How to blow up your TikTok and Reels from scratch to 32+ million views
Who gives a shit about an ad agency on social media? Apparently a lot of people if you do it right. We had a provocative theory on how to grow organic social media engagement massively with $0 media dollars and needed to test it. No client was willing to be the subject, which we could not quite understand. So, screw it, we did it for ourselves. Here are five principles that skyrocketed our TikTok and Reels engagement. The principles apply to you as well. And of course, we could help.
1. Participate in trends
Don’t chase every trend. That becomes overwhelming and counterproductive. Pick one (or two) a week that are relevant and create content that joins, what we like to call, the digital line dance, then do your thing. This gets you the hardworking numbers, and regular presence because you immediately join an entire group of people already out there dancing and engaged. NOTE: Let people who spend an unhealthy amount of time on social media do these. They know the trends when they’re on the rise, not the decline.
2. Be an expert in your chosen field
Post insights and thought leadership in your field of expertise.
3. Telescope out to broader topics
When we post specifically about social media, there’s a focused but limited audience. When we talk more generally about marketing and advertising, the audience grows 3x, 5x, maybe 10x. When we telescope out and post about topics like Gen Z slang and office dynamics (both still very relevant for an ad agency) the audience balloons 100x, 500x, 1000x. The point: tighter topics equal smaller audiences. Broader topics mean bigger audiences. And bigger audiences equal bigger engagement…if the content is good. This is what got us the huge numbers. (And now millions more people know our name. These ideas tend to be more evergreen. Classic hooks that engage human beings. They attract large audiences and catapult awareness. It’s a brilliant bonus if you can also connect it to something topical in the zeitgeist.
4. Create content through the lens of the platform not the brand.
Do not start with what people find interesting about your brand, start with what people find interesting on this particular platform. Then, create content, not ads. Interesting TikTok or Reels content that makes perfect sense for your brand to be posting.
5. Sell
Do the majority of your hard sell on paid media, but throw a few organic ads in the mix as well. People are open to them, so long as they are not inundated with them. Transact some consumers hanging out lower in the funnel.
Statistical Proof that this worked:
32+ million views this year combined
Nearly 2 million engagements
Comments from major brands like Microsoft, Google, Adobe Acrobat, Crumbl Cookies, NY Giants, Brooklyn Nets, Monday.com, etc.
12x our overall TikTok & IG following from 2023
One video reached 6M views on Instagram
$0 media dollars spent
We’re an ad agency. We know most people do not want to engage with ads let alone the people who create them. Yet, somehow we have managed to rack up these numbers. Proof that our approach works. Imagine if we were doing it for your brand that already has a sizeable fan base. Also, did we mention the part about $0 media dollars?
