Things I’ve learned from TikTok & Instagram: From a Content Developer perspective
Ok, so admittedly I was late to the TikTok fervor. I resisted any and all attempts to get me on the platform (and boy, did my son try hard) or to really even seek to understand how it’s a useful or creative way to develop and distribute content. So now that I got that out of the way, we can all have a Gen Z/Millennial chuckle at my expense and yeah, I know the joke was really on me. It wouldn’t be the first time.
So here goes. I’ve been on TikTok all of one week (yes a veritable noob). I have posted 4 videos with ~average of 500 views per video and 41 Likes.
I’ve been writing on Substack (#BethsExceptionalVideoPlaylist) and posting on Instagram since February about my TV and film recommendations with a sprinkling of personal reflections that make the commentaries that much more authentic.
For a while my @blisogorsky Instagram account was public so I could share out my recommendations with a broader audience but then I struggled with wanting to share personal items of interest about my family and the balance of making that content public while still trying to maintain privacy.
So then in July, I got another Instagram account (this one public — @bethsexceptionalplaylist) dedicated to my TV, Film, Books and Podcast recommendations. I also started to better appreciate how to use #hashtags so my content could actually be found. That’s been a big win. But when I say “big win” I’m still only seeing at most ~36 Likes (and that’s on a really popular post. And don’t get me started on the fact that I can’t actually see “views” or with a personal account.
An Instagram word to the wise: Toggle your account to upgrade to a professional/business account. Even if you have zilch interest in selling your wares, you can see insights like how many impressions, views and what types of accounts are seeing your posts, etc. That’s key for me as I want to connect people to good TV and film and have them enjoy and relate to the very things that will inspire them and make them think more deeply about life.
# and @ ideas and people/places/things you want to be associated with and make sure your hashtags have a healthy amount of followers, i.e. 500K to 1M
Ok, yes, let’s talk TikTok.
#1 — There is no playbook. / You gotta throw out all your 1.0 and 2.0 conventions about content creation: TikTok demands that you watch continuously and listen. It begs for people to broadcast to you 24/7. That is what the platform is about. The truth is Insta’ made me rethink how I do content for TV and film to make it more about the imagery and the words that support that visual. And similarly TikTok has me using video in the form of audio and film/tv stills and features like effects to create new content and experiment with how I more directly get my recommendations out there. I realized how much I heart actual soundbytes from my favorite songs and new song finds to set the mood for my videos.
#2 — You will watch a lot of random hand gesture/ personal reveal videos by celebrities but it’s not for naught.
In addition to being totally intrigued by these videos (watched Lance Bass and a dude from “Million Dollar Listing New York” who I don’t even follow dispel rumors that I didn’t even know I knew about), these videos are a creative and effective use of the medium. Say what you will about what’s actually being said. The ability to produce and distribute the video is impressive.
The short of it is that TikTok inspires experimentation and it feels more egalitarian in that even celebrities are making videos that kinda look like yours. That’s saying something.
Whereas TikTok gives us peons a hope of being “seen,” YouTube’s algorithm has already pushed us down to the bottom of its search pages and determined our value in social media society to be subpar, determining our worth in terms of our ability to create uber-tuber brands, like MrBeast. You’re either an uber-tuber, a professional brand or the people that make the how-to videos that people click on from time to time when they can’t put their IKEA shelf together.
#3 — You will also learn unconventional, useful things.
Apart from the fact that TikTok has a pretty great Creator Portal for noobs to learn the craft of making videos, they also host a Creator Fund where content developers can get paid provided they meet a minimum follower threshold of 10K authentic followers, have accrued at least 100K authentic video views in the last 30 days, and post original videos in line with TikTok Community Guidelines. I recently came across a TikTok-er who posted extensive content about monetizing your content and never posting for free (I think I might be breaking a cardinal rule there). Then again, I’m still learning. She mentioned how she reached out to specific brands that resonated with her and was able to parlay that into posting on their site with her original content and getting paid for it. That’s a win-win as you get exposure and build your brand, one client at a time.
