VICDOC Winter 2022 - Magazine - Page 22
Fahad Khan
@fahad_teaches
—
83.3K followers
Dr Ray Boyapati
@dr.rayb
—
147K followers
Dr Ray Boyapati is a Melbourne-based
gastroenterologist and the founder of
MedEntry, a UCAT preparation provider.
In looking at how to market MedEntry’s
services to students, Dr Boyapati discovered
that his target market wasn’t on Facebook and
Instagram – they were mainly on TikTok.
Dr Boyapati’s content for his videos aims to
demystify the process of getting into medicine
and to provide more information for students
whilst also showcasing his own experiences as
a doctor.
“It just took off – I guess there was an appetite
out there for this knowledge and I didn’t
realise how strong that was until I started,”
Dr Boyapati said.
The feedback from students encouraged
Dr Boyapati to continue posting videos. By
increasing activity on the platform, he has
gained a large following.
“The main thing I learnt on TikTok
was that you had to either be educational,
entertaining or both. I felt like I was putting
out good educational content and then when
you go into trends you can start to be a little
entertaining – I certainly tried to provide a
little humor and so that combination has
really helped draw people in.”
Dr Boyapati admits he never used social
media until four years ago. However, he
now sees how important it is in creating a
connection with students and marketing
MedEntry.
“We’ve received such high traffic since using
TikTok and I think that’s one of the reasons
I keep posting – it’s great that my videos
hold some value to people out there.”
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AMA VI C TO RIA
Fahad Khan is a third-year medical student at
Western Sydney University who uses TikTok
to motivate and encourage others looking to
get into medicine. He was introduced to the
platform by his older brother, who also has a
large following. Camera-shy, Fahad said he was
initially wary of creating TikTok videos, but
realised its potential to reach more people.
“I was already very active in an online forum
called Med Students Online, so my brother
just told me to go for it and help people finally
put a face to the name,” Fahad said, adding
that it allows him to assist others in a way
that you can’t really do via text.
Coming from a background of socioeconomic disadvantage, Fahad aims to be a
“big brother” – providing resources to others in
similar situations break the cycle of poverty.
As Fahad progressed through his medical
journey, his content altered to meet his
followers needs, which he believes could be the
secret to gaining a large number of followers.
“When I first started posting I had year
12 followers, but then the next year they
moved to University, so then I started
posting University content.”
Fahad developed a close relationship with
his followers by replying to comments and
getting to know their own stories.
“It’s a really nice feeling when one of your
followers tells you they got into medical
school with the help of your TikToks –
it’s great motivation to continue
what I’m doing,” Fahad said.
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