Picture this…

A camera shot of a busy London street in the daytime.

Cars stream by while pedestrians scuttle along the pavement.

In front of the camera stands a middle aged woman, beaming from ear to ear.

She doesn’t say anything.

All she does is film her joyous expression as a big red double decker bus comes round the corner behind her.

Then the video ends.

Doesn’t seem like much of a big deal does it?

Hardly the recipe for making money online!?

But a woman named Bemi Orojuogun (also known as ‘Bus Auntie’) makes tons of these videos and puts them on TikTok and Instagram.

Thanks to these simple posts, she has built a following of almost 400,000 followers on TikTok,… and almost 60,000 followers on Instagram.

From this she’s bagged herself a sponsorship deal with the fashion brand, Burberry.

So she’s making money from what is, effectively, a daily snapshot of her life, taken on a smartphone on her way to work.

This is one of the examples of recent social media sensations who’ve hit the new headlines lately because they’re so… well… ordinary.

Some of the fastest-growing accounts at the moment are not celebrities, politicians, or top experts. They’re regular people who come across as relatable and authentic.

Another example is Gerald Stratford, a Cotswolds-based pensioner who shares posts of himself in his garden, where he shares his love for red cabbage.

On Instagram he has 369,000 followers and on TikTok he has 70,000 followers.

Gucci has now paid him to do a photoshoot!

Or there’s Nonna Silvi, an 84-year-old from Tuscany, who shares posts about her son’s bakery and now has her own line of bakery products.

Mother and son, Tola and Kevin Andu, share posts about Kevin’s experiences as a young man with autism to a following of over 500,000.

While identical twins Wayne and Dwayne Haneline, who are in their 70s, sing cover versions of rock songs that get MILLIONS of views.

So what’s going on?

An Antidote to The Glut of Slick Content

The rise of the everyday social media star seems to be a reaction to AI-generated ‘slop’ and over-produced marketing content.

The problem isn’t necessarily the AI itself, but the generic nature of a lot of the content that’s produced, in such large volumes, without any distinguishing features.

Not only that, but slick, young influencers have dominated social media for so long, their feeds are all beginning to get samey.

Most people don’t look like these influencers and don’t live like them, so they can’t relate to them.

Lots of older people now use platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and they don’t necessarily respond to 20 year olds with lip filler, fake eyebrows and a perma-tan.

Which is why social media users are looking for authentic people of all ages and backgrounds who share their quirky everyday experiences.

These kinds of accounts are going viral, making their creators money from sponsorship deals.

And this could be good news for you.

How to Turn Your Everyday Life Into an Income

The obvious takeaway is that there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t grow a significant following on social media – and quickly, too.

It no longer matters what age you are… what ethnicity you are… what social class you come from… or what education you have.

The examples I’ve shown you included a Nigerian-born mental health worker, an autistic 20 year old and a 76-year-old gardener.

So the old excuse that social media “is just for trendy, attractive young people” is just not relevant in 2026.

You could focus on a hobby, a special interest which fascinates you or an everyday experience that you go through in your daily life or your work life.

It could be a personality quirk that makes your friends smile, or a funny thing your dog does at dinnertime.

All you need is a basic smartphone and perhaps 30 minutes out of your day to take a photo or make a short video.

There’s no need for slick editing, polished presentation skills or artistic talent.

In fact, the point is that you DON’T have any of these things.

The videos and photos can be raw, unfiltered and poorly shot!

However, I realise that you might not have any interest in TikTok or Instagram. And you might not have ANY intention to become an ‘influencer’ who shares photos and videos of themselves every day.

Which is absolutely understandable.

It’s not something I would do either!

But this principle is not only applicable to social media.

Everyday authenticity is something you can use to make any product or service stand out, and build a rapid following… simply by being yourself.

How to Tap Into the Authenticity Trend

Online audiences are seeking out authentic, unique and passionate voices….

So if you can show this aspect of yourself in your products and services, then you can really stand out – even from much bigger, slicker rivals.

Because as we’ve seen, people don’t want over-produced, generic stuff that seems like it’s made by AI, or professional content creators.

They are increasingly drawn to lo-fi, home-grown content made by ordinary people.

It feels more relatable, honest and trustworthy.

Here are some examples of how you can do it.

eBooks, MicroManuals and Reports

There are lots of people using AI to mass-generate ‘How to Guides’, ‘Top Tools’, ‘Everything You Need to Know About’ checklists and the like.

So instead of going the generic route, you should make sure you add your personality to it.

For instance, instead of ‘The Beginner’s Guide to X’ you might call it ‘’How I personally figured out X (and the 3 mistakes I made)’.

You could add a photo of yourself, if you were bold enough (remember, you DON’T want to look like all the usual internet marketer types).

Or make sure that the report (and the ad) includes some element of you… your opinion, your worldview, your background or unique life story.

Add these into an introduction, thread them throughout the text, and put them into any follow up emails.

Email Newsletters and Blog Posts

People don’t really value emails that are obviously written by a pro-copywriter, or pumped out by an AI tool.

This isn’t to say you can’t use AI to help create your newsletter – you can, and should!

But it needs to be human, distinctly personal, and unique to you.

That means admitting your flaws… sharing your likes and dislikes… making errors now and then…. and allowing a certain clunkiness and charm into your emails.

Make sure you state your opinions and points of view…

And don’t be afraid to share a few details about your daily life, even if it’s the view from your window or silly things your grandson says.

Course Creation

Thanks to user-friendly platforms that allow you to make courses according to readymade templates, it’s never been easier to share knowledge online.

And a lot of people are using AI to create content without very little editing or input.

The downside is that it can make all courses look, and sound, very similar.

To make yours distinct, try and give all your course content a ‘voice’.

If you use AI, that means giving it a detailed character profile of the persona you want to present – warts ‘n’ all – so that it creates a text with personality.

And it means adding in plenty of details afterwards that make it uniquely yours.

When it comes to videos, try and make them honest, rather than going for slick presentations, or delegating it all to AI graphics and AI voiceovers.

Even if you hate the sound of your own voice… or feel embarrassed about your presenting skills… give it a try.

A shambolic video by a real human (ie. YOU in all your glory!) could be far superior to anything AI or a professional speaker could make.

Because what matters is that your customer relates to you- and trusts you.

Marketing materials

Here’s where it can really make a difference…

There are so many ads, banners, and sales promotions out there, cluttering the internet now.

Which is why putting yourself into the ads is so important.

Because that’s one thing nobody else can replicate.

For instance, I’ve had success on Facebook with ads that feature me holding up reports.

This is not because of my rugged good looks 😉

It’s because it instantly makes the ads different from anything else.

And if you’ve ever read one of my own sales promotions, you’ll see that I am clearly the author, using my own name and personality throughout the piece.

So if you want to get your product noticed, consider your most important asset – which is YOU.

And if you are worried about your flaws, don’t be.

Those flaws could be what make people flock to your product in their droves.

Because that’s what everyone wants right now…

A real human being!

So what do you think?

Do you feel emboldened to put yourself into your product, service or advertising?

Or are you still full of doubts and reservations?

As always, I love to hear your feedback.