CC & NJ Guy
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CC & NJ Guy
Behind the Algorithm: How TikTok Knows What You Want
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Curious why that last TikTok you posted got only 12 views while someone else's similar content went viral? You're not alone.
The Jersey Guy Podcast team dives headfirst into the mysterious world of TikTok's algorithm, sharing our collective journey as relative newcomers to content creation. We break down how watch time trumps likes, why sharing is the ultimate engagement metric, and how the platform somehow knows the difference between funny cursing and nasty cursing (yes, really).
Between laughs and revelations, we unpack surprising discoveries about social media strategy - from optimal posting times to banned hashtags that could be tanking your reach. The conversation reveals how TikTok has evolved beyond entertainment into a legitimate search engine for everything from restaurants to roller coasters, offering more authentic insights than traditional websites.
As three friends with different content creation strengths, we discuss finding our unique niches - talking head videos, voice-overs, captioned images - and how combining these approaches creates more engaging content. The episode balances practical tips with candid reflections on staying authentic in an algorithm-driven world.
Whether you're a content creator looking to boost your reach or simply curious about the science behind what appears on your For You Page, this episode offers a refreshingly honest look at social media's inner workings. We've learned that while understanding the algorithm helps, creating genuine content that makes people laugh will always be the most reliable path to connection.
Ready to crack the code? Join us for a conversation that might just change how you view (and use) social media. And remember - if it makes you laugh, chances are it'll make someone else laugh too.
Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
Contact us: CCandNJGuy@gmail.com
Links & socials: https://linktr.ee/ccandnjguy
Intro to TikTok Discussion
Speaker 1Welcome to Cotman Crawford and the Jersey Guy podcast. I'm your host, Tom Ramage.
Speaker 2I guess no, he's not, he's too busy dancing, he's too busy dancing. Sorry, I'm too busy dancing. That's a cop Just chill. Way too into it. So tonight's episode we are going to be talking about TikTokiktok, yeah we're going to talk about everybody's doing it, and they know exactly what we're talking about.
Speaker 1Yeah, so yeah, no, just you know. You know lou and kenny are kind of new to it. I've I've been on it since the like probably 2020, but like you know, it's I'm trying to try.
Speaker 2That was so cocky of me you know, I, I you know so you know we're starting as if you're following us.
Speaker 1You obviously have been seeing we've been making a lot more content lately. So yes, you know we're a little more into it. We're a little more doing more of the I guess you would say more of the- social media stuff, you know like more of the real creating.
Speaker 2You know content creating stuff, so it's fun, and I tell you it is kind of fun though when you do it. You know what I mean. You right, you get some kind of satisfaction out of, especially if it comes out the right way yeah, you know and you're like that was good. I, I like that, right, I'm posting that you know.
Speaker 3Well, and then you know what it is it's like. So we are three different personalities, we're very different, you know, and it's that's why we reach out to you, right, yeah, well, because, tom, you know the funnies and such, and you know the, you know you're learning the algorithms and you spread the word or whatever. Just yeah, definitely. And so then now, but now it's like when we're doing the content, like you're saying yes, yes. So then now it's about you know finding our niche as to what it is right. So, like I like doing, you know the pictures and you know putting the subtitles or whatever on the videos. You know lou likes doing the, the voiceover right, yeah, you like doing the video, you know yeah, yeah, we do that.
Speaker 1I do the talking head. I try to do some videos like camera.
Speaker 3I had to talk ahead stuff, right, yeah, stuff that you've been sharing stuff, use a cap cut you know it's always a fun one to use you know when they got these.
Speaker 1You know, they got these templates and you just kind of just like can add anything to them, like the one I did with jim. Yeah, that was awesome. That was the one where he goes.
Speaker 3We landed on the moon yes, well, see, that's and that's what I want to learn how to do those because, like I said, I have a picture that I want to. You know, put the captions on, and I want to right, you know I want to use that right I gotta wait for permission to get that, to use that picture, I can't just throw it up there. But you know just different things like that and you know I'm not afraid to do the videos.
Speaker 2I'm the rule of if it makes me laugh, yeah, and I have no problem making fun of myself because I think that's the funny shit Right. Like when you fall and whatever it is. I took a flop right down my stairs in the front. I was on the camera video.
Speaker 3My wife kept watching it over and over. You need to send it to us, to post it, and I laughed harder than she did.
Speaker 2I was like hysterical. So I love to laugh and do funny shit and being goofy. I think that's a good thing it's, rather than being serious, but see, it's okay for us. I wasn't really comfortable doing that, were you?
Finding Our Content Creation Niches
Speaker 3in the beginning I wasn't, yeah, no, I was fine with it. Like I said, me doing like us doing the podcast. I had zero issues with, you know, talking I had. Well, everybody that knows me I know I ain't got a problem talking. You know, the video stuff isn't it? I just want to make it where, like our videos on social media, right, right, you know, are gonna get those views or whatever because of us doing the podcast. You know I'm saying I'd want to help be able to promote it. Oh, I get it. So it's trying to find the funnies getting to that algorithm, right, exactly.
Speaker 2You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 3And then, so now you're telling us, too, that the algorithm isn't just what we're doing. It's about the time you put it out.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, it's a whole science right the time of the day.
Speaker 1That's the thing is like the thing with the tech, talk out, you know, with the algorithm and everything is like you. You definitely have to like you know. I mean, if you're just like, if you're, if you're posting a lot, right, you know you want to put your best stuff out. When it's going to be like Right, but how do? You know Well, you have to like look up, so it changes when like yeah, like there's also a certain time, and also there's analytics, you look up and stuff like that.
Speaker 1My God To see like when your videos are performing more and start following the analytics, but that's hard to follow. I've never been good at following that stuff and there's people who talk that like religiously swear by following analytics and like I should probably do that, but like it's just hard.
Speaker 2Yeah, I think what we're doing is good enough.
Speaker 1It's hard to it's overboard. Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's so many people doing it. You know the. It is good to know who your audience is, though. It'll tell you like oh, your audience is like 75 percent male, and you know ages 40 to 60 or something like that, something like that it's good to know. So at least you know if you're making content you play to your audience, like yeah, but like you're saying you know if you're making content you play to your audience, like stuff like that.
Speaker 3But like you were saying, though, you know it's, it's, it's about. Well, I'm sorry if. I no, no, go, go. But I'm saying to, like you started to say, before you know it's, it's when we put them out. You know what I'm saying. You started to say about what we're putting you know to, to get what you know. I guess our target audience, right, you know I want it to be for like everybody, right, you know what I'm saying? I want everybody to be 50 and up.
Speaker 2That's why funny stuff is the best stuff, because anybody, if anybody, has a sense of humor Right yeah Is going to laugh. Usually, if you're laughing at it, then you know it's funny.
Speaker 1I know you guys would say no, yeah, or it's just not funny, or it's not funny.
Speaker 2Or it's not funny, right.
Speaker 3But that's what I'm saying. So it's for us, because we want to stay a comedy, we want to stay funny, yet you know, but serious about certain things. You know what I'm saying. I could say this, you know we don't do the politics and the religion because we want this to be a quote unquote safe space. You know what I'm saying? We want everybody to listen to us and feel just ha and enjoy themselves. You know what I'm saying Us to put a smile on your face when you're having a funky day.
Speaker 2If I want to be in a bad mood, I'll talk about that, but I don't want to talk about that. Right, exactly, we want to come right. You know I like that. It's the best. I think it's the right.
Speaker 3We did the right thing when it came to that for sure, absolutely, and I like our PSAs you know what I'm saying the few we do we follow a lot of diverse stuff on.
Speaker 2Instagram and things like that I make sure that if I see any type of thing I get it off me, but I usually go for the positive Right. Or some more you know about yourself, whatever it is, whether it's you know food or exercise, or meditation Right, Listening to certain, you know frequencies or whatever like that, Because there was, you know it's a whole bunch of different stuff, but the internet does that for you. You can get all that stuff, okay.
Speaker 3So now my next question would be because of the likes or the things that we follow, does that also put us into a different algorithm? You know what I'm saying because, if you look, at a lot of lights.
Speaker 2Yes, yeah, it does right.
Speaker 3Just so I think about it like I know for me, on my personal right, I have you know, like cars, motorcycles, if you like stuff, if you like cars and motorcycles, then you're gonna see content, exactly right for us on our social media, for the podcast, social media having all those lights not so much the funnies is what's going to end. That's the algorithm is gonna push us into. So no matter, you know, like I said, that's why I'm like, oh yeah it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2Just my attitude is just put it out. If you think to yourself like I'm trying to go on my first instinct and write it down so I don't forget it, I'm like, oh, that would be funny, well, we could do this, because then you forget it, I'm thinking, if I write it down, I can talk to you guys about it, and then we could try it. And we just did one. I mean, it was hysterical you know.
Speaker 1What's funny, though, is that the algorithms like they, they, they know what you're doing and they actually like put videos out.
Understanding TikTok's Algorithm
Speaker 1That hint to you so like I was talking to you guys earlier before we were recording, is, like you know, like when you like, when you go your first, the first, first post is someone saying hey, do you, if you need to do this to get more views or whatever, or you need to start utilizing this feature, because tiktok likes when you utilize their new feature. Like they know that those videos say that, like the algorithm knows the transcripts and and like what the, what the description of the post is, so it pushes that out to you to tell you, like we see that you're trying, here's some ideas that can help you right and I tried a couple of them already and like, even like, the shop I saved the shop was like now.
Speaker 1the shop's like all of a sudden showing us like stuff, like for content creator tools, like like mounts for oh yeah. I might have a tripod already, but it doesn't know, I don't have a tripod Like for tripod, or the lights, the new lights, or the ring lights which we already have, because they're smaller now. Oh, give me a spin, and you know different, like the microphones, like the wireless microphones. I know, those are cool, though, but it's ending to you like, hey, buy this stuff because this is going to help you.
Speaker 2Aren't there points that you get on TikTok as well? Aren't there points that you collect or you gain, oh, to get paid? No, I mean because, like they say, if you do this, you'll get points for this.
Speaker 1So that was one of the people talking. So the algorithm the videos actually have like a point system, so like a like, doesn't mean much. Actually, the most important thing is who watches the video from beginning to end. Watch time is one of the most important factors. That's like I guess it would be three points, so like it's timing, so like because that means people like the content, because they want to. The whole idea is of social media is to get you on the app long enough to watch an advertisement and maybe buy something.
Speaker 1It just like tv and radio it's all advertised right, so they want content on their app that is going to keep to prioritize the ones that people are watching all the way to the end, because that means it's good they didn't go. Ah, this is stupid. You know what I mean. So that's the most important part. And then they also. The next thing is like a like is important too, but like it's not. It's actually like the least important thing. That the next is important is who is sharing it Right. So okay, because if it's funny, we share it right.
Speaker 1If we find a video we like that means that it's good content meaning we're going to push this out to more people, right? So that's why it's important. So to all those things are important. And also, if it's on the fyp, so like if it's the fyp is the for you page, that's. That's like sorry, it's like everybody knows, that's the, that's everybody, that's the what is the fyp for you page is like the for you page okay that's like the general, like feed, right. Okay, and then there's the friends feed Right.
Speaker 1And then, or people you're following. You know what I mean. So it's only going to show you people you're following, or only friends, or whatever. So, but FYP is like stuff that's suggesting to you. So you want your shit out on the FYP because that means more views, right, gotcha. But yeah, so like if, if so, if someone on the FYP sees your content all the way through and shares it.
Speaker 1That's better than someone who follows you or is a friend of yours because they're they're going to see it before other people because you know their friends your friends.
Speaker 1So the algorithm pushes a certain amount of percentage of people you follow too, right so, but a stranger following it, someone who doesn't know you, and if you get a follow, then that's even and that's like four points, like as you scored a follow and they watched all the way through and they shared it, like it's going to get jumped ahead and that's what happens. And all of a sudden it goes into the next bracket. So the first, like they lowered it. Now it's like now it's showing to like 100 people and if a certain percentage of people do that, then it moves on to the next bracket and the next bracket, and that's how their system works with going viral. So you bracket and the next bracket, and that's how their system works with going viral.
Speaker 2So you have to. You know it has to be good. That's what it is, so that's that's what we'll strive for. That's what yeah, that's what the thing is is like people are trying to figure out.
Speaker 1Oh, how can I get people?
Speaker 2to watch longer. They're trying to cheat like watch to the end you know that's right, or like they're trying to like people are trying to be sneaky about it and trying to get people to watch stuff. Yeah, but you know what If the video sucks?
Speaker 1they're still not going to watch it. So your stuff has to be good, that's all. Sometimes you get baited in with that one, so people are trying trying to figure out these ways but, like in general, your content has to be good, right?
Speaker 2So if you make me wait and then I go all the way through and then if it's good, then you want to learn all those tips to get your stuff out.
Speaker 1But, if it's not good and you do all those tips, then it's just not going to go out. But if your content is good and you don't do those tips, and it might not do so well, because you don't know what to you don't know strategy. So if your content's good and you follow those tips, you're going to go viral.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's just like it's, it's just easy as that.
Speaker 1yeah, yeah, I I think, but you, but, like I said, I'm sorry, no, no, but I'm saying it could be good and like you don't know what to do and it could, you know it could fall under like nine. A lot of people like might get like a certain amount, like it might only like instead of getting about instead of getting like a million views. It gets only 10 000 views, you know I just, I just, I think, I know.
Speaker 2I'll take it either way.
Speaker 3Yeah Well, I mean, that's the thing. You and I have to figure out the right time. So then the other question is that if we all post at, let's say, three o'clock in the afternoon, it's not good. It's not good so each one of us should have like a Like a time slot, a certain time slot.
Speaker 2It's what time slots do it?
Speaker 3I just leave Tom alone when Booty wants Right, but then, like I said, but we don't want to step on his toes. So then now you know the messed up part You're not stepping on his toes though, because the more we put out, it's good, isn't it?
Speaker 2Well, I don't put out. I'm not that kind of guy.
Content Strategy and Timing
Speaker 3Just post it, yeah, walks it to the end. No, if you and I post that you know too much on top of what I don't say too much, well, you're not going to post what I post, because you're already still working.
Speaker 2So I have that advantage, right, he posts one, he has the advantage during the day when he can and he takes advantage of it. And he just does it quick and he's good at it. So for him it's just like second nature, almost Right, we like second nature almost Right, we're getting there but we still got a ways to go. I don't want to do it.
Speaker 3So what time would be a good time to do it? When you can you feel me when you can, but then it won't get the views that we need it to be. That's what we're talking about with the algorithm.
Speaker 1But that's why one of the strategies I do with our page is I go through the FYP and I wait for one of our videos goes to FYP. I wait to watch it to the end. And then after the it's after I watched it to the end, then I like it, then I'll share it to you guys and I will like comment on it.
Speaker 1Okay, so that's what we'll do, yeah, so that goes through all the points, even though I'm already following. If I wasn't following then it would get, but then that's hard to do that way if you're not following Well, because then that was the other thing that we were talking about.
Speaker 3So when I posted the video that Lou and I recorded the middle of the week, it froze on TikTok, but it got more views.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's another thing too. Sometimes it'll do well on one and not the other.
Speaker 1Right, that's another thing too is sometimes it'll do well on one and not the other. Right, that's the mystery. Like, I don't know why. Like, is it just timing? Could it also be?
Speaker 2the amount of people that he follows on a certain one Maybe.
Speaker 1Yeah, maybe.
Speaker 3Well because on, but no, because we recorded it on the podcast page. I didn't record it on a person. I don't have a personal TikTok Right, I only use what we do for the podcast. So then, when we recorded it and posted it, it was straight up on Cotton McRuffin and the Jersey Guy page.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, when he puts the stuff up with what you record, right, Eh Videos anyway.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, yeah, the video, that's what I'm saying. So then, when you and I recorded that one at work oh, I see what you're saying it was straight onto that, onto our web, on our page, on our social media page. But when you copied it and put it on what's it called, you didn't copy it, you just shared it. Oh, shared it. No, no, no, on to Instagram.
Speaker 2Yeah, didn't you say you asked. Well, anyway, we're getting too technical here.
Speaker 3but but I'm just saying so, then you know it just took it got more views.
Speaker 1Yeah, because what I do is I upload to multiple all platforms Right, Like when we make content on one.
Speaker 2That's what I try to do.
Speaker 1I share it on all platforms, Right? So for some reason, that video you did, which I thought was hysterical, which is hilarious, it hysterical, which is hilarious. It did well on Instagram, but on like TikTok, like it didn't do well and I reposted and it didn't do well again. So I don't. It's weird Like.
Speaker 2I don't know, I don't know, just whatever it is, I don't know I thought the same thing when I saw it. I'm like man.
Speaker 3I thought the numbers would be like way higher yeah, and, like I said, I believe maybe it was the funny that it was.
Speaker 2How much later did you repost it?
Speaker 1A couple hours. I let it ride for like four hours. Let me do it again, because that's another thing, that's another tip that comes up and TikTok, obviously the algorithm is sending me the videos of people saying that. So they want you doing. That is they say, if a video doesn't do well, hit delete and repost. And if you go to delete it, it asks you do you want to reedit and re reedit and then repost? So you always hit reedit, repost and that puts you back into the editing screen and then you can edit the video or you can add, change the description of the text, you can change a cover photo so you can do it, and then you repost it again as a new post, like it resets, like all the likes, and yeah, you know, it's like someone's seeing it for the first time.
Speaker 3Could the hashtags have been an issue too, or that?
Speaker 1well, yes well, that's the thing. I double checked that so it wasn't the hashtags either, but like, so I don't know, but the hashtags there are also banned hashtags, so you always want to check that. So really I don't understand why you're there banned ones because they're associated with like bad shit, like or shit that they don't want people seeing, like conspiracy theories and stuff. Oh, I got you Like, if like flat earth is probably banned, a banned hashtag. I don't see shit like that on. Well, yeah, that's why it's bad. It's bad content.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's not going to get it's going to get, yeah, yeah, so it's because you know they they and they and they keep changing and they keep changing their you know their their things on like conspiracy theories and stuff and that's. But like UFO theory is is more plausible. So they can't really say anything because, like the government, not just now you know what I mean, I mean and I think there's like when people are starting to talk about like stuff. That's obviously conspiracy theory like bladder.
Speaker 2Well, you know what I'm saying. When it gets out of hand, you're like okay, yeah, I'm done for certain things, but fair, like I said, all the earth and right, you know.
Speaker 1Well, I don't know, bro, because we were talking about last week, that's. You know. I'm saying we're talking about what lies beneath the ocean. The ocean, yes, well, you know what it is also, and I'm sure there are caverns that we talk about it like is it like we're talking about now? Maybe is real, maybe it's not, but like they don't want people who are like flood, earth is real right?
Speaker 2yeah, you just don't want to promote that. Yeah, you know what? It is right, people.
Speaker 1If people are like oh, maybe it could be, yeah you know, like it's, you know like.
Speaker 3What if?
Speaker 1I'm saying like, like, there is no, what if? No, but I'm saying like we're talking about like, like he was like hollow earth, maybe you know but, like. It's more like, but it's the I think there were. There are concerns of people who are like it is and that is the truth.
Speaker 2There is a lot of people.
Speaker 1Not like where we're like well, maybe. You know like these are people that are like no, it's real.
Speaker 3You're being lied to. I got it in a vision. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I guess I mean I don't guess, I know.
Speaker 2Right, yeah, but the social media, that's the whole thing.
Speaker 1It's also what you don't want to get into, too, right, you don't want to get into that, because the problem is that that shit spreads when people are like this is how we do it, and I don't do that, I don't just conform to whoever listen, I'm going to be myself. That's the whole idea of having social media right man and you know what I mean.
Speaker 2But I finally, you know, yeah, not exactly no, no no, but you're learning bro, and you're paying.
Speaker 3I'm trying, I'm trying to get things out. Yeah, the only thing I'm getting creative, I'm thinking of stuff and I'm like oh, this is cool.
Speaker 2Let me write this down.
Speaker 3Yeah, I need to learn how to do, like you said. Well, what tom showed us earlier, you know, um, I want to, you know, say, put the videos together. You know, do like the headshots, like you were doing.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, talking headshots and shit. Oh yeah yeah, they call that talking head videos when you're talking, right?
Speaker 2Yeah, that's like Like I want to do those. So that's the whole thing. You know there's so much and there'll always be more, because they keep adding things you know and or you share those videos with us.
Banned Content and Hashtags
Speaker 1I go right to it, listen to it, and then I try it, and then I do it and you'll see videos of people saying like TikTok likes when you push content forward or when you use their new content. What they mean by TikTok likes it is that the algorithm favors the new features. If there's a new feature out, use the hell out of it, because it's going to get more views than regular, because the algorithm favors new shit. Yeah Right.
Speaker 1So that's why they always say jump on the trends, Right. I do so if there's like a new, new thing out, like and people are using it a lot, or if it's a new feature, like specifically from the app, like the new one is the text feature, do this, do that.
Speaker 2You just follow exactly what they say. The new one is the text feature.
Speaker 1They're like really pushing that now and it's good. It doesn't get a lot of views, though.
Speaker 2And it's mostly a lot of women.
Speaker 1It gets they're the ones who know more shit than anybody.
Speaker 3Well, so then, sorry, it gets a-.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, go ahead, they have it down.
Speaker 1I'm saying it doesn't go, your text views won't go viral, but they do get a lot of views right away, Like 60, 70, boom right off the bat.
Speaker 3So then, are those people that are promoting them, so the videos that we've been seeing when we first opened up our page? Are those people just the commercial actors, if that makes any sense?
Speaker 1No, so they're content creators that talk about tech talk. There's content creators, their whole like shit is like how to get your thing viral, how to go viral, how to do this. That's all they talk about. That's insane. But tech talks like, oh, that's good for us, right and but that, that. But people have figured out that. So now there's like a lot of accounts that are doing this because, figured out, it's like there's this thing like where the algorithm figured it out and people figured out that the so, like, but now.
Speaker 3It's always an awkward situation. It purposely yeah, it happens.
Speaker 1Like, but it knows when you're like, if like, if you're getting like low views, you start getting videos. Are you struggling with low views?
Speaker 2We got this solution for you. It's like the future is coming to fucking. It's so far. It's coming to.
Speaker 1That's AI we think of AI as something you talk to, but AI is an algorithm, is AI.
Speaker 2Right.
Speaker 1There's no difference. It's a type of AI.
Speaker 2It's self-thinking and it's scary, but at the same time it's pretty amazing because of all the things you can do right, you can look up and, and, and you know, just ask questions about certain things and get the answer immediately.
Speaker 3yeah, you know I don't know, man, I'm scared. I I mean we said before and I'm not scared in the sense of, like you know, of, uh, of my daughter's gonna take over. I'm scared, I mean, we said it before and I'm not scared in the sense of, like you know, of my daughter's going to take over the world. I'm scared of, like, where people are going to.
Speaker 1People are using it yeah, too much, you know what I'm saying or people are using it maliciously.
Speaker 2Oh yeah.
Speaker 3Well, they're doing that already, I mean yeah. Well, I mean, there's a lot of that going on. You know what I'm saying. So that then it's like you said, if there's certain hashtags that are banned, it's because people would just, you know, going straight for them. Listen, I love a great conspiracy theory. You know I'm upset that. You know there's issues with the conspiracy. I think again, like you started to say before, they're fun to watch. Why, but not to?
Speaker 2I love reading about them because they're fun to read.
Speaker 3Basically, they're religion.
Speaker 2Yep, yep, they're fun to read, I love.
Speaker 1I think it's so fun to watch the Flounder videos. I'm just but like I don't like believe them.
Speaker 3I'm like yeah you guys are fucking hilarious. Like well, so not, you know, not changing up altogether Tura. No, yeah, right, so Jesse had a conspiracy show, yeah, and all of a sudden you know like his conspiracies just got.
Speaker 2Well, he was a Navy SEAL.
Speaker 3But.
Speaker 2But they and so this day he still does and he lives off the grid, yeah.
Speaker 1And that guy's no joke, but I wouldn't. Yeah, hell.
Speaker 2No, he knows the predator right, let me tell you, man, he knows his stuff though because when he talks about certain things, but we should get off that subject, right right, let's go back to what we were talking about. I'm saying, like you know just those are different things where they cut people off.
Speaker 3Yeah, but he's a perfect example of like what you're saying. You know Absolutely that then they would cut off those conspiracy theories and you know certain funnies. I believe that you know I like the idea of us making funnies off of a conspiracy theory.
Speaker 2You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3For us to make a meme. You know a little video or whatever off of a funny. You know what we find to be a funny conspiracy theory. You know what I'm saying. Like you said, flat earth. You know it'd be cool to have like in the. You know the background video and we're doing like this with the car and it just falls off the edge of the you know of the earth and space.
Speaker 3You know what I'm saying. Like some kind of crackhead looking stupid shit like that. Like it'd just be like a funny making a funny up for that. You know what I'm saying. Right, right, right. Like that's something I'd say hollow earth. You know that then we would turn into the ocean because we're looking for the giant squid and all of a sudden, you know we're like standing in hollow earth you know what I'm saying when there's dinosaurs and shit like that, or just the whole like I said to me that would be a funny ass you know thing, because doing that age Ventura, like you know what I mean, like looking all over the place, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3Like that's, that's where I'm at. You know, for some of those things you know and and and and said. But the social media, as far as you know what's trending. How do we know what's trending when you know what I'm saying? Because if we're getting opens up the TikTok that, then the first thing that he's seeing is hey, try this, hey, try that. So by the time you get through the next 10 videos of try this, try that.
Speaker 2If he sends or saves, because that's what you did the last one you sent to me, you sent me the video.
Speaker 1It's always the first video and then you saved it. It's always the first video, one of those videos, and then you go on to like your entry and I went and watched it and I did what it said to do and I made that Right.
Speaker 2I had all the pictures moving. I just let it tried it out to see how it was.
Speaker 1But those help videos, those like tech help, like it's always the first video when you turn on your phone Like they're trying to tell you like they're. It's purposely, they're like, really they're like.
Speaker 1This is what you need to do you know what you're trying to do is what you need to do. This is what you need to do to get. If you weren't posting any videos, you won't get those videos. If you haven't like, posted anything, you're just there to watch videos, you'll never get those videos. But if you start posting videos and they're getting low, like low views, sends them out to you right away. Yeah, yeah I want.
Speaker 3I said I I had to start doing those and I'm sure when you, start getting into the higher categories, it starts sending you other videos to help.
Speaker 1Well we're already making.
Speaker 2If you look at the phone and you look at it, we're already making where you can go in and you've already made and did enough to open this thing. And oh yeah, oh yeah, it tells you the brackets in and you've already made and did enough to open this thing.
Speaker 1And oh yeah, oh yeah, it tells you your brackets, like oh, you've reached 100 followers, you can meet the next bracket 1,000 followers right now with tiktok, it used to be that you need a thousand followers to go live, but now it's now, it's. Now it's 100, I think sorry, but.
Speaker 3Sorry but I apologize, yeah, and then. So now on, because that said that. So then, when is it that we turn around? And what's the algorithm? I guess we'll say for you to then turn around and that you become a, or the status, that you end up becoming the content creator that now you're, you know what I'm saying Like right now.
Speaker 3It's us, you know we're promoting and doing things or influencers and stuff like that, you know whether it's either that you're either making money or you know that you're able to to do different kinds of uh, selling promotions and such. You know what I mean. That makes sense to the question, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1Yeah, I just doing. Well, what happens is slow and we're getting into it.
Speaker 2When you start getting a lot of views and that's that's the thing just go with.
The Science of Viewer Engagement
Speaker 1The advertisers want eyes so that if you're getting consistently high view counts and you have a lot of followers, that's when they start messaging you they'll start messaging like if we start getting like. So if we start getting like a big following on our is, you know, in our our instagram, or tiktok, whatever, whatever my and we're getting consistently thousands of views.
Speaker 1People are going to start messaging us be, like, hey, you want to, we'll send you this free product. Try it out. If you can do a video of it for us, it would be. You know, as long as you do a video for us, you know, promoting the product, just try it out, you know, like that's, that's what happens?
Speaker 3yeah, yeah, it just can't be a hair product.
Speaker 2Yeah but that's what I see. Just listen, we're, we took that, you know, we said all right, we got to take it to the next level when we're doing that and we're figuring out things, and then, as it, it will just present itself when it's supposed to. You know what I mean, right? I think there's no, no reason, no need to push. It will just present itself when it's supposed to. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1Right, I think there's no need to push it or just go on.
Speaker 3You know what's the expression where they say you know just stay forward and yeah, yeah, I know what you're talking about, you know, but still, with that, it's us doing the funnies, that or what we find funny.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3That, then you know that we should do all that.
Speaker 2That's what I'm saying. Just keep doing what we're doing. Just keep yeah it doesn't matter, you think of it and it's funny, make something up. Yeah, and then if you don't, you just give that guy a ring and he'll walk you through it in like 2.3 minutes.
Speaker 1Yeah, no, no, yeah, and everybody you know they want to message us on TikTok or whatever.
Speaker 2I tell you I'm having fun because figuring out stuff that I feel like, all right, I'm actually capable of doing this, because it's like learning software, right, it literally is like when I learned Canva and everything. Now I can actually sit down and, yes, I have Canva and I go through it. Yeah, I can navigate through it now, which I didn't know, but until I sat down and I have canva and I go through it. Yeah, I can navigate through it now, which I didn't know, but until I sat down. And, of course, I thank god for my wife because she helped me walk me through some things. But you know now that I can. Just that's how I'm feeling about this, where I'm going in that direction it's funny.
Speaker 1I've always been the type of person where I just figure it out, like I just play with the app and figure it out, and that's how I figure it out, and you're right, cause that's what you gotta do.
Speaker 1Otherwise, if you're too, you just mess with it and understand it Like yeah, like, and you know, like the same thing I was talking to you about. Well, like the description part, like a lot of people pass that up, like, who skip the description part, and like the whole description part's the most important part, because that shows you, because that what that does is that if you don't put a description, it doesn't know where to send videos to so it just like goes.
Speaker 1It's like throwing a ball up in the air let's just spread it around so the hashtags aren't, don't help put you into, I mean the hashtags are helpful too, but I mean the actual like wording in the description helps the. It's the seo, that's the word they use, the I think that's what the word for the algorithm is that they use seo, which is the search, search engine optimization. So, like, whenever you put like text in a video, even the captions, if you use the live captions, those live captions it's always. That's another thing always to turn those on it's in the edit screen. I could, I'll show you guys.
Speaker 1I did, but anyway, you when you turn the live captions on. That actually sends the seo more information for your videos. So that's why the captions are always important too, because once it translates that and has the text on screen, all your words are now like the algorithms right, yeah.
Speaker 3So it'll push it out to yeah, right, yeah. See, look at, look, who's looking.
Speaker 1But also, if you got stuff that I say no, no, but also if, if it's got stuff that the algorithm doesn't like, it'll kick you out. Yeah, like. That's why now we use the word on a live that's why you gotta be creative. That came from tech talk because people didn't want to use words. I'm not even going to say because I'm worried yeah, yeah, yeah, right, but I feel like we got someone getting.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, you know you know an unnatural effect?
Speaker 3yeah, so that's where the word came from, oh, wow, that's funny, even people say instead of you know, they say someone got pew pewed yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I love it, bro, that's, but that's all, that's all that all came from tech talk.
Speaker 1That's wild. That on the live yeah, is the word that came from. That was a workaround.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Right. Wow, that's funny. Someone unalive themselves. Yeah, yeah, someone got unalive.
Speaker 1That's not cool. Yeah, you know like that's how it, because you can't say certain words.
Speaker 3That's freaking crazy.
Speaker 2I know I'm for you know all that and I think that's good to police it, because you've been now we just found new words, yeah. But I get it, but but still it. It curved it to a point where you knew not to say or do a certain thing, on this, otherwise it was going to be, you know, right, right, right.
Speaker 1You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2So in a way, it's good to have those kinds of rules set. You know, I think that's a good idea.
Speaker 1But I feel like that word unalive is probably now. The algorithm probably knows that word anyway, of course. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3But does it only know a word or does it know like a sentence? You know what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Context.
Speaker 1It knows context Right?
Speaker 3I guess it depends on how you say it. Maybe back then it wasn't.
Speaker 1Maybe now it probably knows context better, well, everything, because AI is getting smarter and smarter, but it's how you say it.
Speaker 3It's how you say it, like right now you were explaining it isn't, you know, isn't speaking on it, right? That's true.
Speaker 2You know what I mean, right.
Speaker 1So in the context, that's why you'll notice, if you watch some people's videos, if they say a word that's bad.
Speaker 2the subtitles Blank it out. They'll put like a funny word, or they'll put something else in, or they'll blank it out, or like a little horn, or something, or non-sequitur.
Speaker 1You know what I mean.
Speaker 3So then, what about cuss words? Because you know we do a little bit of cussing up in here here for opus clip.
Speaker 1I always sleep it out. I choose the mute sensor just because for social media, just in case. I mean because if there's, if there, if it is censored, if you self-censor, it does like words that do have profanity to get less views that's funny because so many things. I mean some but like, but some don't. So that's why I don't know it's like, it's like again.
Speaker 1That's why it's always like people aren't sure because there's no rule, but like people do notice. Like I think, if it's comedy, oh it doesn't okay, it doesn't get messed with, right that, but if it's someone like talking doing a talking head video and serious and like it's and I'm border's, I think it does understand tone somehow. I don't know how, because if it's, if it's comical, I know it's like yeah, I'm sure I can get all that.
Speaker 3Well, that's a lie detector, like a lie detector test. You know some of them now, the newer ones, you know when you speak it tells a difference in your tone of voice and whatnot. So you know Because, like I said, there's this one dude that I've seen a few times on social media. I got to get to him and follow his because he's a Gen Xer and it's freaking hilarious because he'll say something like he'll show a little clip of something you know that is happening now. He's like we did that shit back in the day. Are you fucking kidding? Like you know what I'm saying? Like Are you fucking kidding? Like you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2Like he'll do those things and it's the tone Right and how he's using it in a sentence yeah, I don't find it necessary to do it if I don't have to. You know, I don't mind if it bleeps it out Right, right, right, right but if I share something like well you know how sometimes it gives you the audio and you can search it and say sometimes it bleeps it out automatically, even if that is already in the sentence.
Speaker 3Well, like your post. You know that you were out on the porch with your couple of coffee. It didn't bleep that one out, that's what I'm saying.
Cursing, Context, and Comedy
Speaker 2Yeah, but see, that was common and that was funny. Right, it has to be common. It cannot be. Yeah, Right. So what Tom just said makes not.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's not like you turn around and you're walking up because it does matter of fact, and you know me thinking about it now. So you see, every once in a while I'll get a fight video you know somebody's fighting, or whatever and they'll start cussing while they're in there. Come here you, I'm going to beat you up. You know what I mean? That all the video? Yeah, right, that makes sense, but if it's, funny, they'll let it rock right.
Speaker 2That makes sense, bro. Wow, when they. I think it knows that, I think it knows that, the shit, you know what though I think it knows that people aren't bothered by curse words if it's funny right yeah, it does that if it's funny, yeah because it knows that yeah, it knows, it probably knows just based on the view count yes and you know what's funny it probably if people are like cursing at each other.
Speaker 1Real nasty yeah people go. I don't want to watch that well, but if it's funny they go.
Speaker 2That makes sense they watch the video. Yeah wow, yeah, because you ever see, you ever see that husband and wife play the practical jokes on one another, which with it the balloon drops on their head. Do you know what I just realized?
Speaker 1It's probably not even a rule. The curse words are probably not even a rule. It's probably just the algorithm saying hey no people not wanting to watch the video if it's nasty and they're cursing. But if it's funny, people watch it. I just answered my question before I said if it's like nasty and they're cursing. But if it's funny, people watch it. I just answered my question before.
Speaker 2If it's funny, people watch the video. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1If it's not funny, people are cursing.
Speaker 2Yeah, if it's awful, that's freaking great.
Speaker 1So it's probably not even a rule, it's probably just the algorithm. Yeah.
Speaker 3Which is not a bad thing, the violent ones.
Speaker 1There used to be a whole bunch of violent ones on social media, because if people are not watching the video to the end, then it doesn't get pushed out.
Speaker 2Yeah, If I see stuff I don't like, I go right by it, man.
Speaker 3But then that also makes sense with the videos.
Speaker 1Everything's a viewing system. The algorithm knows how. Also, that's the scary part. It knows how long you view a post. Yeah right, I remember you telling us that before a while back, and that's even with Facebook, with the videos it makes more sense because it's the view, but it knows if you watch the video to the end or not. So if you watch the video to the end, it knows that the content is good.
Speaker 3Yeah, Because I remember seeing, like I watched the funny videos of people getting hurt. So what I mean is is, like you know, somebody falling, you know, down the ladder because they put the extension ladder and the ladder collapsed. You know what I'm saying? People are walking on the ice and like they're slipping and they bust their ass.
Speaker 2They slide down the driveway, they slide down the driveway, Dude that one.
Speaker 3There's a couple of them that are hilarious and apparently too.
Speaker 1Like you can fast forward the video. What, if you want? I mean, oh, yes, edge of the screen right on above the, where the heart button is. Okay, it'll fast forward and that's fine if you watch the video at the end even fast forward, it's fine. Yeah, so like if I like someone's content and I want to make yeah make sure that they stay.
Speaker 3I make sure I watch it to the end, but I'll hold the two times x button to let it go through but jesus christ yeah, that's right, I didn't figure this one. I'm gonna give you props anyways, right, yeah, no, no, that does.
Speaker 2That's cool, that makes sense, there's this whole science behind it, which is crazy, you know, and how it has its own life of its own, you know, and it just figures out and goes a certain direction, you know.
Speaker 2But it's interesting, it's. You know. At first, you know, I didn't want to be bothered, but since we've been doing this and we realized social media, you need to be out there and you have to do it. So we just said, all right, let's do it. And I'm actually enjoying it. I'm not making a habit out of it in the sense where I'm addicted to it. I got to be on it all the time but when I think of something, I go on and I just do it.
Speaker 1You know, a lot of people now use it for their search engine. I know it's weird, but like okay, if you want to find out about like six flags great adventure, say, if you type in six flags, great adventure. Oh, yeah to tiktok. You're gonna get like videos of the roller coaster, it's better than looking at it on. Why would you want?
Speaker 1to google it, yeah, it's gonna show you like everything someone's experience, so people do that now. Even restaurants. People look up restaurants on TikTok, right, and they see the food and people post on them and it's more authentic. I mean, I mean, there's some people probably paid to post, but like you're still getting, like you're getting way better than a website, well, that's, you're getting way better than a website.
Speaker 3Right, that's insane. That's funny as hell. Well, because more people are looking at it, right off the bat, you know people are seeing it. So when we went down to Yardhouse- yeah. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2And it feels like we were there yeah.
Final Thoughts on Social Media
Speaker 1So people now see it, because then that's the hashtag and now people are like oh, he's been the Location Exactly. So you know what I mean, because I tagged the location when we went.
Speaker 3Yeah, Right right.
Speaker 1Yeah, because we never go anywhere besides our-. Yeah, yeah, right here.
Speaker 2Besides the Crawford Studios. Crawford Studios, I like it, that's awesome man.
Speaker 3Yeah, you know what I mean. I think that that's one thing that any of our viewers and listeners decide that they want to do. Whatever you know content creators or you know anything, you know that it's, you know when, how time, you know that you put it on and you know, just stay real to yourself, man. You know girls, women, you know. Stay true to yourself. Do what you feel.
Speaker 2No, listen, if you have an idea, right, yeah, run with it, run with it. Run with it because we're here now. You have that. We had, they had. We didn't have that. When we were growing up, we didn't write that. It's kids, you know now you can do it you know your imagination can, just, you know, if you are open to it and figure it out all right yeah, like this is just make you make some crazy stuff.
Speaker 3Yeah, this is like being a radio host, you, you know what I'm saying, like on our own radio station. Yeah, the podcast, the podcast.
Speaker 2Yeah, but I was thinking more of the TikTok stuff. Oh, the TikTok, I'm sorry, tiktok, you can yeah, oh, dude.
Speaker 3But you know it's probably better. We didn't have it when we were kids, Because you know I disagree.
Speaker 2I think if we did, we would have been way ahead. Oh, definitely, we would have picked this shit up immediately, yeah.
Speaker 3Like we picked up everything else. Well, yeah, All right, so we weren't idiots.
Speaker 1Oh, no, not that we weren't idiots and we weren't ignorant to the fact that we were just funny.
Speaker 2That's the funny stuff. Yeah, well, you're going to do that shit anyway. Then you were doing super shit, right? And then I wish each generation at least the way I look at it.
Speaker 3Yeah, I'm with you. That makes sense, but with that, my peoples. Thank y'all for watching, thank y'all for listening. Thank you, gentlemen, for being here with me. I love you guys. Man, I appreciate you every day.
Speaker 2Love peace and hair grease live long and prosper, and may the force be with you oh, and may the force be with you.
