@EverydaywithAudrey: Freshman Audrey Squires has gone viral on TikTok after posting a hair curling video and has gained a following and a love for video creating

After filming a “curl my hair with me” video for her TikTok account on Jan. 29, freshman Audrey Squires went viral, reaching over 4.2 million views and almost 450 thousand likes on her video. 

It wasn’t until Audrey woke up the next morning after posting the video on her account, @EverydaywithAudrey, that she noticed the video’s success. 

“I just remember being really surprised,” Audrey said. “I woke up and the video had around 100,000 views and throughout the day it kept getting more and more views. And then once every three weeks [the video] will get another 500,000 views, it’s just really crazy.”

Since the overnight success of her video, Audrey has gained 23,000 followers and a love for creating, editing and posting videos to her account.

As the video began gaining attention from users on TikTok, her friends and family were all shocked by Audrey’s success including her mom Katie Squires.

“When she told me, ‘Oh my gosh one of my videos is going viral!’ I was like ‘Oh really? That’s interesting!’ But I was honestly just excited for her,” Katie said. “She has always wanted to be an influencer from the time she was young, so I was surprised [when she told me] and just laughed it off.”  

Since posting her initial video, Audrey has gained knowledge about the logistical aspects of TikTok. She’s learned how the time of day she posts videos her audience enjoys affects how many views she may get. Through the account analytics available on the app, three in the afternoon is her ideal posting time for the maximum number of views. When looking through her account you will notice that the majority are posted from 3-6 p.m.

With her larger following, Audrey’s videos have begun receiving more views and interactions from her audience. Videos like skincare routines or helping her pick an Easter outfit have also gone viral, getting up to 400,000 views on her account.

When it comes to filming, Audrey enjoys creating videos she herself likes to watch — such as unboxing videos and daily vlogs. Her vlogs vary from clips throughout her day with her friend, sophomore Lila Elwood, or even heading to the post office to pick up a public relation package she’s received from brands ranging from athletic wear to sunglasses.

“When I hang out with Audrey, I sometimes help her film for her videos,” Lila said. “I was taking little bits and clips of our day the other day and then I texted them to her.” 

As Audrey’s account has grown, small businesses like Javy, Firmoo and Isopia have reached out and offered to send her packages and items from their companies for her to test out. According to Katie, she has helped Audrey set up a post office box as a safety precaution for the packages so random companies didn’t have the Squire’s home address. 

“It’s interesting because the companies really do listen,” Audrey said. “I have really bad migraines and I have had three companies reach out to me since I posted a video about my migraines, wanting to send me products that help them.”

Learning to balance the workload of her schoolwork and TikTok account, Audrey is excited for the summer so she can focus more on her account and watch it grow.

Getting the opportunity to have a platform on social media and a community of viewers has been eye opening for Audrey because she has realized how much she enjoys social media in general. 

“I was just at a conference over the weekend and I had girls messaging me saying that they saw me and were too nervous to say hi,” Audrey said. “So if you want to post on social media you should do it because there is nothing embarrassing around it.”