Recently, one of my TikTok videos went viral, amassing 1.6 million views and catching the attention of major news outlets. However, contrary to popular belief, going viral isn’t as beneficial as many think. In this blog post, I’ll debunk some common myths about going viral on TikTok and share my personal experience and insights.
Myth 1: Going Viral Automatically Grows Your Account
One of the biggest misconceptions is that a viral video will lead to a massive increase in followers. It can but here’s a catch!
Despite my video reaching 1.6 million views, I only gained 300 followers. This highlights that people are becoming more selective about whom they follow. Instead of focusing solely on going viral, it’s crucial to build a strong, engaged community. I must add that the amount of followers you gain depends on whether you are on video or not. If you go viral by promoting yourself or your business in a creative or helpful way to others, you will gain more followers. For example, my video about chatGPT plugin for SEO with 600,000 views led to 11,000 new followers. However, it’s usually easier to go viral with content that is not related to you but is interesting to general public.
Myth 2: Viral TikTok Makes You Rich
Another myth is that viral videos result in significant financial gains. Despite being part of TikTok’s creator program, I haven’t earned any money from my viral videos. The key to monetizing your content is not relying on the platform itself but using it strategically to drive traffic to your business or services via Linktree in a bio if you have over 1,000 followers. If you need help growing your TikTok, you can educate yourself with my online course available for purchase.
There are other tools integrated into the app, for instance, subscriptions for LIVEs, video gifts, using certain songs in your videos, and selling products via TikTok shop but all these tools have incredibly low commission. I am talking cents or $50 dollars if the video goes viral.
Making Money with TikTok: A Different Approach
Despite not earning directly from TikTok, I’ve found ways to leverage the platform for business success. By creating valuable content, such as tutorials, I attracted clients who hired me for my expertise. For instance, a tutorial on SEO with chatGPT led to multiple business inquiries and sales of my SEO audit services. The key is to use TikTok as a tool to demonstrate your knowledge and drive traffic to your business. It also led to multiple brand deals. This is the best way to make money because you can negotiate the fees directly with the businesses.
Myth 3: Shadow Banning Exists
There’s a widespread belief in the existence of shadow banning – where TikTok supposedly limits the reach of your videos. Based on my experience, shadow banning is more of an excuse for underperforming content. If your videos consistently get low views, it might be time to reevaluate your content strategy and improve your hooks and engagement tactics. Often, creators complain that they are shadow-banned and it truly makes me laugh because I discovered their video on my FYP page. It’s time to change the content and have a good look at your stats for each video. If your average watch time is under 3 seconds then your hook is lame. If the percentage of people who watched the full video is lower than 7% then you need to improve your storytelling.
Myth 4: You won’t get famous
While my viral video garnered attention from news outlets like the Daily Mail and the Sun, it didn’t lead to a substantial increase in followers or business inquiries. This underscores the importance of creating content that resonates with your target audience and showcases your expertise. Being in the news helps you if the video promotes you or your business. The fun part is when you go viral, everyone has seen your video. Random people on the bus are watching it and everywhere you go, people, know exactly what video you’re talking about.
Myth 5: You need to post daily to go viral
Every time I went viral, I did not post regularly. One time I left TikTok for 6 months and then started posting again randomly and went viral with almost a million views. Another time, I haven’t posted in 10 days. TikTok wants you to spend as much time on the platform as possible but posting more than once a day only leads to less views than more views. If you have time or if you want to connect with your community, post daily.
Tips for Content Creation
1. Focus on Quality Content: Great content will always find an audience, regardless of hashtags or posting times.
2. Engage with Your Community: Build relationships with your followers by providing valuable information and responding to their questions.
3. Leverage Media Attention: If your content gets picked up by the media, ensure your captions and descriptions are professional and accurate, as they will be quoted.
Conclusion
Going viral on TikTok can be a thrilling experience, but it’s not a guaranteed path to fame, fortune, or business success. By focusing on creating high-quality content and building a genuine community, you can achieve sustainable growth and meaningful engagement.
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