Last week, I posted a video on TikTok that now, one week later has 105,800 views and 11,100 likes and 80 comments.
What’s funny is that this video was something I didn’t really put any thought into.
I volunteer at my daughter’s school store on Fridays, and I had only sold $1 worth of stuff that day, so I decided to make a TikTok… mostly because I was bored.
I made a quick video (TikTok videos are typically 15 seconds long), posted it, and didn’t think much of it.
But, by the time I got home, there were already thousands of views and hundreds of likes on my video.
From there, the views and likes and comments kept growing so fast.
The next day I went bowling with my daughter’s basketball team and the kids (and parents) were coming up to me talking about the video. They had all seen it and one of the kids was telling me that it had already been shared 40+ times, that many of her friends had shared it on their stories.
The funny thing is, I’m really not sure why that video went viral. It was nothing special, in my opinion.
And now, a week later, it’s still getting lots of views and likes and comments.
It’s been a fun experience to watch it happen… and I’ve learned a lot from it, too.
Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from my viral TikTok video.
5 Lessons I Learned from My Viral TikTok Video
1. You never know what the marketplace will like, unless you just keep putting stuff out there.
Just because you think it’s good, doesn’t mean anyone will like it. And just because you think it’s terrible, doesn’t mean it won’t go viral.
I remember my business partner building a capture page for me years ago that he literally spent hours on. He was so proud of it, and couldn’t wait to launch it and watch the leads roll in. When it was finally ready, I drove some traffic to it using Facebook ads. I spent $100 on the campaign and only got 1 lead. It totally bombed.
And, on the other hand, I’ve had experiences where I’ve created a quick page, threw it up in the internet, and it converted like crazy.
We are not the best judge of what will make the biggest difference for people or what they will resonate with. The marketplace is the only judge whose opinion actually matters. And the only way to know what they want is to keep putting ourselves out there.
2. Haters are gonna hate. You have to have thick skin if you want lots of exposure.
When a piece of content gets that many views, you have to be prepared for lots of comments, and many of them will be mean.
It’s important, in the face of the haters, to remember who you are and don’t let yourself be phased by what others have to say about you.
I usually just reframe the meanness in my mind. I allow myself to just have compassion for the people leaving the nasty comments, feeling sorry for them, that they have nothing better to do with their time.
And then I keep smiling, keep being myself, and get on with my day.
3. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
If you are afraid of being judged, you will never succeed past a certain point because lots of exposure usually leads to lots of judgement. If you want to put yourself out there in a big way, being judged is just part of the territory.
If you remember this right out of the gate, you will be able to see the judgement as a sign of success.
4. You never know who’s watching you.
I’ve had this experience a lot over my years of marketing online actually. Where I would go to an industry wide event and have people, coming up to me telling me they follow me and love my video about X or my training about Y. They had never left a comment or sent me a message, so I had no idea they were following me or even knew who I am.
I’ve also had people purchase a program or a product from me and then tell me they’ve been watching me for several years, and I had no idea.
You really never know who’s watching.
5. The best things in life happen when you are having fun. Period.
People are magnetically drawn to people who are having fun, living in joy, and operating in their element.
I find that things flow more easily and help more people when I get out of my head and stop thinking about things too much. Miracles happen when I act out of joy and inspiration.
So, there you have it. Those are the 5 lessons I learned from my viral TikTok video.
I hope you enjoyed this post and that it helped you in some way.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please post them in the comment section below.
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Comments
Wow Amy – this was such an amazing post and video. It’s something we can learn in many faucets of our life. Congratulations on all those views, likes and comments. It’s really true, you really just don’t know what the market place will like. It’s very true that you have to have thick skin. I admit, I sometimes can have very thin skin and sometimes take things personally, but what I learned from Abraham Hicks, it’s not me, its them. They are projecting their own “stuff”. So I have learned (and still learning) not to take things personally even when someone dislikes a video, unsubscribes from my mailing list or makes an unpleasant comment. 🙂
I can relate in so many ways with your post with experiences for myself. On the point where you never know who is watching you. I remember a guy who apparently, been reading my blog posts for many years. Never commented or anything, but always read them. He published a post online staying he nominates me for the best inspirational blogger out there. I was shocked and had no clue. Another experience recently, a very well known prominent meditation establishment in CA somehow found one of my meditation posts and wanted to link back to their website and in return, they would share my blog site with their followers which was over 15,000, which in turn created more exposure for my blog site (and music site since I have them linked).
Again, great post and video. You really put out something excellent content. 🙂
Thanks so much for your heart felt comment, LT. I love the examples you provided about not knowing who’s watching. It’s so true… we never do know. It’s a good thing to remember to help us to not get discouraged, too… especially for people who are just starting out. Sometimes it seems like nobody is paying attention, but they are. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by today!
You are very welcome. I wanted to circle back, because how you mentioned you have to have thick skin because not everyone is nice. I have an offline business and when I market, I always include a cover letter with my picture and links back to websites, etc. Ironically, this week someone returned it and wrote some really nasty things on my cover letter. It boggled my mind that someone has the time to actually do something like that and send it in the mail back to me. I guess the biggest part is that I have such a genuine, caring, and loving spirit about me, it really makes me wonder how some people can actually be so hateful to others. But putting all that aside, you know what came to mind when I received it? Your video and one of your steps, “Haters are going to hate”. So I just smiled, felt bad for them that they have so much in hate them and said a prayer for them and torn up the paper and threw it out, getting rid of that negative energy. So wanted to say thank you because that really helped me get over that quickly. 🙂
OMG, LT! I’m THRILLED that this post and video made a difference for you in that way. It’s true, haters are gonna hate (no matter how loving you are). And all we can do is have compassion for them because they would rather spend their time that way instead of making someone’s day. You are awesome… no matter what anyone says. Thanks for coming back and sharing this story with me. You totally made my day.
You are so welcome, wanted to definitely let you know who much your post inspired me during my recent experience and thanks for your kind words as well. Blessings!!! )
Hi Amy! Each one of your lessons rings loud and true. There are some people in the world who have nothing better to do than hate on other people. And once you start to get more eyes on you, they’re gonna start coming out of the woodwork.
I’m also glad to hear that the video performed so well. It seems like TikTok is one of the last few places where you can get viral organic reach. I’ve messed around with TikTok here and there but haven’t been committed to it. I may have to go back and give it another shot lol.
I totally agree, Jacob… those haters definitely come out of the woodwork when you start to get exposure. Gotta have thick skin! And, yes, TikTok is fun. 🙂
I’ve noticed that people seem to pick what you don’t want them to share and run with it. Like if you post a joke or something unrelated to your business it takes off. It’s a good thing though. Providing a humourous post is definitely adding value to someone’s life and they will think of you in a good way for it.
Yes, I agree, Jeff. It’s always the things that I least expect that go over in the most popular way with my audience. We just never know unless we put it out there, right? Thanks so much for stopping by!
Wow this was such a great post Amy! These 5 lessons can really be applied to just about anything – both in life and business. Thanks so much for sharing – and congrats on your viral TikTok video!!
Thanks, Todd! And, yes, I agree… these lessons can be applied to anything. 🙂