Imagine posting a video before you go to bed one night and waking up in the morning to find that 5 million people have seen that video. That's what happened to me in 2021 when I first started on TikTok.
Over the past year, I’ve been having tons of fun experimenting more with TikTok and wanted to share five things that I’ve learned.
1. Provide something unique
One way to grow a massive following on TikTok is to provide a window into an experience that is totally outside most people's purview. For me and my team, that's showcasing insanely expensive properties. My first video was a $46 million penthouse at the MoMA building, and people went nuts when they saw it. It got 5 million views and I gained 90,000 followers overnight. After that I went full throttle with our TikTok, doing home tours of some of the most expensive and incredible properties all over New York City. And since then, we've grown from 90,000 followers after my first video, to over 322,000 followers today.
2. Follow those trends
Another way to build an audience is through capitalizing on trends. We do that and put our own personal real-estate-themed spin on it. One time we made a crazy video at a $25 million property where I'm simply lip-syncing dog and cat sounds. That video has over 2 million views and went viral all over the world.
3. Collaborate
Another great way to build your TikTok following is through collaborations. We've done a ton of videos with other influencers both in the real estate sphere and outside of the real estate sphere. The main thing is to find someone with a big following so that you can share your followers and grow together.
4. Consistency
Another really important component to growing your TikTok following is consistency. TikTok rewards you for creating quality and consistent content. And they will push you out in front of a wider audience because they know that you're actively engaging with their site and creating content that people enjoy. That doesn't mean that you need to post five videos a day like Gary Vee and that guy with a cake on his head. But just post one, or maybe post five a week. The more you do, the better the rewards.
5. Be Authentic
One of the most important ways to grow a following on TikTok is to showcase your personality. Don't hold back. TikTok is fun. It's irreverent. People want to smile and want to see things that they can really engage with. Don't hide yourself. TikTok has helped me open myself and be more of myself on camera because people want to see that they know what's fake, they know what's real, and they want to see you being you.
Bonus!
Last thing. Don't let any negative comments get in your way. All press is good press, as the saying goes and the negative comments get people talking and will push your video to the top. It's also important to be authentic and don't come across as overly edited. You need a fancy camera, just use your phone. This device is all you need to create a great TikTok following this is the appeal of TikTok people want to see authenticity.
So be yourself and don't be afraid we have had so much fun building an immense following on TikTok and honestly if a 51 year old guy can build a crazy giant TikTok following in under a year anybody can!
If you want to see more videos like the one linked above, please subscribe and follow on Instagram (@randybaruh), TikTok (@randy_baruh), and YouTube.