In the last 2 years, TikTok managed to sneak into the Olympus of the social networks, dominated for years by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Everything points to the fact that the app originating from China will continue to grow, which offers a world of possibilities in the business field. Whether you want to promote your company, sell a product or service, or even become a influencer, you should follow the 14-step strategy given to us by the famous Mexican tiktoker José Andrés.
Better known only by his two given names, Jose Andres Castro Gonzalez He is originally from Los Mochis, Sinaloa. At 32 years old, he is a radio producer, singer and creator of content on TikTok, both his own and for the host's accounts. Yordi Rosado and the communicator Jessie Cervantes.
“TikTok is here to stay, I think it came to change the way we see the internet. Before, YouTubers had all the attention. Instagram tends to highlight only certain types of people with unattainable standards. On TikTok, from the moment you enter it's like 'here everything can go viral'. I like that, anyone can shine here,” Castro said in an interview for Entrepreneur.com, the framework of the last entrepreneurship festival INCmty.
The creator of viral characters, such as 'The Claudia' and 'The Fabiana', joined TikTok almost three years ago, but it wasn't until the 2020 pandemic that his success exploded. With just 100 thousand followers, he was nominated in the Eliot Awards 2019 in the category of Sweet and Sour Comedy, for its content for all audiences. Today, his account exceeds 6.5 million followers, while that of his pet, 'El gato Lolo' or @Loloelazul, has more than 1.5 million followers. Some of his audios have been used by more than 400 thousand people, like this one…
We all know someone like that 😂 #comedy #gatosdetiktok #mascotastiktok 🐾 Lolo's Instagram: loloelazul
Many people think that TikTok is only for teenagers or twenty-somethings, but nothing could be further from the truth. “On other social networks, it was thought that if you are already a certain age, you can no longer do this or you have already passed the time to do it. On this platform, there is no age to become someone known with a lot of followers,” she says.
“TikTok has many creators of all ages with millions of followers, it is for people of all kinds. Just because you are over 30 doesn't mean you won't be able to fulfill your dreams or give up on something you are interested in,” he said bluntly.
José Andrés spoke about the stigmas that weigh on this social network, such as the belief that it is only for very young people, or that you must necessarily dance “or make a fool of yourself.”
For this reason, the influencer stressed that it is important to be authentic on this network “and if the little dances or jokes don't suit you or the image you want to give, don't do it.” Instead, he advises “sharing things that you like, that you are passionate about, that make you laugh, and finding your own style.”
“TikTok is the network that said, 'Come on, content creators who may have been rejected or who didn't do well on other apps.' The advantage here is that, even if you have 10 followers, if your video is very good and has a lot of quality, the platform will highlight it, I assure you of that,” said José Andrés.
A recent study revealed that Younger users search more on TikTok than on Google. For this reason, we share with you the Complete guide from José Andrés covers what you need to be a success on this social network.
1. Know the tool.
“If you tell me that you don't know how to use the app because it's too difficult, that's when I realize that you haven't even touched it. There's a kind of narrow-mindedness among people who say 'TikTok is too difficult and only kids understand it, it's too complicated.' When in reality, they don't,” Castro said.
For this reason, the Mexican influencer recommends “that you take 20 minutes and watch a tutorial on YouTube so that you learn how to use it and can take advantage of all its functions, so that you can handle it perfectly.” He also emphasized the importance of reading the community rules carefully “so that you don’t get into trouble.”
2. Take your time to generate ideas.
The young celebrity says that creators should spend time brainstorming and thinking carefully about what kind of content they want to make. “It is very important to write down all the ideas, because otherwise they will be forgotten. The more time you spend on a TikTok, the more effective it will be and the more impact it will have,” he said.
#comedy @trixeat 😂 #joseandreees
3. Record, record and record.
There's nothing like trial and error to hone a skill. TikTok allows you to save a good number of drafts ready to publish, but José Andrés does suggest making several timeless videos with generic content and distributing them in your publication calendar. You can also use them as a 'wildcard' when you don't have new material.
4. Edit your videos within TikTok.
“I don't complicate things, I edit the video with the tools of the same app, I add backgrounds, filters, vignettes, music and so on, and I publish it,” said Castro. He added that many people don't know that You can edit your videos within the app, without the need for any external tool. Another advantage of editing with TikTok tools is that you reduce the risk of having some element of your clip, such as music, not authorized by the app.
5. Post content every day.
José Andrés emphasized that being consistent is crucial to growing the ByteDance-owned app. “I advise Post at least two videos a day and don't let a day go by without uploading videos. And publish them at times that you think will work."
6. Join the daily trends.
TikTok has a section of trends or suggested topics that change day by day. “At first it is very important to use daily trends, because if you upload a video with content related to the trend that TikTok has put, and the content is good, the app will highlight you, even if you don't have a single follower,” said the EXA FM producer.
However, she clarified that over time you can stop depending on trends. “In my case, there came a point where I already had a good volume of followers and I was able to stop using daily trends. But it is important to do so at least until you have a good number of followers,” she added.
7. Upload original content and audio.
A detail that has captivated users is that TikTok lets you create clips using other people's audio. However, “suddenly everyone wants to use the same audio that is already viral and the platform says 'give me something original'. That's why it works a lot here to make original recordings that everyone can identify with, so that people use your audios.”
He explained that top content creators, like himself, have been told by the company that the 80% of your videos must be original. The other 20% can be used to “dance or use someone else’s audio, but TikTok is betting on people who make original content.”
Happy Monday, I'm feeling very relaxed 😹 #loloelazul
8. Use the recommended songs and experiment with new effects.
“If TikTok has a song recommendation, it's because it wants people to use them. So, if you put them in your videos, The platform will give you more views“, explained the expert. He also revealed that one of his tricks is to add the suggested songs as background music in any video, but at a low volume “so that it sounds a little and doesn't cover your voice.”
The same goes for new effects. “If TikTok releases a Christmas filter and you are one of the first to use it in a creative way, you will stand out, even if you have ten followers, I swear.”
9. Be brief.
Although it already gives you the option to upload up to 10 minutes of content, TikTok is essentially a short video platformCastro explains that “what people like about TikTok is that in 10 minutes they can watch about 40 videos, while on YouTube you can only watch one in that time. A 15-minute recipe on YouTube can be a 30-second TikTok.”
She also recommends showing the most important or eye-catching things at the beginning. “For example, if you are going to do an unboxing, go straight to the point. Avoid unnecessary greetings or introductions, unless it is a hook to generate interest. You have 2 seconds to capture attention and one user stays to see the rest, use them well.”
10. Just post it.
Accustomed to the perfection of Instagram and the professional editing of YouTube, it is common to be afraid of publishing something that may fail. However, this social network has two advantages: first, naturalness and imperfection are part of its essence; and second, even if your video does not have a wave of views and likes at first, any day it can explode.
The complex TikTok algorithm doesn't show clips in chronological order in the 'For You' section, which is the equivalent of the 'Wall' on other platforms. So one of your videos from last month may appear in the feed by thousands of people one day and go viral.
“If you say 'I don't know if it's going to be a success or not', just upload it! Because nobody really knows. There are videos where I say 'it's going to be a success' and it doesn't work. Or there are videos where I say 'it's not relevant, but I'm going to upload it' and it's a success. Feel free to upload your videos,” explained José Andrés.
11. Play with hashtags, but not too much.
'El gato Lolo's' dad says that You should not use more than 3 hashtags in your posts, because “TikTok doesn't like that, there are too many of them.” While it's good to add generic labels to your posts, he suggests also creating your own to identify your material.
“I am a very organized TikToker. Since I started, I decided to put my own hashtags without asking anyone and to take ownership of them. If you search for #ClaudiaDiceMiMamá right now, all of my character's videos will appear, just like if you put #FabianaTePasastes (sic) or #LoloElAzul. So make your own hashtags“, he suggests.
#fabianateyou passed 😂
12. Never delete videos.
Maybe on other social networks there is no problem if you regret one of your posts and decide to delete it, but here it is.TikTok penalizes you if you are deleting videos, so don't do it unless it's a terrible mistake. For example, if I made a mistake in the text of the video and I put a sign or a letter wrong, I'll leave it like that. If it's a minor mistake, you don't have to delete it," said José Andrés.
13. Take advantage of your content for other social networks.
It's almost a law that you shouldn't post the same content on all your social networks, but here the rule is completely broken. The young specialist recommends taking advantage of your efforts on the short video platform to feed your other profiles, and vice versa.
“If you are already making content for TikTok, upload it to the Reels or the Instagram stories, to Facebook, to YouTube Shorts, oh Twitter“, he advises. At the same time, short videos you create on other platforms can be adapted as TikToks. This will help you bring users from one social network to another, expanding your follower base.
14. Have only two goals in mind
“If you are just starting out as a content creator on TikTok, you should set two goals from the start: 1) Have a viral video with more than 100,000 views, and 2) Reach 1,000 followers“, he said.
“You have to be patient. If you see that you have been uploading videos for 10 days, a month or six months and nothing happens, relax and keep posting. Remember that your goal is to have the first viral video, and from there everything will be easier. Just like when you reach 1,000 followers, because the platform will then let you do it. live broadcasts, and right now TikTok is rewarding those who do Lives,” he explained.
One of the great advantages of this social network is that it is very young and has become popular around the world in record time. In addition, it is never too late for new talents to emerge.
You may think that it is not the time to venture into other platforms, since at this point they have many established influencers, but TikTok is still fertile ground.
“For those who want to be influencers, TikTok is one of the biggest windows there is right now, get in now! They tell me it will go out of fashion and it may, but in the meantime we can take advantage of it, there is a lot of audience. When it goes out of fashion and another app comes out, we will move to that one,” concluded José Andrés.
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