TikTok is one of the best platforms for growing a business. With over 15 million daily users, this app can bring you viral fame and help improve brand awareness. Unfortunately, these millions of TikTokers are not only your potential audience. They are your competitors, too.
Discovering how to grow your TikTok followers can be overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting. Thousands of strategies about how to get more views on TikTok exist. However, not many tell you the most important thing, which is increasing your audience effectively.
Lucky for you, we researched the best ways to grow on TikTok this year and compiled them into this helpful guide. Read on to find out how to grow your TikTok followers overnight!
If you want to get a piece of this success pie, you’ll need to have a decent number of people in your audience. And here’s how to get followers on TikTok, keep them coming back for more, and grow your fanbase even bigger. Whether you are a small business or an international brand, these tips work both ways.
1. Define your target audience
Contrary to popular misconception, TikTok is not an app only for kids. It’s true, over 47% of its audience is between 10 and 29 years old, in the US alone. However, the other demographics are on the rise. For instance, between June 2020 and May 2021, the 40-49 years-old demographic increased by 7%. So, you have an expanding market to use for both commercial and influencer purposes.
Take the time to research your audience and see what type of content it favors the most. If you already have a profile on other social platforms, check the demographic majority in those audiences. This way, you can understand better how to tweak your content to grow your TikTok followers.
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For example, your audience for cooking tutorials may consist of hospitality professionals on LinkedIn, readers on Facebook, and beginner cooks on TikTok. Once you pin down your audience, research the competition, and observe their most successful content. Lastly, brainstorm some ideas to create original tiktoks for your profile.
Make a good first impression
At first, TikTok allowed its users to create only 15-second videos. As of July 2021, you can make videos up to 3 minutes long. This new feature is a good omen for long-pitch marketers. However, some estimate that the ideal TikTok video length will remain on average around 15-20 seconds.
With this in mind, you should create catchy content that grips the viewers’ attention from the get-go. With TikTok, you don’t have time for intros with fancy logos. You have to impress and make users crave more of your content. And, if you’re videos have high-quality, you can grow on TikTok faster than you’d expect.
2. Focus on branding consistency
One of the unwritten rules of social media is that consistent and on-trend content builds a long-term audience. TikTok is one of the newest members of the social media family, but it works mostly by the same principles as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
As of 2021, TikTok has reached the milestone of 1 million views per day. With a plethora of videos uploaded to the platform every day, it is difficult to get many views for your content. However, it is not impossible.
You have to reach a high level of brand consistency to understand how to grow your TikTok following. Most TikTok beginners have a difficult time achieving it. That’s because the content variety on the platform is overwhelming. Like many of them, you will want to do a bit of everything, including lip-syncing, dancing to music, and comedy skits.
Since you have already studied your audience, you should already know the type of content they prefer. If you like creating it, then start producing it, too. And, once you experience success with one kind of content, you stick to it. Too much variety or switching back and forth between content types could decimate your audience.
Lastly, another factor to building a consistent brand on TikTok is your posting behavior. You will have to upload your videos at the same time every day. Otherwise, you may lose crucial views from loyal followers who don’t get their content fix regularly.
Posting videos every day doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to create content daily. You can shoot several videos on the same day, and spread them evenly throughout the week. This way, you will have more time to read your profile analytics and look for new ways of how to get more views on TikTok.
3. Stay on track with trends
Being popular on TikTok is all about being trendy. Simply put, when a new flavor of the week comes out, you have to incorporate it into your videos somehow. Here are three ways to do it:
Hashtags
The hashtag is a generally helpful tool on TikTok and all social media channels. It enables you to discover new audience segments and allows other users to find out about your profile for the first time. Above all, it keeps you on the popularity train running through the “For You” feed.
One of the easiest ways of using hashtags is including the most popular hashtags that are also relevant for your content. Copy it into your video’s description before publishing, sit back, and watch the views come in. Hopefully, with them, you get to grow your TikTok audience as well.
Here are some helpful guidelines on how to use hashtags on TikTok:
- Look for popular hashtags using the “Discover” button.
- Check the number of views for each hashtag.
- Add between 2 and 4 hashtags to each video.
- Renew your hashtags according to their popularity and relevancy.
- Use one or two popular hashtags and one less popular but relevant to your content, too.
Add branded hashtags as well – this way, it will be easier to find videos related to your business. And not only the videos made by you – if you create a challenge, people can add your hashtag to their videos so you can identify them among the sea of other videos tagged #tiktok #viral #follow and other common keywords.
Sounds
Today’s TikTok is a merger between two other apps, Douyin (TikTok’s name in China) and Musical.ly. The latter used to be a social media app for lip-sync videos. We can now see why the lip-syncing content is so popular on TikTok. Also, we can understand why sound is a fundamental success factor for TikTok videos.
Look for the most popular sounds on TikTok. They may vary from short jingles to brief sound effects. Then, incorporate them into your videos. More importantly, they don’t have to make sense. They only need to be in line with the latest sound trends on TikTok.
Challenges
TikTok challenges are fun and highly engaging. Also, they provide an easy route if you want to know how to grow your TikTok account fast.
Find the most popular challenges on TikTok and hop on their wagon while the trend lasts. Create a challenge video of your own. And, don’t worry. Most of them should be doable.
The TikTok algorithm works by showing you similar content to the videos you have watched so far. Therefore, it is unlikely you will stumble upon irrelevant challenges for your brand consistency.
Lastly, you should try to balance trend-imitations with unique creations in your content. In other words, it’s okay to replicate some of the popular sounds, hashtags, and challenges in your videos. However, you should also be bold enough to upload your own ideas. After all, if you want more followers, you should aim to be more of a trend-setter and less of a trend follower.
4. Run giveaways & contests
If you are wondering how to get more TikTok followers, you cannot look any further than contests and giveaways. A TikTok giveaway enables you to give prizes to users for free as long as they contribute to your posts with likes, comments, or tags. In return, you can build brand awareness on TikTok and increase your audience almost effortlessly.
For instance, you can ask users to tag their friends when commenting on less than one of your latest videos. In exchange for their input, they will enter a draw for a generic prize. The winner may get anything from a signed book, a customized t-shirt, or a discount for a particular service.
Contests and giveaways on TikTok are win-win tools. Firstly, you may attract new followers from the users’ tags. On the other hand, you build follower loyalty for those taking part in these challenges, and especially for the winner.
If you don’t know how to organize a TikTok giveaway, just take a look at Woorise, a top-notch giveaway tool that will help you set up and track your TikTok giveaways. It is easy to use and provides you with multiple social actions to increase user engagement easily.
Running your own TikTok contest or giveaway with Woorise helps you build a stronger bond with your audience. In the long-term, you should attract followers faster and engage easier with them.
5. Post cool videos
It may seem very obvious, but there it is – you need to create cool videos that have the potential to go viral. If it is a staged piece, make sure the plot is not dull and repetitive. Make sure your lines are on point, and it is clear for the audience what’s happening. If you record authentic videos, take care of their length as well. For challenges, there is only one tip – repeat what’s needed and, optionally, add a personal twist.
On TikTok, you don’t really need to have impeccable video editing skills and complex editing apps. Internal tools are almost always enough, but if you look for more original ideas, you can rely on external services like Fastreel Video Editor, Kapwing, or Canva’s video editor.
Getting a lot of followers is impossible without having great content. Here are some tricks that will help you get better at shooting and editing videos.
Types of Videos
The secret for making your audience stay with you and come back for more is to diversify your content. Making the same type of videos may be suitable for one-focus themed accounts – humorous, educating, etc. – but for a business TikTok account, it will be better to provide the audience with various content types:
- Promotional clips
- Short how-to guides and lifehacks
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Product launch teasers
- Events coverage
Promotional Clips
Use the opportunity to tell your followers about your products or services with the help of short dynamic clips. Show off their best features and advantages over similar services.
How-to Guides and Lifehacks
Teach your audience how to use your products – goods, programs, online tools – and do it in a quick 60-second clip. You can even dedicate a special segment and post various video instructions weekly.
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Exclusive shots from your workplace can really boost your views count. Show the people behind that awesome product of yours, your daily life, and sneak a peek into your corporate events.
Product Launch Teasers
Announce new products via short clips that reveal just enough information for your audience to get interested and wait in anticipation for the actual release.
Events Coverage
If one of your colleagues takes part in a conference, either as a guest speaker or as a listener, it will be worth mentioning. You can post about the most interesting events, do full coverage, or add short interviews.
Ideas for Inspiration
It may be difficult to come up with fresh ideas for new content. To get some inspiration, you can check out popular challenges, your followers’ publications, or even your competitors’. Here are some TikTok tips that will come in handy if you’re stuck:
- Run a giveaway among your followers. It can involve completing a challenge, creating something (a video or a collage), or even going on a treasure hunt. It depends only on your imagination.
- Engage with UGC (user-generated content). Sometimes you can find real gems that you can share with the rest of your community.
- Visit events that your target audience regularly goes to. Get in touch with your followers in real life – invite them to demos or interviews – and then tell others about it.
How the Pros Do It
TikTok became the starting point for many and many of today’s influencers. Brands and businesses, however, are still new to this. Let’s take a look at those who excelled in their short video promotion and know how to get followers on TikTok.
- Chipotle varies its content from mouth-watering recipes to funny sketches and has a lot to offer when it comes to puns. Their bio says “Less Tok, More Guac,” and their Halloween #boorito challenge hit four billion views.
- ESPN is on top of covering sports events both on television and on TikTok. They post funny compilations featuring sports stars, and of course, fans from all over the USA. Their key to success is using trending songs that reflect the content of videos.
- Crocs gets creative and uses every possible type of video, including collaborations with other brands and superstars, funny animal clips, and good old advertising.
- San Diego Zoo’s account posts only what the vast majority of people love – cute animals. They educate their audience about endangered species, share interesting facts, and just overwhelm the feed with cuteness.
6. Create high-quality videos
Video quality standards are high on TikTok. A brilliant idea for a TikTok video will not attract too many followers if you record it with the wrong filing equipment. The result will most likely be a poor-quality video that users will quickly scroll over and never share.
So, before your start your TikTok career, you may want to check your recording gear. Here are a few tips on how to shoot high-quality TikTok videos:
Choose a top camera
Like most TikTok users, you probably use your smartphone to shoot TikTok clips. If so, you may want to opt for one of the latest smartphone models from your brand of choice. Look for a top-quality camera that will produce similar videos.
Don’t forget the lights off!
Lighting makes all the difference between a poor-quality video and a viral, share-worthy TikTok clip. If you want to take your videos to the next level, you should consider investing in lighting bulbs, LED strip lights, and selfie lights.
Use a background
TikTok backgrounds have a powerful effect on viewers. For once, it makes your videos more engaging. Also, if you use the same background of all clips, you may enhance your brand consistency in the long run. Choose any kind of background you want as long as it is relevant to your content. You can use a physical one or implement it later through post-production software.
Use video editing software
Popular TikTok videos rarely come out perfect on the first take. More than often, you have to apply small changes in post-production. That’s why investing in a video editing app like InShot can help you produce better quality videos.
These small investments will pay well in the long run. Uploading high-quality content regularly can help you grow your TikTok account faster and more effectively.
7. Define the best posting times
When TikTok users choose to follow your account, they do so because they expect more content of the same quality and style. When you fail to deliver, they will un-follow you quickly and, most likely, never choose to follow you back.
After you find out how to grow your TikTok followers, you must try your best to keep them following your profile.
The best way to do so is by posting frequently. An exact frequency for uploading TikTok videos does not exist. It differs from one account to another, and what works for some may not work for you.
Post regularly
Provide your followers with new content on a regular basis. TikTok has a visible advantage over YouTube because short videos require less time to shoot and edit, while you need high-quality content for the biggest video-hosting site.
Posting several TikToks a day may be too much, but posting videos every other day seems like a reasonable choice. You can create them in advance and have a content plan for when to post what. You should also try to make yourself consistent with whatever you are posting.
The best way to build your network is by creating something daily, consistently. When you do so, you will be able to get more fans as you continuously update your page with fresh and useful content. When you have hundreds of followers already, you will be able to generate a significant amount of income from the social media platform.
How to see your TikTok analytics
Another way to treat your audience deservedly is by posting when your followers are most likely to be online, also known as peak hours. Again, the peak hours for posting TikTok videos differ between accounts and depend on many factors, such as demographics, time zones, and content type.
You can find out the peak hours for your profile by switching to a Pro Account. Then, you go to your Analytics section and discover all the relevant data about your relationship with your followers.
Once you find out the time when your audience shows up on TikTok, you can tweak your posting schedule to accommodate it. This tactic should help you grow your TikTok followers steadily.
8. Cross-promote on other social platforms
It might seem strange, but you can learn how to grow your TikTok followers by not using TikTok all the time. This works by posting your TikTok videos on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
Let’s face it! Not everyone uses TikTok. In fact, according to Statista, TikTok is only seventh in the table of social media platforms with the most users. TikTok has only roughly 732 million users compared to Instagram 2.2 billion users and Facebook’s user base of nearly 3 billion people.
If you want to grow your TikTok audience, you will have to snatch new users from the other social media networks. This tactic is also known as cross-promotion, and it can be very effective in building a loyal following. After all, if users go through the effort of downloading and installing TikTok just to see more of your videos, they will not disappear that quickly.
There you have it, 7 powerful tips on how to grow your TikTok followers this year. As you discover how to use the app to your advantage, you will find new ways to build a solid audience and attract more customers.
9. Make the profile look stunning
An attractive profile gives you extra points in the eyes of potential followers. When a user clicks on your name, they will see your profile picture, short bio, and the content you posted. There’s not much you can do with it, but you can try your best.
For a company account, it’s better to use your corporate logo for the main picture and place a link to your official website. It’s also beneficial to describe what you do and where your office or shop is located. The grid will depend on the videos you create, so we’ll talk about it a bit later.
10. Collaborate with popular TikTokers
Working with influencers is a good idea because they definitely know how to get followers on TikTok. Interestingly, Instagram celebrities may not pop on TikTok and have the same massive subscription base as they have there. You may want to aim for collaborations with native TikTok stars.
TikTok Creator Marketplace will help you find the right people for advertising your business. You can reach out to those influencers who have a similar target audience and promotion style and fit the values that your brand transmits.
11. Promote your TikTok profile
Promoting videos and your account in common can be challenging for a beginning TikToker. As this platform becomes more and more popular, you are going to have many competitors, so it would be best if you thought about how to improve the visibility of your content. Here, we have collected a few tips for you.
Keep your eye on TikTok analytics
This tool can help you figure out what kind of content is more popular among your audience, how people react to your videos, and how popular your profile is. TikTok Analytics is based on your profile information, your audience, and your content.
The service collects and analyzes the data about views, likes, and comments, about users’ behavior, and your profile metrics. With the help of this tool, you can create a strategy and a content plan that will suit you best.
Develop your style
The unique style of videos can be the thing that catches a user’s eye and makes them watch a video to the end and then subscribe to you. The visual part of your content plays an essential role in promoting this content.
There is no need to create an entirely new concept; you can take different ideas from the most successful tiktokers and create your own style based on those ideas.
Interact with your audience
When your followers comment on your videos, they are interested in interacting with you. If you respond to them, make a small conversation, and thank them for their opinion and attention, you can better connect with your audience.
Also, it can help you to create an impression of your presence, and this is valuable as viewers visit your profile not only to watch your videos but also to communicate with a person that is interesting to them.
Be in trend
It often happens that some videos become extremely popular among users or simply – viral. People start making and watching videos similar to this one; it becomes a trend. If you are looking for popularity, it is vital to pay attention to such trends.
Your chances to get more views, likes, and subscribers increase if you are making content that is the most viewed these days. Do not forget that trends are changing quickly nowadays, and you have to fit in as soon as a new one appears.
The reasons for TikTok success
TikTok wouldn’t become so popular around the world if not for several things that make it unique. These things are also the reasons for the success of the most popular TikTok influencers. Keep them in mind if you want to use TikTok promotion as a part of your marketing campaign.
Short videos
TikTok is famous for short funny videos. Our attention span is getting shorter and shorter, so we go for shorter content more willingly, and preferably, it should be visual content.
The amount of information you can find online is enormous, and in order not to waste your time on hour-long videos, we are inclined to dynamic bite-sized clips. If you can stack all the information into a 60-second video and still make it entertaining, educating, and useful, you’re on the right track.
Young audience
TikTok found its niche with youngsters. Just think about it: according to Oberlo, 62% of US users are aged between 10 and 29. The prevalence of younger audiences is connected with their background. The so-called Generation Z kids were practically born with smartphones in their hands and definitely know their way around the technology.
TikTok gave them an opportunity for self-expression, and they took it. Not only do they consume large amounts of content, but they also produce relatively the same portion themselves.
Opportunities for monetization
Last but not least, the reason for the app’s snowballing success is also its ability to help you earn money from making videos. You can either join the TikTok for Business program and place advertisements or become a member of TikTok Creator Marketplace.
The latter is a longer path, as you need to grow your audience up to 100,000 subscribers, have 100,000 views in the last 30 days, and be over 18 years old.
Final say
Getting a large following does not mean that you are going to make more sales overnight, but it is an easy way of building a network that will always support and love your company.
If you look at the history of a website or a company, you will notice that most successful companies or organizations had a steady following of people. The reason is that they regularly update their content and keep their social media active.
So if you want to go viral, it is very important that you do the same thing. Instead of wasting your time posting useless and non-essential information on social networks, go ahead and go viral by creating educating, entertaining, and purposeful content on TikTok.
