Behind The Scenes: Hot Girl Halloween

TikTok: the app that literally went viral overnight. As TikTok is now piquing interest and now approaching peak popularity within a diverse range of age group brackets, the platform has proven to provide value and opportunity to the average individual user.

At the near end of September, I saw quite the opportunity lying in my lap that would not only serve as a great test to the so-called algorithms of TikTok but also experiment with content strategies while channeling an inner passion for fashion. The opportunity you’re wondering? A 30-day challenge in which each day corresponds with a Halloween costume idea or compilation of outfit inspiration that is saved and linked for direct shopping on Pinterest.

No TikTok Challenge is complete or official without the ultimate title. With that being said, welcome to Hot Girl Halloween.

The unique aspect of creating this challenge is that not only would I be creating content that I enjoy producing but by completing daily audits and analysis, this challenge would serve as a conducted experiment testing the TikTok growth strategies that influencers attribute for their claim to fame.

Each source of information that I had previously seen in reference to growth on TikTok claimed that their strategy is the best and an exact formula for going viral yet each source contradicts the other. With that being said, who is right? What time is the right time to post? What are the right hashtags? What are the right sounds to use? What is the right amount of times to post a week? A day? The questions are endless yet every TikTok growth information source attests their answer is the only correct and their unique formula will take you to the top. Upon my observation of the platform, I disagree wholeheartedly.

I have now been an active user on TikTok for about 2 years. In that time and using my experience in strategic social media research, auditing, and analysis; I saw one common theme emerge: provided value. All the content that I had seen go viral or the content of my own that I had seen “blow up” aimed at providing the viewer with a new piece of information or added insight that would be of relative importance to the audience. TikTok users, whether they know it or not, are attracted to content on the app that adds something to their lives, that provides them with something they did not have before.

I saw this observation as an opportunity to test TikTok growth theories while attempting to connect with my future desired audience for content on the platform: young women looking for fashion inspiration. By conducting a 30-day series, I predicted I would be able to stimulate engagement within my current audience and use it as a chance to expose myself to the group that would be most interested in the content that I already create.

As previously mentioned, the 30-day challenge was at the start - an experiment, so like any scientific study, there were specific theories about the TikTok platform specifically I wanted to test in hopes of confirming or discrediting these viral TikTok growth strategies. These claims are found below and will be provided with a detailed analysis upon completion of the challenge. Metrics that are being analyzed include post day, post time, video length, sound used, hashtags used, number of hashtags, content type, and social media metrics (likes, comments, shares).

The series is not complete yet but Halloween is almost upon us, if you happen to be a diva in need of some affordable and iconic costume inspiration, you’ve come to the right place. Video inspiration is posted on my TikTok and all costume inspiration, outfit details, and item links are saved to my Happy Hot Girl Halloween Pinterest board.

TikTok Growth Strategy Theories:

1. The Golden Rule- posting minimum once every day

2. The Ideal Amount of Posts- 3 a day claims to boost exposure to a new audience

3. Length of Content- recommended content as short as possible

4. Hashtag strategies- amount and combination niche/trending

5. Use of trending/popular sounds- predicted expose content further

Follow along with the Fire on the Fountain journey:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexxfountain/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexxfountain

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alexxfountain2/30-days-of-hot-girl-halloween-costume-inspiration/