Dr. Kim Chronister Social PR Secrets
Social Media, Social PR Secrets

78: Dr. Kim Chronister on Being a Social Media Famous Therapist

How do you become TikTok famous? Ask Beverly Hills Psychologist Dr. Kim Chronister with the hashtag #TikToktherapist. Her Social PR Secret behind becoming a social media star is being consistent, authentic, and adding value to what you share.

In this episode of the Social PR Secrets Podcast, host Lisa Buyer talks with Dr. Kim Chronister, a clinical psychologist who shares her knowledge and tips with her 170K  TikTok and Instagram followers. At her Beverly Hills practice, Dr. Kim Chronister specializes in adolescents, millennials individuals, and couples therapy. Online, she gives advice about dating, crushes, and breakup recovery. Additionally, her book Breakup Recovery: Get Your Ex Back or Get Over Them for Good is the inspiration for her TikToks. From doing your own PR to going viral, listen to this new episode to learn from Dr. Kim Chronister.

From YouTube to TikTok 

Dr. Kim Chronister started off as a clinical psychologist helping clients from her own practice. But years ago, she became inspired by YouTubers creating psychology-related videos. So she tried it out herself. The videos were long-form, took lots of production, and ended up distracting her from her work. It’s when she found out about TikTok in October 2019  Dr. Kim Chronister knew short-form was what would work for her. She focused on adding value to short and quick-paced videos and helping out others. In less than two weeks, she already had a following. 

Producing TikToks

Dr. Kim Chronister’s TikToks are interactive and engaging. She says the best way to become TikTok famous is to have your unique brand. People should be authentic and listening to their audience. She explains different things work for different people. For her, the best topics are the psychology of having a crush and dreams because her audience is mostly made up of adolescents. She advises making sure you enjoy a topic before making videos about it because people will request more TikToks on the subject. 

Dr. Kim Chronister keeps a list of requested topics. Once she decides what her next TikTok will be she researches it and brainstorms ideas. The next day, she makes sure she is in a positive mindset when creating a TikTok and avoids overthinking it. Using IMovie to make clean cuts, Dr. Kim Chronister advises getting rid of any vocalized pauses to keep a fast pace. When it comes to metrics, she looks at the percentage of like per views. Indeed, that allows her to see if people who follow her enjoy her content. She usually tries to reach at least 10%. While she also makes Instagram videos, Dr. Kim spends more time on producing TikTok content because she gets so much more feedback.

Doing Your Own PR

Initially, Dr. Kim Chronister got interested in PR to promote a book. She first hired a PR firm, which she considers a great investment. But once she realized she had to be more careful about money, she started doing her own promotion. She built relationships with writers for magazines and pitched herself as an expert voice. 

In terms of social advertising, Dr. Kim Chronister focuses on Facebook. For example, she gets reality celebrities to promote her books. On Instagram, she either boosts posts or focuses on certain demographics. When asked if social advertising is worth it, Dr. Kim Chronister explained almost always is in the long term. She explains while it is hard to get your money back when advertising a product you are selling for under $18, you are building a following will reward you later on. 

Should people be worried about TikTok’s privacy issues? How does one find their social media niche? What role should followers’ suggestions play in content-making? Listen to this new episode of Social PR Secrets to find out. 

“Overthinking puts us in a negative place” – Dr. Kim Chronister

Some topics discussed in this episode include:

  • Being successful on TikTok
  • Producing short-form videos
  • Coming up with your own brand
  • Clinical psychology 
  • Metrics on TikTok
  • Social media advertising

Contact Dr. Kim Chronister: 

References and Links Mentioned: