Transcripts
1. Introduction: Have you been
struggling with growth and TikTok where you
release a video, and then all of a sudden,
you hear crickets. You get 100 views, 200 views. Yet, somehow, other accounts are getting massive
number of views, thousands upon thousands, and the followers are
increasing by the second. And you wonder why it's
not working out for you? Well, I've been
in that position, and I'm going to teach you key mistakes, which I have done, and most probably you
are doing them yourself, which are getting in the
way of your TikTok growth? Whether you're using
TikTok for branding, for business, for freelancing, entrepreneurship,
as an influencer, social media marketing,
and the list goes on. These mistakes are crucial and will surely
get in the way of your TikTA growth the
same way they got into my way until I
learned how to navigate.
2. Your Project : Project for the course
revolves around creating two pieces of short
form content for TikTok in which the first
short form video will be following
your own methodology. The second video
that you're going to be creating for the
sake of comparison will be based on the
lessons that we're going to be covering
in this current class. After you're done
with a project, you are going to compare
the metrics based on engagements and see the
difference for yourself.
3. The TikTok Reality Check: Once you are creating a
short form video content and you post it on TikTok. Unfortunately, a key mistake
that many of us tend to do is expecting
instantaneous results. Once you release a video at
the beginning of TikTok, let's say, usage,
a quest the globe, we have seen that many people
got those spikes of views and massive growth by simply adding a video or two,
and that's mainly it. Unfortunately, as
time passes by, social media platforms,
they change the algorithm. At their initial stage, they are about
exposing or reaching as many people as possible
in order to build that hype. Couple of years down the road, the strategy changes and the same thing
happened with TikTok, you cannot expect when
you release a video, two, three or five videos
that you have that massive reach of views where you get
thousands upon thousands. Now, do not get me wrong. It works for a
couple of accounts. They can just simply
try a couple of things, and they are able to
get those results. But for the majority of
the TikTok users who are actually going through
the entrepreneurship side, business wise, branding wise, influence marketing, the
results tend to vary. So what do you need
to do in this case in order to avoid
such a mistake? First of all, do not expect
instantaneous results. We are going to deal with
TikTok in a strategic fashion. Unfortunately, when someone is using social media
for the first time, the same way I did with TikTok, it's just simply
about posting videos, posting random content, and
hopefully things work out. But as you learn and as you grow down the road,
you notice patterns. There are certain patterns. In order to see and
observe those patterns, we need to release content. The more content that
you have out there, the more data you
have to work with, once you go on TikTok analytics, and you take a look at the posts and the videos that you have. If you have a lot of videos, you're able to see the patterns, which videos have worked, which videos did not work. And based on that, you're
able to plan your next move. Think about it this way. If
you have three videos on TikTok and you release
all of them, right? And then you get 100 views
each, W one is doing better? Don't have sufficient data. However, if you release
ten to 30 videos, which is the recommended amount of videos that you need to release on TikTok once you kick start using TikTok
for the first time. Go for ten to 30 videos. First of all, you might
get that boost at the beginning because TikTok
favors consistent posting. You're going to be dealing with the specific mistake in
the upcoming lesson. But if you have ten to 30 videos which have been posted
during a month span, you are going to have sufficient data to plan
and base your next move. If you have 30 videos, and you tend to notice
that there's a pattern. Certain videos, they performed way better compared
to other videos. Now you have data to plan
your next content release. The first mistake that
you need to avoid is expecting a lot of
results at the beginning. Aim to go for ten to
30 videos as a start. Do not have high expectations. Do not expect to
get massive growth. Think about it as
a learning curve. You are simply learning by
adding ten to 30 videos. Keep them short, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, up to a minute, we are collecting
data at this stage, right Once we have data, we are able to move and
plan our next video, our next short form content, keeping in mind the key
mistakes that we need to avoid, as well, which we are going to continue discussing in
the upcoming lessons.
4. Must Avoid this Mistake on TikTok Specially: And you're not going
to like this mistake, the same way, I don't like
it, either, frankly speaking, but inconsistent posting affects the way you grow on TikTok. Most probably you've
heard this before. I've heard this a lot of times. You have to be consistent. You have to keep
uploading videos. Well, this is not the case
with other platforms. If you go on YouTube, for example, It doesn't
apply that much. However, on TikTok,
based on data which has been or have been obtained
from my video releases, putting a lot of
content on TikTok, noticing the patterns
of things that work and things
that did not work, I've noticed that
The more content that you put out
there in sequence, what I mean by sequence is one video per day or
two videos per day. You don't want to
overdo it because that will trigger the algorithm to either block your account or treat your account as a spam. Go for a video per day, two videos per day, every single day,
five times a week, six times a week, up to a month. That will simply engage the algorithm to actually
push your videos. Now, this might be surprising, and it might seem like one of those advices
that you actually receive on every single
social media platform. You have to be consistent. You have to post often
over and over again, do not miss a day. Well, I've heard all of these, and you do not work for the majority of the
platforms out there. At least the work at one point
in time, but not anymore. But for TikTok, the trick
is in the algorithm, in order to get that push, we just simply reach
many individuals where your videos are tested
across multiple audiences, you need to be consistent. And how did I deduce this? I've tried this on our social
media account for TikTok, where we have been putting videos every other day
for a month's time. And we have noticed, the more
videos we put in sequence, the higher the engagement, the higher the reach, we're
reaching more people. Then for a month, we stopped completely
from releasing videos, we're releasing
content on TikTok. Then after which, we've started
releasing content again, and that was the surprise. After further research,
after further digging into the reasons
why did this happen? Actually, the
algorithm, once you stop releasing
content on TikTok, you lose the momentum. Once you are trying
to grow on TikTok, the more videos you put, the more push you'll be getting from the TikTok algorithm. However, once you
stop, you plummet. You might consider that If you add more videos
at this point, you will go back at the same
level. It's not the case. Once you plummet, you need
to climb the ladder all over again to get that
push all over again. Once you keep on
releasing content, aim from the beginning
that you are going to be releasing multiple pieces of content for at least a month. Do not just simply start
and stop, start and stop. It's like kick starting the
engine of the algorithm and then shutting it off and doing the same
thing back and forth. That's why consistent
posting is very favorable by the TikTok algorithm compared to other
social media platforms. Most probably you've
heard about this on Instagram, YouTube, whatever social media platform, that you have to be consistent. Well, it's not that delicate
compared to TikTok. The more consistent you are, regardless of the quality, the more content that you
keep pushing out there, the more push you'll be getting from the TikTok algorithm. So what do we need to do
in this current case in order to make sure that we
satisfy that requirement? We do not lose the
growth momentum, aim to release a video every single day or every
other day within a week. It's either you start by Monday, one to two video stops, then Tuesday, the same thing. Then for two days within the week, you do
not do anything. Just five days a
week that we'll do, seven days a week that we'll do, one to two pieces
of content per day, for a period of a month. It's easy to plan
it out as we're going to be teaching you across the lessons when you are trying to come up with
content for TikTok, M sure that you are actually tailoring the content
ahead of time. Creating the content ahead
of time in bulk, that way. You can just simply
plan it out as a publishing sequence
for a month's time. So for 30 days, you are covered. You do have content just being pumped every single
day, every other day. Avoid stopping the process
of TikTok posting posting. For a period of
three to four days. You need to navigate
away from that. Once you stop posting for a
period of three to four days, you tend to plummet. Then if it goes longer,
one week, two weeks time, you'll notice that you're
losing that traction. Once you try to
release content again, you'll notice that
you're not getting the same views that
you used to get. So the key takeaway from
this mistake is you have to be consistent with your
TikTok publishing efforts.
5. Quantity Vs Quality: Quantity versus quality. Most probably you've heard about this argument extensively. Shall we focus on releasing
a lot of videos or focus on editing the videos and
spending a lot of effort on the audio video and the
graphics and the edits, focusing on the quality. When it comes to TikTok, it's quantity, for sure. You need to be
releasing a lot of videos over time in
order to grow on TikTok, rather than just simply focusing all the effort on
one premium video. L et me explain to you why. First of all, like
we have mentioned, we need to collect data. In order for you to understand what's working on
your TikTok account, you need a lot of videos. So if you're going
to spend a lot of time crafting
the perfect video, you're not going to
have a lot of videos in order to figure out
what's working or not. Surprisingly, most
probably I've seen this. Some videos on TikTok, they have no graphics, no proper audio,
no proper video, simply shot for the camera, and yet they are getting a lot of views and they're
going really viral. Yet some videos which have been edited and crafted
in meticulous fashion. Everything is perfectly done, yet they're not going anywhere, and once they are published.
This is the reason. In order for you to get
pushed by the algorithm, like we have mentioned, you
need to post consistently, and you need to post frequently. And as you are posting often, what happens by default, you become better
at but you're able to spot what's working
and what's not working. And as you develop further, you develop your craft, you'll be able to
create edits and modify the short form content
easily without spending hours and hours because
you know what's working. And you're able to get the same results over and over again. So quantity over quality
in this current case. Of course, you're not going to release a poor quality video, which is going to be
determiny growth. What I'm mentioning to, what I'm referring to is being
a perfectionist. You do not want to perfect a video before it's
being released. Having perfect audio, perfect
graphics, perfect, edits, perfect transitions before you actually release the video. Some short form
pieces of content, It could take you a minute to actually shoot the
video and release it. Yet, if you are having that
perfectionist mentality, you'll end up spending
days upon days, trying to tinker with the
edits and figuring out what is the best approach to actually modify that video before
releasing it, right? All of us have been
in that boat before, so you need to
avoid that problem. So the key takeaway
from this mistake is, do not focus excessively
on quality on TikTok. Make sure that you're putting the effort towards quantity, maintaining a certain
level of quality. This is very important. So you have an acceptable
level of quality, acceptable video,
acceptable audio, acceptable edits,
acceptable graphics. Then you're going to focus
on producing that content in large numbers in order to obtain the most important
thing, which is data. Once you get data, you're
able to see what's working, you're able to
spot the patterns. What videos, what
combination of videos? What is the structure
and the edits of the videos which are working? Then, by all means, channel that
perfectionist tendency towards that specific video, the upcoming release video, crafting the perfect edits, crafting the perfect graphics, because you know for sure, based on the previous
number of videos, that it's going to work well. So I truly hope that
you get the idea. You do not have to sacrifice
both quantity or quality. You need to focus on
every single one of them separately at
separate periods of time. Once you are starting
off with TikTok, it's a quantity game, right? Keep posting videos to
see what's working. Then once you get a large number of views, you get a following, then you're going to shift
from quantity to quality. That way, you're combining
both superpowers, let say, which will help you
grow massively on TikTok.
6. Inventing the TikTok Wheel: Another crucial mistake,
which I have done myself when I first
started on TikTok, Lare is trying to
reinvent the wheel. Often, once you start on
a social media platform, I'm quite sure that you've
done the same mistake as well. You think that you're
quite special, like you are going
to release a video, and that video is
going to be unique, which has not been addressed
at any point in time before. But Once you do
so, what happens? Nothing. You release a video and it just doesn't work, right? Do not reinvent the wheel. Within your certain
genre or Niche. Take a look at what's working. I wish at the beginning, when I started posting a TikTok, like someone told me about this, look at what's working. It will save you time, save you effort. So how
does that work? Go on the search on TikTok, type whatever video
idea you have in mind, and take a look at
the videos which get displayed,
scroll through them. The videos which are
getting a lot of views, a lot of engagement, play
them within your niche, within your genre, and observe. Take a look at them.
What's working? Why are they getting
such attention? Now, this is the smart part. We're going to work
smart, not hard. Once you size or
spot such a video, which is growing virally, getting a lot of attention. It's within your domain,
within your genre, within your niche, you are not going to copy the same
thing. Of course. You have your own brand, you have your own personality. You have your own
demonstrations, you have your own products, you have your own character, whatever it is, it's simply you. You got your own uniqueness. So what do we do in
this current case? Well, what you need to do is
observe the key patterns, the texts, the videos. What's happening in that
video, the visuals, the accessories, the person
presenting the video. What are the key takes or the key qualities that you spot on? Do not
spend too much time. Just simply observe the video. What first clicks when you
take a look at the video? Now, this is the smart part. You are going to
remodel the video. So what do you mean
by remodeling? You are going to take the idea, which is yours, your own
idea, for the video, and incorporate some
key elements which you have found in this video, which apparently
works on TikTok. Now, there's a
reason why it works. Some videos, even though they
could seem quite simple, and I have seen this hands on. If we investigate further, we tend to notice that there are similar videos out there. Which have worked, and we followed the same pattern
which made them work. So the algorithm
actually once it releases such a video
or pushes such a video, and that video starts to work. A video which is
quite similar to it, similar to it in nature, by default will get the same
push, so you get the idea. So if you take a look
at a certain video, and you notice that that video is going well, performing well. You take some details from
it and you remodel them. For example, a certain
text is present, a certain element, an accessory
is present in the video. For example, the person
presenting is wearing glasses, you put on some
glasses if it matches your own persona within your account, within
your branding. These small elements, for a virally growing video are by default pushed
by the algorithm. If you incorporate
them in your video, you'll notice that your video is going to get pushed as well. Why? Because simply put, Vu A worked well. Vero B, which looks like
Vu A, has to work well. This is how the algorithm
will think about it. I will push the video. And if your content is
quite good in quality, you get that engagement, which will drive
it even further. So the key takeaway is, do not reinvent the wheel. Do not do the same things over and over again if they do not work
from the first time. Take a look at what's working. Get some ideas, get
some inspiration, add your own flavor to it, add your own twist to it, remodel it, and then
release that video. It's going to have similarities, but of course, it's going to be quite unique to your own brand, to your own marketing strategy, but you are drawing inspiration
simply from what works.
7. Ignoring Your Followers: And another crucial mistake, which will definitely hinder
your TikTok growth efforts, which is ignoring
your followers. If you apply the key strategies we have taught you so far, you'll be getting
some followers, you'll be getting some
traction to your account. People will start
to engage with you. The engagements that you're
getting, whether comments, likes follows or any additional insights that you're
able to obtain from the analytics
part of TikTok, related to your followers, these are invaluable because
they are going to they're quite valuable because
they're going to provide you with ideas, inspiration to plan
your next piece. Not just that. Once you
navigate TikTok analytics, take a look at the time of the day where the majority of
your followers are present. We made that mistake
a lot of times. If we have our followers
are present at 9:00 P.M. And release a video at
1:00 A.M. Obviously, the majority of our followers, they are not on TikTok. So what happens? Once
you release that video, no one's going to watch it. I will have no engagement. Then the algorithm by default is going to demote that video as not something quite favorable to be pushed because no
one is engaging with it, even though it could
be a masterpiece. It could be a really
powerful video that you put in a
lot of effort to simply due to the
fact that you have published it at the wrong time. That's it. You've literally published the video
at the wrong time. No one was there to watch it. Your followers were
not there to give it the engagement boost from the beginning to
make it go further. So how do we navigate
this problem? Now, this is quite easy. Once you go to TikTok Analytics, are you able to spot a
graph which simply dictates the time of the day where the majority of your
followers are present. Once you go there, take a look at the time of
the day where you have the majority of your followers or just simply present
on the platform. That time is basically where you need to
release your video, at least 30 minutes ahead of it. Why? Because once you
publish the video, to be taken by the platform, then to be released, it takes about 30
minutes to an hour. In order to land on
the four you page or the explorer part or to be displayed to your
audience to reach it. Think about it as a machine. It's actually a computer
based application. You give a video. It needs to process the video. It doesn't happen
instantaneously where people start
to see it, right? There's some low time. So let's say your followers are
present at 5:00 P.M. Try to release your
video by 543445. Within 50 minutes, 30 minutes, then you start to notice that your video is landing in
front of your followers. And once your followers start
to engage with that video, they give you proper feedback. Our proper engagement likes, follows shares that will
give a better push through the algorithm
because You audience loves that piece of content. It's time to push it for
an additional audience, and let's see how
does that work. If they love it, then the circle expands
and expand expands, and this is how you go viral. Once you release a V on TikTok, you have a sample audience, you get your own core audience. Then you do have a sample
audience of 100 to 300 people, which are not part
of you following. They engage with the content. They like it, they share it. Excellent. Let's increase
the circle a bit, and the circle keeps increasing the more engagement
that you are getting. And this is how you see viral
videos actually go viral. So in this current case, What you need to keep in mind is make sure that you're
listening to your followers. Do not release a video or publish a video
at the wrong time. Take a look at your analytics. What time of the day where you have the majority
of your followers? This is the critical
time or the golden time. Once you push or
release a video, it will land in front of
your followers and they will engage with it acting as a
catalyst for further growth.
8. Wrapping Up: Now, I truly hope
that you have learned and you've acquired some
essential knowledge how to navigate those
mistakes in terms of your TikTok growth strategy. By all means, I'm
looking forward to receiving your feedback
on this current class. I'll see you in the next class.
Engr. Hussein Attié, Entrepreneur I Engineer I Educator
