I recently met a photographer friend who travels across Egypt to create content. His instagram account is that of a creator, he's skilled at what he does. But what impressed me wasn't his skill.
Was a coincidence I had seen & shared a viral video of his few days prior to meeting him. Over the course of a few weeks after I followed him I knew the secret to his online success and it's simple: he posts content everyday. Doesn't matter if he's in or out, he creates & ships. The model he sets at consistency doesn't leave a chance for anyone to question his skill.
I've been following his stories, he:
Tries with different forms of visuals
Retains his original style across all his pieces
Goes on non-paid events just to shoot
Has sense with following trends, doesn't abuse them
Highlights shoutouts from popular accounts
Creates stories 3+times/day on most days
Creates posts 1-2 times/week
He was able to build a name for himself in the niche he's in -landscape photography- despite it being an underrated niche in the field of photography. His online success is a by-product of being consistent with the above actions. Best thing I concluded during my talk with him is that it doesn't feel like work to him. He's subconsciously at it.