NJCS 12: Vintage New Jersey - Interview: Using Nostalgia to Build Followers with Tom Jurkowski

Five years of posting vintage photos to an audience of just his mom and brother. Then one post about ridiculous New Jersey street names like "Man Love Avenue" and "Nut Swamp Road" exploded from 20,000 views to 1.2 million overnight, changing everything.

Tom Jurkowski turned his "weird, nerdy obsession" with New Jersey history into 284,000 followers by mastering what he calls "snackable history": grainy 1970s footage and then-and-now photos that trigger nostalgia across generations. 

In this NJ Content Studio interview, Tom reveals why hashtags still matter (controversial!), how quirky characters drive engagement, the "slot machine theory" of viral content, and why monetization remains frustratingly elusive despite massive view counts. 

He also shares his go-to resource for copyright-free historical footage and explains why posting about an old man who waved at traffic became one of his most polarizing and successful pieces of content.

With your hosts Steven Picanza and John Bertino.

Key Timestamps

00:00:00 - Cold Open: The dopamine addiction of viral content and Tom's massive regional following

00:02:18 - Introduction and studio tour: Naming the South, Central, and North Jersey studios

00:04:43 - Tom's origin story: How college in New Hampshire and misconceptions about New Jersey sparked the idea

00:07:31 - The Asbury Park inspiration: Discovering vacant buildings and starting the then-and-now obsession

00:08:40 - Five years of persistence: Going to libraries with his phone "like a creep" and getting 5 likes from mom

00:12:04 - The breakthrough post: Funny street names that went from 20K to 1.2 million views

00:15:49 - The nostalgia factor: Why people engage and how it triggers memories across all age groups

00:18:01 - "Snackable history": Why 30-60 seconds is the sweet spot in an ADD culture

00:25:12 - Copyright navigation: The "American Archive of Public Broadcasting" resource for licensable content

00:28:05 - Going in front of the camera: Why Tom decided to finally show his face after years

00:30:06 - Content ideation: No keyword research, just following inspiration from boats to pine trees to Jersey Devil

00:30:40 - The hashtag debate: Why Tom swears by them (with high volume + specificity) when others say they don't matter

00:34:48 - Hooks and thumbnails: Using "mouth open" shock thumbnails and text overlays to stop the scroll

00:38:24 - The waving man story: How a polarizing 1990s local legend drove over a million views

00:43:14 - Monetization reality check: Why a million views doesn't equal a million dollars

00:45:36 - The missing piece: Why Tom needs an email list and how creators are "renting" their social audiences

00:48:00 - Why content flops: The social experiment of unpredictable performance and the LBI shipwreck example

00:51:20 - Metrics that matter: Why shares (40,000+) are more valuable than likes for Tom's content

00:52:16 - The "slot machine theory": Why you need 3-5 variables to hit at once for content to truly perform

00:54:40 - Final advice: Don't worry what people say, post what you're passionate about, and power through the early days

 

About Vintage New Jersey and Tom Jurkowski

Tom Jurkowski is the founder and content creator behind Vintage New Jersey, a popular social media platform dedicated to preserving the Garden State's history, culture, and nostalgia through archival photos, videos, and stories.

Launched in December 2014 as a side project, the account has grown to over 450,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Threads by sharing "snackable history" like then-and-now photos and quirky local tales.

His breakthrough came with a viral post on New Jersey street names, exploding from 20,000 to 1.2 million views. 

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