This Creator's Follower Count Skyrocked to 78K After Ditching Faceless Content
Hello Everyone,
I had a chance to interview u/beegeebarbie, and it was very insightful.
Hope you enjoy the interview.
Here are some stats:
Started: 2021
Followers: 87.5k
RPM: 0.09 to 1.15.
Monthly creator rewards payout: $4470 in June. $5k in July.
Viral video stats: 9% full watch rate, and the average watch time was 54 seconds out of 3+ min videos. 25% average retention rate.
Can you share your account handle?
It’s @springflingqueens
What’s your niche and what kind of videos you make?
I create content centered around 2000s pop culture, including controversial celebrities, games, TV shows, and music.
What’s your backstory and how did you get into creating content on tiktok?
When I was starting out, I posted clips from the 2000s. They did okay but weren't great. I also made some makeup tutorial videos and gained 4000 followers. Then, I made videos about the ugliest Barbies from the 2000s, which did well. I've always been interested in the 2000s. I always say I didn't choose my niche, it chose me! I've always discussed these things with my friends and have always been obsessed and passionate about nostalgia. Also, I am knowledgeable about 2000s stuff because I was in the 90s!
Guide me through the process of creating content, starting from the ideation stage and concluding with editing.
I do my research, write out my script, and then record and then edit and post. Editing is the most time-consuming part of the process. It just takes too long. In the video, I’d say like and comment to get some engagement. If you're just starting out, TikTok is a great platform for side hustles. I would suggest treating TikTok like a 9-5 job. I also recommend investing in a microphone to improve the audio quality of your content.
Did you say you encourage viewers to like and comment your videos? Is that what you were saying?
Yes, 100%, like I usually add at the beginning of my TikToks. I don't do it as much anymore. But when I was just starting out and wanted to increase engagement, I encouraged people to comment, like, or say, "Hey, let me know what you guys think about this in the comments." I always made sure to tell them to say "like and comment for part two" or "like and comment for part three" if they wanted to see more.
How do you come up with a new video idea? Do you have a separate notebook where you write down all your ideas?
Yes 100%. In my niche, I can look at any type of topic and then switch it around to make it about the 2000s. It comes naturally to me, and I have a list in my phone as well as two notebooks. For other people, I would suggest going on the internet. When you're surfing the web, you'll come across things that catch your eye, and you can adapt whatever people are talking about to fit your niche. You can definitely find topics to talk about online.
So basically what you're saying is... you surf the web to see what's currently trending and then try to adapt it to your niche. Is that what you're saying?
No, I don't typically follow trends myself. However, I understand how other people might find it useful for their specific interests. For instance, if someone is unsure of how to grab attention or is seeking relevant information, trending topics could be beneficial. When you visit a website's homepage, you'll find a variety of articles. The relevance of these articles depends on the niche. For example, let's consider a niche related to cooking or food. In such a case, one might search for something that would grab attention in the food industry. For instance, a headline like "Top 10 Recipes to Help You Lose Weight Fast" could be compelling. This is the kind of information that can easily be found through a simple Google search. When I come up with ideas, I focus on ensuring that they provide value and are relevant to my specific niche, rather than simply following trends. Embracing trial and error is also crucial in this process.
You said that editing is pretty time-consuming for you. How much time do you typically spend just editing these videos?
Yeah, so for a TikTok that's going to be three to five minutes, it definitely takes me about an hour. If you're recording yourself for 10 minutes, you have to really condense it. But for a video that's just a minute long, I would say it takes about 20 to 30 minutes. It's very meticulous and time-consuming, especially when editing for TikTok because you have to be concise. You can't just say whatever you want, you know.
Do you pay much attention to crafting the text overlays when you’re editing your videos?
Yea I use bold letters in my content because it grabs people's attention. Also, word on the street was that including certain text in your content helps with the algorithm and gets your content in front of the right people. It's also important to keep the content clean, neat, and engaging. You don't want to just throw up a video without any editing or additional content. It's important to make sure that you're adding value for your viewers with readable text, images, and other elements. It's especially effective to use bold letters at the top of the content, particularly within the first three seconds if it aligns with your niche.
After you first publish your video, are there cues that give away that this video will go viral?
It really depends on the size of your audience per video. You have to keep an eye on it as soon as you post. For instance, back in the day, if my post got 100 views on the first day, I knew it would perform well. As your following and audience grow, that number obviously increases. You start to recognize when a post will take off based on your own account. For example, if I just posted something an hour ago and it already has 10,000 views, I know it's likely to reach a certain number.
Can you define what a viral video is?
It's funny because I never used that word, but other people started using it. I think "viral" means a million or more views based on how other people use the term.
You said that if a video gets 100 views in a day, then it would go viral. Do you mean like it will reach like 100 million or a million plus views?
Well, not necessarily. I just meant that back in my day, a certain number of views seemed like a lot to me. I considered it viral, but it really wasn't. What I meant was that when my following was smaller, if a post garnered a thousand or a hundred views within a certain time period, then I knew it would eventually reach 30K or 50K views, although not a million. A million views didn't come until later on.
I see. do you like keep a list of hooks that you frequently use?
Personally, for me, I consider hook as an essential part of the script. What I talk about is already a hook in itself. Then, I add another hook to capture the viewers' attention by teasing them with a preview of what's to come in the video. For instance, if I'm discussing a forgotten celebrity from the past, I might say something like, "These are some celebrities who were canceled or you'll never see them again," or "Here's some furniture from the 2000s that you're never going to see again." The second element of my hook varies each time as I want to keep it fresh. This method is part of my scriptwriting process where I first outline the main topic or person the video is about, followed by the hooks that I'll use. Also, I would say that it doesn't always have to be an audio hook; you don't always have to say, "These are the craziest things you've ever seen." You could do something to grab their attention, like showing something falling in the video.
Got it. That's interesting. Can you tell me where most of your viewers are coming from? Are they mostly coming from the For You page? And are they mostly just new viewers or are they returning viewers?
Most of my audience members are definitely from FYP. Yeah, they're definitely mostly new. I do have my own little community, but it's mostly from the FYP for sure.
I also noticed that you're doing stories. Do you think that makes a difference?
I feel like it doesn't hurt to, post that. I have not really done enough research to look at how a video does before and after. But it is nice just because I like to keep people updated that are looking at my stories. I know me personally, when I'm on TikTok, I do look at people's stories. So I want them to get excited for the video that's tonight or tomorrow. And then I also want them to, like, make sure they have me on their radar. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't want y'all to forget about me.
So how often do you post a new video?
So back in the day when I was growing my following, I definitely, definitely was posting like two to three a day. But now because like my things take more time, I don't do that anymore. I just post like once a day or I'll do once every other day or once every like two to three days. But yeah, daily posting at the bare minimum if people are just starting out and definitely should post two to three times a day.
How long did it take you to go from like zero to the number of current followers that you have?
It's really interesting because I started my account in 2021 with zero followers, and then I rapidly grew to 4K. At first, I was doing it as a hobby, but when I started treating it like a business, my followers increased from 5K to the current 78K. I got into the creator fund in late April, and the growth has been incredibly fast. It's important for people to know that they have the power to change their lives quickly if they pivot. For me, the growth was from zero to 4K, then from 4K to 10K in a couple of months, and from 10K to 79K since the last two days of April. It took only a month or two to grow from 4K to 10K. When people struggle to grow their accounts over a long period, it's a sign that they need to pivot.
Are you at all, like, concerned that your niche might get oversaturated one day because so many people see your success and try to do, you know, copy you?
One great thing about social media is that you can always change direction at any time and crosspost on other platforms to earn money. For example, I've heard that the gaming niche on YouTube is very competitive. However, on social media, everyone can succeed as long as they are dedicated. If there were suddenly a million 2000s nostalgia pages, I would be happy because my community would be growing. But even if that happened, it wouldn't mean that I would lose followers. If it ever came to a point where TikTok or YouTube limited the number of creators, I would simply switch to another platform.
Are you generating any kind of money from YouTube right now or are you still on your way to...
Yeah, not at the moment, but I am very close and so that will be happening very soon.
Do you feel like you've kind of like figured out a formula for consistently getting high views? Do you think you could spell it out for me?
I would recommend having something in your background that people can relate to, like a Britney poster in my case. When I uploaded a video with the poster in the background, people were like, oh my God, when I was a little kid, I had that same poster. And then on top of that, I just like to always have my makeup done in my videos and I noticed that everybody has been asking about like my lip combo or complimented on my lips. So I would say if you're into fashion or beauty or if you like to wear hats, you should do that in your video. Like if you show your personality, you're more likely to have success. If you're using a microphone, consider customizing it with a sticker or getting a unique color. Also, consider putting an easter egg in your video or exaggerating the hook to capture people's attention. For example, back in the day, I used to say something like this tree is really tall but you can't say that you have to say it like, this is the biggest tree you guys are ever going to see. You have to really think about how to make it sound crazy so people will stop scrolling. Also, in your videos, get to the point and don't ramble. Show your personality. You can also use a script but it's important to be authentic. These are the things that I think would lead to success.
Are there any followers or creators that you follow to like to get inspiration from?
I came across a YouTuber who focuses on 1970s nostalgia in a very personal way. He shares stories about his favorite childhood toys and adds his own unique twist. I decided to do something similar by creating content about 2000s toys and trends, as those are the ones I can relate to. While I do enjoy looking at other nostalgic creators, I haven't found many who focus on the same era. However, I recommend exploring different creators to gather ideas for your own content. There are plenty of creators out there with unique perspectives to offer.
Can we talk a little bit about like statistics? So for your... most recent viral videos, can you share like what percentage of viewers watch the full video?
How many watched the full video? 6%. Okay, so it says on average viewers watch 15% of her video and it says most viewers stopped watching at one second, but I think that most people are scrolling, I'm guessing, because literally every single video I've ever posted, it always says that most people stop watching at like one second. But I think that it is not that accurate, but I think they're also counting people that see a video and immediately scroll.
You said that on average, viewers watched 15% of your video and that full watch rate is like 6%, is that the case for all your videos?
No, the one I'm talking about is the post I just made with around 804 likes. Yeah, those are the numbers for that post. But honestly, I don't pay much attention to numbers like followers or views because it can sometimes discourage people. I would suggest setting a goal for a certain number of followers or views and then working towards that. That's just my opinion though. I rarely check my metrics. For example, it shows the average watch time is 36 seconds, but the only thing I really look at is the views.
At what point did it get easier for you to go viral? Is there like a certain number of followers you need to gain?
I'm not sure what you meant by "viral"—did you mean over a million views, or more like a decent amount, like 100,000? For me, getting to 4,000 was a big achievement, and reaching 100,000 was really exciting.
By the way, do you happen to know what percentage of people watched the full video for the 1.7 million views?
It looks like only 9% of people watched the whole thing, with an average watch time of 54 seconds. As for the other video, it seems like retention rate was 25%. I think TikTok counts people who stop watching at one second, which might explain why it seems like everyone stops watching at that point.
So what's your future plan? are you trying to expand your reach on other platforms like YouTube and IG or are you mostly just focusing on tiktok?
I'm not just focusing on TikTok. I also have other social media platforms that are doing pretty well in terms of views. My Instagram is doing decently, but I'm putting most of my energy into TikTok. I feel like my Instagram could do better with more attention. I'm also working on my YouTube channel, and I'm almost reaching the watch hours needed for monetization. I've seen people in a subreddit mention that they're making money from Facebook reels, so I'm considering exploring that platform as well. I've always wanted to have my own business, and now it's finally happening. I'm a workaholic, and I'm always striving to do better.
I'm kind of curious about you know how much money you're generating. So are you doing tiktok as a fulltime job or are you doing this on the side?
Right now, I only have my second job because I'm about to move. I don't really need the extra income, but it's definitely helpful when you're relocating because there are a lot of expenses involved. I'm quite comfortable with my primary source of income, which is TikTok. My main goal with TikTok is to have multiple streams of income, so I definitely make more through TikTok than I do with my second job.
I assume you're making most of your money from the creator's reward program. Is that correct? can you tell me how much you made last month?
Let me look real quick. Last month, I'm pretty sure it was about 4500. Okay, so it's $4470.
Can you also share the rpm?
So my average for last month was 51 cents. And that is okay. But it's just like for me personally, it's always more important for me to, post and there's like a whole other world and conversation of like when you post a certain amount or when you get a certain amount of views, there's conspiracies that like TikTok will make your RPM go like lower. But the beginning of the month is when I would recommend people to post because that's when your RPM will be the best. You should post in the beginning of the month like your life depends on it. If you're looking to just like make money, you can just like post in the beginning of the month.
What was the lowest RPM and the highest?
Based on my observation, it really depends on whether advertisers want to pay for the content. The RPM fluctuates depending on the type of content and the engagement of the audience. For me, the highest RPM I've had was 1.15, and the lowest was 0.09. I've heard of some people having as low as 0.01 RPM. It can be discouraging, but there are other ways to make money on TikTok, like through brand deals once you have a larger following, or through affiliate marketing. I have some affiliate deals, but I'm not great at sales, so it's not a major source of income for me.
Have you ever thought about selling your own course or premium content behind the paywall?
No.
So, how do you maintain momentum?
I would say you always have to keep going no matter what and you have to have vision. Like, I don't know, I just feel like for me personally, just like everybody else, there are times when your views are low because the algorithm is changing, or there are factors beyond your control. But you have to pivot and push forward. You can't get caught up in thinking, 'Oh my gosh, TikTok is being so mean and not pushing out my video' or 'they're not doing this or that.' You have to have a different mindset. It's because of that, I found success. So yeah, that's what I would say.
If you could go back in time and start like a brand new account, is there anything that you do?
Definitely. I wouldn't waste my time being faceless and voiceless again. I believe having your own personality is what will make you memorable. We all have things we don't like about ourselves, but you have to push past that. When I first started posting and getting attention - like 100,000 views, there were plenty of people who didn't like my voice or had other criticisms. But you have to put yourself out there if you want to succeed. It's not like I'm making tons of money yet, but an extra 4.5k a month for posting a video is definitely worth it. When you're gaining popularity, you won't care about what others are saying or thinking.
I'm guessing that you don't worry too much about getting canceled?
I want to emphasize that when creating content, it's best to avoid discussing political opinions. I've heard other creators give the same advice, and I try to follow this approach in my content. Depending on the topic, I try not to express my full opinion because, first of all, people are more interested in the information and entertainment rather than my personal views. Secondly, sharing personal opinions often leads to having to explain and defend them in the comments, which can be exhausting. I believe it's better to stick to the main topic and let the viewers engage in discussions in the comments. For anyone starting on platforms like TikTok, I think it's best to steer clear of political topics and refrain from expressing strong personal opinions. I want to appeal to a wide audience, regardless of their beliefs, and encourage everyone to follow and engage with my content.
Any other advice that you’d give it to others?What advice would you give to other creators who are just starting out or are looking to get started?
I believe it's important to treat your passion like a business, not just a hobby. Once I made that mental shift, everything changed for me. I remember sharing this on Reddit too. It's like, if you can dedicate yourself to making someone else richer every day, then you owe it to yourself to show up and do the same. You are valuable, you are capable, and you can definitely do it. That's why I would advise treating it like a business, because it is. It's bigger than just a hobby. It's important and deserves that level of commitment. Also, for me, I kept my passion project private. I'm usually low-key and private, so I didn't tell anyone in my real life about it. I felt that if my friends and family followed me or supported my venture, I might get self-conscious. So, I created a separate TikTok account and started posting content. Now, only a few people know because it's also my job, but it allows me to focus without outside pressure. I would recommend not openly sharing and asking people to follow and support you. Instead, build your own community and following. It's important to have a clear head and conscience when pursuing your passion.
Do you have any other TikTok accounts that you're running?
I have a few accounts on social media. One is for personal use, but I don't post anything on it. Then I have another account dedicated to 1970s nostalgia. Additionally, I recently created a TikTok account to promote affiliate products. I'm exploring the potential of affiliate marketing because I've seen others make good money from it. Although it's still new for me, I can see potential based on my existing content. It's not my main source of income on TikTok, but for those in niches like fitness and food, I think there's great potential to make it work.
Okay, so how does that work?
If you make videos promoting different products, there are multiple ways to do it. You can add something to your showcase, and every time someone buys something from there, you get a share of the sale. With TikTok Shop, you can also create a video and link the product in the video or do a live stream and promote products there. I've seen many people with few followers make a lot of money with TikTok Shop. People are making $10,000 a month or even $8,000. I don't think it's saturated at all. Anyone can make money with TikTok Shop, but you have to be consistent and patient. It's really a great program for anyone.
I'm not too familiar with showcase. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
So, basically, a TikTok shop is like a massive store where you can add things to your digital closet that you love. For me, there isn't a lot of stuff that fits my niche, so I just add lip stuff because I know people are interested in it. When people ask about a lip gloss or something, I can point them to my showcase. It's an easier way for people to find and buy the products, and for me to make money.
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