SideShift · creator job board for students
Post about the tough job market and slip the app in at the end
Winning format; videos at 84K to a few hundred thousand views
Workedorganic-short-videougc-creators
What they did
Content leans into the broader economy and TikTok trends instead of pitching: e.g. a creator with a master's degree getting rejected from jobs, which resonated so widely that the comments filled with people talking about the job market. Slideshow formats converted well: a 'rate out of 10' style slideshow ending with 'UGC creator - SideShift app' on the last slide. The product is dropped in subtly, sometimes named, sometimes not. Canyon's rule: pick something controversial or something that resonates with a large group.
What happened
The rejected-with-a-master's format became the one all creators copied; one slideshow from a ~1,900-follower account got 84K views and others a few hundred thousand, which Canyon says convert 'insanely well'.
“I think it's like leaning into trends of just like the broader like macroeconomy, as well as like trends that are happening on TikTok. So you don't need to reinvent the wheel.”
“These slide show formats have, you know, actually really converted a ton, as well.”
“UGC creator SideShift app, this gets a few hundred thousand views, like, that just converts insanely well.”
“something that's either extremely controversial drives a lot of engagement, or something that is just extremely resonating with a large demographic of people”
Related topics
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More from SideShift
All 12 SideShift tactics- Tie videos to job-market anger: 'I have a master's and can't find a job'Talking-head version got 9.6M views; 6-7 of ~15 early videos hit 150-300K
- Train your own creators with a 6-hour course on making app videosCreators earn ~$10-15K after 1-2 months; early quality complaints
- Once a video format wins, put 90% of creators on it and keep 10% testingWorks well for them; keeps a backup format ready if the winner saturates
- Run organic videos with 5%+ engagement as Meta ads, starting at $100 a dayGreat results at $100/day, then scaled up; no numbers given
- Manage all creators in one group chat and share what's workingKeeps creators bought in; one-on-one management called very hard
- Build a warm-up video format from real posts about job-hunt painStill used a year later; warms accounts well but converts poorly
More from this episode
- SideShift: Have 5 creators post twice a day on new TikTok accounts; copy the first hit10K to 150K+ users in 3-4 months on ~$10K; 16-20M views in one campaign
- SideShift: Have creators reply to comments and name the app when people askGuest says comment plugs convert to real users; no numbers
- SideShift: Visit 25 college campuses in person to sign up the first usersFirst 10-20K users; strong word of mouth among college students
- SideShift: Tell student creators the gig can grow into a strategist or growth roleGuest says it drives stronger results for brands; no numbers
- Give creators a short brief with a Loom, target persona and proven videosSeen across SideShift customers; long briefs get skipped
- Pay creators a base retainer, $15-20 per video, and big view bonusesCommon rate across SideShift; bonuses get creators working the comments
- Warm up each new TikTok account for 3-5 days, acting like your target user
- Test an app idea with a few creators for 2 weeks before doubling downSeen across studios; two weak 2-week rounds mean rethink the product
- Photogenic: Hire one creator who already went viral on her own TikTok35M views on 46 posts; weekly downloads up 10x
- Photogenic: Let the creator decide what to post instead of sending her ideasFounder's ideas performed terribly; hers drove 35M views
- Photogenic: Post the AI's funniest mistakes, like a photo with a third legDrove heavy engagement; part of a 35M-view run
- Vert Ventures: Turn the organic TikToks that already worked into paid adsBoth apps in and out of their category's top five for weeks