Four steps that helped Ovira gain 6 million TikTok followers in a year

Even saying the name TikTok can make brands nervous. It’s new, it’s making headlines, it’s making millionaires, and let’s be honest, it’s scary.

But TikTok is transforming the way we consume and create video content, especially when it comes to younger generations, and it’s here to stay.

Gen Z is a particularly tough consumer to crack. They’re consuming content differently than anyone who came before them, they’ve known technology since the day they were born, and they’re more focused on where they’re putting their money and why.

At An obstacle, we recognized the value of connecting with Generation Z and have since gone all out to reach them through TikTok. And when I say everything, I mean really do it.

In just one year, we organically grew our TikTok accounts from zero to six million followers, averaging 1 billion views per month. Through trial and error, my team and I found an extremely simple recipe for TikTok that led to global viral success.

1. Keep it real

In today’s oversaturated marketing environment, Gen Z can smell a lifeless commercial or promotional plug like a rotting lunch. Don’t give them a reason to unsubscribe. There’s a reason why TikTok and BeReal have recently taken off, and that’s because the polished, edited content is out and the authenticity is in — hooray! So when it comes to building a presence on TikTok, ditch the carefully curated and heavily edited content and be real instead.

Give your audience a reason to choose you by keeping your brand ethos at the heart of all content decisions. Choose a goal for your content. If there are several, you can even split them into separate accounts — we’ve got that figured out! For example, ours Ovira__ account features personal interviews about periods, sexual health and well-being, cheeky trivia and product trials, our Alice’s account shares educational content and little-known facts and tips, just like ours Ovirahood account features device and sex toy demos.

@ovira.com

#periods #menstrual cramps

♬ Slipping Through My Fingers – from “Mamma Mia!” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Meryl Streep & Amanda Seyfried

2. The three second rule

The number one rookie mistake is assuming that TikTok users will stop watching your video for more than three seconds. They won’t!

Our rule of thumb is to aim for 8-15 second videos MAX. You don’t want users to wobble and scroll, you want to look. Catch their eyes and ears quickly.

Thumb-stopping content is what you want, and we know it well. For our Ovira__ account, where we create new trivia with strangers every week, we ask the question in the first three seconds combined with an increase in immediate reaction or response. Those critical three seconds make or break a video. We call it “pixel-cracking” our high- and low-performing content—a bulk dissection of the first three seconds of our short content can sometimes be the difference between 15 million views and 23,000.

3. Entertain, educate or inspire

You can’t just appear on TikTok. You have to earn it. Give the algorithm a reason to make your content available to everyone. What does it do for the target community?

The TikTok audience wants to be entertained in some way, so you have to give them just that. Choose a goal. Do you want humor? Education? Or intrigue on the part of the viewer? Maybe even a combination of two or three? Throw some targeted spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks best with your audience.

If you manage to entertain in some way, Gen Z will do the rest for you by saving, sharing, enhancing, commenting and engaging with your video, leading you to the About You page. By navigating between a mix of educational, entertaining and insightful branded content across different accounts, we hit FYP hard because of our core interaction.

4. Don’t stop after you hit upload

A big part of the viral process is engaging with your community in the comments section after production. Beyond strong content, this is where the real magic happens. Viral comments match a viral video. Think of ways to join the conversation. Loyal and authentic relationships can be built with TikTok communities. People love it.

The potential for growth, engagement and brand recognition that can come from TikTok is huge. Gen Z is the generation of the future with opinions, power and passion like never before. Taking advantage of the opportunity offered by new platforms like TikTok makes it easy to get discovered, build a unique brand presence, and gain consistent virality both online and offline.

So think like us! Be unfiltered, authentic, relatable, raw, experimental and exciting when it comes to content, and an algorithm might just become your brand’s best friend.

Alice Williams is the founder of health technology startup Ovira.