Transcripts
1. Introduction: Have you ever thought about
creating a TikTok account? [MUSIC] Have you seen
other creators blowing up and thought, "That could be me?" But it is our broad audience, build a community and
shine a spotlight on creativity is where
it all begins, and leaning into
that desire could take you on a very
exciting journey. Hi, my name is Erin McGoff
I'm a film director, video editor living in New
York City in one year, I went from zero to over 1.8
million followers on TikTok. In the past year, I've worked with some incredible brands, like National
Geographic, Backstage, Acura, ZipRecruiter,
and even Skillshare. A few months ago I even
signed with an agency, which is really exciting. Before I downloaded TikTok, I never even considered being a content creator
or an influencer. But after taking the lead, being vulnerable and
messing up a lot, I eventually figured it out
and I haven't looked back. So even if you're somebody
who doesn't want to do TikTok dances or engage in silly trends or even
show your face, this class can still help you
find the best way to market your creativity in your
own way on TikTok. I'm going to teach
you how to do what I did it and what so
many others have done through a step-by-step
process and specific example. TikTok is an amazing opportunity to elevate yourself branding, getting some clout, grow an audience and
build a community. In this course, you'll learn how to design a strategy
and find your niche, how to brainstorm
design, script, film, edit, and post TikToks. I'll show you a case studies
of success to inspire you, manage your
expectations, emotions, and mental health as an
online content creator. Use content creation and elevate your real-world
career, and of course, I'm also going to share what
everybody wants to know, how you could potentially
monetize TikTok. But it's important for me
to state up front that this class is not
about me teaching you how to become a
cringy clickbaity TikTok influencer overnight, this is about playing
the long game. I want to teach you how
to maintain integrity in your creative career while also marketing yourself on TikTok. This class is for ambitious and curious creatives who
have a story to tell. This class is for
graphic designers, illustrators, culinary artists, dancers, painters,
filmmakers, photographers, writers, and
everything in-between. The only prerequisites
for this class, are curiosity and humility. If you fit what I
just described, you're in the right place. I'm optimistic
about the future of content creation and I want to help you take that first step. I'm so excited to teach you all the tips and tricks
I've learned along the way. So let's jump right in [MUSIC]
2. Class Project: Before we dive in,
I want to quickly tell you about our
class project. All you need for this class
is a working phone with a working camera and
microphone and the TikTok app. For the class project, you'll be creating three TikTok videos. One about yourself,
one about your craft, and one engaging in a trend. I know that might sound
intimidating right now, but in 40 minutes you'll feel
a lot better. Let's begin.
3. Why TikTok?: [MUSIC] Before we dive in, let me tell you
why you should be so excited about TikTok. Before I jumped on TikTok, I thought the app was so weird. I thought it was just
a bunch of [inaudible] dances and over the first
time I opened the app, the first video that
I saw was terrifying. But of course, after
a few scrolls in the For You page,
I was addicted. At the time of recording
this course in early 2022, one billion people
use TikTok and the app has been downloaded
over three billion times. Twenty-eight percent
of TikTok users are under the age of 18, 35 percent are between
the ages of 19 and 29, and 37 percent are
over the age of 30. Around 60 percent of TikTok followers are
under the age of 30. Nineteen percent
of Americans with mobile access log into
TikTok every day. TikTok, it's the sixth most popular social app in the world, trailing behind
Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and WeChat. Now a lot of people describe TikTok as Instagram for video, but here's why that's not true. It's important to make
the distinction between a platform and a social media. Instagram is a social media, it's all about connecting with your direct community,
people that you know. But YouTube is a platform
where the content is designed to entertain
and educate the masses. TikTok is a platform
not a social media. Think of it more as
YouTube than Instagram. This means it's
all about creating content for the masses. Your goal in TikTok
is to go viral. But besides all the
numbers and statistics, here are some reasons
why I think you should really seriously consider
utilizing TikTok. We're currently living in the golden age of the Internet
and the gate economy, the global content
creation economy is expected to hit $38
billion by 2030. The creator economy is here to stay and it's important to
hope in that trend early. Another reason that I'm
really passionate about TikTok is that it
equalizes everyone. Anyone can be a
creator on TikTok, it doesn't matter where you came from, what you look like, how rich you are, who you know, none of that matters, everyone is on an equal playing field. The app is open to
anyone who's willing to put in the effort and
not make excuses. That's why I think it's such a powerful
tool for people to utilize who maybe don't have the same opportunities
that others have. Maybe you live in
a small town and can't afford a move
to a big city, or maybe you can't
afford to go to college, or you're underrepresented
in your industry. TikTok gives you the
ability to empower yourself and market your craft
to a general audience. If you have a story to tell, people want to hear it. Before moving forward, I
would like to go over just a couple of terms that I'll be using just so we're
all on the same page. But if you're really new to
TikTok and you're finding that you don't really know
what I'm talking about, I definitely recommend going and watching my first-class where I talk way more in detail about
the app and the platform, and I explain everything
that you need to know. There are two
timelines on TikTok, there is the Following
timeline and the For You page. The Following timeline it shows the videos of people
that you follow, but 99 percent of people will spend their
time on the For You page, which is basically a
collection of videos that TikTok algorithm has created
that are just for you. The goal of any creator is
to get on the For You page, which means you create
an engaging video of the people watching full. The way that TikTok works
is that you post a video, it shows it to a
small pool of people, if those people engage
and they watch it in full and it's a video that
they seem interested in, they show it to a bigger
pool and then it goes on and on and on,
and eventually, if the video has
that viral reacher, it'll hit the For You page
and it will go viral. That's why TikTok is so cool. It doesn't matter how
many followers you have, it just matters if you're
creating viral content. You can start to count today, have zero followers,
post a video, go to bed and wake up, and you can have
100,000 followers. Just because if that video
hits the For You Page and it went viral, you
hit the jackpot. TikTok is like
playing the lottery. It's like you're constantly
paying into the system and every now and then you're
going to hit the jackpot. We're going to talk
about that more later. [MUSIC].
4. Discover your Niche + Content Strategy: The first step in
this journey is discovering your niche and
your content strategy. Now a lot of people get
stuck in this phase, struck by something called
analysis paralysis. This is where you just
spend so much time thinking and researching that you never
really get started and you never
really go anywhere. But honestly, you just can't
think about it too much, you just have to get started, that's the only way
you're going to learn. But here are the first steps
that I recommend you doing. Now if you're a visual person and you would like
to follow along, I created this fun little workbook to accommodate
this class, and you can download it for free down in the link in
the description. Step 1, list out five things
that you'd like to talk about or that make you unique or give you a unique perspective. Basically, list out the ways
that you can bring value to TikTok or ways that you would like to bring value to TikTok. For example, for me, it's like giving job and career advice, talking about the film industry, talking about living
in New York City, editing, and directing, and
documentary filmmaking. But for you, it might be like that century modern design, or fonts, or portraits of
animals, I don't know. Step 2, now you're
going to want to find 5-10 accounts that already
talked about those things. Look at their most
popular videos, and then look at the comments. How are people engaging
with the video? What questions are they asking? What content are people craving? For step 3, I want you to
think about your end goal. What do you want to
get out of TikTok? What is your best-case scenario? What are you doing? Is it a creative director and your favorite agency sees
your TikTok and hires you? Is it your favorite
artists sees your TikTok and they hire you to
design their album cover? Or maybe you're a musician, and you want one of your
songs to go viral on TikTok. It's important to
start with the end. Now instead of saying, "I want this," write it
in I will statements. I know it's cheesy but
research shows that writing down your goals
helps you achieve them. Instead of saying, I would love for creative director
to notice me and hire me, say a creative director of this agency will
see me and hire me. Now I know this might
seem a little silly, but no one needs
to see this list, it's just for you, and it's going to
help ground you, and remind you why
I watch this class, why you're doing all this work, and what you want
to get out of it. Once you have your
authority, research, and goals established, it's
time to start contemplating. Contemplating is
basically splitting out what videos
you're going to make, when you're going
to make them, how you're going to make them. [NOISE] But wait,
let's pause here. Here's where you
have to be careful. You see, it's relatively
easy to go viral on TikTok. All you need to do is post
something sensational. But remember to never
sacrifice your integrity, your end goal for just
a few moments of clout. Let's say you're a
graphic designer who posts videos about fonts. But then one day, your dog
does something really funny. So you film it, you record it, and post it on TikTok. That video is viral, and you've got 100,000
followers who are now following you
for your funny dog. TikTok has now categorized you
as a funny animal account, not a graphic design account. You might have a lot of
people following you, but they're dog lovers,
not font lovers. It's all about
focusing on getting a quality following,
not just quantity. There are lots of
accounts that have a ton of followers and
lots of engagement, but they aren't necessarily super transferable
to the real world because those followers
are following them for reasons that
don't benefit them. Design your account
to fit your goals, and focus on quality
and steady growth. While we're talking up this, I would like to make a
quick distinction. In my opinion, there are two
types of TikTok accounts: entertainers and educators or personality
versus information. Some accounts, particularly ones with a lot of followers and engagement are entertainers
or personality-based. People follow these accounts because they liked the person. That person could post a video of them eating french fries, and it would get a
million views because people simply like that person. These are creators
like Addison Rae or Noah Beck or Brittany Broski. They're usually like
models, or comedians, or actors, and honestly, they are modern-day celebrities. They've garnered a
following based of their charisma and
their personality. Then there are informational
accounts or educators. These are accounts that
people follow and pay attention to because of the
information that they give. They don't follow the creator for their personal interests, but rather for the information
that they provide. Successful accounts
like this include Sheet Sensei who just
gives Excel tips, or I love under
the desk news who simply gives daily news
bites from under a desk. These accounts bring valuable
information to viewers, which TikTok loves
because they had established themselves as
authorities in their niche. Then of course there are counts that fall somewhere
in the middle, accounts like Hank Green. People love him for his
personality and his information, which leads him to
consistently go viral. When you're planning
the content, always keep that in
the back of your mind. I always say the goal
in TikTok is to create content that is both
educational and entertaining. Next, it's important
to design videos that fit your personality
and who you are. TikTok wants to
see authenticity, they don't want
to see you trying to be somebody that you're not, and they'll see
right through them. Are you a more shy person? Maybe try an Emily
Mariko approach. Are you funny? Maybe try
a Dear Modern approach. Are you a good teacher? Maybe videos like mine
can mean expression. Now let's brainstorm
three different concepts. Some concepts that I like
to use are how-to videos. How to answer this question, or I like to do listicles, or something more sensational
is like a mistake that you're making or this
is why you shouldn't do x. Now that you know what you can talk about, what you
wanted to talk about, how you want to talk about it, name those three concepts. For example, if I named
three concepts right now, I might do how to
decide on a lens, three ways to export
footage in Premier, or maybe a day in my life as a filmmaker,
things like this. What I do is I keep
them in my notes app just so I can go
back and revisit them. It's important to
always do brainstorming and always writing
down your ideas.
5. Strategically Navigate the FYP + Go Viral: As a creator, I spent a lot of time
on my For You page and I definitely recommend
you do the same. The only way you're really
going to understand TikTok is by embracing it and
engaging with it regularly. Let me take you
through my process of how I interact with
the TikTok app. Commenting. Commenting is
a huge part of TikTok. The first thing people do
whenever they watch a video is open up the comments
and see what everybody else has
to say about it. I love to leave positive, helpful comments wherever I can. It can help you gain
exposure because people can like the comment which
raises it to the top. If I come across a sound of a trend and meme or something
that I want to use, you can click down in
the bottom right corner, that little circle,
that's the sound. Up the top, I
usually click Add to Favorites so that I
can keep it for later. Then you can see all
the other creators who have used this sound, which is a really great place to gain inspiration for ideas. If you want to use the
sound immediately, you can always click
Use the sound. Sometimes I do that
to create drafts. Now let's talk about
dueting and stitching. In addition to feeding
your own content, you can also piggyback off
of other people's videos. If I come across a video
in my FYP page that's in my niche and it's like a really informational video
that I want to retweet, I will just duet the video
in full for my audience. But if there's a video that
I want to add something to or comment on,
you can stitch it, which is basically
where you take five seconds in the video, usually people choose
the first five seconds, and then the rest
of the video is yours alone to comment on. I recommend dueting and
stitching as much as you can. I think it's a really great way to engage in TikTok and I know the algorithm really likes to
push up duets and stitches. Now let's look at
some examples of ways creatives go viral on TikTok. First, we're going to
look at Grace Wells. This video creator went
viral for creating homemade product commercials.
Let's take a look. I made an actual
commercial by myself. For this video, I
had to pick one of my least favorite tasks in the world: washing
dishes. Look exciting. Because Donna asked
me a commercial for their power wash dish spray. For the sake of this
whole kitchen set thing, because I wanted to look
super sleek and professional, I even ran water to it. Honestly, my biggest
fear going into this as the product seemed
too good to be true. Luckily, works like magic. It looks like I edited this, I promise I did not. Overall, I'm really proud
what they come up with. I feel like I managed
to make washing dishes look really fun and colorful. Here's the file ad, let me know what you think. As you can see, the
videos showcase a process with a
path at the end. You get to see all the work she put in and then
the final result, which people really love to see. You'll see that's very much a theme for creatives on TikTok. But some videos go viral for
more meditational reasons. Let's look at one of my
favorite creators, Mic-Anthony. Mic-Anthony just simply
captures moments. They're really simple videos that people love
to watch because they transport them somewhere else for just a brief moment. They really don't
try to do too much. Let's take a look
at one of them. Obviously, Mic-Anthony
is very talented, and this account
really showcases his ability to tell a story
in a very simple way. Then, of course, there
are educational videos. Videos people watch because
they want to learn something. This is a strategy that I use and it's a really
great strategy because it establishes yourself as an authority in your field. If you can teach other people, that means you probably know
what you're talking about. There are hundreds
of accounts that I could use to illustrate
all of these points. But for this one, let's look at Harrison Howard who teaches
people how to draw. Even if you don't draw, I can teach you how to draw
a lake. Check this out. Step 1 is a big center horizontal line followed by some sidelines
that are also flat. You can just put them
wherever you want. You're about to be
shocked how easy this is. A couple of follow and then draw some scribbly lines down. A couple of mountains
behind the side hills. A few more wiggly lines. Then if you want
to shade it, shade it from the corners and
leave the center it, sort of emptying.
Thanks for watching. You can see his kind,
empathetic, approach, and unique styles are why
people keep watching. He's establishing
himself not only as an illustrator but a kind person, a good
person to work with. Remember, it's not just
about doing great work, it's about being
great to work with. Here's some quick tips that
will help you go viral. Number 1, always
have a strong hook. People have the
ability to scroll away from your video at any time, and they will if they're not
interested or they're bored. So definitely keep the
momentum in a way. Number 2, always have
the best lighting possible and present yourself
in the best way possible. I mean, this isn't Instagram. People don't really care
what you look like, but always try to present
yourself in the best way possible with a good attitude. Remember that when
you're logging on to TikTok and you're
posting a video, you're putting
yourself on stage, you're putting yourself
out to the public. So remember that whenever
you post a video. Number 3, use
in-app effects like the green screen
effect or text audio. The TikTok app
loves when you use in-app features and they will reward you in the algorithm. Number 4, speaking
of the algorithm, ignore anybody who tells
you that there are certain tricks they
get on the For You page or anything like that. The trick for getting
on the For You page is creating consistently
viral content. There's special
hashtags, or filters, or times to post, or anything like that that's
going to help you. For your next assignment, I would like you
to find one video that recently went viral in your niche and write down
two to three reasons why you think it went viral.
6. How to Brainstorm, Script, Film, Edit, and Post TikToks: Hey there and welcome
to my office. [MUSIC] While I teach you guys how to make
a TikTok video, I wanted to come home in my natural environment
so I could show you how I literally create
content every day. Now let's talk about
creating a TikTok video from start to finish. Let's begin. I like
to keep ideas for TikTok in my Notes app on my
iPhone. It's really simple. Going on a walk
or laying in bed, watching TV and something
pops into my brain, I just write it down
on my Notes app so that whenever I sit
down to create content, I can just go to
my Notes app and see an idea and make
it right there. A lot of people tend to plan their content out and maybe
batch it all in one day but my style is more just to make little casual videos
throughout the day. They come off more authentic, candid and that's just more
of what my account is. Now, in my opinion, there are two different
types of TikTok content, original content, and
sound-based content. My account is mainly
original content, so I give advice or I
give job interview tips, but I do occasionally
participate in the meme or dance trend. I'm going to give
you an example of both types of content so you can see what I'm talking
about and how you can do it. Let's check this
script that I created. It's three tips for
aspiring screenwriters. This is a great example
of original content. This is a content that I wrote. It came from my brain.
These are tips that I'm personally giving an audio
that I'm creating myself. The first thing that
we're going to want to do is make sure that
there is a good hook. Typically, best
practices are to include the word you in the first
three seconds of the video, so have you heard of, did you know about, have you ever seen this. Here I wrote, do
you want to write scripts for movies and TV shows? Then I went on to
give three tips for anybody who is an
aspiring screenwriter. Now I'm going to go to
my TikTok app and I'm going to open up the camera, hi. Something that a lot of
TikTokers are going to do is use a ring light. I use this occasionally, but I actually loved to just prop my phone up on something. It just adds something
to my voice and I think makes it a little bit louder
and people really like it. It's one of my signatures. A lot of people don't
know that I do this. You guys are getting
the lowdown right now. I'm going to show
you guys exactly how I would create this video. The first thing I'll do is
take it over to 60 seconds, and then this is
typically what I do. I just go over to my Notes app and I just go
back and forth. My first line is, do you want to write scripts
for movies and TV shows? Here are three things you can do right now and work
towards that goal. Right now I'm setting
the video up to educate a desired audience. This is a niche group. Most of my TikTok followers
follow me for career advice, but I really love giving advice
about the film industry. I love breaking those gates down and demystifying
the industry. This is content they're
like, "I really love." I don't expect this
video to go crazy viral, but it will be very helpful
to a small audience. Do you want to write scripts
for movies and TV shows? Then I'm going to go
up here. Yeah, that. Here are three things you can do today to start working
towards that goal. Now I'm going to
green-screen effect, my first visual aid. I just pulled these
photos off of Google and put them in a little
photo background. I like to rehearse
before I say it. I'm going to say, Number 1, watch lots of films and
read their scripts to see how it was translated to film. Then I'm going to show an
example of a specific website because I like to show
tangible resources for people. I don't want to
keep things vague. Number 1, read a lot of scripts and watch
a lot of movies. A great online
resource for reading scripts for free is IMSDb. Read the scripts
while you're watching the film and take note. Watch a film and read the corresponding
script and take note. Now I'm going to move
on to point Number 2. Number 2, read this
book, Save The Cat. Professional screenwriters
everywhere love this book and I'll definitely
recommend it to you. Also, if you don't
want to actually read, you can download it in
Audible and listen to it. Now I'm going to move
on to my third point, which is to listen to podcasts. I'm a huge podcast fan. I speak really quickly, so I mess up a lot. [LAUGHTER] Because I
try to speak quick, people like that
about my videos, I get right to the point.
Let's try this again. Number 3, is listen to podcasts that interview screenwriters. Listen to them while
you commute or do your laundry or do the dishes. You can find them
on the Podcast app, on Spotify, and they are
invaluable resources. Then what I do at the end of all my videos is I typically
just have a call to action. You'll see this with a lot
of more popular creators, a lot of them have
this sign-off. I just say follow for more
because that's all it is, just follow for more. Drop any questions in the
comments and follow for more. Now I'm going to watch it back. [NOISE] Everything is
looking pretty good. Now I'm going to head into
the editing phase where I add music and text and
all those fun things. I'm going to show you
how to do that now. Now I'm going to pick the music
and I love this track for just light-hearted informational
videos [MUSIC] and I'll turn that down to eight or nine, maybe, maybe less, and then turn my original sound all
the way up to 200. A great online resource for reading scripts
for free is IMSDb. Watch a film and read the corresponding script
and take note. Now I'm going to go
in and add text in, so this is how I do it. The first thing that I'm
going to do is go in and add my title card and
then the rest of it I'm just going to have as
autogenerated captions. Then I like to add some emojis. This is how I do it. This is not how
you have to do it. Just pulling back the
curtain a little bit. What did I say? Corresponding script
and take note. Do you want to write scripts
for movies and TV shows? Here are three things
you can do today to start working
towards that goal. Number 1, read a lot of scripts and watch
a lot of movies. A great online
resource for reading scripts for free is IMSDb. Watch a film and read the corresponding
script and take note. Number 2, read this
book, Save The Cat. Professional screenwriters
everywhere love this book and I'll definitely
recommend it to you. I read it twice and
it taught me so much. That's how you change duration. Again, if I'm moving too quickly right now
and you're like, "Wait, Erin, I get, slowdown," go back and watch my first class
because I talk about, in detail, how to do all these little technical
things in the app. But right now I am
just showing you how I do it and you
can learn from that, and if you really need
a step-by-step process, go watch my first class, I strongly recommend that. Number 1, read a lot of scripts and watch
a lot of movies. A great online
resource for reading scripts for free is IMSDb. Now I'm going to go in and
add autogenerated captions. This is something
that TikTok added recently and they're
not perfect, so usually, I have to go in
and edit them quite a bit. This is actually the
most time-consuming part of creating a TikTok. I'm going to delete
this first one since I already wrote that and then delete that. As you see, it has
a lot of typos, you need to go through
and fix all those typos. Now that I'm done editing,
people always ask me, "Erin, you're a video editor, why are you editing
on your phone?" The answer is that it's
just easier to edit in app, and it also gives the app
more metadata about my video. I personally just
like to edit in app. I think it's a lot faster, things look for TikTok, they feel more authentic
because they are more authentic and it really is just a lot
easier at the end of the day. I do edit some
TikToks in Premiere, but for the most part, it's just easier to do it like this. For my caption, I like to write something pretty engaging, like, where are my screenwriters at or this is the best advice ever, or is there anything you'd add? Something that
engages commenting. I'm going to write, where are all my aspiring screenwriters? Now that I've showed you how
to do an original video. Let's talk about how to
do a sound-based video. As you're scrolling TikTok
and you're saving sounds, you go up to your favorite tab, go over to your sounds and click the sound
that you want to use. I want to use this sound. [NOISE] It's a
really short sound at the beginning people
are clapping and then people are like
whoa at the end. Usually, the beginning is something good and then the
ending is something bad. I thought this would
be really funny to do with that feeling when you think I'm going to start
looking for a new job, I'm going to find a new job,
I'm going to start applying. But then you remember you've
to update your resume. I was thinking about doing
it with that little meme. It's right in my niche and I think that people
will find it really funny. It's a really short video, it's only five seconds
long in TikTok, really puts a lot of
value on rewatch time. Creating shorter videos is
always just a good idea. I'm going to do my typical
lean it up against my mug. Nothing fancy going on here. Then it's important that I
selected my sound first. TikTok is not going to
capture any of my audio. Look. [NOISE] You see? All I need to do
is mouth the words or mouth the meme or act it out, and it's very simple and easy. Maybe I'll even use
a zoom-in effect or something here. Like this. Now I'm going to set my timer [APPLAUSE] and
look, countdown up. [APPLAUSE] Now I'm going
to record the second part. I always be like this. [APPLAUSE] That works. I'm going to add my text now, so I'll write, thinking about
getting a new job. Set the duration, remembering I have
to update my resume. That's it. Super simple, guys. These videos always do
really well for me. It's always the ones that have the least amount of work
that perform the best. That's just what I
found from my account, but TikTok is wild. [APPLAUSE] Now, I like
to add this filter. For these sets of
videos, I like to just do little funny captions, like the cry emoji. [LAUGHTER] I might do like a career advice hashtag
or something like that. But for me, this is more of just a funny one-off and it either will
perform or it won't. That's just how the
game is played. I'll add that to my playlist. Then I will save
that in my drafts. That is truly how
I create TikToks. I do that 1-5 times a day. It takes a few minutes
and you never know, that video could get two million views or it could get two. You just never really know
what's going to happen. Now let's go back to the studio and look at some case studies.
7. Case Studies: Now let's look at some
case studies that I've gathered from a variety of
creatives to help inspire you. First, let's talk
about Emily Mariko. Emily is known for her
mesmerizing [NOISE] cooking videos and
fashion sense. She's a woman of a few words, but her distinct
personality comes out in her original creative ideas
and peaceful form of videos. Next, let's talk
about an account I love, stuff about advertising. Now if you're in the marketing
or advertising space, you really going to
love this account. This creator is one
of my favorites because we've been following
each other for a while, and when she first
started her account, she was working as a
copywriter at an agency. Now she is a creative
director and was even named in WARC Creative 100, the most inspiring
talents of 2021. How cool is that? It just goes to show
that investing in TikTok really can translate to
a real-world career. During your next
creative brainstorm, try doing the opposite
of what's expected. Try flipping a
well-known phrase or say something jarring that people wouldn't expect to see in an ad, or say something
confusing that you then follow up with your brand. It works for visuals too, like using a style
that you wouldn't expect to see for that product. This singular
wireless commercial is a perfect example of how you can flip an entire set
of dialogue on its head. I have not had it up to
here with you young lady. Why do you insist on
treating me like an adult? Because you insist
on acting like one. Now you're getting
this new phone. It's so small. I really like it. Why is
it always what I want? Well, do you have any
idea how much money this is not going to cost me? I love you. I know you really mean that. Go to heaven. I'm going to pretend
I just heard that. Cingular is changing
the conversation. For all you musicians out there, you might already know
about Tai Verdes. His story is really inspiring. When he first started on TikTok, he was living in a
studio apartment, working at a Verizon store. Today he is on an
international tour after several songs
went viral on TikTok. He's a huge star now. For my drawing
friends out there, let's talk about
Devon Rodriguezart. He's gained over 22
million followers on TikTok and I don't even think he's ever showed his face. He's well-known for his
subway drawing videos. Let's take a look. [MUSIC]. Hey, Miss? Thank you
for your service. I did this painting of you. Ain't you from TikTok? Yeah. I'm the one. Oh, I follow you. Really? Oh, my God.
Nice to meet you. Thank you for your service. Thank you. There are literally thousands of accounts that I could
use as examples. But if you'd like to
see a master list of a bunch of creatives on
TikTok that I really love, I linked them all in the
workbook that you can download for free in the
link in the description.
8. The Do’s and Don’ts of TikTok: Now let's talk about the general do's and don'ts of TikTok. Do be candid. People want to see
your authentic self. This isn't Instagram. They don't expect you to be perfect. They want to see the real you. Don't engage in iffy trends. If something is going
around and it makes you uncomfortable or you can't
think of a good idea for it, just skip it. Don't force it. Do always have good audio. As they say in the
film industry, people will always
forgive bad video, but they will never
forgive bad audio. If your video is too quiet, people will scroll
right past it. Do speak quickly, be
engaging, be present. You don't have to be
bubbly and perky like me, but definitely be
present with TikTok. Don't use foul language
or use substances. Basically just don't post
anything that you wouldn't want your grandma to see
or a future employer. Don't make TikToks
when you're feeling down or frustrated or angry. Just make them when
you're feeling inspired. If there's a day where
you're not feeling inspired or you don't want
to create on TikTok, don't. Just skip the day. It's okay. It's your account,
[LAUGHTER] you make the roles and you can
do whatever you want.
9. Navigating the (Cruel and Wonderful) Internet: [MUSIC] Now let's talk about something
that's not discussed nearly enough in the
content creation community and that is maintaining
your mental health. I definitely want to include this in this course
because this is a huge part of being a TikTok creator and nobody
really talks about it. Creating content online
is terrifying and it opens you up to literally
a world of criticism. No matter how perfect or
wholesome your content might be, there will always be miserable
people in the world. This can be tough
as a creative when you're craft is your identity. It's important to remember that the whole world of
content creation is very new and the amount of
negativity that you can get can be really hard
on your nervous system. But don't worry, I'm
going to teach you how to deal with the trolls or
any negative people. Mindset. First, let's
talk about mindset. Before I sit down
and make TikToks, I actually have a little
mantra that I visit. It may sound cheesy,
but it works for me. Find something that
works for you. Maybe it's a poem, a song, a YouTube video, or a
scene from a movie. Find a way to be your best self before you go on a TikTok stage. Comments. Let's talk
about comments. I don't mean to scare you, you might not get any
negative comments at all. My personal philosophy is that your TikTok is your TikTok. It's important that
you need to protect your space and
protect your peace. You can do whatever you want
on your own TikTok account. It's your space. You can make or not make whatever
videos you want. If you want to delete
certain comments or even ban certain words, go for it, protect your piece. I mean, my content is
pretty wholesome and straightforward and I can still get the occasional trolls, so I'm giving you permission
to block and bless. Now let's talk about
the snowball effect. TikTok's algorithm is like
others where it can't determine if something is going viral for good a reason
or a bad reason, it just sees that
it's going viral. If you post a video
and something about it is interesting to not
your target audience, say you say a word wrong
or you have a fact wrong, or there's something
weird in the background and a certain audience
tends to comment on that, it will continue to show it
to that negative audience. Commenters on TikTok
are followers. They'll watch a video, make a loose opinion
and then they'll go to the comments section
for validation and then they pile on. I wish that TikTok had a downlike feature like on
Reddit, but it doesn't. Now, don't get me wrong.
People on TikTok are generally very
accepting and kind. But you never really know, so I just wanted to tell you
about the snowball effect. It's very rare. It might
not even happen to you. But if you feel that the
comments are beginning to snowball in a
negative direction, feel free to just take the video down or maybe even
delete comments. It's up to you.
It's your TikTok. Next, let's talk
about highs and lows. TikTok likes to play
mind games with you. Someday the algorithm will be really nice and it'll put out all your videos and other days you'll barely get
any reach at all. It can be really frustrating, especially when you
put a lot of time and effort into each of your videos. My only advice here is just to know that virality
is going to ebb and flow and sometimes
your account will be hot and sometimes
it'll be cool. Focus less on the numbers and more on just building
that audience and engaging with your community and going live and
responding to comments. This will help you get
back on the free page. Also, think of new formats that you can make
your videos in. This is when I found
a lot of success. If my account is dwindling a little bit or it's
getting a little stale, I'll think of a new concept
and reinvigorate my account. But of course, that's easier
said than done [MUSIC].
10. Advice on Monetizing TikTok: [MUSIC] Now we're
going to talk about something that's the
elephant in the room, that everybody want
to know and that's how you can make
money on TikTok. But just a reminder, building an audience on TikTok is building social currency. Every day that you're
creating content, engaging with your audience
and building that community, you're creating
value for yourself. But remember, don't become
too dependent on TikTok or any platform for that matter because they can
go away overnight. Remember, this course
isn't about teaching you how to become a
TikTok influencer, it's about teaching you
how to use TikTok to magnify this career that you're already
building for yourself. Here are five different
ways that TikTok creators can monetize TikTok,
just so you know. Number 1 is that you can join the TikTok Creator Fund once you have over 10,000 followers. This is a pool of
money that TikTok has put aside to pay creators. The way that it works
is you basically get paid a fraction of
a cent per view. It varies per creator and they don't have an exact match, but you can make a little
bit of money through the Creator Fund but nothing
you could live off of, unless you're super, super famous and
getting a million, five million [LAUGHTER]
views every single video. The second way is to
partner with brands, to do partnerships
or sponsored posts. I used to negotiate some brand partnerships and sponsored posts before
I had an agency, but I recently signed with
an agency and I have to say, they have made it so
much easier for me and I am getting paid more from brands through working
with an agency. Number 3 is to sell courses or resources or e-books
or something else, if you run a blog or something, something else that you monetize based off another platform. I personally don't do this, I have a few resources
that I gave away for free, but that's just not
really something that I'm personally interested
in monetizing. Number 4, TikTok just
added a new tip feature. I don't know if it's
going to stick around, but basically fans can tip you, kind of like they
can on Patreon. If they like your work, they
can send you a little tip and you could always get a few dollars here
and there that way. Then the fifth way is to run a blog or website which you
can use affiliate links. I've done a few affiliate
links here and there. You can make a video about certain products that you like and include an affiliate link, the link in your bio and so
when people purchase it, you get a small commission. [MUSIC] Again, this class isn't about how to make
money on TikTok, but I know everybody's
wondering it, so that's why I included
it in the course. [MUSIC]
11. Conclusion: [MUSIC] Well, that's the class. Congratulations you made it. To wrap up real quick, I'm just going to add 10 key takeaways that
I think are really important for you as you
embark on your TikTok journey. Number 1, people are
emotional creatures, so always sign your videos to
evoke some type of emotion, whether that's joy, sorrow,
nostalgia, camaraderie. Number 2, people want
to be entertained and educated at the same time. I use those terms very loosely, but I think all viral videos
incorporate those two ideas. Tip number 3, and this is
actually my favorite tip. Always think about
the comment section when you're designing
your video. This is really important because you're
putting yourself in the shoes of your audience
and that's your audience. That's who you're
making a video for, so it helps you
design a video in a way where it's not just about you and
what you're thinking, what you're feeling, but
more about them and how they will be interpreting your video and understanding it. Do you want the
comments to be funny? Do you want the
comments to be serious? Do you want comments
to say, thank you? Do you want them to
say, can you elaborate? Always think about what do
you want that call to action, do yo want people to follow you? Do you want them
to comment? Do you want me to share with a friend? Always think about what
the call to action is. Number 4, understand
that chasing virality is a rat race. Sometimes I literally
feel like a hamster on a wheel chasing virality and
it can drive you insane, so take breaks and be
patient with yourself. Number 5, stop comparing
yourself to other accounts. Every account is unique and bring something
you need to TikTok. Don't compare yourself to them, instead be inspired by them. Number 6, give yourself creative breaks and
don't burn out. Number 7, remember that
you're in the arena, a place for most people are
too scared to even venture. Number 8, people remember
how you made them feel. Make sure that you're regularly interacting with your
community and your audience. You're responding to comments and you're going live and you're showing them that you care about them and that
you're listening to them. Number 9, if you're
an over thinker, stop, just post it, or on the contrary,
if you're impulsive, like me, maybe give it
a day and then post it. Number 10, use the tools in the TikTok app, use features, use the filters,
caption your videos, go live, respond to comments. All of those things are
going to help you be in the good graces of
the TikTok odds and find success on TikTok. That is it guys, I'm so
excited to see your project. Remember to post it in the
project gallery below. Remember that you are
creating three TikToks. What about yourself? What about your craft and one
engaging in a trend. You can find me on
Twitter, Instagram, and of course TikTok
at erinmcgoff, and my website is
erinmcgoff.com. You can always reach
out to me there. Thanks for taking the
course and I'll see you on the TikTok. [MUSIC]
Erin McGoff, Director, Editor & TikTok Creator
