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TL;DR
Amy (@Samoan_Scientist) spent 10 years posting on Instagram without much traction. She started using Stanley to speed up content experimentation, brainstorm fresh ideas, and figure out what works for her audience. And in just 8 months, she grew her following by 220%, racked up 7.7M+ views, and started earning consistent monthly income from her Stan Store for the first time.
Amy Maslen-Miller is a scientist and Creator who’s passionate about breaking down science in a way Samoan communities can see themselves in.
Her brand, @Samoan_Scientist, aims to empower the people of the Moana through culture, science, and storytelling. But after 10 years of posting on Instagram with barely any traction, she was beginning to doubt whether people actually resonated with her content.
That all changed when she started using Stanley. In 8 months, Amy grew her Instagram account from 8K to 25.9K followers, hit 1M+ views on a single post, and began consistently making sales through her Stan Store.
We’re breaking down how she did it and why Stanley has become her go-to tool for growing her Creator business.
10 Years of Posting Without Real Traction
Amy started Samoan Scientist back in 2015, but struggled to get much reach. She was posting consistently, but with limited engagement, it was hard to understand which topics her audience found useful.
She wasn’t always sure what to post, so she kept experimenting with various content strategies based on GaryVee’s social media framework to see what would stick.
Eventually, Amy realized she needed to approach her social content like a scientist: running daily tests, reviewing the results, and making small adjustments along the way.
But as a busy PhD student, she didn’t have much time to spare. She needed a tool that could help her quickly iterate on content while staying true to her voice—which led her to Stanley.
How Stanley Sped Up Amy’s Experimentation
Amy says social media is kind of like an experiment. You need to put in the reps to see what works and what doesn’t. So she committed to posting on Instagram 3 times per day, trialing a variety of formats and topics to figure out what resonated.
Stanley sped up that process, helping her:
- Consistently share multiple posts a day—making experimentation fast and sustainable
- Come up with a variety of fresh ideas for carousels, videos, and topic angles
- Create content that truly sounds like her—the Samoan Scientist voice, empowering framing, and topics grounded in Pacific food science
For the first time, Amy felt like her Instagram content was gaining traction.
“The moment I started using Stanley, my followers and views grew exponentially. It’s been my key source of creating content that people actually want to connect with or engage with.”
Turning Attention Into Income With Stan Store
Stanley became Amy’s brainstorming partner. Not just for her Instagram content, but for her Stan Store products, too.
“Stanley would coach me through what to do with my products. And whenever I was stuck at a point in terms of my store, content, or a new idea, Stanley was there to help.”
When her Stan Store products weren’t selling, Stanley helped Amy think through what to try next. She even used it to ideate on a new product concept on the go using Stanley’s voice dictation feature.
“It’s been a really great tool for just brain dumping ideas and turning those ideas into products or content.”
The Results: 220% Growth, 7.7M Views, and Monthly Sales
Amy’s Creator business has taken off more in the last 8 months than it has in the past decade. One post went viral, racking up over a million views—which she’d never experienced in all her years of posting on Samoan Scientist.
And with Stanley’s help, she’s figured out the formats her audience resonates with most and has hit major milestones, like 7.7M total views (up 42,900%).
“The moment that made me go—wait, this is actually working—is when my videos and my posts were getting at least 10,000 views on them. That never happened to me over the past 10 years.“
Amy isn’t just reaching more people—she’s growing her community. She’s more than tripled her Instagram following from 8K to 25.9K and gained 171 new email subscribers.
She says one of her biggest wins, though, is how this growth has impacted her business. For years, she’d posted valuable content online without making a penny. But by using Stanley to attract an audience and refine her Stan Store offers, she’s been able to earn as a Creator for the first time.
“I hadn’t sold anything online before and had no idea how to sell stuff… It made me realize I could make money and have an additional income. And that extra money helped towards my living expenses, which was so helpful—particularly as a student.”
What’s Next for Amy
Amy finished her PhD this year, and a major part of her mission is sharing her research back with Pacific communities—in New Zealand and beyond. With 25.9K+ Instagram followers and growing, she’s got the platform to do that at a scale she never expected.
“If I’m able to provide a perspective as a Samoan Scientist, then I’m able to reach more people to hopefully inspire the next generation into science. Or get people thinking about the types of foods that they’re eating. Or help people wanting to understand more about their culture.”
Struggling to grow your Creator business? Try using Stanley to build your audience and Stan Store to turn that attention into income—just like Amy.
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