Soham Bodke - Even Large Brands Have Recognized the Power of Memes (Owner of Justbodke Instagram Meme Channel)

Enjoy the journey towards success, as every step counts towards your goals.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

My name is Soham Bodke aka Justbodke.I'm 20 years old, living in Pune, fully immersed in being a full-time memer and a part-time product design student. I own an Instagram meme page called "Justbodke" with over 60 thousand followers.

Besides managing Justbodke, I create content for Youtuber CarryMinati and  even collaborate with other renowned YouTubers, comedians, artists, content creators, and brands, crafting memes and facilitating meme marketing for product and service promotion.

Additionally, I'm the co-founder of 'The Riyal Store,' a meme sticker brand established in 2023. Our current product is a meme sticker keyboard, causing a buzz online.

I began my page in July 2018, around the age of 14, using my old broken iPhone for editing and creating memes. With no prior knowledge of meme-making or photo editing, I relied solely on my funny ideas, jotting them down in my phone notes. Since my page wasn't gaining many followers, I decided to create memes featuring popular YouTubers in the hopes of gaining recognition. 

I began creating memes featuring popular YouTubers like Carryminati, Bhuvan Bam, Ashish Chanchlani, and Tanmay Bhat, whose content I enjoyed. 

While some of them noticed my efforts, they didn't yield the desired results for me. So, I began messaging and sharing my memes on their fan pages, hoping to catch their attention and get noticed. It was a hit-or-miss strategy—sometimes it paid off, sometimes it didn't.

All my favorite YouTubers noticed my work, except for CarryMinati, whom I've always drawn inspiration from.But later in 2020, CarryMinati's team reached out to me, impressed by my memes, and offered me the opportunity to work with him. It was a dream come true, and I've been creating memes for his Instagram since then.

In 2023, I finally met my inspiration, CarryMinati, marking a significant milestone from my days of spamming his fan pages to meeting him in person.

I uploaded content daily and slowly gained followers, building a strong connection with them over the years. Despite the slow growth, every follower's support meant a lot to me. 

In 2021, my parents gifted me a new gaming laptop, which marked a turning point in my life. With this laptop, I discovered video editing and began learning from YouTube tutorials. I delved into various editing software, honing my skills to create better content and memes. 

As the quality of my content improved, Justbodke gained significant attention on social media. With my editing skills reaching a professional level, I began working as a freelancer while balancing my studies. 

I explored different content tasks like video editing, writing, and scripting, sometimes working for free for experience and other times getting paid.

This also helped me build connections in the creator industry. In November 2021, I posted a meme video titled "Jethalal in Squid Game" that went viral, receiving coverage in a news article. Similarly, many of my reels started going viral. 

From just 200 views in the early days, my reels started amassing over 20 million views, marking a significant payoff for five years of dedicated effort.

Along the journey, my memes caught the attention of many famous personalities, including Carryminati, Dj Snake, Bhuvan Bam, Tanmay Bhat, Ashish Chanchlani, Comedian Rahul Dua, Indian Rapper Raftaar, MC Stan, Triggered Insaan, Fukra Insaan, and many more.

Last year, my friend Pratham, who owns India's most popular satire news page "Riyal News," proposed the idea of starting a meme sticker business.

We collaborated, and I used my design skills from YouTube to create the sticker designs. We founded The Riyal Store, a meme sticker brand. Currently, our meme keyboard stickers have gone viral on social media platforms.So here’s my journey in brief: Started as a memer, worked with influencers while becoming one, and co-founded The Riyal Store.

2. What led you to start your page on Instagram and what is it about?

I started my Instagram page, Justbodke, as a meme page filled with funny and entertaining content. Alongside memes, I enjoy experimenting with different types of content.

Before Justbodke, I and a friend ran a small meme page for our school. We used to post memes of our classmates, teachers, and even the principal. However, due to its growing popularity, it caught the attention of our principal and we had to close it down haha! 

Scrolling through memes on Instagram always brought me joy and laughter. Inspired by the humor and wanting to spread the same happiness, I decided to start my own page. Thus, in July 2018, I created an Instagram account "Bodkememes," which later became Justbodke.

3. Why do you believe memes have become such a powerful tool for marketing?

In a world overshadowed by sadness, memes provide a much-needed escape and laughter. Remember during lockdown, when we were all confined to our homes, scrolling through memes became our primary source of entertainment.

Even large brands have recognized the power of memes as a marketing tool. It's not widely known, but even the latest Bollywood movies use memes to market their songs, trailers, and films. Memers have found diverse ways to monetize their content across different industries. Additionally, governments have begun employing memes to enhance social awareness among citizens.

4. How would you distinguish the term blogger from an influencer?

Well, Bloggers primarily focus on written content, covering a wide range of topics such as interests, personal experiences, hobbies, etc., typically on a blog platform. On the other hand, influencers create content across social media platforms with the goal of influencing their audience. They often collaborate with brands, promote products/services, and monetize their content through brand partnerships and advertising.

5. Is it financially sustainable to be an influencer today?

I personally believe that the impact varies based on the type of influencer you are and the extent of your reach. The game is essentially about monetizing your content. You can generate income by endorsing products or brands.

So my answer is yes, it's possible to become financially sustainable to be an influencer once you become a prominent influencer with a substantial following. However, it can be challenging to maintain financial stability as a smaller influencer since brands may prefer larger audiences.

6. What is your idea of success or your mantra in life?

My life mantra is to pursue your passions relentlessly and believe in magic. Reflecting on my journey, my current reality was once just a dream for a 14-year-old me. Enjoy the journey towards success, as every step counts towards your goals.

7. How can someone become a successful social media influencer?

Well, there's no hard rulebook on how to become a successful influencer, as you know. No one can predict the internet. Anything can go viral at a time. 

However, you can try to understand the algorithm, identify the types of content that grab the most attention, and experiment with it. Instead of solely focusing on becoming a successful influencer, enjoy the journey of being an influencer.

Just keep uploading content and have fun doing it. Enjoy the process. Remember, it's not a competition. Do it for the enjoyment.

Bio

This is Soham Bodke. He is an influencer and content creator. He has more than 64k followers on Instagram.

Interviewed by - Ashmeet Kaur

Edited by- Arunangshu Chatterjee