This month, we ask Carly Rose, OD, FAAO, of Eyecare on the Square, in Cincinnati, about her experience with TikTok. Dr. Rose’s TikTok account has more than 261,000 followers and more than 10 million likes for her hundreds of videos.

Q: What made you decide to join TikTok?

I made a TikTok account shortly after buying a new practice, and while I’m not typically a social media user, I had been listening to and reading a lot of business advice podcasts and books. Gary Vaynerchuk (garyvaynerchuk.com ), who’s known for his accurate social media predictions, was encouraging businesses to embrace TikTok, so I thought I’d listen to his advice.

This was in the fall of 2019. Then, of course, the pandemic started, and it was around that time that some of my videos had started going viral.

Q: What videos of yours have gone viral or were surprise hits?

My first video went viral right before the pandemic. It was on blinking. The success of that video showed me the power of grassroots efforts to educate people.

I also had a video on orthokeratology (ortho-k) go viral, but it was the response of one specific user that was powerful. A teenager saw my ortho-k video, asked her doctor about the procedure, and it changed her life. She then thanked me in a “duet video” (which allows another TikTok user to put the original video next to theirs in a “split screen” format), and her response went viral, too!

Another video that went viral was on binocular vision, and how to tell whether you have it. One of my followers did an analysis on Google searches for the term “binocular vision;” not a lot of people had searched for it until around the time my video was posted, and then there was a big spike in searches for it.

Q: How do you determine your audience (patients, ODs, or both)?

It’s currently a mix of both. While I have quite a few OD followers now, I think TikTok is primarily a patient-facing platform, useful for raising eye health awareness.

What I’m seeing fairly frequently now are messages from non-ODs thanking me for posting informative videos about vision insurance or annual eye exams. That was very cool to see, to know optometrists don’t need big marketing dollars to spread our message.

Q: What advice do you have for doctors who want to expand into a platform such as TikTok?

I would say not to overthink what you post. Part of the charm of TikTok is that it’s not meant to be as curated: It’s normal to just film a quick video in your car, without any makeup on, and just tell people what’s on your mind. This helps make TikTok feel more authentic. It can be difficult to toe a line between professionalism and laid-back authenticity. For me, though, I find being authentic has helped me build an audience, and if potential patients feel I don’t align with their taste, then maybe I’m not the right doctor for them.

I know it can be uncomfortable to put yourself out on any social media platform, but if you have a message you believe in, then it’s important to share it. TikTok won’t be the last social media platform to appear, so adaptability is vital. OM