“Geminis, Googling something for five minutes doesn’t make you an expert.”
Cole never intended to be a full-time astrologer nor did he plan on being a social media creator...now he’s one of the most sought after cosmic consultants with 3.5 million TikTok followers and a loyal list of clients. To top it off, six months ago Cole was working in corporate digital marketing, without ever having posted on TikTok.
During the dark months where lockdown hit New York and called for a city-wide shutdown, Cole found himself, like many, miserable and “creatively-stifled.” In April, Cole posted his first TikTok, with no intention other than to entertain himself, “I just needed to make myself laugh,” he says. He recounts how, after spending some time on the app, he then stumbled upon an astrologer who inspired him to begin applying his own cosmic knowledge to his content. With his niche developed, his audience began to grow rapidly — gaining millions of followers on TikTok and tens of thousands on Instagram. His humorous but informational content had struck a chord.
Cole’s story is a prime case study of how social media is allowing individuals to make a living by doing what they’re passionate about. Cole has been studying astrology since he was 15, which was something he never planned on pursuing professionally but rather was about developing his own sense of spirituality — an area that he’d struggled with being raised Catholic and identifying as a gay man. Now, Cole describes his career as “the happiest of accidents,” adding “I get to communicate with people every day, I get to make myself laugh, and I’m constantly learning something new.”
Through his content, Cole turns often complicated concepts into easily-digestible, goofy and entertaining videos, allowing for viewers without previous knowledge of astrology to quickly grasp different theories and ideas. For example, in this TikTok, you can find Cole rapidly roasting each astrological sign by naming their quirks: “Geminis, Googling something for five minutes doesn’t make you an expert.”
As is the nature of having millions of fans, it's inevitable that a few comments will skew negative. On this topic, Cole advises other creators to avoid diving into their comments section entirely. To one person commenting negative things on a few of his posts, “I just responded, ‘Ok, do it better.’” He adds, “Anyone who's bitter just has to get better. That’s their journey.”
Cole monetizes his content through paid partnerships and with Snipfeed, which allows him to host all of his links in one place and enables users to easily book readings (a large part of his business) without leaving his TikTok or Instagram. Additionally, Cole is an in-house astrologer for Smudge Wellness. And as if this wasn’t enough, he’s launching a Spotify Greenroom show while digging into YouTube this fall — both which will allow for further sponsorship opportunities.
Now reflecting on the pressure he faces when producing content (whether it’ll be funny enough, whether it’ll be viral enough, whether people will care), Cole mentions that he reminds himself of “why I started making content in the first place… which was to make myself laugh. And you know what? It doesn’t need to go viral every time. It just needs to resonate with someone.” ★
