Emcee Singapore: Charmaine had an interesting conversation with Midi, the Shenzhen-born TikToker who transitioned from promoting her photography business to creating content about her life as a full-time mom in Singapore. 

Some interesting highlights of their discussion:

Midi’s TikTok Journey: Midi began her TikTok journey about two years ago while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, she used the platform to promote her photography business, creating content related to LinkedIn photos, promotional videos and Chinese-related topics.

Viral Success: Charmaine went on to ask Midi to recount how her journey started. Midi explained that one of her TikTok videos went viral, reaching 299k views in just two days. This helped her understand that there was an international audience interested in her content, particularly from South East Asia, due to her background as a Chinese resident in Singapore.

Balancing Act: Midi discussed the challenges of balancing her time between editing videos and spending time with her husband. They had discussions about whether to create an Instagram account for their baby, Jojo.

Authenticity: Charmaine then discussed the secret of Midi’s growth on TikTok. Midi emphasized the importance of being authentic in her content creation. She shares her real-life experiences and feelings as a mother, which has resonated with many viewers, including younger generations like Gen Z.

TikTok Culture: In response to Charmaine’s question about how she handles unpleasant comments from “keyboard warriors” on TikTok, Midi shared her approach. She mentioned that while she does encounter negative comments from time to time, she prefers to focus on the positive interactions she has with her followers. She’s had positive interactions with followers who appreciate her content on topics, such as postpartum depression.

Challenges of Content Creation: Being a full-time content creator is not easy. Midi explained that it involves a lot of planning, filming, lighting considerations, outfit choices, editing, and sound effects. She emphasized the importance of keeping it real and authentic.

Growth and Recognition: Despite the challenges, Midi’s hard work paid off, as she grew her TikTok following from 50 viewers to over 558,600 followers. She now gets recognized in public, including at the supermarket.

Keeping it Real: Midi’s content strategy is rooted in being genuine and sharing what she truly thinks and feels. She believes that authenticity is key to connecting with her audience.

Overall, Charmaine highlighted Midi’s strategy of authenticity and realness in connecting with viewers, despite facing challenges and encountering online negativity. Midi’s approach of being herself and sharing her real-life experiences has helped her connect with her viewers. This authenticity allows her to make her content relatable and valuable to a wide range of people. 

It’s this sincerity that has enabled her to build a loyal and engaged following on platforms like TikTok, demonstrating the power of genuine storytelling in the world of online content creation.