Both TikTok stars advise aspiring content creators to be “yourself”
You’re a TikTok creator, people love your videos and you have gained a substantial following. But one morning your wake up and your world shifts. You do a double take and realise your account has been banned.
TikTok creators Aqeelah Sulaiman and Cassidy Adams both experienced the devastating blow of having their accounts banned. They lost all their content, followers and worst of all, access to their accounts.
Although it was quite a big deal for Sulaiman (@aqeelahsulaiman_) and Adams (@cassnura29), the two got over the initial shock and started new accounts, and built a following from scratch.
Sulaiman, 19, from the Northern Suburbs, has taken a gap year after she completed her matric last year in the first blow of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her account got banned after a year on the app with nearly 150 000 followers in August. She contacted TikTok to find out why her account was banned and that they told her it was because she violated their Minor Safety Policy.
The policy states that TikTok “does not tolerate activities that perpetuate the abuse, harm, endangerment, or exploitation of minors on TikTok”.
Sulaiman said she was still trying to figure out how she violated the policy as none of her videos included any children.
She added: “I wasn't upset about the followers that I lost, but I was heartbroken when I realised I could not get any of my old videos back, especially the few that went viral.”
But the young creator is building up her brand with her new account, despite having lost more than 200 videos, and now has 87 000 followers, with 1.4 million likes on her videos. Sulaiman said she was surprised to see how quickly she gained traction again.
“It was tough losing all of my content but I told myself, ‘You can always recreate them and make it better,’ and that is what I started doing,” she said.
Sulaiman’s first viral video was a make-up transition but her followers love her skits and acting videos.
“I love giving my followers what they want and seeing comments about how much I’ve made them laugh.”
Sulaiman’s long term goal is to become a designer and create a clothing line for animals as she loves her furry friends.
Cassidy Adams (@cassnura29) is a second-year theology student from the University of Stellenbosch who lives in Atlantis.
Adams started her account in 2020. Followers love her acting videos where she pretends to score invites to parties with Nicki Minaj and Drake. Her account was banned because people would constantly report her videos.
“It made me upset because I put a lot of effort into my videos. I never posted anything scandalous,” she said.
The TikTok star had more 160 000 followers on her old account and now has 41 000 followers. Adams said she kept making new videos to gain followers.
“I was upset that I never saved any of my old videos but now I just use everything I see happening in life to make people laugh.”
In future, Adams would like to study drama and become an actress.
Both creators' advise aspiring content creators to be “yourself”.
“That is what I am doing. The way I speak to my audience and act in my TikTok videos is how I am in person," Sulaiman said.
Adams added: “Be unique. If you have the stamina to persevere, you will achieve your goals. "