Podcast Summary
From dull job to viral sensation: Embrace disruption and follow your passion: Embracing disruption and following your passion can lead to extraordinary success. Take risks to seize opportunities and build a career around your passion.
Embracing disruption and thinking beyond the ordinary can lead to extraordinary success. Alex Stephentowski, a TikTok viral sensation, went from working in a dull insurance job to building a personal brand and amassing over 10 million followers in less than a year. His transformation began when he was inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk's message that one can live and build a career around their passion. The spark was lit when Alex bought a camera and started expressing himself creatively. This shift in mindset, coupled with hard work and determination, allowed him to disrupt the status quo and dominate on a global platform. Remember, if you don't take risks, you risk missing out on great opportunities.
Leveraging new platforms for rapid growth: Adapting quickly to new platforms like TikTok can lead to massive growth and success in a short amount of time.
The power of consistent content creation and utilizing unique platforms, such as TikTok, can lead to rapid growth and success in a short amount of time. The speaker, who built a brand by taking pictures of strangers and gained over 10 million followers in less than a year, attributes her success to her quick adaptation to new platforms, such as TikTok, which has the ability to reach and engage large audiences. This success story challenges the old notion that it takes a decade to become an overnight success, as the speaker went from 0 to hero in a matter of months. Additionally, the unique features of TikTok, such as its ability to reach a massive audience and the potential for viral content, make it an ideal platform for building a following and growing a personal brand.
Misconception about TikTok being only for dancers or kids debunked: TikTok offers opportunities for creators of all ages and genres to turn passions into professions, achieve virality, and monetize content.
TikTok is not just for dancers or kids, but a platform for everyone, regardless of age or genre. This misconception is a mistake, as proven by the success of large influencers in various niches. Even shy individuals like photographer Alex can use TikTok to push past their comfort zones and turn their passion into a profession. The platform's potential for virality and monetization makes it an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs and creators, especially during this era where turning passions into professions is increasingly achievable. Alex's story is a testament to this, as she transformed her fear of taking photos of strangers into a successful career. The Internet's power to create new opportunities, such as influencer roles and content creation, makes it an exciting time for entrepreneurs, despite the generational divide.
Consistency and Hard Work in Building a Successful Brand: Consistently producing high-quality content is crucial for growing a large following on social media. Dedication and hard work are necessary to build a successful brand, even if the content isn't always perfect. Focus on both message and production quality.
Consistency and hard work are key to building a successful brand and growing a large following on social media. The speaker, with a vision to become a household name or have their projects well-known like Humans of New York, emphasizes the importance of producing content regularly and making it as high-quality as possible. They believe that consistency is crucial even if the content isn't their best, and working hard is necessary to build a following. The speaker also mentioned the benefits of a supporter program for getting exclusive content and discounts, and the gap between free and paid content is getting bigger. Rob emphasizes that the production quality doesn't always translate to good content, and it's essential to focus on both the message and the actual content. Overall, the message is that dedication, hard work, and consistency are essential to building a successful brand and growing a large following on social media.
Understanding the formula for a viral video goes beyond production quality: Consistently post content with intention, focus on audience preferences, and don't judge your own work too harshly.
The quality of production does not guarantee a viral video. What truly matters is creating content that resonates and engages audiences, allowing algorithms to pick up and spread the video. This can be achieved with even a standard camera like an iPhone. Consistently posting content with deliberate intention is key to understanding the formula for a viral video. Even content that creators may deem as their worst work can unexpectedly go viral. The story of influencer Dogface 420's viral video serves as a reminder to post content without self-judgment, as the audience may find value in it. Creators should focus on understanding their audience's preferences and cater to them, rather than assuming their own creations are the best fit.
Leveraging unique background and analytics for TikTok success: Successful TikTok creators use their unique backgrounds, analytical mindset, and data analysis to create engaging content, attract brand deals, and potentially earn from merchandise sales.
A successful TikTok creator leverages their unique background and analytical mindset to create engaging content and monetize their platform. By paying close attention to data and past performance, they can continuously improve their videos and attract brand deals. The TikTok Creator Fund and audio promos offer additional income streams, but the majority of earnings come from brand deals. As creators grow their audience, merchandise sales may also become a significant revenue source. Essentially, a successful TikTok creator is intentional, analytical, and adaptable, using their past experiences and skills to thrive in the ever-evolving world of social media.
Exploring Business Opportunities through Personal Branding: Staying true to your brand is crucial when considering brand deals. Synergy is key to maintaining authenticity and growing your audience.
Creating a strong personal brand can lead to various business opportunities, both online and offline. The speaker, a photographer and podcast host, shared how his TikTok presence led to increased photoshoot requests and merchandise sales. He also mentioned receiving brand partnership offers, but only accepts those that align with his content and don't disrupt his brand. The speaker's cautious approach to brand deals and focus on synergy is a valuable lesson for content creators looking to monetize their platforms. Additionally, the speaker mentioned how platforms like TikTok and Clubhouse have opened up new opportunities for creators to connect with audiences and build communities. Overall, the discussion emphasizes the importance of staying true to one's brand while exploring various revenue streams.
Going against the norm on TikTok can lead to fame and success: Asserting oneself on TikTok, even in a playful way, can lead to unexpected fame and success, but handling negative comments gracefully is crucial.
The power of going against the norm and asserting oneself, even in a playful way, can lead to unexpected fame and success on social media platforms like TikTok. An example from the discussion is a girl named Annalay, who shushed her father during a dare, which later went viral and catapulted her to Internet stardom. However, the success brought about a wave of negative comments, but Annalay and the creator of the video handled it gracefully and turned it into an opportunity for more content. On a different note, the discussion also touched upon the entitlement issue among TikTok creators, where they expect views and get frustrated when they don't receive them, despite the app being free and not owing them anything. It's essential to focus on creating high-quality content and not blame the platform for the lack of views.
Creating Viral Content: Approach, Behind the Scenes, Results: Start videos with excitement, engage viewers with behind the scenes, and reveal results to maximize watch time. Learn from successful creators like MrBeast to enhance your content strategy.
Creating viral content on social media requires intentional planning and maximizing watch time. The speaker, Alex, shared his formula for making a viral TikTok video, which includes showing the approach, behind the scenes, and results in that order to keep viewers engaged and watching until the end. He emphasized the importance of the first one to three seconds, starting the video at an exciting point to capture viewers' attention. The speaker also mentioned his admiration for MrBeast and his ability to consistently create viral content on YouTube, expressing his desire to hack his account to learn his analytics. Despite the financial success he's had on TikTok, he estimated his earnings to be around $50,000 to $70,000 in the past year.
Creating a viral video: First frame, hook, story, and emotion: Capture attention with intriguing first frame, sell video with behind-the-scenes clips, evoke emotions through storytelling, and use the right song to amplify feelings.
Creating a viral video involves capturing attention from the very first frame, hooking viewers within the first few seconds, and telling a compelling story that evokes emotions. The first frame should be intriguing and exciting, making viewers curious about what's to come. The next few seconds should sell the rest of the video by showing behind-the-scenes clips that build anticipation. Emotions are key to engagement, so telling a story that tugs at heartstrings is essential. Lastly, using the right song that amplifies the desired emotion can make a significant difference. Engaging with comments within the first hour is also important to build a connection with followers. While hate may be inevitable with a large following, it can sometimes be beneficial for the brand.
Dealing with Hate and Cancel Culture: Ignore hateful comments and focus on work to avoid wasting time and energy. Correct false comments to protect reputation.
It's important to ignore hateful comments and not engage with them, as doing so can be a waste of time and mental energy. Instead, let the haters tire themselves out by swinging punches at nothing. The speaker, Alex, shares his personal experience of dealing with hate groups and individuals trying to cancel him in the photography community. He emphasizes that it's essential to correct any false comments about oneself to protect one's reputation but not to argue or prove the hater wrong. The concept of cancel culture is brought up, and the speaker expresses his uncertainty about its meaning and fairness. He raises questions about what it means to be canceled and whether it's a concrete end to someone's career or just an attempt to make them look bad. Overall, the key takeaway is to focus on one's work and not let negative comments derail progress.
Impact of losing a social media account is not permanent: Maintain balance, create meaningful content, and learn from experiences to build a strong personal brand and bounce back from social media setbacks.
While social media accounts can be shut down, the impact may not be permanent, and individuals can still regain a following. The speaker shared examples of his own experiences with viral content and the importance of personal brand, which he defines as authentic self-presentation. He advised his older self to maintain balance between work and rest. The speaker also emphasized the significance of creating meaningful content and learning from experiences. Despite not having a clear answer on what constitutes a valid reason for losing a social media account, the conversation touched on various topics, including the power of social media, personal branding, and self-improvement.
Unexpected feedback can lead to growth: Embrace constructive criticism and learn from it, even if it's uncomfortable at first. Social media can be a powerful tool for personal and professional growth.
Sometimes the most meaningful growth comes from unexpected and even harsh feedback. The speaker shared an experience from his first job out of college where a coworker called him out for being too timid. At first, the comment came across as hurtful, but the speaker later realized that it was exactly what he needed to hear to change his mindset and improve himself. On the other hand, the worst advice the speaker ever received was that social media is a waste of time. He strongly disagrees and believes that it has the power to change lives. The speaker also emphasized the importance of embracing pain and suffering as necessary steps for personal growth and transformation. In the world of business and entrepreneurship, disruption is key. The speaker admires people who challenge the status quo and disrupt the way things are done. You can find the speaker on TikTok as @alex.stemp and Instagram as Alexander the Great.
Collaboration and Feedback on TikTok: The speaker values feedback and is open to collaboration on TikTok, trying something new and continuing engagement on Clubhouse.
The speaker is open to collaboration and feedback, particularly in the realm of social media content creation. During the conversation, they expressed a desire to receive critiques on their TikToks and brainstorm ideas with the host. The speaker also mentioned that they are trying something new on the platform, which is different from their usual content. They plan to continue engaging in discussions on Clubhouse and are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the podcast. Overall, the speaker's tone was positive and enthusiastic, highlighting their eagerness to learn and grow in their content creation endeavors.
