Bailey Norton is a Los Angeles comedian who creates viral content on TikTok. In her spare time, she also hosts a podcast called Good Low and runs an art business called Naughty Bits Designs. In this interview, the comedian digs deep into her process as a content creator, shares how she engages with her audience, and her formula for viral videos.

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‍Q: What inspired you to bring your comedy to TikTok?

A: Though I am a stand up comedian, I initially started my TikTok account with roller skating content and I rarely got views as I am a mid rollerskater. I decided to pivot to comedy, which is a niche I’m more comfortable with, and started getting more views, but I needed an even more specific point of view to really catch fire. Then I tapped into something truly sinister: talking about stuff men say to me online and in public. That sort of thing seems to be very divisive. The algorithm frequently pushes my content out to the people who historically interact with me the most: males age 21-45 who seem to be very right-leaning politically, which is horrible for my spirit, but, as it turns out, very good for going viral. I’m thrilled to now have a large enough audience on TikTok now that as long as I post something comedic and a little sardonic, people seem to enjoy watching.

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Q: Walk us through your creative process. What does it look like?

A: Sure! I use TikTok as a notebook lately  - if I have a thought I’d like to explore or a stand up bit I want to work out, I’ll tell it to my front facing camera and post it. I try to do minimal editing and be as off the cuff as possible, and see what sticks. That isn’t what works for everybody, but the algorithm teaches you what sorts of things it will reward for you specifically, and for me, that’s just talking to myself as honestly as possible, making myself laugh, and making sure I’m being a little bit polarizing. 

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Q: How do you draw inspiration for your content that goes viral?

A: There are a few things that inspire me; when in doubt I’ll usually screenshot something a chronically online reddit-bro has Dm’d me and read it in the dumbest voice I can physically muster, then use TikTok’s voice altering filters to slow it down and make it sound even dumber. Then I’ll just show myself reacting to that. That’s an easy shtick that can be refreshed pretty consistently. Other than that I draw inspiration from other things actually happening in my life and try to articulate how I feel about them. Most recently I made a video about trying to cut back on sugar and how homicidal the withdrawals make me feel. That video got 2.3M views on TikTok and 4M views on Instagram. It’s hard to tell what will work, but I’m finding that candor tends to resonate well with people.

Q: Do you have any strategies that you use to grow your following on TikTok, and how do you go about implementing them? 

A: I try to post pretty consistently and make sure my content is cohesive to my personal brand. I also try to utilize hashtags appropriately to get more reach, and re-use the hashtags on videos that have done well in the past. I try to not take it to heart when a video bombs, and just make another one the next day. 

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Q: What impact do trends and changes on the platforms have on your content? How do you stay up-to-date with them?

A: It’s a crap-shoot honestly. There are some Youtubers I follow that post updates on changing algorithms, but even that only goes so far. TikTok’s algorithm is constantly changing, so it can be really hard to strategize. The things that I think most consistently work are to be as concise as possible (this is also just a good mindset to be in for comedy in general), to have good lighting, to make sure your face is visible, and (even though it’s a pain) to make sure your videos have clear, centrally located captioning – this way people who might have a hearing impairment or people who are scrolling with their sound off can still engage with your content.

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Q: When you create videos, is it your goal to “go viral?”

A: It shouldn’t be and I wish it wasn’t, but it’s hard not to hope for virality everytime you post. I am so often humbled by videos I think will do well and so often surprised by the success of videos that I don’t expect much out of. 

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Q: Because your content is so polarizing, I’m sure your comment section is the same! How do you deal with negative comments on your videos?

A: Without negative comments I would be nowhere. Negativity online (this is gonna sound so messed up) is amazing for engagement. There are creators who make entire careers out of it (go follow Drewafualo on TikTok if you aren’t already, she’s incredible). Embrace the negativity; use it. It’s content. BUT I would be careful not to conflate negative comments with constructive criticism. Make sure you understand the line between someone attacking you and someone who might have a good point about how you can be better. 

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Q: What advice do you have for aspiring TikTok creators who are just starting out?

A: Post as often as you can. Don’t plan too much and don’t edit a ton (unless your thing is camera tricks and filmmaking). Just get tons of videos out without thinking too hard about how good they are or how well they’ll do. Eventually, your audience will find you, and you’ll get a sense of what it is about you people are responding to. Then do more of that thing.

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Q: How has Hype helped you in your journey as a creator?

A: Having my social media all in one place has been essential for me to build an audience across platforms. Hype is especially cool because it allows people to listen to my podcast or watch my latest TikTok video without leaving the page. It also makes it easier for people to find my comedy shows: it’s crazy to get DMs on Instagram from people who found me on TikTok saying like “I just bought a ticket to come see your standup, I love your videos.” That feels surreal. It’s been a huge part of letting people see and interact with my body of work all in one place. 

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Q: Lastly, what are your goals for your channel? Are you making money from your channel now? Do you currently have any goals to monetize further? 

A: I want to keep growing and keep finding my voice as a creator. I have some aspirations to post some of the (slightly comedic) songs I’ve written on my ukulele. I want to keep exploring my comedy (I’ve found that stand up bits often translate well into TikTok videos, but TikTok videos often don’t translate well as stand up bits). I did just start monetizing on TikTok – it’s not enough to make a living with yet (by a long shot) but it’s a really exciting start. I would love to subsidize my income with my videos, and I’m starting to think of it more like a side hustle than a hobby.

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Follow Bailey Norton on TikTok and Instagram @baileyenorton for some laughs! 

And check out her Hype Page, too! 

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