Your business is gone, the bills are piling up and a new baby is on the way. This was the reality for Daniel and Eunice Chung, better known as @pov_husband, just one year ago.

But when life hands Daniel lemons, he makes lemonade. He started sharing his love for cooking online — everything from traditional Korean recipes to elaborate meals for his pregnant wife, Eunice. Fast forward nine months, and the dynamic duo’s Instagram account grew from 0 to 2 million followers. Enough to make a steady paycheck and then some.

In our interview, Daniel talks about his unconventional career path, shares his hot take on going viral and dishes out his best advice to creators who want to find their own success on Instagram.

How did you become a creator? Tell us your story.

I started my career in finance, but in 2019, my partner and I decided to go all in on a restaurant. We expanded to three locations in a year and a half, and we were flying high until 2023 when we decided to sell all but one of the restaurants and shift our focus into real estate. But the high rate environment and limited inventory made it difficult for anything to happen. And then my wife got pregnant and went on maternity leave.

We were burning through our savings and I needed to make something happen, so I looked into e-commerce. I thought about playing poker for a living. I even tried coming up with a winning Baccarat strategy.

I was in a very difficult spot and started cooking a lot to make ends meet. Then came the idea: What if I just put a phone on my head and started making content? That’s how @pov_husband started.

Everyone's story is different, but what I learned through this experience is that you can do anything, anytime, anywhere. And if you yell loud enough, the world will hear you.

“You can do anything, anytime, anywhere. And if you yell loud enough, the world will hear you.”

When did you start seeing consistent growth? What strategies did you use?

From my experience, click bait and viral trends will only get you so far. My first viral reel was a prank video where I said that In-N-Out had a secret breakfast burrito menu. It got 58,000 views but only 28 followers. Another dishwash hack reel got almost 31 million views and grew my account by 4,635 followers.

I didn’t see consistent follower growth until I started uploading videos featuring recipes that people hadn’t seen before — like dakhanmari — which got me 7,000 followers. Or the husband’s guide to cooking seafood pasta, which got me around 12,000. And then finally the sushi video, which got me close to 53,000 followers.

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My main strategy is relatability, transparency, and entertainment. I put a lot of effort into my reels, and that always pays off because viewers notice and appreciate it.

“My main strategy is relatability, transparency, and entertainment”

At what point did you realize you had a real community on Instagram?

I'm not sure at what point I realized it, but the comment section on Instagram has always been entertaining. When I see the same people commenting on my reels, it makes me feel really noticed and appreciated.

What Instagram tools do you like most and why?

I like anything that gives me a fun way to interact with my audience. I use a lot of polls, Q&A stickers, and my broadcast channel.

What advice do you have for early stage creators who are experimenting on Instagram?

Post often, try everything, experiment, and don't get discouraged. I’ve seen creators get too fixated on one content style, and then get discouraged and stop posting when they don’t get the likes or engagement they’re expecting.

“Post often, try everything, experiment and don’t get discouraged.”

Posting often does a few things:

1. Increases your exposure as more people see your content and land on your profile
2. Makes you a better creator because you get better at making videos faster
3. Tells you what type of content you do best and what resonates with your audience the most

What is the best thing that has happened to you and your family as a result of your growth on Instagram?

Money.

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