Aloysius

Main scope: Content Creation, Social Media Strategy, Community Engagement

2023- 2024

1 year of videos later: 7.7 million views, 656k likes, and 101k shares. 🎉

As a social media manager, you dream of your videos going viral. I just never thought it’d be videos about my dad.

It was a "normal" family lunch with the usual banter. You see, we're an opinionated bunch. I decided to film it for fun, made quick edits, slapped on subtitles, and uploaded it on TikTok. By the 5-hour mark, it had hit 80,000 views. I. was. mind blown. Friends, my younger brother’s Tinder matches, even my ex’s friends were telling me they’d seen my dad on TikTok—everyone asked for more.

48 hours later, I duplicated the format and editing style but kept the video longer. I thought the length might cause a drop in views, but when I checked back? 90,000 views. Today, it’s sitting at 600,000+ views.

I rinsed and repeated. With each new video hitting over 80,000 views, the effects compounded.

✨ Lessons from 1 year on TikTok:

1️⃣ Framing and context matter—Use audio, visuals, or text upfront to set the scene.
2️⃣ TikTok is a compounding game—Your first video won’t always go viral, but your 20th might. Keep going!
3️⃣ Video tempo, comedic timing, and a strong hook are the secret sauce.
4️⃣ Consistency and familiarity—Create a recognizable template through character, setting, or editing.
5️⃣ Authenticity outshines polish—Real beats perfect.
6️⃣ Start your video with a little chaos—It breaks the scroll cycle and grabs attention.
7️⃣ Lean into internet culture—My dad went from being my dad to everyone’s “TikTok Dad.”
8️⃣ Post and walk away—Weird TikTok hack I saw somewhere: upload, exit the app, and let the algorithm work its magic.

Doing social media for a brand vs yourself is a different experience. Looking back, this journey has been incredibly fun. And the best part? It’s given my retired dad a new lease on life—and brought us closer together in the process.

P.S. My dad gets recognized occasionally when he's out eating meepok at the hawker center and it totally makes his day (even though he won't admit it)