TikTok is About At-Bats — Not Perfect Interview with Kyle Inserra about social media strategy and creating digital content.
By Shawn P. Walchef •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Takeaways from this episode:
Be Yourself — Whether selling homes or hosting a podcast, Kyle Inserra is the same person in every setting. This proves true on TikTok, too. By owning his authenticity, Kyle can quickly create content and organically reach watchers with the same interests and intent as him.
Get Your Reps — Kyle Inserra may have started on TikTok as a way to poke fun at his daughter, but quickly after making joke videos he realized the real potential in the platform. Over time, Kyle continued to make and upload content on TikTok as a way to increase his reach and improve his content. How did he do it? By doing it. The more videos you make, the better you become.
Meet Your Audience Where They Are — For years, restaurants relied on written reviews and coverage in the newspaper for connection. Later, television proved the premium form of content intake and later the internet. Today, it's places like TikTok. While the platform may be different the audience is the same. The best part? Now you have the power to tell your own story and respond to your community whenever you want.
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Kyle Inserra is a man of many hats.
Well known for his work at Saber Real Estate and as the host of the National Restaurant Owner's Podcast, Kyle has never been afraid to conquer new territory or share his story.
Kyle's latest conquest? TikTok.
Joining the booming app at first as a way to embarrass his daughter, the decorated dad quickly found his own voice on TikTok. Combining his social success in the real estate field with his first-person stories from his time in the hospitality industry, Kyle is using the latest platform as a way to inform and inspire.
"It's how we consume content now," Kyle says of TikTok and short videos published online. "Short form, entertaining, super engaging, organic content. It's wide open and I'm amazed with the potential virality of anything you put out. Careers are being born on this platform. It's really to the point now where it's shocking to me if somebody is not on it."
While many professionals dismiss TikTok due to its playful name and association with a young audience, Kyle quickly points out that legacy news brands such as The Washington Post are using TikTok as a way to share stories and meet consumers where they're at.
Though Kyle jokingly joined the platform as a way to poke fun at his daughter, he quickly realized that the real power of the app was not him posting goofy dance videos.
"You can teach others," Kyle realized first through viewing cooking content.
After some searching, Kyle quickly caught on that this teaching expanded to sales and other parts of business. What was missing? Restaurant advice.
Having owned and operated his own restaurant, Kyle has plenty of perspective to offer active owners who are looking to stay afloat. Like many stories, it's the pain points in his stories that provide the most direction.
"I was by no means the perfect restaurant owner," admits Kyle. "I learned a lot by making a lot of mistakes. So, my idea was, let me get on here and talk about all the mistakes I made, the things I learned and just put it all out there as a way of, "Here's what I did, don't do this.' And if I could help anybody? Restaurant owners are sometimes one piece of information away from saving their business."
This candid and caring approach may seem off-kilter to those unaware with the platform, however, it's not.
Moreover, being candid and caring is extremely on-brand for who Kyle is day in and day out.
"If you put out who you actually are, the more you attract your tribe," notes Kyle. "Who you want to work with will start to come to you and I don't mean just transactional business. I mean employees and coworkers will start to gravitate towards you. You start to realize that there is an opportunity in being you."
Being himself has always worked for Kyle and TikTok is no different. Though many professionals fear pivoting and pandering due to the youthful association of the app's initial audience, the platform like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram before it has proven powerful for businesses and entrepreneurs looking for greater engagement.
"It's a next level way to connect to your customers," closes Kyle. "It's a really cool thing."
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EPISODE LINKS:
• Follow @KyleInserra on Social Media
• Kyle Inserra Interview on Digital Hospitality
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