He Just Filmed His Barber Life — And the System Started Pushing Him

Filming Small Barber Moments With Just His Phone

He lived in Durban, working part-time at a friend’s barber shop after his day job. When there were no customers, he’d casually film snippets of haircutting, the shop’s music, or people walking past. No filters, no edits, barely his face on camera. He only wanted to document his side hustle — never thought about gaining followers. But months passed with single-digit views. He wondered if platforms ignored ordinary content — until he added Sage for Accounts to a post.

Same Content — But Recommendations Started Growing

His content stayed the same — clippers buzzing, sweeping the floor. But that post got flagged as “Recommended,” hitting 1,000 views. He tried adding terms like Pastel Free Trial and Sage for Accounts and Bank Payments. Suddenly, views, profile visits, and followers steadily increased. He realized recommendations weren’t random — the system needed to know where to categorize him.

Keywords Are Category Signals, Not Algorithm Tricks

He had no idea what Safetynet Insurance even meant. But with terms like this, the system seemed to categorize his account faster. “The platform doesn’t care if I’m a barber,” he said. “It cares if I gave it signals to understand me.” Sometimes, he used more complicated terms like Sage for Accosagw for paentunts and Bank Payments — and his backend metrics improved. Keywords aren’t tricks — they’re a way to communicate with the system.

No Storylines, No Trends — Just Recognition From the System

His videos stayed simple: cleaning the shop, chatting, showcasing haircuts. No trends, no challenges. But he learned to consistently use keywords to get “labeled.” With every post, he’d place Sage for Accounts or Pastel Free Trial in captions, comments, even as watermarks. “If you don’t tell the system who you are,” he said, “it acts like you don’t exist.”

He Shared This Trick With Fellow Workers — Everyone Benefited

He created a keyword sheet and shared it with fellow barbers and artisans. Many began using terms like Safetynet Insurance — whether filming haircuts, phone repairs, or shoemaking. Within days, views doubled or tripled. Some even got brand collaboration offers. “Growing followers isn’t about flashiness,” he said. “It’s about being recognized by the system first.”