INTERVIEW with Diego Merayo, journalist at Cadena SER, where he presents the program “A vivir que son dos días” in Castilla y León. Furthermore, he is the creator of «I’ll tell you without spoilers«, one of the most popular accounts on TikTok in Spain and in which, every day, it offers series and movie recommendations from a unique and very personal point of view.
He has hundreds of thousands of followers on social networks, is part of the FORBES list of the 75 influencers of 2022 and won TikTok’s #FouYouFest award for Best New Content Creator in Entertainment. We spoke with him during the preparation of the book «Followers. Create your community of online followers”, which includes fragments of this interview. Now you can enjoy the full talk.
-When and how did you open your profile on TikTok? For what purpose?
During the 2020 confinement I began to receive many questions from my friends about what series or movies to watch. Back then there was more time to dedicate to the platforms and I was “the friend who watches a lot of series and movies”, so I started to think about what I could do to reach more people. Social networks are a very good way to achieve this.
A few months later I created Te Lo Cuento Sin Spoilers on all platforms. I started uploading a few videos on all of them and soon realized the reach of TikTok. But it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 when I started uploading a daily video to the platform with recommendations. Then I added the billboard, the monthly premieres… Little by little the profile evolved. Since that moment, I have not stopped uploading content for a single day. And what started as a hobby has become a profession.
– What have you achieved thanks to it? Did you ever imagine it?
Thanks to my profile on TikTok I have achieved many things that I did not imagine when I started. I have managed to improve my way of communicating, in front of a camera I had never done it before. In addition, I have managed to have a community with thousands of friends, I have been able to go to the San Sebastian Film Festival, I have gone to film and series previews and galas, I have appeared on the FORBES list of the 75 influencers of 2022 or I have received the TikTok’s #FouYouFest award for Best Breakthrough Content Creator in Entertainment chosen by the community. I would not have imagined any of this a few months ago and the best of all is that many more good things will surely come that I cannot imagine today and that excites me and encourages me to continue.
Do you think it is important to also have an account on other social networks such as Twitter, Instagram? Because?
I think that social platforms are a perfect showcase so that many people can find out what you do, therefore, I think it is very important to be present on all of them if you are a content creator, but it is also true that, when you are alone in this adventure , you carry everything yourself, the possibilities are what they are. It is difficult to be present at all of them and dedicate the time they require.
-Which ones do you have a presence in and why?
I’m on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, but I really create content for TikTok and reuse the material in the rest. I started in all of them at the same time, I dedicated the same efforts, but only on TikTok did I see good results and I began to feel comfortable on the platform, I like the community that the followers and I have been creating together, it is a safe space where I enjoy and where, in addition, a very important visibility of the work is obtained.
– What would be for you the keys to creating a community on TikTok?
I think the important thing to create a community on TikTok is to enjoy what you do and be yourself, show yourself as you are. It may seem like a cliché, but really, that’s how it is. That is transmitted. I try to show myself to the community as I would speak to my friends and my close environment. And, furthermore, I believe in what I do and I really like what I do. A good community is not always the largest, for me it is one that, regardless of its number, is a safe space, where both the creator and the followers enjoy, learn and want to re-enter.
– How is your relationship with your followers?
I think I have a very close relationship with them. At least that’s what I’m trying to do. I try to answer everyone, but there are times when it is not possible because a video floods with comments, but whenever I can I try to resolve their doubts, talk with them and debate, always with respect. I have fun exchanging messages with them and doing live shows.
-What feedback do you receive? How do you “take care of them”?
99.9% of what I receive is good or very good. They are congratulations, thanks because they say that “I help them choose a movie or series and not spend hours choosing”, they are interested in how I feel, it is like a great group of friends.
But not everything is idyllic either, there is also a small portion of people who arrive, usually after a viral video, who do not understand your way of creating content, do not feel satisfied with your recommendations or simply have a bad day and want to vent their anger on someone. Luckily, there are mechanisms on TikTok so that the creator and the rest of the community are in a safe space, filtering out certain comments or words that may be offensive.
-What advice would you give to someone starting to create their community on TikTok?
I think that the most important thing, if someone wants to create their community, is that they do so with the purpose of having fun and providing value to others. Don’t think about having millions of followers, earning thousands of euros, or retiring with this… If it comes later, even better, but if they start doing this it has to be because they want to enjoy what TikTok provides.
Also read the interview with Roberto Sánchez, director of “If it dawns we leave”, on Cadena SER
