I know what you're thinking... I was thinking exactly the same thing whenever I heard the words Tik Tok. The majority of what I had seen from this platform in the past was young kids doing silly things. Not that I'm against this per se, but I didn't see how I would fit in on this venue. I am "that girl" who refuses to engage in group dances, resists anything that the "crowd" is doing... Simply put, this introvert is just not a joiner. Add to that my complete fear of being on film and I just didn't bother to investigate the platform.
Recently, however, I have seen more and more content being shared of things I find interesting: Recipes, how-to videos, music, and oh-my-goodness HISTORY and TOURS. So I decided to check it out.
I downloaded the app and started scrolling.
I laughed, I cried, I learned a LOT, and then... I stumbled onto some videos authored by my peers in metal detecting community. A lightbulb flicked on...
"I can do this!" I thought to myself.
Next thing you know, I've got an account and have uploaded my first video. It was a simple trailer introducing my YouTube channel, which immediately began receiving views.
"What? How did that happen?"
I began uploading snippets of my old videos, creating a catalog of sorts of my best moments and finds. I was thinking of it as a marketing tool to filter traffic to my YouTube content. But as I posted each new video and continued to receive unsolicited views, I became intrigued. I didn't share the links with anyone. I had not posted them to my Facebook page. Yet people were viewing my content... With no promotion at all!
"Interesting..."
While I pondered this whole thing, it occurred to me, there are huge differences inherent in YouTube and Tik Tok which represents their vastly differing audiences. (It's also evidence of the worlds diminishing attention span, but we wont go there). Tik Tok viewers' habits are geared toward 1-3 minute videos. They just don't want to invest the 10-15 minutes, which has become the YouTube standard. And yet, Tik Tok viewers will not hesitate to spend well past 10-15 minutes watching your catalog of videos if they are enjoying the content.
That in mind, I continued to post on Tik Tok, and even started expanding my horizons by creating clips during my adventures and metal detecting. The more I engaged the more views I was getting, and surprisingly, I was acquiring followers! Real, organic subscribers who watched my videos, liked what I was putting out there, and decided they wanted to see more! This, to me, as an artist, was compelling. I began looking at Tik Tok as a completely new creature with a whole new viewer base. An audience who wasn't concerned with video quality and production, which means, I can interact on a more regular basis, even DAILY!
Youtube videos are so much work, and I love doing them, but they are time consuming. There is no way I could do a daily video on YouTube, at least not the way I do them. Tik Tok on the other hand is fast, no editing, instant short snip (3 minutes or less) for viewers who are more concerned with the content and an honest interaction than they are hours of effects, transitions, and audio engineering. It's like speed dating! Only I'm not looking for a mate, I'm just looking to share my love for adventure, the outdoors, metal detecting, camping, music, wine, or whatever else strikes my fancy, with people who are genuinely interested.
I really think I'm going to like this tikky tok thing! :)
