“on Instagram you are rewarded for building up a following and then over time you spend your time trying to extract value and trying to monetize that audience that you've acquired so you build this million per following and you try to sell them relevant goods and services Tik Tok is the exact opposite where most of the content that's being consumed is through the for you page”

TikTok is a fresh auditorium every video — unlearn everything from Instagram

Instagram creators optimize for a loyal following they sell to repeatedly. TikTok's For You Page means most viewers have never seen the creator before and never will again. Ladder had to coach their fitness influencers to stop referencing yesterday's post and treat every video as a self-contained pitch to strangers. The mental model shift: every TikTok video is a cold ad, not a community update.