You’re reading Entrepreneur United States, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
In the past year and a half, TikTok managed to sneak into the social media Olympus, currently dominated by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Everything points to the fact that the app from China will continue to grow, which offers a world of possibilities in the field of business. Whether you want to promote your company, sell a product or service, or even become an influencer , you should follow the 14-step strategy that the famous Mexican tiktoker José Andrés gave us.
José Andrés Castro vía TikTok
Better known only by his two first names, José Andrés Castro Gonzáles is originally from Los Mochis, Sinaloa. At 32 years old, he is a radio producer, singer and content creator on TikTok , both his own and for the accounts of the host Yordi Rosado and the communicator Jessie Cervantes .
“TikTok is here to stay, I think it came to change the way we viewed the internet. Before youtubers had all the attention. Instagram tends to highlight only certain types of people with unreachable standards. On TikTok, from the moment you walk in it’s like ‘everything here can go viral’. I like that, anyone can shine here ” , commented Castro in the framework of his participation in the virtual entrepreneurship festival INCmty 2021 .
The creator of viral characters, such as ‘La Claudia’ and ‘La Fabiana’, joined TikTok almost three years ago, but it was until the 2020 pandemic that his success exploded. With just 100,000 followers, it was nominated in the Eliot Awards 2019 in the category of ‘Acidulce Comedy’, for its content for all audiences. Today, his account has more than 5.8 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 …
We all know someone like that #comedy #gatosdetiktok #mascotastiktok ig de Lolo: loloelazul
There is no age to be on TikTok
Many people think that TikTok is only for teens or twenties , but nothing is further from the truth. “ In other social networks, before, it was thought that if you are already a certain age, you can no longer or the time to do this has passed. On this platform there is no age to become someone known with many followers, “he says.
“TikTok has many creators of all ages with millions of followers, it is for people of all kinds. Not because you are over 30 years old, you are not going to fulfill your dreams or give up something that interests you, ”he said bluntly.
Don’t do anything you don’t want to do
José Andrés spoke of the stigmas that weigh on this social network, such as the belief that only for very young people, or that you must necessarily dance “or make a fool of yourself.”
For this reason, the influencer stressed that in this network it is important to be authentic “and if the dances or jokes do not go with you or with the image you want to give, do not do it.” Instead, he advises “share things that you like, that you are passionate about, that make you laugh, and find your own style” .
How to develop your strategy to stand out on TikTok?
“TikTok is the network that said, ‘Come on the content generators who, maybe, have been rejected or did not do well in other applications.’ 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, that I assure you, ” said José Andrés.
Now that a study revealed people already spend more time on TikTok than on YouTube , the expert shared with us a complete guide to what it takes to be a success on this social network, take note.
1. Know the tool.
“If you tell me that you don’t know how to use the application because it is very difficult, then I realize that you haven’t even moved it. There is a kind of closure of the people who say ‘it is that TikTok is very difficult and only the kids understand it, it is very complicated’. When not really, ”Castro said.
For this reason, the Mexican influencer recommends “that they give themselves 20 minutes and watch a tutorial on YouTube so that they learn how to use it and take advantage of all its functions, that they handle it perfectly.” He also emphasized the importance of reading the community norms well “so you don’t get in trouble.”
2. Take your time to generate ideas.
The famous young man says that creators should take time to brainstorm and think through what kind of content they want to make. “It is very important that they write down all the ideas, because if they are not forgotten. The more time you dedicate to a tiktok, the more effective it will be and have more impact, “he said.
#comedy @trixeat #joseandreees
3. Record, record and record.
Nothing like ‘trial and error’ to perfect a skill. TikTok allows you to save a good number of drafts ready to publish, yes José Andrés suggests making several timeless videos with generic content and distributing them on your publication calendar. You can also use them as a ‘wild card’ when you don’t have new material.
4. Edit your videos within TikTok.
“I do not complicate myself, I edit the video with the tools of the same app, I put backgrounds, filters, vignettes, music and others, and I publish it,” said Castro. He added that many people do not know that they can edit their videos within the app , without the need for an external tool. Another advantage of editing with TikTok tools is that you reduce the risk that some element of your clip, such as music, is not authorized by the app.
5. Post content every day.
José Andrés emphasized that being constant is crucial to grow in the app owned by ByteDance. “I advise publishing at least two videos a day and not letting a day go by without uploading videos. And publish them at times that they think will work ”.
6. Join the daily trends.
TikTok has a section of suggested trends or topics that change from day to day. “At the beginning it is very important to use the daily trends, because if you upload a video with content related to the trend that TikTok has posted, and the content is good, the app will highlight you, even if you don’t have a follower,” said the Producer of EXA FM .
However, he clarified that over time you will be able to stop depending on trends. “In my case, there was a point where I already had a good volume of followers and I was able to stop using the daily trends. But it is important to do it at least until you have a good number of followers, “he added.
7. Upload original content and audios.
One detail that has captivated users is that TikTok allows you to create clips using other people’s audios . 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 with which anyone can identify, so that people can use your audios ”.
He explained that top content creators like him have been told by the company that 80% of their videos must be original . The other 20% can be dedicated to “dancing or using someone else’s audio, but TikTok is betting on people who make original content.”
Happy luneees, I’m 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 it. So, if you put them in your videos, the platform will give you more views ”, explained the expert. In addition, he revealed that one of his tricks is to add the suggested songs as the background in any video, but at a low volume “so that it sounds a little and does not cover your voice.”
The same thing happens with the new effects: “If TikTok launches a Christmas filter and you are one of the first to use it in a creative way, it will highlight you, even if you have ten followers, I swear to you.”
9. Be brief.
Although it already gives you the option to upload up to 3 minutes of content, TikTok is essentially a short video platform . Castro explains that “what people like about TikTok is that in 10 minutes they can see about 40 videos, while on YouTube you can only see one in that time. A 15 minute recipe on YouTube can be a 30 second tiktok ”.
He also recommends showing the most important or the most striking at the beginning: “For example, if you are going to unbox, go straight to the win. Avoid unnecessary greetings or introductions, unless it is a hook to generate interest. You have 2 seconds to get attention and for a user to stay to see the rest, use them well ”.
10. Just post it.
Accustomed to the perfection of Instagram and professional YouTube edits, it is common to be afraid of posting 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 the beginning, any day can explode.
TikTok’s complex algorithm does not display 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 on thousands of people’s feed one fine day and go viral.
“If you say ‘I don’t know if it’s going to hit or not’, just turn it up! Because nobody really knows. There are videos that I say ‘it’s going to hit a lot’ and it doesn’t work. Or there are videos that say ‘not even that, but I’m going to upload it’ and it’s a success. Upload freely to your videos ”, explained José Andrés.
11. Play with the hashtags, but not too much.
The father of ‘El gato Lolo’ says that you should not use more than 3 hashtags in your publications, because “TikTok does not like that, there are too many.” While it is good to add generic tags to your posts, he suggests creating your own to identify your material as well.
“I am a very orderly tiktoker. Since I started I decided to put my own hashtags without asking anyone and appropriate them. If you search right now ‘# ClaudiaDiceMiMamá all the videos of my character will come out, just like if you put #FabianaTePasas (sic) or #LoloElAzul. So make your own hashtags , ”he suggests.
12. Never delete videos.
Perhaps in other social networks there is no problem if you regret any of your post and decide to delete it, but here it is. “ TikTok penalizes you if you are deleting videos , so don’t do it unless it is a terrible failure. For example, if I made a mistake in the text of the video and I put a wrong sign or letter, I leave it like that. If it is an insignificant error, it should not be erased, ”said José Andrés.
13. Take advantage of your content for other social networks.
It is almost a law that you should not 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 nurture your other profiles, and vice versa.
“If you are already making content for TikTok, upload it to Reels or Instagram stories , to Facebook , to YouTube Shorts , or to Twitter ,” he advises. At the same time, the short videos that you generate on other platforms can be adapted as tiktoks. This will help you move users from one social network to another, expanding your follower base.
14. Have only two goals in mind
Castro was very clear in this regard: “If you are starting as a content creator on TikTok, you should set two goals from the beginning: 1) Have a viral video with more than 100,000 views , and 2) Reach 1,000 followers “, sentenced.
“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 already let you broadcast live , and at this moment TikTok is rewarding those who make Lives ”, he explained.
Yes, you are in time to become a tiktoker
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. Plus, it’s never too late for new talents to emerge.
Perhaps you think that this is not the time to venture into other platforms, since by now 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 out there right now, get in now! They tell me that it will go out of style and it is possible, but in the meantime we can take advantage of it, there is a large audience. When it goes out of style and another application comes out, we will move to that one ”, José Andrés concluded.
