Since 2020, Tik Tok has become the world’s fastest-growing social media platform, with over seven hundred and fifty million monthly users in 2022. It’s now joined platforms like Facebook and Instagram as one of the most popular social networks. With the rise of TikTok, people have gained the ability to become independent influencers at unprecedented rates – and in 2022 – it seems like anyone can become famous overnight. The distinction between TikTok and other popular social media apps is that the explore page, also known as the “for you page”. On TikTok, the “for you page” is the default feed that users are viewing on a daily basis. As the algorithm dictates what you view on the app, based on your interactions with past posts, viewers are exposed to a much wider range of content than just those who they choose to follow. This has allowed a much larger pool of people to become content creators on the app. However, creating a sustainable social media-based career is no easy task, and takes a specific skill set alongside high commitment. That’s why it’s all the more rare that a mid-career corporate executive becomes a successful Tiktok influencer. Enter Timm Chuisano, who is a TikTok content creator with over six hundred thousand followers alongside his day job as Vice President of Production & Creative Services at a Fortune 100 company. Here’s the story of Timm’s rise on TikTok.
Timm’s Story of Success
Timm joined TikTok in August 2019, largely because he wanted a space to create videos and content on a platform where not just friends and family were active, unlike Instagram. Timm’s content is primarily daily vlogs about life, food, family, work, and everything in between. As the pandemic hit, Timm began to see a rise in his following and views. Timm never really worked from home during the pandemic; he went into and worked in his empty office and was one of twenty-six people in a building that normally had over ten thousand people. This explains some of Timm’s popularity on TikTok – his posts offered a unique perspective on daily life during a global pandemic. Three years later, Timm’s followers continue to grow. There’s no single answer for how Timm, or any other creator, amasses hundreds of thousands of followers. But if you take a look at Timm’s content, it’s clear that his charisma, creativity, and his consistent posting are huge reasons for his success on the social media platform.
Can Tik Tok Provide a Sustainable Living?
Timm is both a successful TikTok creator and has a successful business career. While there are TikTok creators who have made their social media career their life, Timm explains he “gets nervous for those who have hung their hat on making TikTok their entire career.” TikTok can provide a lot of opportunities and can be a great way of getting your foot in the door when it comes to marketing and advertising. Gaining a social media presence can serve as a great stepping stone to other opportunities. Amassing a following means building a brand, and some people are able to turn their online presence into a media empire. So how does income play a role in content creation? On TikTok, there are various avenues through which creators can make money on the app, including the creator fund, ad money, and affiliate marketing. Brand deals are where a majority of the money creators make comes from, but for Timm, brand deals were a no-no for him. He didn’t feel he could remain genuine, experiment, and learn that way. Timm explains that he has learned a lot by looking at his content creation as a sport: if you keep it up every day, similar to any athlete who becomes great at their sport, you will continue to get better. “It’s truly about the love of the game and the content I make.” In a sense, what makes him so effective is his lack of reliance on it for his livelihood.
Are Content Creators Entrepreneurs?
As a content creator, you are your own boss, working on building a personal brand while experimenting with different creative avenues. Selling merch is another way creators make money while connecting with fans. Because the app has so many different creators that specialize in a vast array of things, the algorithm tailors the experience to each individual user based on what TikTok thinks the user wants to see. Content creators become entrepreneurs when they join TikTok; similarly, entrepreneurs can also join TikTok as a platform to share their business. In this way, entrepreneurship serves as the larger umbrella of Tik Tok in which a variety of areas fit. And the more frequently a creator appears on the “for you page” the more trending and popular they become. Thinking about the ways in which a creator can convince their audience to take an action, whether that be through brand deals or selling merch, they figure out what works, and what doesn’t. This skill can fit into many different areas of business, not just social media. As Timm mentioned previously, the skill sets that you can develop are vast when being a Tik Tok creator. All content creators have to be aware of the brand they push to their audience. The topics Timm explores, including the video clips and sounds within his content, work well together and intertwine with one another in a way that is consistent. Timm carries a positive and honest tone throughout his TikToks that curate an online space that is attractive to a broad audience. The words Timm uses are equally important in effectively communicating to his audience. The acronym ‘Shmily’ (See How Much I Love You) has become a recurring and important tool of communication in the cultivation of Timm’s brand and his followers’ understanding of who he is. The “shelf-life” of content creators is rather short – even if you’re at the top. Timm explains it’s important to expand your opportunities and to develop a unique skillset alongside a list of growing connections. And consistency within the image you create online is a huge way to build a following, and Timm’s ability to create a positive and welcoming environment makes him that much more successful.
Becoming a content creator seems like a very specific line of work for the talented few. Though, TikTok has created a space in which more than just a selected can amass millions of views on a single video. However, it doesn’t just take winning the ‘for you page’ lottery to become a content creator with a loyal following and growing presence, it takes particular skills and qualities. One aspect of Tik Tok that might be overlooked by those hoping for a career on the app is the entrepreneurial and business opportunities it presents. Personal branding, marketing, and learning the patterns of behavior among an audience are just some of the vital qualities that can help increase the success rate of an influencer’s presence. As Timm mentions, TikTok can be a great learning curve or jumping-off point for future entrepreneurial or business endeavors.
Most importantly, staying authentic on social media is the most important quality we can learn from Timm. Social media – when used for good – can be a great space for creators to express their creativity while curating a space to promote positivity and authenticity amongst their followers. Consistency serves as a vital factor for Timm’s success on TikTok, as his tools for communication on the app are vital in spreading impactful content to his audience. Though TikTok has become a space where many creators can amass millions of views and likes, sustainability on the app is hard. A key takeaway from Timm is that TikTok can open a lot of new doors one might not have been exposed to otherwise, and learning from the process of media and content creation itself is vital in ensuring success.
