front row watching with pride, Keith sat down with Jenny for an hour to speak about the story behind “the Keith Lee effect”.
Before he started posting on TikTok, Keith was a professional MMA fighter for 10 years. The story between Keith’s previous career to his career as a creator is more closely connected than you may think.
Keith shared how before and after any fight when he would be interviewed, social anxiety would take over. During the pandemic, he decided that enough was enough, and he would use video content on social media as a means to break out of his comfort zone and become more confident with public speaking. Food was the obvious content pillar to follow, as being a fighter was all about gaining weight and focusing on diet.
He posted his first food review in 2022 and at this stage of his career, Keith was still trying to make enough money to buy the food to review in his videos. At this stage, he had around 1 million followers, then in two weeks, his follower count shot up to 4.6 million thanks to a review of Frankenson’s Pizzeria that took off so much that it stopped the restaurant from closing during a period of struggle.
Keith’s food review content is largely driven by empathy. Having always worked independently, both as a fighter and a creator, he understands the struggle that this can entail, which is why the primary focus of his reviews is family-owned small businesses, often Black-owned, as he understands firsthand that this audience deserves to be recognized.
In terms of keeping his audience engaged and growing, Keith looks at social media content creation producing a good TV show. He keeps the intro recognizable, using catchphrases like “I got it, let’s try it, and rate it 1 to 10”. The audience then knows he’s going to show the food, tell them the price, rate the customer service, and give his overall review of the experience. The familiarity and consistency keep his audience gripped and coming back for more.
As a mega-creator, Keith has endless opportunities to partner with brands on sponsored content, but he is very selective about the brands he works with.
Firstly, he only works with brands who have an Influencer Marketing budget set aside to pay creators fairly, and secondly, he will only accept collaborations with brands he genuinely uses in his daily life.
Our client DoorDash is one of the brands that Keith authentically connects with. Not only does he use the service to place orders now, he used to be a Dasher – one of DoorDash’s essential delivery drivers – back in 2020. Most of the money he was using to buy the food for his videos at the beginning was money he earned through Dashing. This is the perfect example of a partnership that is founded on genuine passion.
The majority of Keith’s audience knows him for his food review content on TikTok, but as an entrepreneur, he’s seeking new ways to connect with his community and expand his influence. Keith shared how he has recently started streaming on Twitch which is the complete opposite of posting short-form content on TikTok and is put out into the hands of the algorithm. Branching out to Twitch has enabled Keith to deepen his connection with his loyal followers.
On the topic of diversification as a digital-first creator, Keith spoke on the respect that he has for influencer entrepreneurs like Mr. Beast who have put immense time and effort into developing physical products for their audiences to enjoy. Keith heavily hinted that we may see a brand launch on the horizon soon…
Understanding the value of marketing to grow a brand from the ground up, Keith can speak to what works and what doesn’t when it comes to partnerships that make sense and succeed.
His first piece of advice is that brands need to know the creators they want to work with. Don’t just jump on working with a creator who’s currently viral, do your research to understand a creator's organic connection to your brand – audiences can tell when a partnership isn’t authentic.
His second tip is to let your creator partners be their authentic selves in the content they create for your brand. If you’ve reached out to a specific creator for a reason and you think they’re the ideal partner for your brand, trust that they can bring value to your brand without following a strict script.
Keith’s biggest piece of advice to aspiring content creators is “Don’t pay attention to anyone else”. There is no such thing as an overnight success, every creator has been through a period of stagnating at 200 views, and growth isn’t a linear journey. Coming from one of the world’s most successful creators, this is a sign for aspiring creators to never give up.
You can now watch the full session, including the audience Q&A on the SXSW YouTube channel.
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