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Foodie influencer Brandon Crespin hates the spotlight and his meals are usually cold by the time he鈥檚 done filming 鈥� but you wouldn鈥檛 guess it by watching his TikTok videos.

鈥淭here has to be a heaven for food, because I鈥檓 there right now,鈥� Crespin said while trying crunchy chicharrones at sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 El Kochi Loko in a posted in July.

Crespin is one of several local content creators who use social media to highlight sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 food scene. With a cellphone in hand 鈥� and sometimes a ring light and tripod 鈥� people with a knack for food and technology are using short-form, video-centric platforms like TikTok to uplift local businesses while earning extra income.

By visiting one to two restaurants per day and posting his reactions to the food, has accumulated 47,000 new followers 鈥� bringing his total following to more than 143,000 people 鈥� and made more than $10,000 since starting his foodie content in June.

Crespin 鈥� who pays for all his meals but usually only takes a few bites because of how often he eats out 鈥� is paid by TikTok鈥檚 , which allows influencers to earn money for producing high-quality, original videos over 60 seconds long.

鈥淚 would have never thought me eating food would take me places where it鈥檚 taking me now,鈥� Crespin, 33, said.

The pool of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 influencers has grown since Crespin started content creation, he said.

The influencer marketing industry is also growing across the world, projected to reach $32.55 billion in 2025 鈥� up from $24 billion last year and $9.7 billion in 2020, according to an April from Influencer Marketing Hub.

Lifelong foodie and sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Public Schools bookkeeper , 24, echoed the sentiment of growth.

Abeyta鈥檚 foodie influencer journey started with nearly 1,000 followers and a about Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery鈥檚 new Dubai chocolate vending machine in Cottonwood Mall in January. Ten months and more than 200 TikToks later, she has amassed more than 11,000 followers and earned $250 since joining TikTok鈥檚 creator fund two months ago.

鈥淧eople like to see what鈥檚 going on in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, so that鈥檚 kind of what inspired me to do it,鈥� Abeyta said.

, a 35-year-old systems engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, is going on five years of content creation. She surpassed more than 50,000 TikTok followers over the summer and earns about $75 to $100 per month from the platform.

鈥淚t still feels really surreal,鈥� Gonzalez said. 鈥淚t was never my intent to get a following like this. I鈥檓 very introverted, but this taught me how to come out of my shell and how to talk with people.鈥�

Becoming an influencer wasn鈥檛 always in Crespin鈥檚 plans either. He was working as a corrections officer for Bernalillo County when he decided to explore videography as an outlet to decompress from the stress of his job.

His new hobby turned into a job opportunity when Paleta Bar co-founder Dipo Alam offered Crespin a marketing position with the company. Crespin took the role, which he said allowed him to invest in Paleta Bar, open two licensed locations in Arizona and eventually start his own marketing company.

It was the experience of owning and operating the Paleta Bars in Arizona that inspired Crespin to launch his foodie TikToks and gear them toward local restaurants.

鈥淚鈥檓 here to support local business because I know the struggle,鈥� Crespin said. 鈥淪o now that I have this opportunity, I want to help those places because it鈥檚 freaking hard.鈥�

For Gonzalez, posting to social media started as a way to reconnect with the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淏eing a millennial, social media has been such a part of my life since the MySpace days,鈥� Gonzalez said, adding she primarily used social media as a tool to share with friends and family.

In mid-2020, Gonzalez started making content about her life in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, sharing her perspective on everything from the local culture and events to the Duke City鈥檚 dating scene. Her foodie content came into the picture as restaurants started reopening in 2021.

What keeps Gonzalez spending five to 10 hours a week on content creation, in addition to her full-time job, is the positive impact her videos have had on local businesses, with several restaurants 鈥� such as sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 and in Bosque Farms 鈥� reaching out to say her videos gave them a much-needed boost.

鈥淭hat, to me, just makes it all worth it,鈥� Gonzalez said.

Crespin agreed. The positive impact far outweighs the challenges that come with being an influencer, including frequent online trolling, maintaining a work-life balance and people recognizing him out in public, he said.

鈥淚 honestly don鈥檛 enjoy the publicity side of things. (I hear,) 鈥榊ou鈥檙e the guy from TikTok!鈥� everywhere I go. It was cool at first, but now, that鈥檚 the part I don鈥檛 like about it, just for privacy reasons,鈥� Crespin said. 鈥淏ut what I absolutely love is the effect I鈥檓 bringing businesses.鈥�

Crespin said several of the businesses he鈥檚 featured across his more than 70 foodie TikTok videos 鈥� including sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 , and 鈥� reported record-high sales and increased foot traffic following the release of his videos.

Such was the case for Juice Ritual, an organic, customizable juice, smoothie and coffee house in sa国际传媒官网网页入口. Owner Bryan Velazquez said the business鈥� daily revenue tripled following a that Crespin posted in September. The video has more than 16,000 likes and 167,000 views.

鈥淚 was surprised and happy because I had been trying everything that I possibly could on social media to get traction,鈥� Velazquez said. 鈥淲hen he posted that, within the next day, we were slammed out the door. It was a blessing for sure. I told (Crespin), 鈥楧ude, you have the magic touch.鈥欌��

Velazquez said foodie influencers are one of the more positive byproducts of the increasing role of technology and social media in society, offering small businesses with limited marketing budgets new avenues for getting the word out.

鈥淚 could pay a media company $5,000, $10,000, and they wouldn鈥檛 be able to do this,鈥� Velazquez said. 鈥淧eople want to know who is behind the product and I feel like the foodies 鈥� they鈥檙e connecting with the audience and people don鈥檛 feel like they鈥檙e watching a stranger. They feel connected and safe to go and try these places that they鈥檙e posting.鈥�

A 2023 from Matter Communications indicated that 69% of respondents were likely to trust a friend, family member or influencer recommendation over information coming directly from a brand.

Junny Pham, owner of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 bubble tea shop Tea Lab said many people 鈥渁re not willing to try new food or a new restaurant because no one has tried it yet.鈥�

鈥淥nce they see a TikToker or foodies reviewing it, that鈥檚 when they start to come try it out,鈥� she added.

Pham said Abeyta鈥檚 first TikTok on the business in February brought in much-needed foot traffic during the winter months.

鈥淚t really helped us,鈥� Pham said.

The power of social media is the reason Crespin, Gonzalez and Abeyta choose to avoid posting negative reviews. A video can boost or destroy a business, Crespin said. If Crespin doesn鈥檛 like the restaurant, he said he gives the owners 鈥渃onstructive criticism鈥� and simply doesn鈥檛 post the video.

As for whether Crespin, Gonzalez and Abeyta see content creation turning into a full-time career, they said anything is possible. But for now, their goals are to continue connecting with people, honoring the trust they鈥檝e established with their followers, growing the local food and small business community and using their platforms to bring people together.

鈥淲e have amazing food here, and it鈥檚 not always about green chile,鈥� Crespin said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so many different cultural restaurants that I didn鈥檛 even know existed here, and I love exposing that to people.鈥�