For today's Statistok Spotlight, we've connected with Elliot Simmons to talk about his TikTok Journey.

How long have you been active on TikTok?

I started posting on Tiktok around the end of March last year! So I’ve only been active for a little over a year now.

How did you grow your account when you just started?

I started by posting random videos in hopes to go viral but that didn’t work out for me. So I did sketch videos which gained me a little more traction. But when that slowed down I made my first series called “Mustache or MusTRASH” and that sort of blew up 😂. Basically I started to learn what worked and what didn’t and I did more of what worked. And when that stopped working, I would pivot, and I would be back on track!

What do you currently do to maintain your engagement and keep growing? 
 

I’m always switching up what I call my “content topics”. I present the content in the same way but just about different things! It gets my followers involved and excited. I also take follower submissions for some of the series I have and they love that. But most importantly, I’m always trying to improve the “structure” of my videos. How I start and end each video, call to action, all that stuff. Also I try to keep my followers feeling involved in my process!

Tell us about a cool opportunity that came out of your TikTok growth (personal/business/collaboration).  

Aside from the creator fund which has taken a lot of financial stress off my back, I have met and become close friends with some incredibly cool creators. I have also done brand deals with companies like Netflix and The Lifetime Channel! But the best part about this whole journey was being able to greatly cut down my hours at work so I can focus on my social media career!

Tell us about a mistake you made on TikTok

I posted one video about lucid dreaming and it completely blew up. And people wanted to know how to do it. So for about a week I only posted content about lucid dreaming. I gained TONS of followers. But when I ran out of lucid dreaming content and when back to my normal videos, everyone that followed my from my lucid dreaming videos began to unfollow me. I was losing thousands of followers a day for about 2 months and my views were absolutely terrible. I learned that I can’t drastically change my content and expect everyone to stay when I stop posting that content.

Which metric do you believe is the most important one to track? 

Definitely engagement! I’m always tracking how many comments and shares I get on each video. Regardless if the video goes viral or not, those are always a good way to know if my content is resonating and sparks conversation! Oh and obviously watch time! But with practice I learned how make videos that increase my watch time! 

Do you have recommendations for inspiration for content? (Or for the creative process)

The FYP always gives me ideas! To see what type of content people are vibing with. If I’m uninspired I just scroll and my brain starts working on my next move. I also always try to think of relatable concepts and how I can incorporate that into my videos. And honestly, some of my best videos have been my weirdest ideas!

What’s your next TikTok goal?

Next goal is to hit 3M! I got 2M followers in one year so I’m working hard to keep this momentum. 

Favorite TikTok videos from your account? (links)

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeCRbRUq/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeCRp7hf/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeCRsQYF/

What is your number one tip for a new creator on TikTok?

When first starting out, try anything and everything! Post 5 times a day! Experiment with length and how you put the video together. At first there are no bad ideas! Once you get a grasp on what works the best, do more of that type of stuff! And keep narrowing it down until you find what you are good at and what people want to see! It’s a marathon, not a sprint!