Advice From This Ex-TikTok Employee About Being A Creator

Welcome again to Creators Unlocked, a collection the place we interview creators about their finest practices. At present, we’ve bought Ayomi Samaraweera, TikToker and creator financial system startup founder, on the docket.

Ayomi’s journey as a creator instantly stands out as a result of she didn’t begin within the creator financial system as a TikToker, as many do, however as a TikTok worker (TikTokee, if you’ll). She’s gone on to work at completely different corporations (her personal included) that concentrate on creators, however the preliminary expertise knowledgeable a variety of her strategy to the creator financial system.

Nevertheless, regardless of her historical past with the corporate, it wasn’t working at TikTok that led to her becoming a member of as a creator – that got here after. She particulars these experiences and her high classes and recommendation on this article.

Develop a method on your content material and the platforms you submit on

An understanding of any platform you select to create content material for is essential, however Ayomi’s creator journey actually highlights why it is so necessary. Constant posting was the preliminary success marker for her TikTok.  

Ayomi shares, “After I began posting content material persistently—twice a day for the primary 30 to 60 days—I used to be capable of practice the algorithm to determine my audience. Plus, I gathered priceless knowledge on which movies had been attracting an viewers, changing viewers into followers, and which matters had been producing essentially the most engagement.” The information she gathered from TikTok’s analytics guided her content material technique and offered a roadmap for future content material creation.

TikTok’s not the one position that gave Ayomi crucial insights into what can result in creator success. Her time at Jellysmack – a startup that assists creators in increasing to a number of platforms – confirmed her {that a} presence on a number of platforms is non-negotiable for development.

The primary motive? Counting on one platform might be dangerous. Ayomi factors out that “If the platform disappears or its algorithm modifications in a single day, creators may very well be left in a troublesome place. These days, a number of platforms for short-form content material, resembling TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Reels, provide monetization alternatives. Being multi-platform not solely offers a security web however it will possibly additionally assist attain completely different audiences, facilitating the expansion and diversification of your follower base.”

Ayomi’s taking her personal recommendation as she evolves in her creator journey. Certainly one of her targets is to department out to a number of platforms. As she explains, “I’ve began creating content material on LinkedIn and am now a part of their Creator Program, which is thrilling. I additionally wish to construct my presence on YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, in order that’s a big multi-platform objective for me. I’ve labored for corporations that emphasised the significance of such a method, so it is time I carried out it myself.”

Prioritize your psychological well being

Artistic burnout is the truth of many creators, and there’s not sufficient assist from platforms, manufacturers, and businesses. As Ayomi highlights, “It is intense to continuously create content material and share points of your life.” She additionally mentions that pushing by means of tough patches doesn’t work for her, as her mindset closely influences her artistic course of. This implies if she’s not in a optimistic headspace, she will be able to’t create.

So, how does she keep constant and sustain together with her psychological well being, you ask? With batched content material. “You may discover me sporting the identical outfit throughout 4 or 5 movies as a result of I’ve batch created them whereas in a artistic zone, she explains.

Nevertheless, she does not push herself if there aren’t any backups and she or he’s simply not feeling it. “There are occasions after I might not submit for every week, both resulting from time constraints or the necessity to really feel passionate and mentally ready to provide high quality content material for my viewers.”

For creators, Ayomi’s recommendation for burnout prevention is three-fold:

• Discuss what you like so it doesn’t really feel like a chore. That is a part of why she wouldn’t suggest sticking to a single area of interest. “It is useful to have a number of pursuits and focus on completely different elements of your life.” Increasing her content material and sharing her real passions makes content material creation really feel much less like work and extra like sharing the thrill together with her viewers.
• Construct in breaks. “Being a creator is a job, and you need to deal with it as such. Keep away from working extreme hours; take time to eat, see family and friends, and take holidays. These rules ought to apply to content material creation, whether or not you are doing it full or part-time. Each creator wants time to recharge,” she recommends.

• Setting boundaries – it is completely okay to maintain elements of your life personal. “Whereas I am fortunately married, I do not often focus on my private relationship. Aside from a TikTok I as soon as coerced my husband into (he is not into social media), I’ve stored that a part of my life personal.” Boundaries round what to share and what to maintain personal might be instrumental in stopping creator burnout.

In essence, prioritizing psychological well being is a non-negotiable for creators. Ayomi’s story highlights the significance of a optimistic psychological state for sustainable and constant content material creation.

Take into account how your experience can gasoline your content material

Ayomi began out posting content material about her expertise from her decade-long profession as a administration marketing consultant on TikTok. “From the get-go, I knew I needed to give attention to a distinct segment the place I felt assured: my expertise in administration consulting and dealing in a company atmosphere. So, I started posting content material in the summertime of 2022, providing recommendation on careers and interviews, insights into being a administration marketing consultant, suggestions for job functions, and speedy promotions, amongst different issues—all primarily based on my private experiences.”

Data from her time at TikTok influenced her strategy to content material, and she or he doubled down on a distinct segment early on, which allowed her to develop shortly. Being so particular meant that her viewers was instantly drawn to her content material, which allowed her to construct a fanbase shortly. She additionally adopted ways described as “marathon” that led to a few of her early success, together with posting two movies a day from Monday to Friday for a month.

“My preliminary technique was to suppose again on my early profession days as a administration marketing consultant. I contemplated, “What recommendation would I’ve valued then? What do I want I would recognized, and the way may that information have altered my choices?” I aimed my content material at myself a decade in the past, specializing in classes realized and actions I would take otherwise if given a second likelihood,” she shares.

For Ayomi, the target of her content material on the time was to information people, particularly younger folks new of their careers, who may lack accessible mentors or steerage of their networks. Folks cherished it – she landed her first model cope with just a few thousand followers and grew to 10,000 in three months of posting.

Regardless of her early success and deep information of social media, Ayomi’s continuously studying. “Regardless that I labored at TikTok, I do not think about myself an knowledgeable. I am continuously discovering new methods to maximise the platform, staying updated with new options, and making an attempt to extract as a lot worth as I can from the device,” she advises.

She additionally highlights different creators as a priceless supply of data, with one key reflection, “Day-after-day presents a brand new alternative for development.”

Lean into alternatives for evolution as a creator

It’s pure to evolve as folks, and creators aren’t any completely different. Ayomi’s new actuality as a startup founder means her content material will inevitably change. Whereas the majority of her viewers got here from her humorous profession content material, she’ll be posting extra creator-focused content material and snippets from her experiences as a founder.

The problem with evolution comes when it impacts creators’ development. Niching down might be nice however as Ayomi acknowledges, it may be troublesome to pivot. “Experimenting with completely different content material generally leads to decrease engagement, which may very well be considered as content material ‘flops’,” she explains.

Nevertheless, she doesn’t see decrease engagement posts as flops – simply extra slowly reaching the suitable viewers. She additionally factors out that lots of her followers have been supportive and are following her journey, participating positively within the feedback.

So the numbers is perhaps dipping, however Ayomi’s shifting her focus from metrics, particularly vainness metrics like views. “If we turn into too fixated on [metrics], it might discourage us from venturing out of our established area of interest as a result of new content material might not all the time carry out as anticipated,” she shares.

“In the end, I benefit from the content material I am creating and can think about myself profitable if, by the top of this 12 months, my viewers has diversified past simply these searching for profession recommendation and aiming to interrupt into consulting. If I’ve reached a broader spectrum of individuals with my content material, that may be a real success for me,” she provides. So, though development is perhaps slower whereas breaking out of a distinct segment, the true worth of Ayomi’s content material is within the authenticity and significant connection together with her viewers – not views.

Create for your viewers – but in addition for your self

Ayomi began posting on TikTok to higher perceive the audience of her startup, Cover – creators. “I needed to realize firsthand expertise of the challenges creators encounter and perceive their day-to-day realities to serve them higher…I additionally needed to develop my community of creators. So, I assumed changing into a creator myself would provide one of the best perspective on the hardships creators face and the journey from zero followers to a rising viewers,” she explains.

When interested by what she needed to share, she determined to give attention to profession content material for folks new to theirs, particularly in administration consulting. She fueled a variety of her content material with the questions and feedback from her viewers, explaining, “When a selected remark gathers a whole bunch and even hundreds of likes, I understand it as a subject of viewers curiosity and infrequently reply with a video, which proves to be an awesome content material thought hack on uninspired days.

Success for me is about constructing a group – that goes past merely accumulating views. Group constructing and establishing belief takes time – Ayomi Samaraweera, Founder & Creator

Nevertheless, she clarifies that though she’s very strategic about content material, she doesn’t let the technicalities affect an excessive amount of of what she creates and the way she does it. “Success for me is about constructing a group – that goes past merely accumulating views. Group constructing and establishing belief takes time. As an illustration, I posted two movies just lately; one garnered 300,000 views, whereas the opposite had simply 500,” she says.

“However I am going to proceed making content material just like the lesser-viewed one as a result of it is geared toward a particular viewers – these on a startup journey with me. It isn’t in regards to the numbers however about accompanying these within the journey and constructing a devoted group.”

For Ayomi, her content material isn’t about catering to her viewers however about ensuring her recommendation reaches and resonates with the individuals who care in regards to the information she shares or her journey.

This strategy interprets to measuring the success of her content material which, as she places it, is all about Affect. “I outline success by the diploma to which I can assist folks. So after I obtain a direct message or an e mail or see a remark from somebody saying that one in every of my movies helped them move an evaluation heart or land a job with a Huge 4 firm, that is success to me.” It isn’t in regards to the views however the tangible distinction her recommendation makes in folks’s lives.

Takeaways

Right here’s the TL;DR from Ayomi’s story and journey as a creator

• Develop a multi-platform content material technique: Ayomi emphasizes the significance of being current on a number of platforms to keep away from the danger related to reliance on a single platform. By being multi-platform, creators can attain completely different audiences and diversify their follower base.
• Prioritize psychological well being to keep away from creator burnout: Ayomi factors out the depth of continually creating content material and shares her methods for sustaining psychological well being, together with creating batched content material, constructing in breaks, and setting boundaries relating to private life.
• Leverage your experience in your content material: Ayomi’s success on TikTok was largely resulting from her give attention to a distinct segment the place she was assured—her expertise in administration consulting and dealing in a company atmosphere. Her technique of directing content material at her youthful self resonated together with her viewers, serving to her shortly construct a following.
• Embrace evolution as a creator: Ayomi’s journey exhibits that it is pure for content material to evolve as a creator’s life modifications. Regardless that this may occasionally end in slower development or decrease engagement, the true worth of content material lies in authenticity and creating significant connections with the viewers, not simply in excessive view counts.
• Create content material that resonates together with your viewers and fulfills you: Ayomi’s technique is centered round creating content material that gives worth to her viewers whereas additionally aligning together with her passions and pursuits. For her, success is outlined by the influence her content material has on her viewers and never simply by metrics or view counts.