By ANA LISANIN
@Hotspotsnj, a well known Tik Tok handle featuring new foods and places to check out in the New Jersey area has led to tons of viral hits for its Jersey founder.
With over 19k followers on Tik Tok, Heather Ruiz has found a passion for hospitality. What started as a Tik Tok page that showed the different places to visit in the hospitality industry in New Jersey, has now led a growing and successful platform for people to check out.
“I enjoy posting new places that maybe most people haven’t heard of and posting not just the food, but as well as the chef cooking it up and the ambience!” said Ruiz.
Ruiz describes her niche as “finding spots for all kinds of people. I enjoy helping people find spots to celebrate their birthday or when they ask me for a recommendation for Sunday football or a taco spot nearby, etc..”
[Listen to Ruiz talk about how she was always that friend that showed others the hottest spots in the area, and wanted to create that idea into her reality.]
Tik Tok, a video platform where billions of people all across the glove share and recreate their favorite trends on the app, which has led to major success for many folks.
People all over the world can download the app and potentially become viral off of just a post.
According to a study by Startup Bonsai, TikTok has the highest engagement rate compared to other social media apps. For accounts with 100,000+ followers and likes, marketers can expect engagement rates of 5.3% on TikTok, which is at least 4% higher than Instagram, and Twitter.
That means that Tik Tok accounts can expect more followers, likes, shares, and comments than they do on other apps. This is great news for accounts looking to build strong communities and increase brand awareness.
The Tricks to Getting Viral
With over billions of people on the Tik Tok platform, getting viral was a no brainer for Hotspotsnj. Ruiz stated that she started this journey on Instagram, but eventually transitioned to TikTok as well which has led to more recognition. Her videos reach thousands of views, with her most viral post being 188k views.
@hotspotsnj Sugar Tree Cafe in Nutley,NJ ??#njcafes #nutleynj #hotspotsapproved #njfood #njrestaurantreview #cafenj #brunchnj ? Sugar – Maroon 5
The Tik Tok video reveals a cafe located in Nutley, New Jersey that people must check out. Most of Hotspotnj videos promote different and unique destinations that people must try. With the help of Tik Tok, users are able to appreciate the content they are watching, and check it out themselves.
Ruiz explained that going viral means that you have to connect with users.
“If you’re good at something and you’re relatable and down to earth, you will be well liked! People will feel that they can relate to you and they’ll want to get more out of you and you’ll grow organically if you continue to put great content out,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz also explains that scenery is important when it comes to posting videos on Tik Tok. Having eye grabbing content for the audience gains more engagement.
“I went viral on a couple of my posts on Tik Tok. It definitely has to do with the eye catching places, how to do voice overs, the music you use, and that the video is not too long. You wanna make sure you have good lighting and that the place looks inviting!” said Ruiz.
The Impact of Tik Tok
As users post engaging content, they have received many views which could potentially lead to more doors.
As Hotspotnj gains more and more recognition, Ruiz plans to keep creating content and showing others her passion for the hospitality industry.
“Videos that have gone viral have shown me that I’m doing something right and to keep going!” said Ruiz.
Ruiz’s videos consist a variety of restaurants, cafes, pubs, and places to celebrate occasions that she physically checks out herself. Ruiz goes to these places and records footage with her own narration in the background. Her videos are inviting, allowing her audience to want to check out all the spots she recommends. Her passion towards hospitality leads her wanting to create more content.
To others, Tik Tok is seen as a creative outlet, while also being motivational.
Not only has Ruiz seen success on the Tik Tok platform. Audrey Gruber, also known as @audsgruber, is a lifestyle tik toker that posts a majority of her content focusing on all things running which has gained many eyes on Tik Tok. With over 20k followers, Gruber is well known for her viral videos that feature her “running streaks” which contains what type of run she will do everyday and what day it is. Everyday, Gruber runs to train for her full marathon which has gained a lot of followers and views.
Gruber describes her niche as “runners and those who are aspiring runners.”
“Tik Tok has become a fun hobby for me. It’s a creative outlet for me but also a way to hold myself accountable. I am definitely more motivated and consistent with my running now that I have a community that’s encouraging me!” said Gruber.
The Tik Tok algorithm is a key factor to becoming viral. According to Hootsuite, “Algorithms are a key way social networks can draw us in and keep us paying attention.”
“Tik Tok is the easiest platform to go viral at the moment. It’s helpful to know about how to trigger the algorithm but also anyone can go viral,” said Gruber.
Gruber has had a lot of success on viral hits on the Tik Tok platform. She has received over 340k views on running videos, and the list of viral videos keeps counting.
@audsgruber Snow followed me to dallas ? #runstreak #running #runner #cardio #fyp ? original sound – Calistreetshots
Any Advice to Becoming Viral?
Gruber’s advice is “Finding a niche is the best way to go viral and actually build a following. Take something you are passionate talking about!”
Ruiz’s advice is “Be natural, be you, be authentic because people will catch on if you’re being phony and inauthentic. You definitely want to be relatable and personable.”
The key to becoming viral on Tik Tok is finding your niche, be consistent, and be authentic.
https://express.adobe.com/page/MMktEZzCYZ7Ht/
I really liked the visuals you used for this article! It helped carry the story along perfectly and also accompany TikToks from each creator. I also thought your Adobe Spark video was useful too so people who don’t know certain terms from TikTok can better understand! I thought everything was very informative and well written, great job Ana!