I recently started something new: Root Over Zero — a business I’m building from the ground up wit...I recently started something new: Root Over Zero — a business I’m building from the ground up wit...
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
I recently started something new: Root Over Zero — a business I’m building from the ground up with a strong focus on organic growth.
Instead of immediately putting money into ads, I’m experimenting with SEO, content, useful web tools, and platforms like Pinterest to see how far I can take a business through organic discovery. The interesting part is that it’s already starting to work. Google has indexed the website, and I’m beginning to see impressions coming from the US and UK. Pinterest is also starting to pick up some of the content, so I’m now testing which topics, visuals, and content formats can turn those impressions into actual visitors.
I’m taking the organic route intentionally. I want to build an asset that compounds—where every useful article, tool, search ranking, and piece of content can continue bringing people in months after it’s published, instead of having traffic disappear the moment an ad budget stops.
It’s still very early, but seeing people from markets I’ve never actively reached discover something I built is probably the most exciting part of the experiment.
HYDRUM VEIL is a skincare brand built around a premium SPF 50+ sunscreen, developed as a complete brand identity, packaging design, and seasonal advertising campaign.
The project explores a question most seasonal beauty work gets wrong: how do you make a limited-edition campaign feel festive without making it feel cheap?
Instead of stacking decorative props, the campaign holds a strict visual system - vivid pumpkin orange, deep twilight violet, warm cream, and restrained black and lets a single product carry every frame.
Want more sales for your brand? Meta Ads alone may not be enough.
Imagine this:
You launch high-quality Meta Ads.
A good creative. The right audience. A strong offer. A CTA leading directly to your website.
The person is interested and… doesn’t buy.
And this is where it gets interesting: 72% of internet users use social media to research brands and products before making a purchase.
This means that social media is no longer just a place where a brand “maintains a beautiful page.” It is part of the customer journey to purchase.
A person may see your ad → visit your website → open Instagram → watch Reels → look for reviews → see UGC → see how real people use the product → make sure the product actually solves their problem → and only then make a purchase.
That’s exactly why high-quality Meta Ads are not enough.
This is where content comes in.
ORGANIC CONTENT
UGC that:
→ builds trust
→ shows real experiences
→ addresses the audience’s problem
→ shows the product in real life
→ uses humor and everyday situations
→ shares interesting facts
→ shows results
→ addresses the customer’s doubts
For example, a brand can create a UGC video around a relatable everyday problem and play it out through humor. Does the video perform well organically?
You can promote it further.
So first, we look at what content actually resonates with the audience, and then we amplify it with paid advertising.
The goal here is more specific to drive the person to take action: A click. A lead. A purchase.
That’s why these things matter: audience + offer + creative + CTA + landing page + advertising strategy.
But advertising can bring a person to your brand.
Content should help them believe in that brand.
Because a potential customer wants to see:
— real people;
— real reviews;
— the product in use;
— real results;
— proof that the product solves the problem;
— and, ultimately, an answer to the question: “Can I trust this brand?”
And now the question for brands:
How many sales are you potentially losing by bringing people to your brand through advertising, but not giving them enough reasons to trust you afterwards?
That’s exactly why a content creator is not just someone who makes beautiful videos.
They create the kind of content that helps a brand take the customer from: “I’ve seen this brand” to “Okay, I’m ready to buy.”
That’s why a strong strategy today is not about choosing between UGC or Meta Ads. It’s: UGC + Organic Content + Meta Ads + Strategy.
Content creates attention and trust. Meta Ads scales what works.
This is exactly what I do — all-in-one.
I’m ready to help you scale with high-quality, engaging content that drives brand awareness and sales.
I’ve been razzmatazzing and flibbertigibbeting with Claude Code and somehow ended up with a new yels.dev.
It finally feels like me: simple on the surface, slightly complicated underneath, and very much alive.
You can see who I am, what I do, the work behind Herodot, RaptorLabs, CyberLink Security and Solmint, plus a selection of projects I’ve built across AI, cybersecurity, Web3, product systems, education, archives, and experimental digital spaces.
The simple-on-the-surface, layered-underneath idea comes through so clearly in the presentation. I especially like how the project archive turns the site into something to explore rather than just a résumé of links.