How to Grow on TikTok: Proven Strategies to Boost Followers and Increase Views

Short-form video continues to explode across social media, creating unimaginable opportunities to boost followers and increase views, especially on TikTok.

According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center, approximately one-third of all U.S. adults already utilize this platform, and that number continues to grow. With this bit of information, it’s no wonder that today’s marketers plan to spend more on TikTok than ever before.

If you aren’t already benefiting from your current TikTok strategy, it is time to consider what to do differently. And if you’re just getting started, you may need tips to help you get off to a fast start.

1. How to Grow Your TikTok Account Quickly

Two essential steps to grow your TikTok account quickly are optimizing your profile and leveraging trending sounds and hashtags.

Optimize your profile for maximum impact

Create a highly detailed bio for your TikTok account, so users can learn the most important things about you. Add links to your other social profiles and website; then end with a call to action. Also, include a high-resolution photo or an animated video avatar or logo.

Leverage trending sounds and hashtags

Trends dominate TikTok content, so spend time reviewing what is popular on the platform. Sounds, in particular, are a trending phenomenon, and so are hashtags.

Start by identifying and using trending hashtags to help users find you and your content. Be sure, however, to only choose the ones that are relevant to what you are sharing.

Next, identify and use the sounds and music that are trending. By doing so, you can boost your chances of getting in front of an already established audience and increase your visibility.

In research conducted by Kantar, 88% of users on TikTok say that sounds are essential to the overall experience on the platform. In addition, these trending sounds and music can increase your chances of going viral.

According to Gregory Galant, co-founder of the Shorty Awards, “A key element to the app’s success is the love of music by all age groups. The tie-in offers a fun twist that lends itself to new trends, memes, and challenges with a steady stream of new songs constantly being released; there’s always something new to do, a new dance, a new joke, etc.”

2. Strategies to Gain Your First 1,000 Followers on TikTok

If you are new to the platform, get off to a good start by incorporating the following strategies to gain your first 1,000 followers.

Create engaging and consistent content

Create content that speaks to your TikTok audience. Let it surprise and entertain them. Find a way to add a new twist on trending topics and make your content stand out. Find what types of TikTok content work for you and use that to your advantage.

Also, be consistent in the type of content you share, the personality that shines through, and how often you post. One example of content that will boost viewership is a content series. Users will return to see what comes next.

TikTok influencer Maayan Gordon takes it one step further, saying “Create a personality for your profile and content. Name that personality and create an entire profile describing how this personality thinks, behaves, and feels. Use this description whenever filming your content. Is your content sarcastic, edgy, dark, funny, or aloof? Make sure the personality shines through in your videos.”

Utilize TikTok challenges

Video challenges are highly popular on TikTok. Scan through several, and you’re likely to find various ones that appeal to you and your target audience. You can then do similar challenges if they make sense for your brand or you can get creative and come up with ones on your own.

Collaborate with other TikTok creators

TikTok influencers are plentiful, much like on Instagram. Seek out ones you like or believe could pair well with your brand and collaborate.

Simple ways to do so include the duet and stitch features. For a duet, you create a side-by-side video, and with the stitch technique, you clip scenes from another’s video and integrate these into your own creation.

Either way, you are essentially doing a remix of content – part yours and part someone else’s. According to the co-founder of GoMeta, Dmitry Shapiro, “What TikTok has really proven is that ‘remixing’… makes compelling content accessible to more people.” It also serves as a way to collaborate and gain followers.

3. Why Am I Not Growing on TikTok?

The most common mistake that can hinder your growth on TikTok is not knowing your audience. If you don’t have a clear grasp of who your target audience is, your approach will likely be too generic.

If you’re not growing on TikTok, do the following:

Analyze your content performance

It is essential that you understand what is going on when it comes to your content. To do this, pay close attention to TikTok analytics, which can help you gain perspective on which type of video is earning the most views and interactions. Best metrics to analyze include views, growth rate, average watch time, and which videos are trending.

Look at what other brands are doing

Look at what other brands on TikTok are doing to market themselves successfully and determine what can work for you.

Adjust your strategy

Take what you learn from your analytics and research and make changes to your strategy. Add more videos that are similar to the highest performers and let go of those that are not helping you grow your presence on the platform.

4. How to Increase Views on TikTok

Ways to increase views on TikTok include:

• Boost video visibility: Publish posts at the best times to increase views. Review your TikTok analytics and discover when followers are the most active. Use trending music and hashtags also.

• Focus on the first few seconds of each video: If your video doesn’t grab your audience’s attention within the first few seconds, you risk losing them. Look at some of the most popular videos already on TikTok and analyze what they are doing in those first seconds; then create something that will attract your particular audience.

• Engage with your audience to drive views: To entice more users to visit your profile on TikTok, spend time engaging elsewhere with other videos, including likes and comments. When your audience comments on your own videos, respond as much as possible.

5. Best Practices for Sustained Growth on TikTok

Understanding how to grow followers on TikTok can make your strategy easier to create and maintain. For sustained growth on TikTok, be sure to incorporate the following best practices.

Posting schedule and consistency

Post frequently and according to a schedule. Review the best times to post and also the behavior of your particular audience. When are they the most active? Also, remain consistent on when you post, so they know what to expect.

Build a loyal community

Focus on building a loyal community. Start by posting regularly and engaging with your audience as often as possible. Answer comments and provide more videos or live streaming that show you are listening to what your followers are saying.

Stay updated with TikTok’s algorithm changes and features

Stay updated to any changes to the TikTok algorithm, so you can adapt quickly if necessary. Also, when features change, get to know what these are and how you can benefit. The future of TikTok continues to evolve, so avoid staying stagnant when it comes to your strategy for this platform.

Grow Your Presence on TikTok With the Right Content

While participating in trending challenges and collaborating with other content creators can be major parts of your TikTok strategy, why not take it one step further by creating unique content for your audience? WriterAccess can help. Check out our 14-day free trial and get a feel for how it can benefit you.