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How To Be A Creator On TikTok – with Lil Cully

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Everyone and their mother is scrambling to find out how to be a creator on TikTok. Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has exploded to become the hottest social media platform. Five years later, there were 800 million active users on the platform. 

One of those users is a rising TikTok celebrity in his own right. Cullan Andrews, aka Lil Cully, jumped on TikTok in January 2020 to see what was up. Since then, he has blown up in his native South Africa as a TikTok comedian and has eyes on America. 

If you want to learn how to be a creator on TikTok, you may want to hear his advice. 

Consistently Post High-Quality Content

Just like any social media platform, posting high-quality content consistently is critical to building a follower base. Ideally, you’d want to post at least once a day every day. This continuity will catch more eyes and thus more followers. 

But you can’t just post for giggles. It needs to be quality content otherwise you’re going to be dismissed. You have to develop a creative process. Whatever that may be is up to you. Lil Cully has his own creative process. Yes, there are wardrobe changes and props involved. 

Lil Cully isn’t kidding around. Professionally speaking. 

“I think of the script in my head. Example, POV – driving in South Africa, pick up a pamphlet on the side of the road. 

“The script comes to me as I’m recording. As I’m going, ‘oof-that sounds better,’ or ‘oof-I’ll say it this way.’ I usually nail it on the first or second try.

“Because I don’t have a script, I like to record off TikTok.” 

“The thing is that people who are watching a TikTok – their attention spans are short. You have to catch their attention in three seconds or they scroll. They’re gone.”

Find Your Niche

Beyond regularly creating content, you need to identify and embrace your niche. Your niche could be fashion, dance, comedy, cooking, or any number of things. People scrolling through TikTok want to find things they identify with or that entertain them. 

Like many have said in the past about entertaining: give ‘em what they want. 

Lil Cully found his niche fairly quickly:

“There was a lot of trial and error. I had three choices – dance, transitions, and comedy. Eventually, I just did comedy and it blew me up. Because I had the following, my other choices got more views.”

“When I started going out – after blowing up – going out was different. People started approaching me. More and more people- shopping centers, petrol stations, random places. They were always between the ages 16-24. Okay, that’s my audience.” 

Embrace Who You Are

Nobody likes a phony. People gravitate towards people who are unapologetically themselves and stand out from the crowd. Take a piece of you that you like and show it off proudly. If you’re funny, tell jokes. Can you cook a world-class meal? Show the world. If you know how to dress well, get into fashion. 

The more you stand out, the better. 

“I do think being gay gives me an advantage on TikTok. Straight TikTok is all the trends, basic dances, eating stuff. Gay TikTok is more fun, funny people, people who use humor to cope with problems. Being gay, especially in South Africa, is niche.”

Spot the Trends and Join In

Now, to directly contradict the above advice, it’s important that you keep your ear to the ground about what’s trending. This is an opportunity to join in on the fun and expand your audience. People scrolling TikTok typically find trends on the Discover page. The more likelihood you can join that page, the better for your brand. 

Lil Cully, however, has his own method:

“I do not pay attention [the Discover page] hashtags. I use my own hashtags, my own unique hashtags. When I scroll through, and I hear a sound a lot, I’ll check when it started and how many views it has, ‘oh this has potential, it’s actually a thing.’ That’s the trend I’ll do.” 

“[Discover] is where all the 12-year-olds do it. That’s where the basic stuff is.” 

“Trends, for me, I’ll follow if they’re on my For You page, not from Discover.”

Lil Cully essentially takes a current trend, flips it on its head, and makes it his own. That is a clever way to stay current with the masses by staying true to yourself and your brand. 

Accept That You Won’t Always Have a Hit

Sometimes you’re going to produce a dud. That’s okay. Everyone in the creative field does it once in a while. As long as you accept that reality, you’ll be okay. 

As a creator and an artist, I need constructive criticism because that’s how you listen to the people.

“The more effort I put, the better it will be.

Network and Collaborate with TikTokers

As with any industry, you need to make friends. Follow and engage with other TikTokers, develop a relationship and find a way to collaborate. Teamwork makes the dream work, amirite? 

“Because I’ve made it to the South African For You page, a lot of verified creators follow me. I’ve done campaigns with them, video shoots, stuff like that. If you’re in touch with verified people then you collab with them and people see you like them.

“Like when Billie Eilish met Justin Bieber.” 

When you reach a certain point, brands will start to reach out to you. 

“You can’t say yes to every brand. Some of them want to give you free stuff to promote. Some of them actually want to pay you for your video. Those are who you want to go for. Because they will pay your rent.”

Final Words of Advice

Lil Cully may be new to taking content creation seriously, but he’s learned a lot of valuable lessons in the short time he’s risen to TikTok stardom.

“Have thick skin. Be authentic. Have patience.

“You will get hate. Even if it’s your first video. People will say whatever they want from behind a keyboard.” 

“Always be yourself. People like the energy you give off when you’re being yourself.”

“There are thousands of us that want to be content creators. [We want] to make it so we don’t have a boss and make money doing what we love. You’re not going to be there with the millions yet. It takes time. 

“Just chill, enjoy where you’re at.

It’ll take time for you to learn how to be a creator on TikTok. Anything worth pursuing takes time. You’ll never know if you don’t try. 
Be sure to check out Lil Cully on TikTok. He’s also on Instagram but he believes that his insta-game is “weak.” His words.

Chris Blondell is a Philadelphia-based writer and social media strategist with a current focus on tech industry news. He has written about startups and entrepreneurs based in Denver, Seattle, Chicago, New Haven, and more. He has also written content for a true-crime blog, Sword and Scale, and developed social media content for a local spice shop. An occasional comedian, Chris Blondell also spends his time writing humorous content and performing stand-up for local audiences.

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10 Top TikTok Trends of 2024

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Any avid TikTok user wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to join the TikTok trend bandwagon. And who doesn’t? TikTok is one of the top platforms for Gen Zs and millennials. You could go from zero followers one day to a million views and followers the next day—provided your content is entertaining. Whether you’re new to TikTok or not, not lagging behind the best TikTok trends is easy. All you have to do is follow the top influencers and accounts. But don’t fret. We’ve done the searching for you. Here are 10 top TikTok trends you should try if you’re looking to achieve fame in a day or two!

1. Hairstyle transformation

Hair can transform a person into a whole new person just by changing the style, cut, volume, or color! TikTok users are using the platform to show off their new hairstyles—in a fun way! They show before-and-after images or clips, some with jaw-dropping transformations, and you won’t even know it’s the same person. 

Watch this example.

2. Eco-friendly DIYs

Sustainability is a massive part of any content. Whether it’s a business or personal account, focusing on sustainability will get you more followers from like-minded users. Brands are also posting more videos that show sustainable processes and resources. However, if you’re just hugging trees and kissing flowers out here, you can create eco-friendly DIY projects on TikToks to make your clips more meaningful. 

Here’s a video of an empty soda bottle turned into a mini fan!

3. Pet challenges

Pets are also a good way to capture the heartstrings of any user, young or old. Content is always meaningful when you include your loving furry companions. Pet challenges involve making your pets perform tricks from prompts, often with trending music. One of the newest pet TikTok trends is the “hands-in” challenge. 

Here’s a hands-in challenge video.

4. Trending dances

TikTok’s trending dances never fail! These are always the first viral videos, especially with newly released sounds. These trends are also the simplest to follow if you don’t have two left feet. Some dance moves are easy, such as swaying your hips or moving your hands. Meanwhile, some are more complicated depending on the music. If you want to create a fun TikTok video, trending dances are a go-to!

Here’s the trending Tiramisu Cake dance.

5. Street interviews

Street interviews are also gaining more popularity on TikTok as these videos are fun, candid, and entertaining. Interviewers or content creators can stop anyone on the street and ask them random questions. These questions can vary from recent events and celebrity issues to fun, lighthearted questions. TikTok users enjoy watching these videos because knowing what people think about specific issues or topics is entertaining, especially when put on the spot. 

Here’s an example

6. Recipe remixes

If your TikTok content is about food, you shouldn’t miss recipe remixes. It refers to chefs or cooks cooking traditional dishes and putting their twist to make them interesting. This can also include adding new and unconventional cooking techniques to share something new with aspiring chefs. You can innovate a classic dish from your country or another country and see which process gains more kudos from followers.

This is a TikTok video of a dumpling mix turned into a taco.

7. 90s nostalgia

If you’re a 90s kid, any 90s-related TikTok content will surely make you smile. Bringing the 90s back on a modern platform is nothing new in social media. Creating content that takes you back to the 90s about music, dance crazes, fashion, toys, and trends connects with the right people. While this attracts people in the 90s era, content like this can also interest the new generations that have caught up with it or want to learn more about it. After all, everything in the 90s was way more interesting!

Here’s someone dancing to nostalgic 90s music.

8. A day-in-the-life content

A “day in the life” content is one of the top TikTok trends. This shows your followers what you do daily. Content creators offer their fanbase a peek into their lives, from waking up in the morning and going to work to cooking dinner and bedtime routines. Content like this is suitable for popular creators or influencers to gain more loyalty from their fans. Adding a personal touch to your content will make you seem like someone they can relate with and reach out to. Also, ensure you respond to your fans’ comments in a non-templated manner. 

Here’s someone’s day-in-the-life vlog from waking up and going home after a day’s work.

9 Home organization

Home organization TikTok trends are for homeowners who like to keep things neat. These types of content are also informative and benefit followers, encouraging more users to follow your account. Whether it’s showing off your favorite home organization hacks or educating followers on how to create tidier spaces, these videos will impress users, provided they are high-quality. 

Watch this example.

10. POVs

You can also create some funny POV (point-of-view) videos about anything. These videos entertain and help you connect with your users, mainly if you publish relatable circumstances. Being a real and genuine content creator is crucial, so you’re building that virtual rapport with your audience. POV videos also take serious situations and turn them into lighthearted jokes.

Here’s a funny POV video.

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Top 6 Millionaire Celebrities Under 30

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top 6 millionaire celebrities under 30

While some dream of striking it rich before the first gray hair sprouts on their heads, these celebrities are already there. Using brains, hustle, and a sprinkle of stardust, these financial titans are crushing it, and crushing it real good! Here are six millionaires under 30:

Jaden Smith (25 years old)

jaden smith

Image Source: FN

At 24, first on our list is Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s son, Jaden Smith. Playing around with his creativity in music, acting, and fashion while amassing a net worth of around $8 million. He built his empire starting with Justin Bieber’s song “Never Say Never,” which launched him into stardom.

Many dismiss this success as riding on his parents’ coattails; however, the hits kept coming, proof that the guy was carving his own path. Next, he conquered films with starring roles in The Karate Kid, After Earth, The Get Down, and many others. By this time, he has co-founded the fashion brand MsftsRep.

Millie Bobbie Brown (19 years old)

millie bobbie brown

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Not just Eleven from Stranger Things, Millie Bobbie Brown has become a global phenomenon. While her fantastic portrayal of the innocent but powerful girl in the Netflix series was what catapulted her to fame, Millie is more than that. Slowly, she is building her empire with her brilliant acting, producing, and entrepreneurship skills, inspiring Gen Zs and millennials worldwide.

Millie Bobbie Brown’s net worth of around $20 million comes from her acting endeavors Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Enola Holmes, proving that she went far beyond the sleepy town of Hawkins. She also launched her cosmetics, Florence by Mills, a vegan and cruelty-free line for teens. Millie is also UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador, raising awareness for children’s rights and climate change.

Tom Holland (27 years old)

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You may know him as the friendly neighborhood Spiderman, but did you know Tom Holland is also the adorable kid flying through the air in Billy Elliot? And did you also know that his net worth is estimated at around $20.6 million? This comes from his roles in the Spiderman franchise as well as other acting stints.

Aside from his immense talent, his meteoric rise comes from several endeavors, the films Cherry, Chaos Walking, Uncharted, and many others. Beyond dancing and web-slinging, Tom also has a heart of gold. He is an advocate for mental health awareness and many other causes.

Ryan Kaji (12 years old)

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When they say to start them young, this YouTuber did as he was told. Ryan Kaji, at 12 years old, is one of the world’s most popular content creators on the platform. He has more than 34 million subscribers and over 54 billion views, a feat many older people only dream of. He does this by reviewing toys, doing science experiments, and going on adventures.

With an estimated net worth of $32 million, Ryan has already branched out to a variety of ventures, such as a toy line, clothing line, and a TV series. His infectious energy, winning personality, and strong social media presence all contributed to his inspiring success.

Blue Ivy Carter (12 years old)

blue ivy carter

Image Source: CNN

An heiress to her parents’ humongous empire in the world of music, fashion, and cultural influence, Blue Ivy Carter is slowly but surely carving a solid path that’s uniquely her own. With an estimated net worth of around $800 million, Blue Ivy is also racking up a list of achievements. She is the second-youngest person to ever win a Grammy for her and her mother’s music video for the hit “Brown Skin Girl.”

Not only did she appear in the video, she also co-wrote the song, showcasing her talent in songwriting. She also has her own fashion line called Ivy Park Kids, following her mother’s footsteps in Ivy Park. This shows that Blue Ivy isn’t just her parents’ daughter but a talented young thing ready to take on the music and fashion world.

Kylie Jenner (26 years old)

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The youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner family, Kylie Jenner went beyond TV fame and stepped out of her sisters’ shadows by becoming a self-made billionaire. Yes, you read that right: Kylie’s net worth is estimated at around $1 billion. Despite controversies, she successfully built her cosmetics brand and influenced millions with her every move.

Kylie launched Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner, Kylie Skin, and Kylie Baby in 2015, and by 2019, she sold a majority stake to beauty giant Coty for a whopping $600 million. This solidifies her status as a beauty mogul, young billionaire, and social media superstar.

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Top Free AI Music Generators for Aspiring Artists

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For aspiring artists, Artificial Intelligence (AI) music generators have emerged as invaluable tools to spark innovation. That said, an AI music generator free of charge offers an incredible tool for limitless musical possibilities without costing a penny.

This article explores the top free AI music generators that promise to unleash your artistic potential. Whether you’re a budding songwriter, a curious producer, or an experimental musician, each AI music generator online platform on this list offers an inspiring blend of technology and artistry to fuel your creative journey.

1. Soundful

soundful website screenshot

First on our list of AI music generator free tools is Soundful. This AI-powered platform creates royalty-free background music for videos, streams, podcasts, and more. Users can easily choose a genre, customize inputs, and generate tracks until they find the perfect match. The music is unique and won’t replicate existing songs or tracks from the platform itself, as the algorithms are trained note-by-note with the help of industry producers and sound engineers. 

This AI music generator has a free forever plan, with ten monthly downloads and access to over 25 deadlines. The plan is designed for personal use and non-profits. 

2. Amper Music

amper music website screenshot

Amper Music is known for its user-friendly interface, making it ideal for beginners in AI-generated music. It doesn’t require extensive knowledge of music theory or composition as it uses pre-recorded samples to create musical tracks. These tracks can be modified with different music keys, tempos, individual instruments, and more, allowing users to tailor the music to their desired mood or vibe.

This platform offers an AI music generator free account, but you’ll need to pay track licenses to download and use the music.

3. Mubert 

mubert website screenshot

Mubert is an advanced AI music generator that stands out in the industry due to its blend of technology and creativity. It offers a unique approach to music production, enabling users to break traditional boundaries and generate custom soundscapes. The platform provides several advantages, including an API for creating personalized music experiences in apps and games. It also has a marketplace where users can sell AI-generated tracks.

This AI music creator offers a free Ambassador Plan for personal projects without monetization and ad spend.

4. Aiva

aiva website screenshot

Aiva, an AI music generator established in 2016, specializes in composing soundtracks for diverse media like ads, video games, and movies. Its tool allows users to create original music or produce variations of existing songs, bypassing the complexities of music licensing. The platform offers a wide range of presets, specific music formats, and the flexibility to edit soundtracks, making it a favored choice among professionals and amateurs.

Key features of Aiva include a variety of presets and music formats. It offers a functional free version with limited features and the ability to edit and modify existing tracks. Users can select a template, key signatures, music length, and the number of AI-generated compositions.

5. Soundraw 

soundraw website screenshot

Soundraw is another excellent AI music generator that offers various features, including the customization of songs with AI-created phrases. The tool utilizes a combination of AI and manual tools to make music effortless.

The platform is easy to use, making it accessible for beginners and experienced musicians. It’s also compatible with Google Chrome and Premiere Pro, making for seamless integration. There’s a free plan for users who want to create music, but you’ll need to subscribe for unlimited downloads.

6. Beatbot

beatbot website screenshot

Beatbot is an innovative AI music generator with vocals that composes short songs based on user-provided text prompts. It uses Splash sound loops for music and vocals while ChatGPT writes the lyrics. Currently in its Beta phase, Beatbot is free to use, but pricing may be introduced in the future.

You can use the platform to experiment with different prompts and lyrics. And if you’re not fully satisfied with the result, you can click “Retry” to regenerate the music. Beatbot is free to use.

7. Boomy 

boomy website screenshot

Some users name Boomy as the best AI music generator that simplifies music production. It allows users to create original songs within seconds and provides the opportunity to submit these songs for potential streaming revenues from various services, making it a highly distinctive platform.

The platform offers both free and subscription versions. You can create and edit songs with the free plan and save up to 25 songs. However, you’ll need a paid plan to download songs and use them for non-commercial or commercial use.

8. Loudly

loudly website screenshot

Loudly is an AI-powered music tool with a vast library of over 170,000 curated audio loops. Its advanced playback engine combines and warps loops while following chord progressions in real-time, ensuring musically meaningful compositions. Loudly’s unique approach combines expert systems and generative adversarial networks, supported by collaboration between their music team and machine learning experts.

Loudly offers multiple subscription plans, including a free one, making it a viable option for those looking for a free music generator.

9. Beatoven

beatoven website screenshot

Beatoven is specifically designed to compose original soundtracks for videos or podcasts effortlessly. Without music theory expertise or production experience, users can create unique, mood-based music, ensuring an enjoyable and inclusive creation process.

This AI music generator is ideal for content creators seeking unique, mood-based music for their videos or podcasts. It is also a valuable tool for individuals interested in music creation but lack technical knowledge or resources. 

There’s a free plan for individuals wanting to start with the platform. This plan comes with five minutes of free monthly downloads and access to features like instrument selection and volume dynamics. 

10. MuseNet

musenet website screenshot

OpenAI’s MuseNet can produce songs with up to ten instruments in 15 different styles. A unique feature of MuseNet is its ability to mimic famous composers like Mozart and contemporary artists like The Beatles. The tool relies on a deep neural network trained on internet data, enabling it to evaluate music over extended periods.

While MuseNet offers numerous music samples on Soundcloud, it currently does not allow users to generate their own music using the tool.

You can use the AI music generator free of charge from their website.

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