💻 [OBO DIGEST] TikTok Is Reading Your Mind

Details on the TikTok algorithm, the rise of OnlyFans business coaches, Amplify 2022, and more…

Written by: Online Business Owner • January 17, 2022

---

The Online Business Digest is a little spicy this week as we wade into the world of OnlyFans business coaching and break down the TikTok algorithm!

If you’re enjoying The Digest, share it with a friend or invite them to visit OnlineBusinessOwner.com to subscribe.

By the way, we’re launching our new Online Business Owner Blog in a few weeks – hit reply and let us know what kind of content you’d like to read on the blog (and if you’d like to contribute)!

Tyler @tylerjmccall

PS: I’ll be speaking at Thinkific’s Amplify 2022 summit in just a few weeks – my workshop is all about launching offers in your online business – the event is free and you can sign up here!

---

News + Happenings

This is How TikTok Can Read Your Mind

Image Source: (www.unsplash.com/@solenfeyissa)

Picture this: it’s 1:27am and your eyes are dry and itchy as you lie in bed in a dark room, all while – a mere 7 inches from your face – a video of a dancing cat followed by a video of a therapist saying “You may have high functioning anxiety if…” followed by a video of a man showing you how to make an Impossible Pie from 1969 plays on your phone.

Welcome to Tiktok. And yes…they’ve read your mind to ensure your FYP (short for For You Page) is perfectly curated for…well…you! 

You may have never heard of the funny and charismatic gay Bermudian who makes weird and scary sounding recipes found in cookbooks from the 30’s through 70’s (you can find him @bdylanhollis, by the way) – after all, he’s on my FYP but maybe not on yours.

But how is TikTok so damn good at figuring out WHAT you want to see? How is it that a computer program is helping people figure out their sexuality before they figure it out themselves? And why does TikTok know that I like trains even though I’ve never told another living soul?

Enter the algorithm.

A new document leaked and reported by The New York Times details how TikTok’s algorithm is designed to serve users the right content, all while keeping them on the platform longer and ensuring they come back for more.

(And yes, while writing this piece I did get sucked into TikTok for approximately 19 minutes – all in the name of “research”.)

According to NYT, “The document offers a new level of detail…providing a revealing glimpse both of the app’s mathematical core and insight into the company’s understanding of human nature — our tendencies toward boredom, our sensitivity to cultural cues — that help explain why it’s so hard to put down.”

Inside the leaked “TikTok Algo 101” document, it’s revealed that the app’s “ultimate goal” is to add daily active users. The two most important stats used in the algorithm are retention (whether you come back to TikTok) and time spent on the app itself.

It’s not just watch time that matters for content. The document breaks down how likes, comments, and watching a video from start to finish helps content gain more exposure while also helping the algorithm better understand what viewers want to see. Content that engages users within the first several seconds tends to perform the best and content that requires some kind of resolve or conclusion gets the best watch through rates (the cliffhanger works, after all).

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has also tweaked the algorithm (or recommendation system, as they call it) over time to suppress “like bait” – content that’s designed to game the system by asking viewers to like or engage.

Lastly, another key piece of the TikTok algorithm is ensuring users don’t get bored with the content they’re seeing in their FYP or Following feeds. The recommendation system takes into account user watch times and completed video views and varies the type of content based on tag and creator so that users don’t see the same type of videos over and over again during a single session.

Why this matters for online business –

We’ve known for years that the TikTok algorithm is one of the smartest and leads to some of the most compulsive social media habits. This data leak gives us more insights into how TikTok is “reading our mind” as consumers and can help online business owners who create TikTok content create better hooks, more engaging content, content that doesn’t rely on like or engagement bait, and content that creates genuine conversation and likes.

---

Meet The Hottest New Platform for Offering Business Consulting: OnlyFans

Image Source: (www.unsplash.com)

The past two years have led to massive growth for one of the internet’s hottest (as in popular hot and sexxxy hot) platforms – OnlyFans. The social sharing site allows users to post written content along with photos and videos. Users can share content for free, offer paid subscriptions, and ask their followers to pay to unlock certain posts or tip them via DMs.

While OnlyFans markets itself as a platform any creator can use to connect with their audience (and famous folks like former Real Housewives of NY star Dorinda Medley, Drag Race winner Shea Couleé, and WAP rapper Cardi B offer paid subscriptions for fans…all WITHOUT sharing X-rated content), it has become most popular among sex workers and adult content creators.

And it’s booming.

Last year alone OnlyFans grew to over 150M users and 1.5M creators. And, according to OnlyFans’ own reporting, they are paying over $5B a year to creators (the platform itself takes a 20% cut of all transactions and subscriptions).

Another industry that’s booming alongside OnlyFans is that of OnlyFans business, marketing, and financial consulting and coaching.

(I’ve joked for years now that I should start an OnlyFans where I teach OnlyFans creators how to build their business on OnlyFans…it’s just meta enough!)

Take for example Amberly Rothfield, a former phone sex operator who now “runs her own consulting agency geared toward sex workers. To date, she estimates she’s dispensed advice to 26k adult content creators — college students, single moms, retail workers, and white-collar professional” according to reporting from The Hustle. Rothfield’s business has grown to the mid-six figures.

There’s also Richard Lewis who is using his skills from his over 20 year career in online advertising to coach and support OnlyFans’ creators. The Hustle reports that “His company, SEO Bounty, focuses on guiding creators through the complexities of promotional advertising. He also runs OnlyFans Secrets, a popular podcast that riffs on how marketing lessons from other industries can be applied to the adult space.”  

Lastly there’s Katherine Studley – The Only Consultant. “Last year, the 27-year-old tax professional quit her full-time job and launched a Virginia-based firm dedicated to helping adult creators navigate taxes and unique business challenges.”

And these are just a few examples of business pros who are serving creators in the OnlyFans and adult entertainment space.

Much like growth of the cannabis industry led to offshoots of businesses, brands, software companies, legal firms, and more to help navigate a world that can be more confusing than your average online or brick and mortar business, the growth of OnlyFans is creating an ecosystem of professional services focused on these unique creators.

Why this matters for online business –

You never know where your next client will come from or what niche your business can grow into supporting next! Don’t count out the hundreds of thousands of creators on OnlyFans who are looking for support with their business, marketing, branding, and growth strategies – maybe you could help?

---

Social Media News + Updates

📸  Instagram is testing an option that allows users to rearrange their profile grid

📸  This infographic breaks down all you need to know about Instagram Reels

⏰  TikTok is testing an option that allows users to share clips and invite connections in other apps

⏰  TikTok is testing a new business registration tool to help users confirm business accounts

🐦 Twitter lets all users record Spaces chats with their latest update

---

In Other News

🎙️  Popular podcast recording and production platform Riverside.fm introduces new Clips feature and updated mobile app (Riverside.fm)

💰  Have you tried out “Instant Experiences” for your Facebook or Instagram Ads? Here’s a step-by-step guide (Social Media Examiner)  

👀 A new report finds that social media video now sees as much consumption time as television (Variety)

---

THE ONLINE BUSINESS SHOW

---

YOUR WEEKLY KICK IN THE PANTS

@jereshiahawk

@melanie.johnsson

@mahdiwoodard

---

About The Contributor

---

You May Also Like…