Follow influencers in your niche.
Let the popular accounts show you what people like. If you already know what you want your content to be about, start paying attention to what people are doing in the most popular videos. That gives you a great idea of what the people in your niche are into so you can tailor your videos to quickly reach the top. These accounts also give you a glimpse of the most popular hashtags in your niche and the best ways to present your content so it can really shine.
Look for patterns on your For You page.
Focus on trends that are relevant to your brand or image. Spend a little time on TikTok and you'll end up with a For You page (FYP) based on the videos that you watch and interact with the most. Through this page, you can also easily see what's taking your niche by storm so you can jump on trends quickly. Your For You page can also give you a good idea of the types of videos that are trending and how long they are so you can post accordingly. Check your For You page at different times of the day to get an idea of when and how these trends and patterns vary.
Use trending sounds and music.
Give people an easy way to find your content. The vast majority of TikTok users say that sound is a huge part of their TikTok experience. Sounds and music trend on the platform just like hashtags and challenges do. Users who enjoy a certain sound will watch video after video with different interpretations—one of those could be yours. Davis agrees that it really helps to "do some research and find out which songs/sounds are trending. Play it in the background of your videos, even if the sound is turned down. This makes it easier for people to find your video." For example, if you want to create a TikTok account focused on your dog, Cormack recommends that you look for "some trending sounds that are around dog content and you can find some inspiration... and apply it specifically to your dog."
Add relevant trending hashtags.
Make your content easy for potential followers to find. "I add 3 hashtags to each post," Davis advises. "Make them relevant to who you want to see the post/your target audience and also what is actually in the video/what it is about." While the right hashtags won't necessarily get you more followers, they can make your videos easier to find. Hashtags help users search for the videos they like—you might also think of them as labels that help you organize your content. Cormack agrees that using trending hashtags on TikTok is "one tactic that can help other people discover your videos," but cautions that "it's not the most important one. I would say using trending sounds is a better way to gain more followers than using hashtags."
Hop on popular challenges.
Build community while expanding your visibility. Challenges are a big part of the TikTok experience, and users will watch video after video of a challenge they enjoy—which makes it really easy to get extra eyes on your account by participating in a popular challenge. Even better if it's something that actually relates to your brand or personal aesthetic. For example, if you run a gymnastics school, you might participate in the challenges related to balance or flexibility. At the same time, Davis cautions that "you don't need to jump on every trend. Original content is always better!"
Play around with different types of content.
Keep throwing out different things until something sticks. Davis recommends "experimenting with different types of videos and topics to give your audience some variety. See what your audience reacts best to and what sticks." Even once you've got a hit, keep up the variety. "Whatever is your most popular topic, post about that most often," Davis confirms, "but you don't need to be singularly focused on one thing." You can still post a pretty wide variety of content while staying within the bounds of an overall theme or aesthetic. For example, if you have a cleantok, you could do unboxing videos showcasing your favorite products, how-to cleaning videos, reaction videos, and video replies to comments.
Vary the length of your videos.
Adapt the length to fit the content and keep viewers engaged. When TikTok started, videos were capped at 15 seconds long. The platform has since relaxed those restrictions, paving the way for you to upload videos that are up to 3 minutes long. But longer doesn't always mean better. Information-dense, educational content is far better suited to videos over 60 seconds long. The shortest videos are best for humor or quick demos. If you're doing a challenge, try to keep your video around the same length as other challenge videos
Create a unique 2- to 3-second hook.
Grab your viewers' attention quickly. The first couple of seconds of your TikTok video are crucial if you want to keep viewers watching your video—regardless of how long it ultimately is. The point of the hook is to draw your viewer in and make them want to watch the rest of your video. A clever one-liner or tagline is pretty common to use as a hook, particularly with reaction videos. If you're making a process video, you might flash a photo of the finished product as the hook, then go through the process of how to make it. Once something hits, you can use that video as the first of a series and create other videos on a similar theme. That increases the likelihood that you'll have multiple videos go viral.
Post when your followers are most active.
Increase engagement immediately after your video is posted. If you haven't already, upgrade your account to a Pro Account—it's free! Just choose "Manage My Account" on your "Settings and Privacy" page. Tap "Switch to Pro Account" and you're in. Then all you have to do is click "View Analytics" to easily see when your followers are most active. TikTok's algorithm will show your video to your target audience on their For You page regardless of whether they follow your account or not—you just have to make sure it's there when they are. Interacting with followers immediately after they comment can also build a stronger sense of community because your followers will feel as though you're all in the same place at the same time.
Interact with your followers.
Reply to comments and build a sense of community. "The comment section of TikTok is almost as entertaining as the videos themselves," Davis notes. "Make sure you are commenting on other creator's videos as well." Engaging with your followers and showing them that their input matters to you helps them feel more connected to you. Video replies to comments let you share the spotlight with your followers—you can even treat them as mini-collaborations. For example, you might make a video reply to a comment to try out something someone suggested.
Engage with trending content from other creators.
Use Stitch and Duets to bring more eyes to your account. Creating a video using Stitch or Duets allows you to create a de facto collaboration with another creator. These tools allow you to reply to the original content or present a fresh take on the topic. With Duets, your video appears side-by-side with the original video. You can only Duet with someone if their privacy settings allow it. With Stitch, you simply combine the other video with yours—but they won't appear on a split screen at the same time. In addition to these collaborative options, don't forget to like, comment, and share on TikTok just as you would on any other social media platform.
Collaborate with other TikTok creators.
Grow your following through collabs and sponsorships. Doing sponsorships and collaborative deals is great if you're on TikTok for marketing purposes to promote a particular brand or product. Popular TikTok personalities that relate to your product or brand can really help you grow! All you have to do is put your product in their hands. Remember that TikTok users favor raw authenticity over a more polished presentation that might go over well on other social media platforms, such as Instagram. Collaborations and sponsorships on TikTok tend to be more authentic if they seem organic, personal, and real. For example, if you make special socks for runners, you might send pairs of socks to runners on TikTok.
Post content regularly and consistently.
Follow a posting schedule so your followers know when to expect new posts. It's more important that you post at the same time than that you post frequently. Davis notes that for her it was key to "post daily. I started posting 2x a day, every day. Now I post 1x a day, every day." "There's a lot of information out there saying you should be posting like 3-7x a day on TikTok," Davis notes. "If you have enough content to be posting that much, go for it. But, I think producing more quality content will actually convert those viewers to followers."
Keep your videos relevant to your niche.
Make your account a predictable one to follow. People like to know what kind of content to expect from the accounts they follow, even if there is some variety. When you stick to content that's of interest to the general target community, you'll attract a more dedicated following. For example, if you're a lover of literature and start a booktok account, it would be totally fine to post content about films based on books. But celebrity gossip might be too far outside your niche to connect with your followers.
Add value with educational content.
Spark interest and curiosity to expand your following. Cormack recommends that you "find a niche that you're an expert in, whether it's cooking or some type of sport, and just focus on creating content around that," adding that "it's a great way to build your audience" on TikTok. The important thing, Cormack notes, is to "always focus on creating value in all of the content that you post." If people see you as an expert, they'll trust you and trust your opinion more. Educational content is a great way to demonstrate your expertise. Apart from sharing your knowledge by telling people things, you can also show them how to do things. For example, if you're a guitar player, you might do short videos in which you show viewers how to play a single chord in each video. Each of those chords might be part of a single song that you reveal in a separate video.
Tell personal stories to build trust.
Show authenticity to build a loyal following. Davis emphasizes that TikTok users "appreciate the more raw, authentic vibes." That means being dressed down and humble, without "fancy makeup or lighting." A popular TikTok user is someone down-to-earth who other users can imagine being friends with. Davis further recommends that you "talk to the camera as if you're on FaceTime with a friend" to make your content feel more personal. Speaking directly to your followers is a big part of this. You might address them generally or mention specific followers in your videos. It shows that you care that they're listening to you.
Entertain and be relatable to your followers.
Post unique content that people enjoy and empathize with. Humor goes over really well on TikTok, as does the sort of cringe confessional story about an embarrassing but hilarious moment. Davis recommends that you "talk about things that a majority of people would understand and relate to." If you can present something in a way that will make viewers laugh, they'll flock to your content. Cormack agrees that if you post something "that you find funny and enjoyable and cute, odds are that your people on the internet are going to find it the same way." This doesn't mean that you should force yourself to be funny if you're not, or if humor wouldn't vibe well with your brand or aesthetic. But even the most serious topics can use some light-hearted moments every once in a while.
Use TikTok's free editing tools to your advantage.
Create quality content without breaking the bank. TikTok's even playing field makes it really attractive to creators looking to go viral because the platform provides you with all of the tools you need to edit your video for free right there in the app. There's no need to hire a videographer or take expensive video-editing courses. Everything is right there—even closed captions. Cormack notes that the platform "leaves a lot of opportunity for both brands and individuals to create content just on their phones and grow an audience fairly quickly." While having captions on your videos increases accessibility, Davis recommends that you "edit closed captions yourself before posting so you ensure the automatic ones don't have any errors." "When editing a video," Davis explains, "click on the 'Captions' button on the right-hand side and it will auto-generate your closed captions. Then, you can click on each line, edit and save." Davis adds that "if you film a TikTok but don't have time to edit and post right away, saving to drafts will keep it safe until you are ready!"
End your video with a call to action.
Encourage viewers to comment and share your content. At the end of your video, say something that gets people who watch the video to interact with it in some way. If you're using TikTok to market a product or service, you might also use the call to action to encourage viewers to place their order. Asking viewers an open-ended question is a great way to get engagement with your video. It also potentially provides you with more content opportunities because you can post video replies to the comments.
Share your TikTok videos on other platforms.
Expand your reach to other social media followers. There are lots of people who might appreciate your video but aren't on TikTok. If you have accounts on other platforms, post your TikTok videos there as well. They will potentially relate to the content and might even migrate over to TikTok to follow you there. Davis notes that "there are multiple other ways to share TikToks. After you click the arrow button, you can click the SMS button and text it to someone or a group chat in your phone. You can also share to other social platforms, Email, WhatsApp, etc."
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