REPLAY: How To Use TikTok to Further Your Advocacy

TikTok allows its users to create short videos that are captivating, creative, and authentic. With over 14 million daily users, it has become a rapidly growing space for Patient Leaders hoping to share their chronic or terminal illness journey. On TikTok, Patient Leaders can create content about their experience, connect with others, and raise their voice.

TikTok is a newer form of social media and can feel overwhelming to get started on. In the workshop below, Social Health Network Patient Leader Ariana Covarrubias shares her expertise on getting started as a Patient Leader on TikTok.

Key takeaways:

• TikTok can be an excellent tool for raising awareness about your condition.
• Awareness can lead to more research funding, creating community, providing support, and spotlighting those with disabilities.
• You can create and edit on the TikTok app itself or use other apps like CapCut, iMovie, or InShot.
• Put your email in your bio so that people can contact you for media requests.
• Always respond to comments because it helps boost the video.
• Follow other content creators and encourage open discussion via your posts.

About Ariana

Ariana Covarrubias is a 21-year-old from Los Angeles. She is a model, advocate, and content creator. For the past 2 years, she has used modeling and her social media platforms as a way to raise awareness for her rare and life-threatening skin condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa (also known as EB).

EB is extremely rare, and it impacts Ariana's life in every aspect imaginable. She has created TikTok videos that have over 20 million views in total, raising awareness about EB. She started advocating as a way to show others in her community that looking different is okay and to encourage self-love. Showing the rawness of her chronic illness has allowed her to educate people in more ways than one and help those with EB to not feel isolated like she once felt.

Follow Ariana on TikTok @Fragileskinariana.