You never know what might happen when you listen to experts.
Back in August, I met a man named Tuan Le at a conference in Victoria, BC.
I actually met him thanks to my friend and partner, Pete, who introduced us while I was eating a hot dog beside a lake.
It’s good to have smart friends.
Tuan is a social media guru – a 23-year-old who has made a fortune helping companies promote themselves on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Earlier this year, he paid for his parents to retire.
Tuan told me to launch a TikTok channel. He had spent the last three days listening to me teach, tell stories, and perform comedy, and thought I had the content and voice required to be successful.
I had never even downloaded the TikTok app. Other than posting an occasional photo at the behest of my publicity, I had never used Instagram. I had never scrolled through either of these platforms or spent any significant time on either one.
“Just point the camera at yourself and start talking,” Tuan said.
That sounded too easy.
I wondered about the quality and length of the videos. Proper posting times. The means by which I might leverage the algorithm.
Tuan told me that all of those things were nonsense.
“Good content. That’s all you need,” he said. He explained that none of the things people think are important to gain views and subscribers matter at all.
He told me to just post things people will want to watch. “You speak well and say smart things,” he told me. “You’re funny and entertaining.” He said that I could even post some of the stories I’d told that week and they would do well, too.
“But those stories are five or six minutes long,” I said. “I thought TikTok videos were short.”
“Nope,” he said. As long as it’s good, it doesn’t matter.”
I felt like I had just met someone who sees the universe in a way no one else could see it.
A better way. The right way.
Four days ago, I posted one of my stories to TikTok – a story I told in Boston a couple of years ago that I’ve shared many times since. A story about my Spoon of Power.
It’s long — almost six minutes.
I didn’t attempt to time the posting.
I didn’t edit the video at all.
I didn’t seek to leverage the algorithm.
I just posted it, as Tuan said, and watched.
On day three, the post hit one million views. Tens of thousands of comments. I went from zero followers to more than 10,000 followers almost overnight.
Yesterday, the video hit 1.1 million views.
Tuan was right. He told me that great content will always win, and it did.
A single conversation on the side of a lake in Victoria, Canada, with a singular person made an enormous impact on how many people have seen and heard my story. It instantly launched my TikTok account into the monetization level, creating a new revenue stream for me. It’s driven people to my YouTube channel, resulting in a substantial increase in my subscribers. It has significantly boosted traffic to my website.
It may be the start of something big. Or perhaps a flash in the pan. Either way, more people have heard and seen this story than any other in my life.
I have additional plans that may extend this moment even further.
All thanks to an introduction, a few minutes of insight and expertise, and a willingness to try.
Also, the story, of course, which was the result of 15 years of performing onstage and almost 35 years of writing stories.
Good content, as Tuan said, is king.
But I’ve learned (and been reminded) of some important lessons from all of this.
Don’t get trapped in false beliefs.
Don’t overthink and overplan.
Don’t doubt experts.
Just move forward.
Experiment.
Don’t delay.
Do it.
Thank you, Tuan. Brilliant advice. Amazing results.
