How I went viral on TikTok in two weeks (not really)

“Two Weeks”

In early July of this past summer I had an idea for a blog: “How I went viral on TikTok in two weeks.” Having spent the preceding month researching and writing about the cold start problem, I recognized many similarities between those struggles confronted by marketplace entrepreneurs and content creators: both must build an initial network of users/followers in a market/niche whilst competing against incumbents who typically enjoy a competitive advantage in virtue of already maintaining thriving networks/audiences of their own. My goal was to apply strategies learned from entrepreneurship to TikTok in the hopes of reaching 100K views on a video; then I would be done. I supplemented this knowledge by reading two books specifically about virality and then got to work. 

Following conventional wisdom, I created three TikTok accounts for three different niches: philosophy shorts, AI-generated content, and sketch comedy. All three failed miserably, and after two weeks I abandoned the first two accounts from a lack of interest. However, I stuck with the sketch comedy account because I genuinely enjoyed creating these videos. On August 8th, I uploaded my first successful video: a poker comedy video (~20k views). I doubled-down on this very niche category of sketch comedy with subsequent posts. In the (exactly) two months since, I’ve amassed 20 million views and 20K followers on this account. Leveraging what I had learned from this early success, on September 6th I created a second sketch comedy account in the corporate humor niche; this account has now amassed 6 million views and 15K followers.

In short, I’ve learned a tremendous amount with respect to what it takes to “break through the noise” on TikTok. Ironically, very little of the theories I had going in proved to be relevant. If you are a content creator  interested in the practical wisdom I have obtained, feel free to comment on this post and I will reach out. I genuinely love helping people wherever I can. 

“a Routine Malaise”

So “two weeks” was bullshit. But the song “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear is not; it is a favorite of mine that describes a disillusioned lover witnessing his relationship suffer a slow death. Some of the lyrics read:

Save up all the days.

A Routine malaise

Just like yesterday

I told you I would stay

Think of all the ways

Momentary Phase

Just like yesterday

I told you I would Stay

It is my interpretation that Grizzly Bear is describing a dreadful boredom (“routine malaise”) that has infected his relationship. He is clinging onto a fading hope that this is just a “momentary phase.” However, this hope is simultaneously imprisoning him to the continued agony: “I told you I would stay.”

The lyrics painfully portray my own experiences with past relationships, romantic ones but also the relationship I’ve had with myself; a “routine malaise” is a perfectly poetic way to describe much of my last four years in college. Influenced by those around me, I spent the entirety of my college tenure on an uninspired pursuit of corporate jobs; contrary to every proverb about happiness, I had convinced myself that these would be the ultimate end. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of content posted on my “corporate account” is actually a social commentary on the pervasive vanity and conformity within these high-achieving environments. 

“How far can you walk into a forest?”

When things were falling apart my senior year, I still clung on to some unjustifiable hope to “stay the course.” At my most desperate, I began looking to other industries outside of management consulting (the least of all of the evils I always thought). 

During my venture into venture capital (pun intended), I was lucky to connect with a VC named Daniel Dart. He has an unreal story: 

From Southern California, Daniel Dart’s youth was characterized by family problems, poverty, and homelessness. Things turned around for Daniel in 2004 when he started a successful punk rock band, Time Again. The band was signed to a record label, reached the mainstream radio, and even went on international tours. Things, however, went back to shit for Daniel when in 2011 he was sentenced to 6 years in prison; in 2014, he won his appeal and was released. Since then, Daniel has made remarkable strides as a humanitarian and venture capitalist. 

I had the privilege of speaking with Daniel over zoom and then hosting him in person for a fireside chat with the Wharton Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Club. Throughout these conversations Daniel discussed his battles with suicidal depression, drug addiction, and toxic love. Daniel was the personification of wisdom. Everyone in that room stayed for over 2 hours to listen to fireside chat.

During the conversation, Daniel discussed one of his favorite sayings: “How far can you walk into a forest?” Think about it for a second. Two miles? All the way? What does this mean?

The answer is half way. Once you reach the halfway point, you will actually be walking out of the forest (even if you don’t know it). The forest here is a metaphor for struggle and/or depression. The saying has resonated with me since in a heavy way.

While Daniel had plenty of life advice to give, he was not all too eager to help me professionally. Looking back, it is very obvious that he simply just saw through my bullshit. The most helpful professional advice he did give me?

Daniel: “Start a blog”

James: “Okayyy? But nobody is going to read it.”

Daniel: “Who gives a shit, start a blog. Write about stuff you find interesting, learn, and see where it takes you.”

This is not how the conversation actually went down. But it is close.

Going full circle, the blog has taken me to writing this post, and by some random sequence, a passion for making videos.

“Find what you love and let it kill you”

My story is not Daniel Dart’s story. The incredible privilege infused into this blog is not lost on me; I can almost hear a reader thinking to themselves “boo-fucking-hoo, Penn dude didn’t get the McKinsey job.” To reiterate, this is not lost on me, and I suspect that if you were to watch my “corporate” videos you might agree.

This story is also not some vain attempt to make my average TikTok engagement thus far out to be something it’s not. There are creators on TikTok who get 26 million views on a single video. This still is, however, a success story in my view. Not because of the views, but because of what I have found. I have found an absolute passion for making videos. There is nothing I am more certain about than this. I would try to articulate this in words, but it is really something I just feel. I am obsessed with, excited about, and in love with it. 

One of my best friends, Sam, had a quote on her wall freshman year that read “Find what you love and let it kill you.” If this blog is any indication, I am a quote guy myself. However, I always secretly thought hers was stupid – honestly I didn’t even really understand what it meant. Again, if this blog is any indication, it turns out I was the stupid one. I have found what I love and it is taking over my life in the best way possible (“taking over” me when I am not working at my management consulting firm, of course).