The Struggle is Fo' Reels...Let's Tok About It

A few months ago, I started my creator journey on LinkedIn and Twitter. The journey has been amazing, especially talking to marketers and creators from all around the world. The hot topics of the creator community: going viral, organic reach, relationships, and authenticity. When it comes to the first two topics on my list, you can't NOT hear about Instagram and TikTok.

Since the platforms are similar in that I can post the same video to each platform, I figured that I would experiment with both. So, two weeks ago I created new accounts for both. My goal in starting the accounts was (and still is) to see which provides me with more reach and which is more effective for me in growing my brand organically.

I decided to focus on the following topics: content strategy, the creator economy, and cultivating a wealth mindset. Since I only had 60 seconds for each video, I kept the information I shared rather general. In each video I would talk for 30-60 seconds, add captions, maybe add a little music, and then publish. I wanted to keep it super simple.

Some of the videos I made were very intentional. A few of them were totally off the cuff. For example, I was literally out walking during my lunch break, decided to make a video, and it got a crazy amount of views. Ironically, the videos that were the most unplanned were the ones that did the best in reach and engagement.

I have to be honest: since I was experimenting, I'd frequently publish posts, delete them, and republish them with minor changes to see if different hashtags, times of day, or headlines would work. However, I've discovered that this is pretty much pointless and super time consuming so I will not longer be doing any of that LOL.

Here are some things to note as I describe my experience:

• I have more friends on Instagram than TikTok, so it was easier for me to get a following to start.
• I did not engage with other accounts much on either platform. I just don't have that kind of time in my life right now.
• With Instagram, I was ALSO creating other forms of content (stories, posts, etc.) in addition to Reels. It's probably obvious to say that, but it just needs to be said that I wasn't purely creating Reels on Instagram.
• Some of the earlier videos I posted were Reels that I uploaded to TikTok. I tried this in the reverse once but afterwards decided I wanted to post direct to each platform separately. I read somewhere in the dark corners of the internet that each platform didn't like when you uploaded a video from the other platform.

Here are my discoveriesf:

TikTok

After two weeks I have an amazing 15 followers and 28 likes after posting 6 videos. I'm following 42 people, many of whom I have met on LinkedIn and Twitter. The highest number of views I received was 152 on my very first video talking about the value of relationships. I've gained very few followers as a result of my videos. Based on my very limited 2 week experience, I wasn't that impressed with the organic reach that everyone talked about on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Perhaps my expectations were too high. However, TikTok was super easy to use. There were times where Reels struggled to process my videos after I repeatedly tried to post them. I didn't have any of those issues with TikTok PRAISE THE LORD!

You can follow me on TikTok: @thecreativecatalyst_

Reels

After two weeks, I have 145 followers. I'm following 142 people, have posted 21 times, 7 of which were Reels. There was one video which, after performing poorly on Reels, I didn't even bother to post on TikTok. The highest number of views I received came from one of my latest videos at approximately 104k. The reel received 498 likes, 18 comments, 137 shares, and 162 saves. I gained about 50 followers as a result of that one video. In addition to that, one of my first videos received 6k views and another 27k views. My mind was totally blown!

What seemed frustrating about Instagram was that I kept having issues posting Reels. Perhaps it was my phone. Yet, I didn't have any of those issues posting to TikTok, often in the same location with the same WiFi as with the Reels.

You can follow me on Instagram here.

In Conclusion, Although Not Yet Concluded

I will definitely keep posting to each. As I said, I'm only two weeks in, but I can tell you I am seriously impressed by the reach from Reels. TikTok, although easy to use, has yet to impress me.

Since this week's issue has focused on videos, I asked my good friend Dave Lisowski, who I consider to be an expert in all things video, to talk about how to create quality videos. Enjoy!

Quality Video Tips from David Lisowski

In the 4+ years I’ve been creating videos for business owners, there’s one thing that I hear the most...“I’m not good on camera.” I get it, public speaking is statistically feared more than death, and trying to say “the right thing” gets challenging and uncomfortable.

AND YET-

After every interview finishes, clients say, without fail…“That was so easy!”

The thing is, we’re all experts in something, and in normal conversation, we can riff about that for hours. The trick is to make “being on camera” feel like “just a conversation”. Filming my own video content, I needed to figure out how to do that for myself.

Here’s three ways I make it easy for myself to be on camera:

Frameworks > Scripting

Reading off a script and making it feel “real” is hard. Without tons of practice or training, people can usually pick up on it. Plus, writing out scripts can take way too much time that most of us don’t have. Frameworks, on the other hand, allow me to speak more fluidly. It’s like a sandbox- I’m free to play how I want as long as I stay within the walls.

A simple framework I like to use goes like this:

Hook -> Story -> Triumph

The Hook is a quick, attention grabbing statement or belief that’s relevant to my ideal audience. The Story is a deeper explanation of the Hook, or a relevant story to give more context and understanding to a viewer. The Triumph is a positive ending that concludes the Story and ties it back to the Hook. Basically, it’s restating the main point to remind the viewer of the lesson you want them to take with them.?

Using that framework, I can talk freely knowing that I just need to keep each “section” concise and move from one to the next.

Talk About What I’m Already Talking About

Coming up with new ideas for video content can be challenging, and it can lead to a serious loss of momentum. I avoid that like the plague. The easiest way to do this is to talk about the things I’m talking about regularly.?

I’m active in a few mastermind and networking groups, both online and in person, and there’s a few ideas or concepts I find myself talking about pretty often. Since I’m talking about these things so frequently, it’s easy.?

When I’m getting ready to shoot more video content for myself, I’ll think about the conversations I’ve had the past week or so, and pick the few talking points that came up most. Those become video ideas.

Imagine The Camera Is a Friend

It’s easy to talk to a friend, and that’s why my interviews with clients go so well- I talk to them like a friend in a conversation. To achieve the same effect on my own, I imagine the camera is someone specific.?

For me, it’s one of the girls from my in person networking group. We’ve talked about video strategy plenty of times, and she’s always got great questions, so it’s easy to riff about different video concepts to her.?

When I’m getting ready to talk to the camera, I pretend like I’m answering a question she just asked. I start talking as if I was already mid-conversation. A lot of my videos start with “So yeah” or “The thing is”, or similar casual intros. That’s how I talk in person, and that’s how I want it to come across in my video content. That’s real.

SO, MY BIG TAKEAWAYS?

Much like the framework I mentioned above, my hope is to leave you with some useful, actionable takeaways.?

If you’re overwhelmed with getting started on video, just start.

Make it as easy for yourself as possible by talking about the things you’re already talking about, using a simple framework, and speaking like you’re answering a question from a friend.

It’s helped me create dozens of my own short videos within an hour.

But it all starts with just one. You got this.

Who is Dave Lisowski?

Dave Lisowski is a video strategist living right outside the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. In 2016, he put his pursuit of a degree at Penn State University on hold in favor of the opportunity to build a dream career outside of the corporate world. Now Dave helps business owners create the right videos so they can attract more of their ideal clients, more easily, in less time, with less effort.

You can find Dave at the following links:

Business link: https://www.foxal.media/

LinkedIn - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/davidlisowski/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bigvideoguy/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/david.lisowski.54

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/davelisowski