How to Be Convincing on Social Media to Maximize Profit

The key is to make it clear. Make it understandable. If you can, make it funny. I believe that the things that gain the most traction online are those that originate with ordinary people. I just happen to be the one who knows what I’m on about.

What you see on TikTok is my true self. I wore the durag and the bandanna on the day I recorded the viral video because I was supposed to get my hair cut but hadn’t yet.

I started researching vaccines because I wanted to be well-informed enough to have meaningful conversations with my parents, family, old college football teammates, and some friends.

But I was also aware that I had an online following, and once I noticed the misinformation, I felt compelled to respond.

As a viewer, you might not realize it, but my degree is in journalism and communications, and I had a fantastic teacher: DeWayne Wickham, who is now at Morgan State.

That training has influenced the techniques I use in making these videos. During my research, I spent a lot of time on the app Clubhouse, listening to discussions with both doctors and skeptics, learning medical information and understanding regular people’s concerns and hang-ups.

Then I supplemented it with research from peer-reviewed journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature.

The videos appear to be spontaneous, but everything is scripted. I’ll jot down everything—the metaphors I want to use, the tone, the wording of the jokes, and the expressions I give the camera. It’s all about predicting how your words will make the audience feel.

For clarity, this interview has been edited and condensed.