A British teenager on TikTok has cracked the virality code, and within mere days of starting to post, has racked up MILLIONS of views and over 700k followers.
Off to college in September, Ellie Ellis started posting because she “just needed to grow my confidence… and it’s helped” and she “loves film” and wants to be a film writer and actor. It’s giving bored-on-summer-holidays-and-suddenly-gone-viral!
Here is how we’ve tracked her progress since we clocked her rise:
Friday 14th August: 600.7k followers, first video has 13M views.
Tuesday 18th August: 738.6k followers, first video has 16.5M views.
Aside from having an incredibly satisfying name (um, hello, Ellie Ellis?), Ellie is authentic, natural, and shows her sense of humour. While she had initial doubts about her confidence on camera, she really is a true natural.
Verified accounts including brands like Garnier, NYX Professional Makeup and Victoria’s Secret, and popular creators have commented since the first post with supportive messages and offers to send her products and PR mailers.
Most of her posts are ‘get ready with me’ videos, talking about her day ahead and sharing facts about her, alongside buying and decorating cakes to celebrate her follower milestones. They ALL have well over 1M views.
The funny thing is, GRWMs are not new and have been a key pillar of TikTok for years. Since she began posting on her account, users on the platform have even accused others of “copying Ellie Ellis” by having a go at this format themselves.
People are following because there is a journey to follow. Since her first post on 9th August, In one video, she ponders, “What if I don’t end up going to college?” if her newfound success on TikTok leads to opportunities as a content creator.
It’s quite rare to have these case studies that spark this level of virality and cultural virality on the platform. (@reesateesa’s ‘Who TF Did I Marry?’ series back in 2024 springs to mind.) However, these instances always give us an indication of where the platform sits right now, and gives subtle or kinda obvious signs on how to best use TikTok to your advantage.
So, what can we learn from @ellielouiseellis’ success over the last ten days?
What we can learn from @ellielouiseellis on TikTok:
- Consistency: Ellie has posted at least once every day, sometimes several times per day. Sounds obvious, but platforms reward people spending this much time on the platform, and contributing in a meaningful way.
- Personality at the forefront: Ellie’s personality shines in every video. She may be a new presence in TikTok users’ lives but she brings a lightness and inclusivity that immediately draws you in, and invites you into her world like you’re on FaceTime with her.
- Sharing directly from the app: Similarly to the first point, the platforms and algorithms reward active usage time, and if you’re producing videos directly in TikTok’s editing suite, it’s going to have a higher advantage with native text, audio and effects, compared to something created on a third-party platform and posted.
- Authentic voice: So far, Ellie has not afraid to say what she feels anxious about, bringing people along for the ride to see what happens. She has been vulnerable, silly, and sometimes even existential — all part of sharing direct to camera with minimal editing. The natural flow of speaking and seeing where it ends up is part of the strategy.
- Following the journey: As mentioned, following people’s journeys is a strong format on social media. Brand founder journeys have become quite saturated, so in comparison, Ellie’s journey of simply starting a TikTok account is simple yet effective. With brands commenting, people will want to see where she ends up and track her trajectory from grassroots creator to viral superstar.
We’re curious to keep tracking @ellielouiseellis’ progress and how she continues to use TikTok to her very clear advantage!
Are there exceptions to the rule?
- Should brands do this?
There are plenty of ways this could be executed by brands of all types. If you have someone on the team that can be a consistent, authentic spokeperson for the brand, it can definitely work and many people have shown it can, not just Ellie! It all comes down to the individual brand, its story and priorities.
- What would we recommend to our clients?
Every client is different, of course — from time and budget investment and talent scheduling perspectives, to brand positioning and the overarching social media and marketing strategy. Testing and learning is important, so start there. What may people want to learn more about, and be willing to follow the journey?
→ Need a hand with your brand or personal brand’s strategy on social media?
Written by Sophie, Account Manager.
