[Journey] From $0 to… Hopefully Something – My OFM + AI Experiment

[shijin]

Day 9: First Ad Test – Small Budget, Big Learnings

Day 9 was all about testing the waters with paid ads. Wanted to see if I could speed up model outreach a bit and bring in some warmer leads.

Mini Ad Test
- Budget: $10 on Meta (IG/FB) ads targeting lower-tier GEOs.
- Impressions: ~3.2k
- Clicks: 87
- Cost per lead click: $0.11 (not bad!)
- Actual leads: 4 decent conversations, 1 solid potential model.

Not crazy results, but good enough to keep testing with slightly higher spend. Definitely better than cold DMs for getting people curious.

Revenue
- Pulled in $96 today — a little lower than Day 8, but still holding near $100/day.
- Repeat spenders are starting to appear, which is a really good sign.

Model Progress
- Model #1 posted twice today, engagement is slowly creeping up.
- Model #2 just sent her first full batch of content, should start posting tomorrow — excited to see how she performs.

AI Updates
- Used AI to help pre-write DM follow-ups for ad leads — saved a ton of time.
- Personality profiles are starting to feel pretty natural now. Each model has their own “voice” and it’s working.

Lessons Learned
- Ads bring in warmer leads than cold outreach but still need good follow-up to convert.
- $10 is enough to test, but next time I’ll probably try $25 to see if the results scale.
- Keeping track of conversations is getting tricky — may need to look into a proper CRM soon.

Tomorrow: onboard Model #2 fully, push content live, and scale ad spend slightly to test consistency. Excited to see if I can sign another model this week!

 

[shijin]

Day 10: Model #2 Goes Live + Surprise Revenue Spike

Day 10 felt like a level-up day. Having two active models running at the same time is *so* much more exciting (and chaotic).

Model #2 Launch
- Her first posts went live today!
- Engagement was way better than I expected — 15 comments and a handful of DMs within the first hour.
- She’s super motivated and even suggested content ideas herself, which is a dream come true.

Revenue
- Total for the day: $138
- Biggest day yet — partly thanks to Model #2’s debut pulling in curious new subs.
- Model #1 had a slower day, but the new traffic made up for it.

Fan Interactions
- AI handled most of the chats today and honestly crushed it.
- Had one funny moment where AI answered two fans with the exact same flirty line… one thought it was cute, the other thought it was a joke and tipped extra. Accidental win?

Ads + Outreach
- Scaled ad spend to $20 today — got 8 new leads and 1 confirmed call for tomorrow.
- Cold DMs took a back seat so I could focus on onboarding and chats, but I’ll ramp those back up tomorrow.

Takeaways
- Two active models make the whole thing feel much more like a business and less like a test project.
- Ads are officially worth it at this stage — warm leads convert faster than cold ones.
- AI is saving HOURS. Without it, I’d probably still be stuck in my DMs right now.

Tomorrow’s focus: more ads, more outreach, and hopefully signing Model #3 to keep the momentum building.

 

[Vanta]

Hello! I'm following this journey—it's inspiring because I want to open my own agency. I have a question: which country is best for cold DMing models?

 

[Who-Am-I]

Good luck, will be following!

 

[shijin]

Hello! I'm following this journey—it's inspiring because I want to open my own agency. I have a question: which country is best for cold DMing models?

Thanks for following along! From what I’ve seen, Tier 1 countries (US, UK, Canada) are good but competitive and can get pricey. Lately, I’ve been testing Tier 2 GEOs where creators are eager to work but less saturated, and response rates are surprisingly good. It’s worth experimenting with a mix and tracking which ones convert best for you.

Good luck, will be following!

Thanks! Glad to have you following along, I’ll keep sharing updates so it stays interesting to read.

 

[shijin]

I assume using model marketplaces to get new models is too expensive given the budget you have?

Yeah, exactly, most model marketplaces take a pretty big cut or have high upfront fees, which would eat into my budget fast. For now, cold outreach + ads are cheaper and give me more control over who I sign. I might revisit marketplaces later once revenue is higher and I can afford to test them properly.

 

[shijin]

The models you've gotten so far, do they have strong existing socials and are they promoting themselves via those, or are you the only one promoting them?

Right now, neither of the models has a huge existing following, they have small socials, but I’m handling most of the promotion myself. Long term, I’d love to work with models who already have some traction since it makes growth easier, but for now it’s more about building them up from scratch.

 

[noseg30]

Hello! I started ai model ofm last week and your journey are really inspiring, Do you also plan to use ai to generate photo and video content for your model or you only use ai to automate the system? and Would you mind sharing how much reach you get from starting an instagram account from 0 in one week? how many times you post in a day?

thank you. wish you met your 5k goals real soon

 

[michaljuoinar]

Interesting journey, I’ll be following along. Curious to see how AI + OFM works out in the long run, keep sharing the updates.

 

[shijin]

How are you promoting them? I saw in your original post you mentioned reddit, are you just posting on the OF promo subreddits or are you doing something differently?

Mostly using OF promo subreddits for now, but experimenting with regular niche subreddits where it fits naturally (not spammy). Also testing TikTok + IG reels to see which gets better engagement. Reddit is great for quick traffic, but social media is better for building long-term fans.

Hello! I started ai model ofm last week and your journey are really inspiring, Do you also plan to use ai to generate photo and video content for your model or you only use ai to automate the system? and Would you mind sharing how much reach you get from starting an instagram account from 0 in one week? how many times you post in a day?

thank you. wish you met your 5k goals real soon

Thanks! I do plan to eventually test AI-generated photo/video content, but right now I’m using AI mostly for chat automation and workflow. Instagram growth from 0 is slow, in the first week I got around 100–150 reach per post. Posting 1–2 reels per day seems to work best so far.

Interesting journey, I’ll be following along. Curious to see how AI + OFM works out in the long run, keep sharing the updates.

Appreciate it! I’m curious about the long-term results too, that’s why I’m sharing everything as I go. I’ll definitely keep the updates coming.

 

[shijin]

Day 11: Juggling Two Models + My First Ad Mistake

Day 11 definitely reminded me this isn’t all smooth sailing. Some good wins, but also a few facepalm moments today.

Revenue
- $121 today — solid, but slightly down from Day 10.
- Most of it came from Model #2’s fans, Model #1 had a slower day.

Model Management
- Keeping two content calendars running is way more work than I expected.
- Accidentally scheduled two posts at the exact same time on different platforms and missed prime posting hours. Rookie mistake.
- Both models are still engaged and motivated though, which makes the grind easier.

Ad Fail
- Scaled ads to $30 and accidentally set targeting way too broad.
- Blew through $10 before I caught it — lots of clicks, zero decent leads.
- Adjusted targeting and saw better results later in the day, but lesson learned: triple-check ad settings before hitting launch.

AI To The Rescue
- AI helped me catch up on chats while I fixed the ad mess.
- Personality profiles are feeling solid now — conversations for Model #1 and #2 are clearly distinct.
- Even with AI, I can feel how much time management matters now that there’s more volume.

Takeaways
- Scaling means more moving parts — easy to make small mistakes that cost time/money.
- Ads can get expensive fast if you’re not careful.
- Two models are great for growth but require better systems — probably need to start outsourcing soon.

Tomorrow’s goal: fix posting schedule, run a better-optimized ad test, and start setting up a simple tracking sheet for leads so nothing slips through the cracks.

 

[morganmadison366]

Well.... your post kinda look you put a lot of effort in it and you are a very sharp guy so i'm sure the outcome will be good but following to learn more

 

[shijin]

Well.... your post kinda look you put a lot of effort in it and you are a very sharp guy so i'm sure the outcome will be good but following to learn more

Thank you, I’m trying to be as detailed as possible so others can learn from both the wins and the mistakes. Hopefully, it all pays off, and if not, at least we’ll have some good lessons (and probably a few laughs) along the way.

 

[morganmadison366]

Thank you, I’m trying to be as detailed as possible so others can learn from both the wins and the mistakes. Hopefully, it all pays off, and if not, at least we’ll have some good lessons (and probably a few laughs) along the way.

love your attidute . I'm here for learning

 

[shijin]

love your attidute . I'm here for learning

Thanks! Same here, I’m learning as I go too, just sharing it in real time. Glad to have you following along!

 

[GoogleBoii]

I'll follow this one, good work!

 

[shijin]

Day 12: Bounce Back + Model #3 Signed!

Yesterday’s chaos was actually a blessing — it forced me to slow down, check everything twice, and tighten my process. And wow… today felt like a complete reset.

Ad Recovery

Fixed the ad targeting mess from Day 11 (turns out I accidentally left some random interest groups active that made no sense ).

Relaunched with $20 — CTR improved from 1.8% → 3.4% after cleanup.

Pulled 7 warm leads, and two of them are very promising.

Big Win: Model #3 Signed!

She actually came through IG DMs, not ads — proving cold outreach still works when consistent.

She’s super motivated and already has decent content — should save me a ton of onboarding time.

Plan: start posting her content tomorrow to get her live ASAP.

Revenue

$118 today — highest single day so far!

Model #1 had her first fan request custom content, which boosted tips nicely.

Model #2 engagement is up 20% since yesterday.

AI Improvements

Rolled out a new system where each model has her own “chat memory” so convos feel more personal and less robotic.

Tested a mini-automation that queues replies when I’m sleeping — woke up to two conversions from overnight chats.

Takeaways

Small mistakes are fine if you use them to get better.

Ads + cold outreach = best combo so far.

Signing a model with existing content is a HUGE time saver.

Tomorrow’s goal: get Model #3 fully running, push content live, and scale ads again to see if I can keep up this momentum.

 

[shijin]

Day 13: The First “Busy Day” Problem (And Why It’s a Good Sign)

Today officially felt like running a real agency for the first time — and not just a side project.

Juggling Three Models

Model #3 went live today, so now I’m running three accounts at once.

My DMs were stacked for hours — felt like playing whack-a-mole answering everyone.

Nearly missed a lead follow-up because I was deep in a fan chat — adding a proper CRM just went from “nice-to-have” to “priority.”

Revenue

$127 today — slightly up from yesterday.

Model #1 and #2 are both getting repeat spenders now, which feels HUGE.

Model #3 already got her first paid interaction on day one — fastest start yet.

Ad Testing

Kept ads running at $20, got 6 leads and signed 1 (not a model, but a paid content request).

CPC is holding steady at $0.10–0.12, so I might slowly scale to $30 tomorrow.

AI Wins

AI handled about 60% of the fan chats today while I focused on signing leads.

Experimented with a more playful tone for Model #3’s chat personality — early feedback from fans is .

Mini Lesson
Growing means chaos — but this is the kind of chaos I signed up for. Now it’s about staying organized enough to keep scaling without dropping the ball.

Tomorrow I’ll:

Test $30/day ads for the first time

Build a simple CRM/Google Sheet to keep leads organized

Get Model #3’s first reel up to boost visibility

 

[MilijasBoss]

Amazing journey You got here mate, it seems like You have a lot of expirience in this field since it got up and earning so fast, keep going.

 

[kavyapharma]

Using OFM + AI tools to transform zero beginnings into meaningful growth, the [Journey] From $0 to... Hopefully Something demonstrates how consistent effort, learning, and adaptation can transform zero beginnings into meaningful opportunities.