Influencers Partnering Up: Beyond the Algo

For this week’s influencer highlight, we’ve come together with two TikTokers whom we are certain you’ve seen on your For You page. Tony Kaill creates mesmerizing “visual ASMR” content, and Peter Earley combats the concept of over-the-top “stunt food” a la Don Quijote. The two content creators have now partnered up to go “Beyond The Algo”. Let’s hear what they have to say.

Interview with Peter Earley and Tony Kaill

Most of our readers must have seen your videos on their For You pages. What was the first thing that drew you to TikTok? 

Funnily enough it was a lack of focus that drew us to TikTok. We woke up one day to a Global Pandemic and the realization that we no longer had jobs. Naturally it was time to get the (High-School) band back together, but maybe on a new platform. We wanted to make YouTube content. Our great idea was: “Who could go viral first?”. Three weeks later with no YouTube presence, but very active Fortnite accounts, we found ourselves consumed by TikTok. Millions of views later we realized that we’d accidentally infiltrated Gen Z.

A lot of people like to say that TikTok is a unique platform. Do you agree? Would you prefer to have the same number of followers on Instagram instead?

It’s just not as simple as one or the other. It is imperative to diversify your online presence. In 2021 Instagram no doubt has more monetary and brand value. TikTok, on the other hand, offers a level of discoverability not seen on their competitors for many years.

Simply put, TikTok is your best bet to grow an audience from 0.

Simply put, TikTok is your best bet to grow an audience from 0. It is a window into the mindset of the new generation. Their ability to dethrone Instagram may be unclear, but we are optimistic the platform is here to stay.

How would you sum up your content strategies and how did you come up with them? Because both of you have very interesting niches, I’d like to know how Tony Kaill and Peter Earley became the TikTokers they are.

To be honest I would compare our first attempts to nail down our niches to swinging at a pinata after a few too many ‘beverages’. In short, it came down to working hard, failing a lot, and leaning into our successes.

@earlypete

I know it’s just food but there’s something to be said about the unrealistic expectations people have for what they eat, due to what I call “Stunt Food”.

Pete, your content is kind of a response to TikTok foods. What is stunt food? Was your attitude towards the food we typically see on TikTok a driving factor for your account?

Peter Earley: I have a background in the culinary industry and It’s always bugged me to see these crazy over the top food creations that end up online. Whenever I saw a burger that had a litre of cheese poured over it and knew just how awful it would be to eat, it made me cringe. I know it’s just food but there’s something to be said about the unrealistic expectations people have for what they eat, due to what I call “Stunt Food”. I’m not opposed to cheese, deep frying or anything ‘extra’ but for me “Good Food” achieves a balance of fun and delicious, that seems to be increasingly absent online.

Tony, I guess we could define your content as “visual ASMR”. Why do you think we get so locked up on them and just have to watch the whole thing? Is there anything you do that makes them more effective?

I think most people struggle to find 40 minutes a day to practice mental wellbeing

Tony Kaill: Like many people today struggling with some form of mental illness,  I find myself looking for moments of calm.

As for why this content works… I honestly don’t know. I think most people struggle to find 40 minutes a day to practice mental wellbeing and as a result find themselves lost in 40 seconds of something “oddly satisfying”. I’m no therapist… Just a guy with some colorful stuff, and an eye for analytics…

@tonykaill

You two are in a new collaboration together. Can you tell us a little bit about Beyond the Algo? Why did you decide to collaborate and where do you see Beyond the Algo going? How will this affect your content as Tony Kaill and Peter Earley?

Beyond The Algo is less a Hype House situation and more a brand partnership. Collaborations tend to be short term, we always intended to make the majority of our content together. YouTube was our starting point but when TikTok took off for us we had to temporarily put it on the back burner.

Now that we have established our personal brands, we wanted to return to our original plan to make content on YouTube.

TikTok taught us the importance of the algorithm, but because we’re striving for a personality driven brand we wanted to move “beyond the algo”. Through both videos and live interactions we offer ‘viral this week’ through the lens of our successes and failures

We often see influencers collaborate. Is it a good strategy?

We strongly believe collaboration is at the heart of creativity and cultivating online positivity. Whether this is two creators helping each other with shared reach or two close friends starting a brand together, we love to see it.

You can follow Tony Kaill and Peter Earley on their socials:

@tonykaill and @earlypete on TikTok

@tonykaill and @early_pete on Instagram