How Benjamin Delwiche Gained 500K TikTok Followers in One Year | The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Benjamin, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you for having me.

Yeah, it's gonna be fun. We're talking about TikTok. I in researching for this episode, I pulled it up and immediately I was like, I felt my age because I'm like, I don't spend a lot of time on TikTok. And I was like, wait, what's going on here? What's a duet like? Wait, you can do like, you can do like a baking and a dancer duet. Like, what is this world?

There's a lot going on.

There's a lot going on and you've had a lot of success there. So we're going to talk about that. And not only have you had a lot of success, but in a really fun niche and you've also had a lot of success there while working a full time job. So I want to talk about all of those things, but take me back to the first video that you posted on TikTok. Did you know that you were going to focus on this, that you're going to create consistent content? What brought you back to that point? Or Was it even TikTok that you started with?

Yeah, so it was TikTok that I started with. And it was about coming up on the year anniversary of it. I think like a lot of people it was. My wife had Covid. We were stuck at home quarantining. Baking is something that I've always enjoyed, working at different bakeries, reading about it, experimenting. So I figured, hey, why not turn this into a video?

Yeah. And that was a year ago. And in a year you are. So what is the one year mark of your first. Do you remember what the day was? Yeah, the.

I think it was, I think it was the 30th of December.

Okay, so which is a great marker, right? End of the year?

Yep.

So we're coming up on this as we're recording. This will be published after that, but. And today you're at like 478,000 followers on TikTok. And it'll be even more once we publish this. So adding over a thousand followers a day. My guess is it didn't start at that point. Or did it like did you, within your first few videos did you get traction right away and know like, oh my gosh, this is something that I need to invest some time and energy and at what point did you know there you had something there?

Yeah, it was really crazy. So the first couple of videos that I posted were videos that I had on my phone from different things that I had filmed while baking.

Sure.

The first video or the first couple videos that I made intentionally for posting on TikTok, one of them ended up taking off just a few days in, and that was how to fill a piping bag and use a piping bag and kind of tricks around that. And it was just incredible to watch the numbers of views go up and up. And it kind of caught me by surprise because I didn't expect that kind of traction. And then that was the point was like, oh, maybe I can share some other things that I have learned. And it was a while before I really started to focus on this experimentation side of baking, math and science side of baking. So it took a while to figure out that that's really what I wanted to focus on.

Yeah. I'm curious to know, so your background as a math teacher, that's what you do? Middle school, high school, math. Um, naturally you have this combination then baking expertise and math and numbers expertise. And so you can. Like some of your videos example would be like, cookies, like, they're gonna. What. How are they going to produce a different result at different temperatures? Like, it's not just the ingredients, it's also the temperatures. Um, as an example, like, I can see how there's this kind of cool mix between your experience with baking and then also your experience as a math teacher in numbers. Um, so it sounds like starting out is like, hey, I just like baking. This is something I've done. I really like it. But over time, it evolved into the niche of kind of science and experimentation around baking. Is that right?

Yeah, absolutely. Because that's. For me, that's the side of baking that. That I really enjoyed that thinking about why certain ingredients do what they do, or the interaction of certain ingredients or the ratios of the amount of ingredients. So that playing around with different things is the side that I really like. Yeah, I like decorating every now and then and doing those types of things. But for me, it's really the. The looking at why, the way that you know what they do.

Right, right. So we always talk about on the podcast how important a niche is, and it's. We. The example or analogy I use is this idea of, you know, different vehicles and a niche in the early stages is kind of like motorcycle, where you get on it and you're able to get a lot of traction really quick. And then maybe over time you can level up. You can go to, like a sports car, and then you can go to a car and a semi and, you know, eventually you'll have this double semi, which maybe isn't as agile in the early stages, but, you know, maybe the reach of it is a little bit bigger and similar to this, like, land and expand idea of picking a niche. But you see that to be really true with you, where you're able to get a lot of traction really quickly early on. I'm curious to know, do you feel like the options within what you're doing are like, have you just started to scratch the surface. Surface of it? Or do you get to the point where you're like, hey, you know what, like, maybe I need to expand into like, not just baking, but cooking or like, do you feel. Where do you feel like you're at in regards to the niche and your focus and the amount of content that you can produce within that?

Yeah, I still feel like I'm beginning to scratch the surface, so I still really want to focus on baking. That's the thing that I enjoy the most, the thing that I have the most experience with. I enjoy cooking, but it's not something that I know as much about. So I don't want to share things that I don't really know as much about. I feel like I'm flipping through recipe books frequently and I see a line in a recipe that says, do this or don't do this. And that just makes me wonder, well, why not?

Why? Yeah, yeah.

Can I run some sort of experiment to see, well, what happens if I don't do it or really zone in on that specific ingredient or that specific.

Procedure that makes sense. So let's talk about TikTok. So this, this crazy platform where you're able to get a lot of traction really early on, you'll see videos that, you know, you'll have 20,000, 50,000 views and like 1.2 million views. Like, you have these videos that kind of take off on a platform like TikTok. Being a year into producing content there, do you feel like you have any idea when you're producing something where you're like, ah, this one has a high probability of being a really viral video or catching on? Or does it still feel like this could or couldn't and it's hard to really pinpoint one way or the other?

Yeah, sometimes it's still. Still uncertain. There are certainly times where I think something's gonna do really well and it does okay, or sometimes it's gonna do okay and it does. It does better than I expected, which is always exciting.

Yeah.

But I think the thing for me that I try to focus on is. And, you know, similar to teaching, you brought up my teaching Background is, can I make an explanation clear and then have a clear visual that goes along with it.

Yeah. It's such good teaching. It's like you have two really specific skills. The ability to teach and the understanding of baking. And it's, it's cool to see those two things playing well together on a, on a platform. Yeah.

So. And that's really the thing that it's. Can the two really go well together? Because an explanation is one thing and that's, you know, something that's very traditional. You read books and you see these explanations about things to do or not to do.

Yeah.

Adding a visual element to that to really kind of drive the point home is something that I like to think about and try to represent. And I think something that has, you know, been part of the success.

It's cool. I made a note here when I was thinking through the interview and I talked about how like, what is good content? And I talked about this reflection on good content being informative or entertaining or ideally both. Like, if you can get something that in this niche at least that is both interesting to look at and has a certain level of kind of entertainment to it, but is also informative. And it sounds like that's what you're speaking to a little bit, which is how do I make this interesting, engaging, fun to look at, but also where it comes out with almost like Lindsay and I talk about it as like bubble gum type content where it's like this kind of juicy little takeaway. It's like a tidbit or an interesting thing. And it seems like you really nailed that. Where it's clear, it's concise, but it's also helpful where people are like, oh, that's interesting. Maybe something that I didn't think about before and it feels like different than I'm going to try and express this and you can let me know if, if this is right. It feels like different than other platforms. There is an element of TikTok which is like, oh, interesting. Like, that's a cool little tip. And I think, and I think of the, like in the cleaning world where they talk about like, hey, did you know that you're. That you're like washing machine for your clothes actually has this like, little compartment that you need to clean once a year. And it's like nobody knows it and this video goes viral. But I feel like there's, there's similar elements to any industry where it's kind of like, hey, here's this kind of cool thing that you didn't know about. And something that would be like, helpful next time you bake, are you tracking with that? Does that feel like accurate? Yeah, absolutely.

So certainly that element of. Okay, it's relatable. Right. Most people, you know, are going to make chocolate chip cookies every now and then. So how can there be some informational aspect brought to something that a lot of people have an experience of doing?

Yeah, yeah. Idea being, hey, if you like cookies that are like chewy, here are some things that you can do versus if you like a crispy cookie, here's some things that you can do which I think is really cool. So talk to me about your process. What does it look like in terms of equipment that you use in. When are you doing this? Right. Like teaching. I have many friends who are teachers. Can't do it during the day. Like you can't do it during lunch. Your 17 minute lunch break. So it's like nights and weekends, I'm guessing. What does that look like for you?

Yeah, nights and weekends. I think the process goes kind of like I look around my kitchen, see what kind of ingredients I have. Different things I've been thinking about. Flip through a lot of the cookbooks that I have and try to think of something that might be an interesting visual, interesting explanation. Walking through the aisles of the grocery store and seeing, oh, that's an ingredient that I haven't seen here before. And maybe I can, you know, explain something about it or do a test with it or something where you try it in a new recipe and then in terms of the filming and the editing and all of that. Yeah, nights. Nights and weekends.

Yeah. And your setup is what? Your phone. And for those who haven't seen them, we'll link to your profile in the show notes so people can check those out. But it's generally like we would talk about it as hands and pans videos. So it's like you talking through a thing. It's not like you're on camera much. So it's kind of top down. Is that your phone? Do you have a stand that you put it on? What does that look like in terms of your setup?

Yeah, in terms of my setup, I. It's pretty simple. It's my phone and I have a cabinet right above my counter underneath it. So I prop my phone in the cabinet. I love that film below and try to get short little clips and then edit them together and add a voiceover at the end.

Yeah. When. What do you use for editing? Is that within the app or.

Yeah, at this point I just do everything within the App. So I'm thinking about expanding into using an editing software or using a different camera. But at this point, yeah, everything that I've done is just on my phone and edited through the app.

I love that, and here's why. Because the best equipment is the equipment you have. And I think sometimes we can get lost in the. The thought of, like, what camera do I need, what editing process do I need? But what it's really about is the content that you're producing. And is that content informative, Is it entertaining? And if it is, like great equipment, like voiceover editing, that's all a multiplier. But the thing you need to start with is like, does the content really hit. And in your case, that's a great example of that where you have your phone, you have a cupboard, you set your phone in the cupboard and you press record and you do it all from your phone. And I think what's amazing is, and I've thought about this wouldn't be in the near future, but I have this idea of wanting to, as an experiment, do like starting a business from your phone and closing out all my computers for like a year and just saying, like, can you build a business from your phone? Because I think in a lot of ways you can through social media. You could record podcasts, you could publish the podcast. And what you're doing is an example of that. Like, you can do, build an incredible following. As long as the content that you're producing is, Is. Is solid. So are you in terms of a content production standpoint, are you thinking ahead and saying, like, hey, you know what, I want to do a video every week and release at this schedule, or is it kind of at this stage where it's like, as. As you come across something that would be good, informative, helpful, hey, let's record a video and publish it on that. Or you're trying to do it on a rhythm of like, every Monday I'm going to publish no matter what.

I'm trying to do a rhythm, but that's. It's not really happening at this point. It's more. I have an idea, I have some time to film it. That's when it happens. And then I have some time to edit it together. So I edit it together. So I'm trying to work more towards, sure. Having a schedule and having a sense of predictability.

Yeah.

But at this point, it's been, yeah, oh, like I saw this, you know, I saw this ingredient that I had in my cupboard that I haven't seen in a while. Like, I want to, you know, do something with that.

Yeah, that makes sense. And then how about the comparison for other platforms? So have you noticed like you publish a TikTok, but then you can also take all the platforms now, for the most part have a similar kind of TikTok esque type option? Right. You could do stories on Instagram, YouTube shorts. Have you noticed the ability to port over that content to other platforms and find similar success with something that does well on TikTok? Like, hey, this had a million views on TikTok and then I put it on Instagram and it's also successful there? Or are the platforms from a content perspective different enough where it's hard to find consistency with one piece of content being successful across the platforms?

Yeah, sure. So I haven't messed around much with YouTube, but in terms of Instagram and TikTok, I have recently, for about last half year, been posting the Same videos on TikTok and Instagram just because people are on different platforms and there's differences between them in terms of the following and videos appearing. And it's not always the equation of if it does well on TikTok, it's going to do well on Instagram, or does well on Instagram, it's going to do well on TikTok. So that has been interesting to see. I don't know that I've figured it out yet, but I just continue to try to do the best I can in terms of explaining it and having something informational. I know early on, so before I started doing TikTok, I tried to post pictures of the things that I was making and my photography skills are they're okay, but they're not great.

Sure.

So once I started doing the more of the informational, the explaining, the teaching element of it, that started working much better for me and that it felt more genuine for me as well.

Yeah, that makes sense. And there's something about finding the thing that works and then doubling down on that. Great. So you get traction here. People like this. What are other iterations and versions of this that I can continue to do? Talk to me about the TikTok specifically. So not being somebody who understands it, my guess is there are some people who are listening to the podcast who are like, yeah, no TikTok, love TikTok. Post to TikTok. And there's also going to be people who have had success on Instagram, Facebook, kind of more. More like old guard creators. And they're like, I just haven't gotten into TikTok yet. Would you have any Advice for people who maybe want to step into it around, like, how do you be successful? What are the things that you can be doing? We know it's like good content, right? That's any platform. But how about the tricks of the trade as it relates to the platform itself?

Yeah, I would say for me, one of the biggest things is because TikTok happens very quickly. You're watching a video, the videos have gotten longer over the past year, but still my experience still stick to around the 20 to 30 second range and they happen fast. And you can just swipe onto the next one is try to really get to the point quickly. So don't drag it on. If you're trying to make a point, it might be able to be made in 15 to 20 seconds and that's all you need. And then also minimize all of, you know, any extra distractions because it happens so fast to have so many things going on at once where you're trying to talk, you have the sounds of whatever you're baking. Maybe you have a music, a song that has lyrics in it. There's. It's too much stimulation. So to really focus on, okay, if I'm doing a voiceover, I'm never going to include a song that has any lyrics to it. Something that's a little bit softer, something that's just instrumental, maybe even sometimes don't have music at all if I want the sounds of the baking to be in it. So really trying to minimize all of those extra things so that the point that you're trying to make is really the focus.

I'm curious being this far into it in applying that equation of creator success, have you gotten to the point where people are starting to reach out and say, hey, we are a chocolate chip company and we would like to work with you when you do your next video on different baking temperatures or have you had any kind of sponsor content stuff being a year in now and what has happened like, yeah, in the.

Past couple of months especially, I've had different brands reach out, which is exciting thing for me to have communication from these brands that I've been using and baking with for so long, because those are the ones that I really like to work with. Something that I've already been using. And then they reach out and say, hey, you know, would you be interested in featuring us in your next post? Whether it's a recipe or an explanation, whatever it is.

Yeah. And that's been within the last couple months. Have you had any sponsored content deals yet? Or getting to that point? And I Think one of the things for people who are early stages, and it's really fun to hear you do all this within a year. It's both exciting and also a little intimidating to get to the point where somebody's like, hey, we want to partner with you and pay you money to produce content. And it's suddenly like, well, this is legit. And like, you are now an influencer. Not that people aren't influencers unless they do sponsored content, but it just. It's a pretty clear marker in the journey of a content creator who. At least somebody who's interested in creating some level of business around it. But how did you. How did you navigate that? Is it kind of like you go into Google mode and research, what did that look like as those first deals started to look like they might be potential realities?

Yeah, definitely. I mean, doing research into what it's all about, because I'm still relatively new and I'm still learning things, so researching as much as I can, talking to people that are more established, especially in the baking and cooking, you know, creation world, and seeing what their experience has been. Learning as much as I can from them.

Yeah.

Yeah. I been very fortunate to have some deals over the past few months and brands and, you know, post stuff.

Yeah.

Between their products.

What were. What were some of the brands that, that you worked with?

Yeah, so I've worked with Made In. They make, you know, amazing cookware and bakeware Plugra recently for their butter is, you know, again, that's. I've been using it for years.

So when it's the best, when you have a deal where that aligns. Yeah, right. Yep. And did they reach out to you or did you reach out to them? They.

They reached out to me.

Yeah.

So that.

Through a. Like a DM in TikTok.

Yeah. So it's. That actually started with a DM and Instagram and then transferred over email and then a phone call from there. And.

Yeah, what I. What I love about your story here is that it. All of this is within a year. And I think that that's not always the case. A lot of times there's a. There's a grind that has to happen. You know, I think for us it was really like two or three years and this was early on, like 2010, sort of been 2012, 2013. We're like, wait a minute. Like, this is something that if we want to and if we're intentional about it and really think through it, this could build into a career. And the same is true for you. Like you have all the things that you need to start to put together these elements to say, you know what, this could potentially be a career. And you know, similar to us, Lindsey was a teacher. I worked at a nonprofit. Like that's a really big deal. That's a really cool thing to be able to kind of fold that into your what, who you are and what you do. This is really early in that process. But do you have thoughts around like, hey, if I continue to do this for two years, three years, this maybe could be what I'm doing full time. Or you like, you know what, teaching is core part of who I do, who I am and what I do. That would never be something that I would like leave my job to do this or it's still too early to even talk about that I think it's.

Still too early to even talk about. I mean, I really, really love teaching and especially teaching math. So that's not something that I really envision leaving. This is another thing. Baking is something that I really enjoy. So I love to, to be able to do both and to use the background that I have in teaching to explain different baking elements or on the other hand, bring different baking elements into the way that I teach math.

Yeah, it's a great, yeah.

Find that, crossover both ways.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's great. So how about this? Any tips, advice or inspiration that you'd give somebody who's early stages, maybe just as a creator, but also within TikTok as a platform for somebody who's kind of tiptoeing into TikTok and saying like, I don't know if I want to do this, I'm a little bit hesitant about it. Any, any words of wisdom or insight that you'd give to people?

Yeah, I would say try, try different things out especially. I mean, unless you already have the idea of this is what I want to focus on and I know right away this is going to be, you know, this is why people are going to follow me, try a few different things out, see, see what sticks and then don't necessarily feel obligated to continue doing exactly that, but find different ways to. Then as you create different pieces now, you kind of start to realize, okay, well this is actually what I really like to do. This is what I have the most experience with. This is what I feel like I can share. So then, you know, move your focus that way. But early on, try, try different things out.

Yeah, that's great. Iterate test. Don't be afraid to press, publish. See how it goes. Remember when TikTok was musically, um. And Gary Vaynerchuk, you maybe know Gary Vaynerchuk. I feel like, okay, there's a. I feel like if you're a creator in the world, there's like a 90% chance you've come across his content whether you like it or not. But I remember looking, pulling it up and seeing like he was using it, but it was just like experimental. Like, it wasn't like he was producing content. It was like recording a video in a conference room and being like, hey, making a musical. Ly video. How does this thing work? Like, I don't remember exactly what it was, but it's like, oh, that's a huge part of it is just pulling it up, pressing buttons, seeing how it works, being light on your feet, pressing publish on something, seeing how that works, iterating. So I love that that's the advice that you give for anybody who's looking into it. My second piece of advice for them would be once you do pull it up to go ahead and follow what you're doing. So that's a. That's a little transition into a plug for. For you to talk a little about. About where people can find you.

Yeah. So I'm on TikTok and Instagram right now. Benjamin the baker and I. Yeah, I try to share different explanations, different visuals, sometimes recipes, whether they're traditional recipes or something, you know, a little bit crazier or a tip that I've learned from working in different bakeries.

Cool.

Yeah, Most all bacon related.

That's awesome. And it's been fun for me to check it out. I know that we'll do that again. So, Benjamin, thanks so much for coming on the podcast. Really fun to chat.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.