For Mike Xhaxho, building an audience of 25,000 followers for his DTC brand WaterBoy means doing one thing: making a few videos. 

With just seven TikTok videos, Mike grew WaterBoy’s following from 0 to 25,000, earning millions of views on its way to hitting $10M in sales in the brand’s first two years. 

Today, Mike sits down with me to talk about WaterBoy’s TikTok-led marketing strategy, including the story behind his first brand-building videos, the factors he considers when creating content, and why trying to create viral videos might actually stop creators from going viral.

You’ll also hear about marketing tips for getting through to Gen Z, how to repurpose the same content across TikTok and Facebook, and effective ways to iterate and test content for successful ad campaigns.

Key Takeaways with Mike Xhaxho

• Why did Mike launch WaterBoy to compete with companies like Liquid I.V. and Pedialyte? 
• How Mike grew from 0 to 7,000 followers with his first TikTok — and 7,000 to 25,000 with his seventh. 
• The importance of focusing on quality over virality with TikTok videos.
• The difference in funnel structure when advertising on Facebook vs. TikTok.
• What are the considerations that come with paying for influencer marketing content?
• Should entrepreneurs design a new product or iterate on an existing product?
• Why authenticity beats polished brands for Gen-Z consumers.
• The element of effective ads that "will never go out of style."

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