NDO Champ details how diversity and realizing you can’t please everybody is key in building a successful social media following.

NDO Champ is a force to be reckoned with – and we’re not just talking about his strength and physique. NDO is a bodybuilder who started from nothing and has built himself into a future IFBB Pro threat and a powerful social media influencer. Starting from scratch, we thought he would be best to ask regarding tips for starting a successful social media following. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, NDO Champ details the key factors in building a big following on social media.

There is no one trick to becoming a successful social media influencer. A large part of success comes down to raw talent. But it’s also possible for extremely talented people to be overlooked in the sea of millions of Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts.

NDO Champ is a bodybuilder (and now boxer) who started from literally nothing. Without any connections or even stable footing to stand on – he has built a massive social media following, earned his IFBB Pro card, and is now training for boxing match.

But when you’re first starting out in bodybuilding, the competition prize money doesn’t pay the bills. If you’re not a top name bodybuilder, you’re also not getting sponsorships to cover your expenses either. That’s where social media can become a very powerful tool. With a low bar for entry – anyone can start an account and start building a following.

This was an important tool for NDO Champ, who used his intense and viral personality to build a following. That following led to opportunities – both financial and athletic. It’s a large part of the reason he’s able to succeed and grow to this day.

We asked NDO Champ to share with us his tips on how to build a successful bodybuilding social media presence from nothing. Of course, these tips are not a one-to-one guarantee to success – but it’s enlightening to see what can work and what can’t.

The number one factor NDO Champ attributes to his success sounds simple on its surface – realize you can’t make everyone happy. In these modern times of likes and comments, it can become easy to attach your mood to a successful day of posting online. This is the wrong trap to fall into.

If you’re desperately seeking likes and follows, it will become obvious to the audience. Even if subconsciously, desperation and disingenuousness will create a disconnect from potential fans. You must own your passion and be confident in your personality.

NDO Champ also recommends learning how to diversify your audience and your skillset. While it is important to be a master of one rather than a jack of all trades – you must also find aways to branch your passion out to different niches.

NDO uses his own experience as an example. Bodybuilding is first and ultimate passion but he also has moved into boxing and also acting. By bringing this into his skillset, he can create content geared towards those kinds of users. This gives him a wider and more diverse audience. For NDO, boxing and acting fit parallel into his core passion. It’s not a sacrifice but an extension of his being.

This circles back to being genuine. NDO Champ isn’t seeking out boxing for more followers. He’s seeking out boxing because he loves that sport and finds a connection between it and bodybuilding. He even thinks it will help his bodybuilding career upgrade to the next level.

It’s that natural interest that he then pumps into his social media accounts. It’s natural. It’s genuine. A byproduct of that is that he now becomes more interesting to a wider group of people. This gives him more followers. This gives him more opportunities.

You can watch NDO Champ’s full breakdown on how to be successful on social media in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!

Derek Dufour
Derek Dufour has been managing all digital operations on the Generation Iron Network for over six years. He currently manages a team of editors, writers, and designers to provide up-to-date content across the GI Network.