TikTok is growing rapidly as a social media platform, driven by the popularity of short-form videos. Both brands and creators are finding opportunities to go viral and expand their reach. However, effective TikTok marketing and actionable strategies are essential to growing your follower base and maximizing your potential for viral success.
This guide covers 17 ways to increase your TikTok followers, helping you start creating content that engages your audience right away.
Importance of Follower Growth on TikTok
TikTok’s home screen features two distinct feeds: “Following” and “For You.” The “For You” page is controlled by TikTok’s algorithm, while the “Following” feed displays content from accounts users have chosen to follow. Having more followers increases the likelihood of your videos appearing in more Following feeds, and many users switch between the two feeds frequently.
While getting content on the “For You” page is beneficial, ensuring your videos are seen by followers can also boost engagement and contribute to viral success. TikTok’s unique feed for followers makes them more valuable than on other platforms. Growing your followers helps you build an engaged audience of TikTok users.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience is crucial for growing your TikTok following. Start by examining competitors and influencers in your industry. Analyze the types of content they post and take note of the most popular videos. Use these insights to develop your own unique ideas.
Review the content you’ve posted on other platforms. While TikTok content may differ, identifying common trends or successful ideas can guide your approach.
Revisit your customer persona to refresh your understanding of their likes and dislikes. Consider what they would enjoy seeing on TikTok.
Expect some trial and error. Experiment with various types of videos to find what resonates with your audience.
2. Pay Attention to Trends
Trends are a significant aspect of TikTok. Videos often follow similar formats or use the same sound clips because they are trending. Create content that aligns with these trends and makes sense for your business.
Consume a lot of TikTok content to discover popular trends, challenges, and sound bytes. The “Search” section of the TikTok app also highlights trending news and topics that might inspire your content.
Draw inspiration from current events and trending topics. For instance, in 2023, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour became a major cultural moment. Sparta Candle Co., a small business, created a Taylor Swift-inspired soap called “Afterglow” and shared a video about it. The video went viral, and within two days, the soap became their best-selling product. Leveraging trends can significantly impact your content, especially for small businesses.
3. Create a TikTok Challenge
TikTok is well-known for its video challenges, such as dances and dares. As you scroll through TikTok, you’ll likely see various challenges. Consider whether any would work for your brand or create your own TikTok challenge.
There are two main types of challenges: branded challenges and community challenges.
A branded challenge is created and promoted by a brand, often with a hashtag to increase visibility. For example, MoonPie launched the #MoonPieChallenge with their first TikTok video, following up with more challenge-related content. This challenge became one of their most popular videos and served as a strong introduction to their TikTok presence.
Community challenges, often created by popular TikTokers, are another option for brands to participate in. One example is the “10 Dip Makeup Challenge,” where makeup artists apply makeup using 10 dips or drops of each product. Makeup brands can join in by creating their version of the challenge using their products. Keep an eye out for challenges that align with your brand’s identity.
4. Include the Right Hashtags
Hashtags on TikTok help users discover your content, similar to Instagram and Twitter. It’s essential to use relevant hashtags, avoiding the temptation to tag all trending ones unless they relate to your post. Using irrelevant hashtags can make your content look spammy.
Start by typing in relevant hashtags while creating your caption to see how many views they get. Including popular hashtags like #fyp or #foryou can also help expand your content’s reach, though their impact on placement isn’t confirmed.
5. Publish TikTok Videos at the Right Times
Posting at the right time can maximize your video’s reach. Check your TikTok analytics by accessing your business or creator tools and viewing the Followers tab. Scroll down to find Follower activity, where you can see when your followers are most active. Posting just before the peak activity time on a given day can yield the best results.
Keep a log of when you’ve posted content to test different times and determine what works best for your brand.
6. Leverage Music and Trending Songs
Incorporating popular sound bites in your TikTok videos can capture attention quickly. Various music clips, songs, and audio snippets are frequently reused for similar types of videos, enhancing your video’s performance.
For example, Scrub Daddy used a popular sound and video overlay to create a humorous video. To discover trending sound clips, regularly consume TikTok content and pay attention to what popular TikTokers and other brands are sharing. Find ways to integrate trending songs into your content to engage your audience.
7. Add Closed Caption Text to Your Videos for Accessibility
Social media accessibility is crucial. This includes adding alt text to images and captions to videos. TikTok makes it easy to implement captions. You can automatically enable captions (just be sure to edit them for accuracy) or add your own closed caption text overlay.
Many brands use a combination of both, adding text overlays for additional context while also including closed captions to display what’s being said in the video.
8. Share User-Generated Content
If users mention your brand on TikTok or share industry-related videos, ask if you can share their content while giving full credit. Tag the original creator in your caption.
For instance, online plant store The Sill re-shared a video of a customer unboxing one of their plants. This approach helps spread the word about their service, showcase satisfied customers, and give potential customers an idea of what to expect when ordering.
9. Use the Right Hashtags and Create Engaging Captions
As with most social platforms, captions and hashtags play a significant role in your content’s success. TikTok hashtags can increase your video’s reach, while captions can provide context, add humor, or offer educational insights.
Visme demonstrated this by using a caption to share four tips that complemented the video content. Tools like TikTok Hashtags can help you find hashtag ideas, or you can start typing hashtags in the caption box and see what the app suggests.
10. Create TikTok Stories
TikTok now features stories, similar to other social media apps. TikTok stories are 15-second video clips that stay on your feed for 24 hours. They appear as the first video in your feed with a “Story” banner to distinguish them from traditional videos.
Use TikTok stories to share behind-the-scenes content or other material that doesn’t fit your main strategy but is still worth sharing. Since this feature is relatively new, using it consistently can help you stand out from the competition.
11. Collaborate with TikTok Influencers and Creators
Influencer marketing thrives on Instagram and works just as effectively on TikTok. With many users gaining fame on the platform, partnering with influencers is an excellent way to promote your business.
Take TikToker Jeremy Culhane as an example. He created a video for Crocs in his signature style—humorous with random photo montages. The video feels natural while still serving as a marketing tool.
This video appears on Crocs’ profile, and by featuring a popular TikToker, it captures the attention of Jeremy’s fans who are more likely to watch the brand’s video. Often, influencer partnerships also involve posting the video on the influencer’s page, which can significantly expand the brand’s reach.
Keep in mind that partnering with TikTok influencers involves costs. Depending on your marketing budget, consider starting with micro-influencers who have a highly engaged audience on TikTok.
12. Develop a Multi-Part Video Series
Engage your audience by creating a multi-part video series, especially if a previous series has gained popularity. For example, Shopify has produced a series of videos called “hot tools you need to know about,” with each video focusing on a single tool. This format allows for easy content creation while keeping your audience informed.
Get creative with this approach. If a funny video you posted receives positive feedback or comments asking for more, continue the series. Reply to comments by adding additional parts, linking the videos together to maintain engagement.
13. Promote Your TikTok Videos Across Platforms
Let your followers on other social media channels know that you’re on TikTok. Many of them may not be aware of your TikTok presence, so it’s helpful to cross-promote your videos on other platforms.
Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms have their versions of short-form video content, making them ideal for repurposing TikTok videos. You can save videos from TikTok, complete with your handle and logo, and upload them to Instagram or Twitter, making it easy for followers to find you on TikTok.
Keep in mind that some platforms, like Instagram Reels, discourage reposted watermarked videos, so you may need to upload the original video or edit it accordingly. YouTube Shorts allows TikTok watermarked videos, but they cannot be monetized.
14. Engage Your Audience with TikTok Features
Increase your TikTok visibility by engaging with other users’ content. Like, comment, and use the Stitch or Duet features to interact with videos.
Stitching allows you to add your own video to the end of another user’s clip, perfect for adding commentary or additional content. Dueting places your video side by side with another user’s, enabling you to react or complement the original content.
Focus on stitching or dueting videos that are closely related to your brand. Additionally, like and comment on content created by your target audience to draw their attention.
Utilize Sprout Social’s TikTok integration to schedule your video content, especially when creating videos in bulk.
15. Include CTAs in Your Videos
Encourage more followers by incorporating calls-to-action (CTAs) at the end of your videos. A simple text overlay asking viewers to visit your profile, check out similar videos, or follow you can be effective, as seen in examples from brands like Taco Bell.
While including a CTA in every video might not be ideal, using them occasionally – particularly in a video series or multi-part video – can be beneficial. A text sticker saying, “Follow us to catch part two!” can guide viewers to your profile for more content.
Gain More TikTok Followers Today
Ready to start growing your TikTok following? Begin by gathering inspiration from successful brands on the platform. TikTok offers a powerful opportunity to boost brand awareness and drive revenue. Make the most of what this platform has to offer.
