From meetings to mommy reels: Why these moms turned content creation into their full-time job

Christine Gregorio, aka Introvert Nanay

Before Christine Gregorio started making straightforward and relatable content on topics like pregnancy superstitions, problems faced by first-time moms, and more, she was working in the food industry for a decade and even held the position of captain bartender at a hotel casino in Pasay.

She was close to getting a managerial position for another hotel casino when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and forced her to put the opportunity on hold. While she tried to return to work for a small coffee shop near her and her husband’s place, she eventually became a stay-at-home mom after welcoming their daughter Olivia in 2022.

With nothing to do, she turned to content creation, which she noted “wasn't planned at all.”

“Malaking difference siya since sa work ko before—customer service—nakikita ko in-person ‘yung mga guests. In content creation kasi, camera lang talaga and hindi mo alam ‘yung audience mo,” Gregorio said. 

“Hindi rin ako techie, so inaral ko kung paano mag-edit. For fun lang talaga siya nag-start. Hindi ko rin ma-imagine before na lalaki and mag-grow ako and magiging content creator ako,” she added.

During her early days of building her platform, Gregorio found joy in being able to document her motherhood journey and share her experience to other first-time moms out there.

“The pressure started nung sunod-sunod na ‘yung mga brand deals, kasi once you accept a project, meron ka nang timeline. Ang daming process—mag-susubmit ka ng content outline, ng draft video, tapos minsan, ilang revisions pa bago ma-approve for posting ‘yung mga videos. Sobrang draining siya actually,” she said.

It didn’t help that she was a one-woman team in filming, editing, and doing the voiceovers.

“Ayoko rin naman kasi tanggihan ‘yung opportunities since malaking tulong din ‘yun for me. I almost gave up din pero buti nalang, super supportive nung husband ko. Kung hindi dahil sa encouragement niya, siguro matagal na ako nag-stop,” she highlighted.

A low point came when her main account on TikTok got hacked at the time when she had garnered 49,000 followers.

“Sobrang nag-breakdown ako kasi I have ongoing projects with malalaking brands tapos biglang nawala ‘yung account ko. After ilang weeks, I accepted and surrendered na, siguro talagang may ibang plano pa for me,” Gregorio said.

Despite having lost her account, it didn’t stop her from getting back on her feet again and starting anew.

“Surprisingly, every month, nagkakaroon ako ng project and nai-invite ako sa mga events. Though ngayon, hirap pa akong i-grow siya ulit since marami nang content creator ngayon na nagsastart din,” she added.

But with a young daughter to care for, a home to maintain, and a growing community to maintain, how does Gregorio balance it all out?

“To be honest, hindi ko din po alam. I'm not even sure how I balance everything,” she admitted. “I really give the credit to my husband kasi grabe ‘yung teamwork namin. We don't have a village, we become our own village. So he makes sure na I get my me time at least once a month.”

“Bago ko sila alagaan, inaalagaan ko muna ‘yung sarili ko. It may sound selfish, pero you can't pour from an empty cup. Ang ginagawa ko, I wake up early, at least an hour bago sila magising, and nag-journal ako, nagbabasa ako ng libro, nagko-coffee, skincare, ayan. So those little things help me feel grounded and productive throughout the day,” she explained.

Despite the challenges, Gregorio still finds content creation rewarding, and her goal is to make her fellow moms feel that they are not alone in the complex journey of motherhood.

“Kung ano man ‘yung pinagdadaanan ng mga nanay, hindi sila nag-iisa. I always tell them na it's okay to ask for help pero kung alam niyo na medyo too much na rin 'yung iba. Trust your mom instinct kasi hindi man siya 100% sure, pero ‘yun talaga ‘yung makakatulong sa'yo and makakapag-help sa'yo to grow as a mom,” she said.

Bernadette Zulueta, aka Millennial Moms PH

For Bernadette Zulueta, who is a mom to her two beautiful daughters Bella and Eliza, her first step to content creation came way back in 2015 when she started a Facebook page called Millennial Moms PH. At the time, she had just given birth to Bella.

“I wanted to connect with like-minded individuals. Luckily, the primary social media back then was Facebook, so it allowed us to meet with fellow parents. I decided to create an online community of moms on Facebook,” she recalled.

“Dito rin ‘yung time when many millennials were becoming parents, so I chose to name my page Millennial Moms PH,” she added.

Zulueta’s main goal back then was to simply “share the message that being a mother is a gift” since she noticed that many were hesitant to be a parent as they believed that their lives will be "put on hold."

“I wanted to show that being a mother is not a hindrance, but rather a pathway to discovering a greater purpose in life. Kasi nung naging mom ako, I felt na parang I have a purpose na, very clear ‘yun,” she said.

“While motherhood can be very challenging, it becomes easier when you have the right support. So ‘yung inspiration ko [on why I started the page], I wanted for my own support to be with fellow moms and I also wanted to provide support,” she added.

Zulueta previously had a 9-to-6 job for over 10 years, and even thought that she would stay there until retirement. But everything changed when she had her child.

“I found myself wanting to be with my child. Before, ‘yung traffic, hindi yun issue sa akin, pero nung meron na akong anak, parang, ‘Shocks, I'm wasting my time in this traffic.’ So I didn't just want to see my child after work or before leaving for work, I wanted to be more involved in her life,” she said.

“Nagawa ko ‘yung dream ko na mag-hatid sundo, to eat with them. I listen to their stories, hands-on even sa studies nila. Talagang very rewarding to witness their milestones and watch them grow when you work,” she continued.

Despite this, she admitted that there are times when she wishes to have her old job back as it had proper boundaries.

“Kapag 9-to-6, the work is just 9-to-6. But as a work-from-home mom, mahirap ‘yun eh kasi nandyan ‘yung anak mo, gagawin mo ‘yung chores.” Zulueta said. “There was a major shift in terms of managing my time. At one instance, you're a mom. In a minute, you're creating content.”

“As you grow as a content creator, tumatambak ‘yung products, services, reviews that you need to post… it's very unpredictable,” she added.

Nevertheless, it was a “chaotic, but happy mess.” And in order to balance her duties, she learned how to say no to certain invitations that may compromise her priority towards her family “even if they’re super good.”

Through her platform, which has a growing 73,000 audience, Zulueta provides honest reviews of products and promotes events that may be helpful to other moms, ensuring that everything she does is “authentic.”

“When I create posts featuring my children, I always make sure that they're enjoying the process. I respect their feelings. If they don't like the product, I don't force it. If they're not interested to shoot, I don't force them,” she stressed. 

Amid the ups and downs of content creation, Zulueta never lost sight of her real goal, which is for women to “see the beauty and joy of motherhood” through her videos.

“I hope na through my content creation, they discover relevant products and services, that they discover inspiration. Kung pagod na pagod ka na, kapag nabasa nila ‘yung post ko, they'll find hope. I want that,” she underscored.

Ariane Caguioa, aka Mom Crave PH

If you’re a food junkie, Ariane Caguioa might be worth a follow.

The 37-year-old digital creator currently has her hands full taking care of her three children while building her platform focused on trying out new food, exploring exciting opportunities, and satisfying her cravings.

Caguioa went for this line of work as she wanted to help her husband financially while being a stay-at-home parent. She admitted that it was a “360-degree change” when she left her job in the hotel industry to start making content behind the camera.

“But with the help of my husband, supporting me with all those things of being a mom, na-overcome namin ‘yun until I have the courage na to do this content creation,” she underscored.

Although she has been into content creation for only a year, Caguioa has already amassed over 20,000 followers on her Instagram page. It helped that she was a graduate of Mass Communication with a major in broadcasting, giving her an edge in how to reel in the right audience.

Still, that doesn’t make things any less challenging with her responsibilities as a mom.

“I have kids to take care of, I have to do the chores before I do the editing, the scriptwriting, voiceover, and all that. Hindi po siya madali,” she said.

“But if you have the passion for it, and you give your best every time you post, then fulfilling siya. The best part is that you help other businesses… you made the business owner or the company happy for what you did because you did your part,” she added.

To prevent herself from getting overwhelmed with all her duties, Caguioa makes it a point to keep a schedule that she follows thoroughly.

“I have small kids pa. What I normally do, nagseset ako ng schedule. Sa time na hindi nila ako kailangan pa because they're playing or they're in school or they're with their dad, I will do my scriptwriting, editing, voiceover para hindi magulo, para maka-focus ako,” she explained.

Caguioa strives to keep her platform focused on family-friendly content with emphasis on responsible vlogging.

“Dapat responsible ka sa pinopost mo. Do not go after a viral thing na tingin mo, ‘Oh, para mag-viral, let's do something kahit hindi ganun ka-nice. Let's face it, nagva-viral ang negative. But honestly, I don't want to see that viral thing in a negative form,” she said.

She is determined to follow this through despite the challenge of reeling in views.

“In just one post, you can’t expect to be liked, to be loved by people. You will undergo a lot of [hurdles] like [getting only] 11 views. It's not easy, pero don't give up and just keep posting. Keep praying na sana may makapansin sa'yo,” Caguioa said.

In the tricky realm of being an influencer, she finds joy and motivation in seeing her kids happy with what they do and being able to spread positivity to others.

“They see themselves on the video and they will keep laughing if there's something different happening. I really enjoy that,” she highlighted. “‘Yun ‘yung pinaka-best part and rewarding part, maging happy ‘yung mga kids.”

Through her videos, she hopes that her viewers will be able to see the value of moms everywhere.

“Being a mom is not something that is always being recognized. But it has a big impact on society kasi everything starts with you. Nagsastart kasi sa family, so if you instill in their minds the values that you want them to be when they grow up, big impact ‘yun as a mom,” Caguioa stressed.

“It's okay kahit stay-at-home mom ka or working mom ka or whatever kind of mom you are right now. You can still have hope for your dreams. You're building your kids into having a better future,” she added.

Advice for aspiring momfluencers

It’s not easy to leave a traditional job where you’re guaranteed a salary every month in favor of being a content creator who must rely on views and brand partnerships to make a living.

Gregorio advised fellow moms who would want to dip their toes into content creation, “Start small and stay true to yourself, to your story. You don't have to leave your traditional job right away kasi content creation can begin as a passion project on the side. So share what feels authentic to you and you'll naturally attract your right audience eventually.

She also noted that “success doesn't happen overnight,” and “if it brings joy and purpose, and it's worth exploring, give yourself permission to try.”

According to Zulueta, it’s also crucial to weigh your options first and decide whether the shift you’re considering is a long-term one.

“Have a game plan in place if it may not be sustainable. Parang may probationary period. If in the first six months parang ‘di gumagana, ano ba ‘yung Plan B ko?” she said. “It's important na same page kayo ni husband. Hindi ‘yung magde-decision ka lang mag-isa.”

She also placed importance in identifying your purpose in wanting to do content creation, whether it’s to spend more time with your child at home, earning additional income, among others.

If you’re really determined to become an influencer, Caguioa stressed the importance of striving to learn about the technical aspects when it comes to creating videos.

“When you post something, dapat maganda ‘yung quality ng videos kasi mas attractive. Mas maganda panoorin if the quality is good. Pwede naman mag-start with what you have right now, whatever gadget you have like a cellphone,” she said.

“Find your niche. Whatever na hindi ka magsasawa, anything that you really like doing. And then, do not give up kasi may mga times na mapupuyat ka talaga. But, do not give up kasi umpisa lang ‘yan,” she continued.