From Art to Social Media Marketing: Fangzhi Zhao’s Journey
Zero-Budget KOL Strategy and the Instagram Growth Experiment from 6K to 20K
Introduction
In this conversation, we invited Fangzhi Zhao to share his journey from a background in graphic design and fine arts to marketing and content operations. From the “create first, then critique” ethos of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to the struggles and pivots in advertising and social media, Zhao has navigated pain, exploration, and eventually, mastery. Especially notable are his experiences leading large-scale KOL collaborations on a zero budget and growing social accounts from scratch—showcasing creativity and execution under constraints.
This interview captures the real mindset of a young creative crossing disciplines and offers practical insights for anyone in career transition—artists, marketers, or entrepreneurs alike. It’s a testament to the power of “try first, then refine.”
Introduction
Xiao He: Hi Fangzhi, could we start by introducing yourself to our readers?
Fangzhi Zhao: Sure. I’ve always believed that sharing is a form of learning, so I’m excited for this conversation.
My background is in graphic design and fine arts, and later I transitioned into marketing. I went through many detours along the way but gained valuable lessons. Over the past 3–4 years, I’ve mainly focused on work in the social media world, especially in KOL (Key Opinion Leader) collaborations. My proudest achievement has been working deeply with hundreds of artists around the world—almost all gave excellent feedback, and many became friends.
From a business standpoint, 99% of the campaigns I’ve done were zero-budget, using only product seeding (sharing free products for content). That’s not something everyone can do. Right now, I’m in a period of career exploration. After several years of work, I want to expand my skillset—particularly at the intersection of content marketing and AI, which is my next focus.
Art School Experience
Xiao He: I’m curious—you studied graphic design. Looking back, how would you describe your art school experience?
Fangzhi Zhao: It was bittersweet. On one hand, I loved the focus on creation—nothing compares to the thrill of making something entirely new. On the other, I quickly realized that art might not be a lifelong career path, which was painful.
One professor left a deep impression on me. I had just arrived in Chicago and was overwhelmed by the open-ended teaching at SAIC. I became trapped in overthinking—constantly self-critiquing before even creating.
Then one professor said something that changed me:
“Create first, then critique.”
That phrase became a lifelong principle. Try first, then improve later—instead of getting stuck in self-doubt from the start.
From Design to Marketing: Pain and Pivot
Xiao He: You majored in Visual Communication Design, right?
Fangzhi Zhao: Yes, basically graphic design. After graduation, I tried to find art-related jobs in Chicago but failed, and eventually joined a small advertising agency. My work was very basic—designing PowerPoints for clients like Herman Miller and Patagonia. It was not as creative as I expected..
I realized branding and visual identity were only a small part of the broader marketing system. Designers often execute what the marketing team decides. I felt limited, and thought: if I wanted to shape brand direction, I needed to move toward marketing itself.
It was a painful realization. I’d spent years studying art but couldn’t survive in the field. Still, that pain clarified my path: art remained my passion, but marketing was the way to build a career path for myself. My design skills became my “entry ticket” to marketing.
Career Transition: Back to School + Volunteering for Cross-Functional Work
Xiao He: That’s insightful. You saw the bigger picture and moved from design into marketing. How did you make the transition? Did you change jobs or shift within your role?
Fangzhi Zhao: A bit of everything. First, I’m grateful to my parents. They fully supported me. Maybe it’s that traditional Chinese belief that education holds paramount value.
After graduating from SAIC and briefly working, I enrolled in the Marketing program at DePaul University in Chicago. It was a perfect bridge. Unlike the artist-heavy vibe at SAIC, DePaul’s students were professionals from different industries. Group projects were fast and efficient—clear ideas, strong execution, no delays. It showed me what “professionalism” in the business world really meant and helped me adapt to the American workplace.
One course that stood out was Business Communication—learning how to give presentations and write emails. It made me realize that communication is a trainable skill, which gave me confidence to make it as an immigrant.
My first job afterward was still design-focused, but I proactively took on non-design tasks, like optimizing ad placements and analyzing performance data. These weren’t initially in my job scope, but they helped demonstrate broader ability and opened new doors.
At my most recent job, I again started in design but quickly took on social media management. Within 3–4 months, I grew an Instagram account from 6,000 to 20,000 followers in less than 3 months, prompting the team to move me from a more blended Brand Marketing Specialist role to Digitial Marketing Manager, fully overseeing social media activities.
So my transition wasn’t a leap—it was a gradual process of doing first, proving capability, and earning trust.
Case Study: Growing Instagram from 6K → 20K
Xiao He: Could you share details on how you grew the Instagram account?
Fangzhi Zhao: Sure. It was during my time at Speedball Art Products Company, a well-known U.S. art supplies brand. I managed @speedball_calligraphy, which had ~6K followers when I started. Their accounts were scattered without a unified strategy.
At first, I focused on the modern calligraphy niche, researching which creators attracted engagement: was it frequency, storytelling, camera style, or collaborations? I started making posts on my own, but results were mediocre. Then I began collaborating with artists and saw huge improvement, especially after Instagram launched Collaborative Posts.
I wrote an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for creator partnerships, covering outreach, DM templates, email scripts, product seeding processes, and co-posting. Efficiency skyrocketed, and the account quickly grew to 20K followers.
Zero-Budget KOL Strategy
Xiao He: How did you find these artists? Wasn’t it hard with no budget?
Fangzhi Zhao: It was very hard—but rewarding. Without actual direct budget, you must think in terms of what other value you can bring to the table for a win-win collaboration..
I’d identify one or two influential creators in a niche, then expand outward through their networks. One useful metric: mutual followers. If 50 of the people I follow also follow one creator, that person likely has strong niche influence.
I’d filter by sincerity, style alignment, audience overlap, and reliability. Outreach was a mix of introductions and cold DMs/emails. Qualifying leads upfront made everything smoother later. Be service oriented and think more about giving than taking.
Platform Focus and Positioning
Xiao He: You mainly used Instagram. Did you try other platforms like Xiaohongshu, TikTok, or LinkedIn?
Fangzhi Zhao: Instagram was the main battlefield—it’s visual and where artists live.
I later took over the company LinkedIn page. It had been inactive, but I saw B2B potential, engaging withdistributors, partners, and retailers through a more strategic brand presence. I differentiated 2B vs. 2C content and grew followers from <600 to ~2,000 in one year, which is great for LinkedIn.
I also experimented on Xiaohongshu (RedNote) because its recommendation algorithm is unique. I wanted firsthand experience.
TikTok and others were lower priority. The rules are different and require differen workflows and dedicated bandwidth. So I focused energy mainly on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, rather than spreading thin.
Content Strategy: “Be Lazy” with MVP Thinking
Xiao He: There are many content formats—text, photo, podcast, video. How do you decide where to invest?
Fangzhi Zhao: You must “be lazy”—in other words, allocate effort efficiently. Content takes time to show results, unlike ads, so keep early investment low and scale when you figure out what works.
I apply MVP (Minimum Viable Product) thinking from startups. Validate ideas cheaply before scaling.
Here’s my sequence:
Nail the topic/value/pain point first. Format comes later.
Start with text—you can later expand it into graphics, scripts, or videos. If your script (a post or a blog) reads soft, that’s a good sign that you don’t have good content.
Podcasts work if your brand has personality—they’re lower information density but great for casual listening.
Long-form video is the hardest—don’t start there.
If your writing lacks logic or value, even the best video production won’t save it. Emotional content can help, but value is the foundation.
Also, every team needs a “Not-To-Do List.” Some quick-growth tactics hurt long-term brand equity. Know what to avoid.
Book/Podcast Recommendation
Xiao He: Finally, could you recommend a book or show for our readers?
Fangzhi Zhao: I recommend a Chinese podcast called 《纵横四海》(Across the Seas). The host, Melody, used to work in investment banking and breaks down entire books over 1–2 hour episodes.
Many people prefer fast content, but I enjoy spending a week listening during workouts or commutes. It’s slower-paced but digestible. Compared to reading dense academic papers, I find narrative-style content easier to sustain.