TRACEY Dylan always felt like she was destined for something big, but she never thought she’d become Ireland’s TikTok Shop queen.
Busy caring for her son with special needs and her two daughters, Tracey revealed how she’s been able to come off Carer’s Allowance after developing a lucrative new career for herself on the social media platform.
Tracey promotes beauty and lifestyle products on her TikTok account @traceydylan23 and fully supports her family through the social media shopping feature.
With over 30,000 followers and nearly 900,000 likes, Tracey said her life has totally changed.
She said: “It really has been life-changing because I was just on Carer’s Allowance.
“When you’re at home, it can make you feel so useless. So TikTok Shop felt like I had a chance to do something.”
Tracey had started out online with a small following from posting lip-syncing videos for fun.
TikTok Shop is an e-commerce feature that lets users discover and buy products directly within the TikTok app and the Creator Affiliate Programme allows creators to recommend products to their communities and earn commission when a sale is made.
To be eligible for the Creator Affiliate Programme, a creator needs just 500 followers.
Tracey said: “When it came out, I thought I’d just give it a go because I had enough of a following to apply.
“And I couldn’t believe you could make money from it.”
Tracey, who left school when she was 16 and got her first job in McDonald’s, and at 17, became a mother and full-time carer to her eldest son, who is now 23.
She said: “I never finished school and I left with no qualifications.
“I’ve had to stay at home with the kids since.
“My oldest son has special needs and taking care of him is like a full-time job.
“But I loved business studies and I always felt like I was destined for something.”
Tracey is now a full-time content creator as well as a carer and uses TikTok as an outlet.
She said: “For me, TikTok Shop felt like the chance to do something, so I took it really seriously. It became something to have fun with.”
Named Ireland’s number one TikTok Shop creator multiple times and makes enough money to support her family, while also working with some of Ireland’s leading beauty brands, Tracey is no longer on Carer’s Allowance because of her booming TikTok success.
Dylan said: “It’s incredible that I can now earn my own income.
“In the first month, I made €50 and I just thought, imagine that money in your hands. It gave me a sign to keep going.”
She is also able to schedule videos so she can work on the go and be present for her kids, going to football games and planning family dinners.
Tracey said: “I’m a pro at it now. My content is so quick.
“Most people assume I’m online 24 hours a day, but I can get a whole day of content done in an hour.
“There isn’t much editing involved so I can roll out five videos in five minutes. I love the luxury of it.”
Tracey explained how sales can fluctuate depending on the time of year but said it has given her a steady income, adding: “The potential is huge and most people don’t realise that you can make it a real job.
“It can be hit or miss sometimes, but I earn a lot more than before. And when sales are on like Black Friday, it is just outrageous.”
Tracey received a prestigious award from TikTok Ireland earlier this year for her achievements in content creation, heralded as Ireland’s Top-Performing TikTok Creator.
She said: “I was speechless and over the moon. It was life-changing for me.”
And one of Tracey’s favourite parts of her job is making her children proud, continuing: “They are so proud of me because they would have known me not to work.
“My girls are 16 and 14 so it’s really cool for them that I get invited to TikTok events and work with brands.
“My postman hates us, but the kids think it’s Christmas everyday.”
And now when Tracey pops to her local shop or out with her children, she gets recognised.
She said: “Sometimes I forget that I’m on the phone and that real people can watch me.
“People recognise me because I’m on their screen all the time.”
Since joining TikTok, Tracey said her confidence has grown massively and while there might not have been an opportunity for her to have a social life before, she now regularly attends social media events with other online creators.
And this year, she began working with different brands on livestream shopping events to promote their products.
She said: “I’m naturally a shy person and don’t have a big friend group.
“But I’ve met people through this that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
“It just keeps going up and up.”
