TikTok is THAT platform or THAT app. The one the older people look down on and hail as the newest fad of the day. For those of us in the know, TikTok has been around for a while and there have been Sri Lankan content creators who have already invested several years perfecting content and building loyal fan bases.
Lochana Jayakodi is one such TikTok content creator who started her TikTok account way back (in TikTok time) in 2016. Her TikTok profile “lochanajayakodi” is best known for Lochana’s comedy and lip-sync videos, and has gained her over 850,000 followers on the app. Lochana’s fame has spread to other platforms as well, with her YouTube channel having gained over 240,000 subscribers and having a following of over 300,000 on Instagram.
Brunch chatted with Lochana on her life as a content creator and what makes her Tok tick.
Tell us how you started your journey as a TikTok content creator.
I started out on TikTok by dancing, doing dance videos at first with a very good friend of mine. Two or three of those videos went viral, and then I started doing comedy TikToks as well. I found that the crowd really liked my comedy TikToks and so I started doing more comedy TikToks.
I started creating content on TikTok four years ago in 2016, and my follower base grew quite big. Even before the lockdown last year, I had a very big following. TikTok was why I started my other platforms like YouTube and Instagram. My first viral video was something that gained traction in India (it was a dance video) and in 2018 I started doing comedy TikToks.
What’s your favourite thing about being a content creator?
I love that I can reach a large audience with my content, who recognise me and engage with me, both online and in real life. Even when I go out, people come up to me and tell me that they appreciate my work, and it’s an amazing feeling. It’s not a platform everyone has, and I’ve been quite lucky as well to have the platform I do. I’ve got to see and learn so many new things through TikTok.
Your most popular TikTok that has gained the most reach is one of you and two of your friends doing a TikTok trend comically. How do you come up with the ideas for your TikToks and what is most popular with your audience?
My most popular videos are my comedy videos. There are quite a few and it is the comedies that go viral the most.
Most of the time I make videos based on funny things in my life – things that happen with my friends and stuff like that. When something funny happens, I make a note and then recreate.
I also look at other people’s TikTok videos, both in Sri Lanka and abroad, for things that are funny. I like to recreate foreign TikToks in a local way. There are so many good content creators on TikTok, from dancers to beauticians to doctors. I don’t have one specific favourite content creator. I love following them all.
What would you say to budding content creators?
To new people, I would say figure out what you’re best at. Find your best talent (and what you’re comfortable with) and work with that to the maximum to create your content. You can be good at dancing or dubbing or singing, and it’s important to play to your strengths when creating content. Your content can also be based on what you work as, even if it’s something like a doctor or a teacher. Creating good content is all about understanding what you’re good at and what you like and balancing it out.
I would also recommend for new creators to look at current trends, both in Sri Lanka and internationally, and relate your content to it. If you create content passionately with the right heart and intention, your content will be great.
How long does it take you to make one of your TikToks? What happens behind the scenes?
When I initially started out, it didn’t take me very long. Dance videos did take time because of practice, but filming itself didn’t. With comedy videos, you have to be careful and exact about taking shots from different angles. You have to think about it and plan out your shots beforehand, so now it takes a little more time, but I like to take the time to plan so that the output ends up being great.
With my YouTube videos, I have a team who helps me with production, but for TikToks, it’s usually just me or I link with my friends who are also TikTok creators.
What have you planned for this year and the next?
Cyberbullying is a very important cause and I want to work to build awareness on cyberbullying. It affects a lot of people, and it has happened to me as well. Because I have been through these problems, I also have lots of people who reach out to me to ask for advice or support.
What’s your favourite thing about TikTok?
I love that it is so user-friendly. I love discovering all the new features of the app and playing with them.
We also have the TikTok team from India coming over now and handling us. Earlier, we didn’t really, and having the support of the TikTok team, both here and in India, makes me very happy.
Follow Lochana on:
TikTok: @lochanajayakodi
Instagram: @lochana_jaya.
