Cape content creators take TikTok ranking by storm

AT MIDNIGHT, popular app TikTok’s weekly continental ranking resets and the madness begins as content creators vie for a spot in the top 100, based on who has received the most diamonds.

TikTok awards diamonds, the app’s virtual currency, to creators based on the popularity of their videos. Diamonds can be cashed in for money, which is transferred to a PayPal account.

This week’s reigning champ is Cape Town’s Sulaiman Effendi (@sulaiman_ effendi) who was ranked first in the continent with a total of 2.8 million diamonds. Effendi works in long-distance transport and is passionate about motorsport racing.

His racing team Cool Touch Racing is the reason he decided to compete in the ranking stakes.

“The team had one away race in Port Elizabeth, but the whole team could not afford to go,” he said.

“Our team works so hard. We wanted to take the entire crew with us. I chose to rank and said I would use the proceeds to take the team,” he added.

Effendi is the son of convicted murderer Najwa Petersen, who killed her husband, musician Taliep Petersen. Effendi also made headlines when he and a co-accused paid R20 000 each or faced 12 months’ imprisonment after they were charged under the Endangered Species Act for keeping a lion cub as a pet.

Effendi’s TikTok tactic to reach number one was simple – to keep his followers entertained.

“We started incentivising with gifts, getting opponents to cut their hair and do funny things to keep gifters entertained,” he said.

“I approached various creators in

my ranking and created challenges to keep my followers entertained on my live videos,” he added.

Secondly, Effendi chose to remain in the top 10 for most of the week.

“My strategy was to remain between position five and seven until the last day because I did not want to come across as a threat,” he said.

Effendi spent an average of seven to eight hours a day on TikTok live.

Another tactic was to create themed hours that made up each of his live videos on TikTok.

“As part of my pre-match ritual I would play the Gladiator theme song and sing the national anthem to keep people going,” he said.

“I do a karaoke hour from midnight

to 1am, after that it’s the love hour and just doing anything crazy to keep them entertained,” he added.

Genna Barry (@gennadoingthings) is a full-time content creator who took part in the ranking in July and ended up in position 62. Her involvement in the TikTok live videos was encouraged by her followers.

“I had so much fun doing the TikTok ranking. It was about the experience and entertainment for me, but it was also very draining,” she said.

“It was my first week in the ranking so I spent nearly 12 hours a day on TikTok live,” she added.

The following week she returned hopeful that she might end up higher on the ranks.

“I fell out of the ranking four times. By the fourth time, I was so drained and chose to pull the plug. I don’t know how other creators do the ranking in consecutive weeks,” she said.

“I am still on TikTok live, engaging with my audience, just without the ranking. I love the fact that there’s monetisation on this platform which is very encouraging.”

Founder and CEO of Nawal’s Corner, Nawal Jaftha, gave the TikTok ranking a try last month but had her account banned a few minutes before the ranking ended for the week.

At the time of the account being banned, she was second in the top 100. However, the ban meant that she lost all progress and was removed from

the ranking.

Jaftha said her account was restored two days later, and it had been banned for a false report. “I felt terrible. We sent in a lot of appeals. I was very far from number one but anything can happen. I’ve seen someone change positions on the rank in two minutes,” she said.

One of her other roles includes working as a content creator and Jaftha said she incorporated this into her TikTok live ranking. “If I was approached by businesses on Instagram, I would ask for them to gift me half the price of what advertising would cost,” she said.

“We also raised money for the Grateful Giving NPO that I run,” she added.