by By: Emily Querry
Seven weeks ago, I decided to start creating content and posting on TikTok regularly. I filmed everything and posted to TikTok multiple times a day. I tried making “Get Ready With Me” videos, storytimes, vlogs, and montages of my social life—basically turning everything I did in my final days of summer into content. Yet, nothing seemed to grab viewers’ attention.
It wasn’t until I flew back up to school that something changed. My niche was about to reveal itself. Back in Eugene, I became an involved University of Oregon student again. I shared with TikTok that I had spent my first three years at the UO interning for the baseball team. Suddenly, I had something other aspiring influencers didn’t.
I had spent the last three years wanting to share my internship on social media because it has been the highlight of my college career. Turns out, I should have started sooner. I finally started gaining followers, views, comments, and direct messages asking all sorts of questions. On TikTok and Instagram, people were asking how I got the internship, what I do for the team, and what my major is. It felt great that I was able to help current and incoming students with my answers.
The day after posting my first UO Baseball intern vlog on TikTok, I followed up with another UO-focused vlog—a football gameday vlog. To my surprise, that football vlog is still gaining likes, reposts, comments, and followers, even three weeks later.
Interestingly, this wasn’t my intended follower demographic, but a lot of football-loving dads and UO alumni have started following me because of that content. The analytics from my UO Baseball intern and UO Football game day videos showed me that my audience wants to see the UO. Essentially, they found my niche for me.
Since then, the trend has only continued. I still post a variety of content, but I have narrowed my focus. Even on my days physically away from the UO, I lean into my identity as a UO student. I tag the location of all my videos to The University of Oregon to create that association and I use hashtags like #student, #college, #UO, and #campuslife to ensure new viewers know my niche. And I still have a ways to go, but I’m excited to see if more is to come.
So, if you’re trying to find your niche or think you have one that hasn’t clicked with viewers yet, just keep posting. Expand your content and create a routine so viewers get used to seeing you on their For You Page. Sometimes, a random video might blow up, but wait till you notice a trend—when a specific type of video repeatedly gets views, likes, and comments—boom. Your TikTok audience has helped you find your niche.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! To keep up, connect with me on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram.
This was a very eye-opening post! TikTok is such a common platform to get views on one video, yet people don’t realize how difficult it is to continue growing. I am not much for posting on TikTok, but I do know that the most random 15-second or 60-second clips are the ones that go viral. It is so exciting that your love for your internship and your school allowed you to find your niche, plus who wouldn’t want to see Oregon football content?! I hope your account continues to grow 🙂 Good luck!
I enjoyed reading your post about your journey with posting on TikTok. Growing and gaining an audience on TikTok is difficult and may come only once, with a post going “viral,” but just once. It is cool to read about how your post have continued to get views and engagement. I have found some inspiration from your blog to continue to posting on my own TikTok and maybe I will find my niche:) – Sara King
I enjoyed reading this blog, and find your TikTok journey interesting to read about. I think it is difficult to keep engagement up on ones TikTok account, much harder than it is to go “viral.” This has inspired me to keep up on posting to my own account and hoping to find my niche!
I think I came across this TikTok over the summer haha. I really enjoyed your article, it’s a really good example of how the algorithm has a mind of it’s own and how little control we have of what goes viral. But at the same time, you gave really sound advice on how one can become an influencer and better your chances on going viral, through consistency and letting the algorithm do the rest.
Nice work, Emily! Your social media journey is a great example of how your niche finds you. It’s inspiring to see how her content evolved once she embraced her unique experiences at UO, proving that authenticity resonates. Her story reminds us that it’s crucial to be yourself and make content you’re proud of—people either get it or they don’t. For anyone struggling to find their TikTok niche, her advice to keep posting, stay consistent, and pay attention to what resonates is spot on. Sometimes the best niches are those you stumble upon naturally.