In June, Taxgirl wrote a story referencing a bad tax take on TikTok. It was a case of tax advice going viral for all the wrong reasons, and a lack of understanding of tax basics. Shortly after publishing the story, Taxgirl received a message from Duke Moore, who wrote, “TikTok generally gets a bad rep for misinformation, but I, on the other hand, use the platform to educate others about taxes in a concise and entertaining manner.”

Misinformation can spread easily on social media, so tax professionals are using their viral platforms to teach users the basics.

On today’s episode of the Taxgirl podcast, Kelly is joined by Duke Moore to talk about using social media to share tax basics in a helpful, educational, and positive way. Duke is an Enrolled Agent in Dallas, Texas, who shares his passion for helping others navigate their taxes on TikTok. His account currently has a following of 2.7 million and is growing every day.

Listen to Kelly and Duke talk about tax basics and social media:

• TikTok is one of the best ways to reach a huge audience; it’s a huge platform. While it can be great for entertainment, Duke says it’s also a great space for sharing educational tax information.
• How did Duke start his TikTok platform, and how did he grow his social media following so successfully? He had never thought about posting TikTok videos for his business until he heard others share how the platform helped their businesses grow. 
• What are the challenges that come with TikTok’s massive reach and engagement metrics?
• When it comes to sensitive or technical tax information online, how does Duke funnel his audience to a more secure, private space for further tax advice?
• What does Duke’s content planning strategy look like? Some of his videos are spontaneous, some cover trending topics (like various tax basics), and some answer questions his audience commonly asks.
• How does Duke balance his information delivery to include a general audience, while leaving room for nuance, exceptions, and special cases? A TikTok video is only 60 seconds long!
• What’s the landscape of the existing community of tax professionals on TikTok? Duke shares his experience learning and gaining more information on the platform, thanks to other professionals sharing their expertise.
• Duke utilizes live video sessions on TikTok to help answer some more nuanced questions, and he says lives also boost community engagement overall, which is key to growing a social media following. 
• What advice does Duke have for aspiring TikTok creators in the tax world? What would he have done differently knowing what he knows now? He says it’s important to be careful with your words, always be specific, and never overgeneralize, even with simple tax basics.
• Regarding spreading misinformation on TikTok, how does Duke respond to criticism of his videos? Duke emphasizes speaking slowly and with intention and detail, even though a TikTok video is only 60 seconds long. He even says, “You’re supposed to have haters.”
• Does Duke often experience negative pushback and racist comments as a Black man in the tax space? Does he feel pressure to be an “example” for Black men in the tax profession?
• Duke says his primary goal on TikTok is to “make taxes easy to understand,” and that’s what drives all his content. His audience grows because he makes the topic approachable.
• What other platforms does Duke use? Twitter and YouTube can be challenging to build an audience on, but they’re worth it in the long run.
• How does Duke balance managing his tax business and creating content on his TikTok platform? TikTok sends over 100 leads a day to his business, and he handles all the admin himself.
• Duke’s plans for creating free education resources for small business owners and entrepreneurs that want to learn all about taxes.
• Is it a challenge to separate personal and business social media, especially with Duke’s huge TikTok social media following? Duke says it’s all about authenticity; he wants people to know who they’re working with, so he doesn’t worry too much about separating the two. 

More about Kelly:

Kelly Phillips Erb created and hosts the Taxgirl podcast, your home for tax news, tax info, and tax policy. In each episode, she shares conversations about taxes, money, and the choices we make. Kelly is a tax attorney who works with taxpayers and tax practitioners like you every day. She helps folks out of tax jams, and hopefully, keeps others from getting into them.

You can find out more about Kelly here, and you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Kelly Phillips Erb created and hosts the Taxgirl podcast, your home for tax news, tax info, and tax policy. In each episode, she shares conversations about taxes, money, and the choices we make. Kelly is a tax attorney who works with taxpayers and tax practitioners like you every day. She helps folks out of tax jams, and hopefully, keeps others from getting into them.

You can find out more about Kelly here and you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin.

To subscribe to the podcast (it’s free!) using Apple, Spotify, or your favorite listening app, click here.

Links mentioned:

Kelly’s Website – Taxgirl
Duke Moore’s Social Media – TikTok | Instagram | Twitter