What I learned by accidentally creating a viral TikTok
I’m a late adopter for every social media platform since Twitter, and finally joined TikTok after a friend started sending me a lot of videos from it. They were fun and the app was exploding due to the pandemic. Stuck at home? May as well watch weird and funny videos! It wasn’t long before I started making my own TikToks. I missed Vine and while I enjoy Snapchat and Instagram Stories, those don’t have the editing and sound options TikTok does that let me create fully-realized concepts the way I want to.
Two years ago I saw Dragon’s Breath treats at a mall and made a couple of short videos while eating them, and when they came up in my Timehop a few days ago, I figured they’d make a good TikTok. I only had two clips, nine seconds total, and since I didn’t want to film myself in a different setting with much longer hair, I added a quick voiceover: Dragon’s Breath treats are a little dangerous and have no flavor whatsoever, but I absolutely will buy one any time I see them at a mall.
I mentioned liquid nitrogen in the video description so people would read and know the secret behind the treats, and this was the first of many incorrect assumptions on my part. TikTok culture is very different from how I behave online, and because of this, the next two days were a flurry of activity I inadvertently volunteered for. But since I accidentally got the level of views people try to get, I’ll share what I learned. Please note that I’m not invested enough to do any real research and all of this information is anecdotal.
PEOPLE LOVE SHORT VIDEOS
We learned when Vine exploded onto the scene that six seconds of video is a perfect little bite. And just like jellybeans or popcorn pieces, you can pop them again and again, not realizing how many you‘ve had until your tired eyes beg you to stop. Looping is important and that’s why the Story format doesn’t grab you as much; you don’t necessarily want to stop watching just because you got to the end. TikToks keep looping until you scroll away or pause, so if you miss anything in a short video or just want to watch again, all you have to do is wait.
NOBODY READS DESCRIPTIONS. OR COMMENTS.
Because I didn’t have time in my video to explain where people can find Dragon’s Breath treats, how they work, or how much they cost, people asked. A lot. And that’s in spite of mentioning liquid nitrogen in the description. Replying to TikToks is already frustrating due to the 150-character limit, so replying to the same comments again and again because nobody reads the ones that are already there before commenting becomes a huge chore. And I didn’t want to be rude to anyone even when their questions didn’t make sense (like where they could get them even though they didn’t say where they live) so I just answered as best I could.
NOBODY GOOGLES
I’ve heard a lot of people say one of TikTok’s main goals is to keep people from leaving the app, and they seem to be getting their wish. If I were curious about something I saw in a video I’d be much more likely to use Google or other resources (love you forever IMDb!) but so many people just tap and ask. Creators on TikTok used to be more likely to ignore comments, but they’re learning that replying is good for engagement, and the ones who are chasing views have started asking people to comment instead of just like and share.
VIEWS BRING FOLLOWERS
I wasn’t really looking for new followers and won’t be surprised if a lot of the 1,500 I gained in a day leave when they see the types of videos I normally post. I’ve even reposted some older ones as a way to show new people what to expect. Since I wasn’t actually trying to get the level of engagement I did, I’ve found myself already thinking about how to proceed when making new videos. I don’t want to have to answer lots of questions going forward, so I’ll try to be as informative as possible. If I could do it over, I’d use each clip from the Dragon’s Breath video 2–3 times so I would have more time to talk.
A friend pointed out that longer videos are “punished” because people get bored, so if followers and comments are your goal, make short, compelling content that’ll leave people wanting to know more about what they see. And then be ready with some replies you can copy and paste over and over when people comment.
