In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover proven tips, tricks and hacks for getting more TikTok followers and growing your audience and beyond.
Table of Contents
17 Methods to Get More Followers on TikTok
TikTok has become one of the fastest growing social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. Gaining followers and going viral on TikTok takes skill and strategy.
In this article, we’ll cover 17 proven tactics to dramatically increase your followers and views on TikTok this year.
Method 1. Identify Your Target Audience
Defining your target audience is key. Appealing to a specific niche by catering content to their interests and needs results in higher engagement and conversions rather than attempting to please everyone.
Determine core demographics like age range, location, gender, income level. Also consider psychographics like values, interests and lifestyle. Use TikTok’s analytics to assess your current audience and tweak your content accordingly. Customizing your content for a defined target audience is essential for follower growth.
Method 2. Pay Attention to Trends
Leveraging trends is critical for getting views and followers on TikTok. Stay on top of rising hashtag and challenges gaining momentum
Aim to create relevant content quickly before trends become oversaturated. Ride these viral waves by putting your own spin on trending topics.
Consider trends related to your niche as well as more general trends taking off across TikTok. Jumping on bandwagons early leads to maximum visibility.
Method 3. Create a TikTok Challenge
User generated content in the form of TikTok challenges can explode, scaling to millions of video submissions.
Launching unique hashtag challenges inspires viewers to create response videos. This sparks a viral effect resulting in limitless exposure and follower growth for challenge creators.
Come up with fun, engaging challenges involving dances, stunts, recipes, games or more.
Method 4. Include the Right Hashtags
Strategic use of hashtags is imperative to be discovered on TikTok and through related content feeds.
Research which hashtags are most popular in your niche at the moment as well as broadly trending tags like #fyp, #foryou and #viral.
Include approximately 5-10 total tags per video optimized with a mix of niche-specific and viral hashtags.
Method 5. Publish TikTok Videos at the Right Times
Posting when your audience is most active results in maximum visibility and engagement. Afternoon and evenings tend to perform best, but peak times vary.
Analyze your TikTok analytics to detect when your existing followers are online. Identify days of the weeks and times of day garnering the highest engagement.
Experiment with publishing during these high-traffic windows to capture more views. Consistently post 2-3 videos daily during optimized hours.
Method 6. Leverage Music and Trending Sounds
TikTok videos featuring music and sounds tend to achieve much higher engagement. Leaning into trending audios signals content relevancy.
Stay updated on the viral songs gaining traction on TikTok via hashtag views. Quickly produce videos using newly hot music or sounds to ride momentum.
You can also take a unique approach of using throwback songs with nostalgia appeal among niche groups.
Method 7. Add Closed Caption Text to Your Videos for Accessibility
Adding text captions and subtitles to your TikTok videos achieves two major goals – increased accessibility as well as enabling soundless viewership in public spaces or muted environments.
Closed captions display what is spoken aloud or other audio cues like laughter or sound effects. Maximizing accessibility and context for all audiences can dramatically boost your content reach. It also allows understanding for those watching videos silently in quiet zones.
Leverage TikTok’s auto-caption AI tool or create custom captions tailored for each video.
Method 8. Share User-Generated Content
Reposting and reacting to viewer content instead of self-promotion demonstrates you value your audience. It also further engages creators.
Duets, Stitch and React videos to great UGC callouts, tips or responses showcasing your branding or products. This community interaction converts audiences into loyal followers.
Method 9. Use the Right Hashtags and Create Engaging Captions
Compelling captions are key for views and engagement. Strategically include niche hashtags while crafting captions that evoke emotion, spark conversation and intrigue viewers to comment.
Ask engaging questions, run polls and encourage audiences to respond in a personal, human way.
Reply to comments, answer questions in follow-up videos. Building these relationships leads to loyal followers who anticipate your content.
Method 10. Create TikTok Stories
TikTok Stories offer another format for regularly engaging audiences beyond standard posts. These ephemeral 24-hour live stories inspire urgency for viewers to check-in daily.
Share more real-time, candid behind the scenes footage through TikTok Stories. Give quick video updates throughout your day or record responses to fan questions.
Consistent TikTok Stories increase your overall impressions and visibility. Drive followers to your profile for daily personality interaction.
Method 11. Work With TikTok Influencers and Creators
Collaborations merge and expand audiences, while benefiting from an influencer’s authority and reach.
Identify influencers in your niche with engaged follower bases. Reach out for shoutout exchanges, guest appearances in each other’s videos, content collaborations, or influencer promotions of your product/service.
Even micro or nano-influencer partnerships add exposure, social proof and affiliate support.
Method 12. Create a Content Series With Multiple Videos
Serialized content in episodes cultivates loyal viewers who anticipate the next installment.
Build anticipation and launch specific premiere times for the release of each video in an ongoing content series. Utilize cliffhangers, teasers and hooks prompting followers to take action for reminders on the upcoming launch date.
Types of series can range from episodic goal progress, documenting a project step-by-step, answering a new weekly question, hosted challenges and much more. The key is consistent creation of serialized content.
Method 13. Cross-Promote Your TikTok Videos
While growing your TikTok following specifically is crucial, expanding beyond TikTok alone accelerates follower growth across platforms.
Cross-promote especially engaging TikTok videos on other social channels by embedding, linking back or repurposing clip highlights optimized for each platform’s content preferences.
Prompt viewers on both existing networks and new channels to then follow you on TikTok as well for even more content. Expand reach dramatically via cross-network marketing tactics.
Method 14. Use TikTok Features to Engage Your Audience
Leverage built-in TikTok features for enhanced audience participation. Livestreams, polls, quiz stickers and more tools prompt viewers to engage beyond just commenting or liking.
- Livestreams – Go live for real-time interaction with new potential followers plus existing fan Q&As, interviews and channel announcements.
- Polls – Pose timely questions for community surveys and opinion polls on topics they care about.
- Quizzes – Engage audiences by testing knowledge on niche trivia, trends or viral topics.
- Hashtag Challenges – Rally viewers around participatory hashtag campaigns prompting UGC responses.
Method 15. Use CTAs at the End of Your Videos
Clear calls to action at the end of videos turn views into tangible followers or conversions.
Strategically add captions or graphics motivating desired actions like “Double tap if you agree!”, “Swipe up to shop this look” or “Comment below if you learned something new!”.
Directing specific responses raises engagement metrics crucial to the TikTok algorithm recommending your content.
Method 16. Monitor Your Growth and Double-Down on What Works
Consistently analyze TikTok analytics for audience insights and metrics revealing your highest-performing content. Identify top videos driving results for follower growth, likes, comments and shares.
Double down on creating more videos utilizing elements at the intersection of your talents, niche and wider audience demand.
Cater content based on these analytics for laser-focused follower growth. Continually assess data and adjust your strategy to capitalize on wins.
Method 17. Diversify Your Content With Ads
While organic content is the priority, paid advertising opens avenues for precision targeting specialized demographics aligned with your goals.
Allocate some budget for TikTok ad campaigns to supplement organic reach. Test interest-based targeting, lookalike audiences modeled after existing followers and competitor keyword targeting for expanding visibility.
Ads placed alongside organic content diversify impressions while you sleep or tend to other marketing. The combined strategy maximizes follower growth 24/7.
How to Get More Followers on TikTok Free (7 Ways)
Here are 7 ways to get more followers on TikTok for free:
- Use Hashtags: Strategically include a mix of popular and niche hashtags so your content shows up in feeds of people interested in those topics. Research what tags are trending or use tools showing top hashtags.
- Identify Your Target Audience: Define your ideal audience persona including demographics and interests. Cater content specifically towards their needs for maximum relevance and engagement.
- Collaborate With TikTok Creators: Work with aligned influencers or micro-influencers to cross-promote content and accounts. Shoutouts, guest appearances in videos and collaborations merge audiences.
- Create Engaging Content: Hook viewers fast, use trending audios, effects and content formats tailored for TikTok. Ask questions in captions to spark conversation and showcase personality to build connections.
- Find the Right Time: Pay attention to when your followers are most active and experiment with posting during those high traffic time windows for each audience.
- Repost as User Generated Content: Repost viewer submissions that mention your brand with credit and feedback for more interactive engagement. UGC shows existing community support.
- Join TikTok Challenges: Participate in viral challenges by creating clever, funny or skilled content aligned with trending hashtag campaigns. This expands reach dramatically.
Consistency over months is key – routinely create quality content optimized for TikTok while strategically engaging audiences and collaborators. Gradually earn follows by providing value to niche communities through fun videos.
Why Follower Growth on TikTok is Important?
Gaining more followers on TikTok is important for several key reasons:
- Increased Brand Awareness & Reach – A larger follower count signals authority and trust in your niche. High numbers attract additional followers through social proof as audiences deem you an influencer worth paying attention to. This expands brand awareness.
- Improved Content Distribution – The TikTok algorithm favors accounts with stronger follower bases and engagement levels. More followers means your future content reaches wider distributed audiences organically without additional paid efforts.
- Revenue Opportunities – Various TikTok monetization options exist like influencer sponsorships, the Creator Fund and LIVE gifting once you hit follower & view count thresholds. Earning potential rises.
- Networking & Collaboration Opportunities – Credibility and visibility opens doors to partnerships with other top creators in your space. Follower size impacts rates for branded deals as well. There is more leverage in negotiations.
- Analytics Insights – Increased data from greater viewership provides additional audience and competitor analysis to optimize your content strategy better. More follows means more feedback to work with.
A larger TikTok follower count unlocks multiplier benefits across metrics like reach, distribution, income, authority and analytics. Investing in scaled follower growth early on compounds over time. The rewards warrant prioritizing follower expansion efforts now by implementing deliberate growth strategies.
Is TikTok Easy to Get Followers?
No, gaining a large following and viewership on TikTok is not inherently easy. While the platform has helped launch viral stars rapidly, consistent organic growth takes an immense amount of strategy and effort over an extended period.
Some of the key reasons it’s challenging to gain TikTok followers include:
- Highly competitive landscape – Billions of videos compete for audience attention. Standing out is difficult.
- Complex algorithms – TikTok’s For You feed algorithm aims to personalize and optimize content relevance for each user. Cracking the code for visibility takes major experimentation.
- Fleeting trends – Catching trending challenges and niche interests before they become saturated is tricky but critical for discovery.
- Young user base – Appealing to and engaging fickle Gen Z audiences requires understanding shifting tastes and culture.
- Rapid pace – Multiple videos per day are needed to stay top of mind while battling endless competition and a glut of stimulus vying for user focus.
While viral fame can occasionally strike lightning fast, legitimate influencer status and viewership numbers are cultivated over months or years for most. Patience and persistence are vital.
However, implementing best practices around hashtag optimization, trend analysis, audience engagement, strategic collaborations and more can absolutely compound into follower growth over time. It just takes immense effort and ingenuity. TikTok rewards creativity and value.
So while gains won’t happen overnight, concerted effort focused on serving audience needs through entertaining videos can steadily build follower momentum.
Why Am I Not Getting Followers on TikTok?
There are a few common reasons why you may not be gaining followers on TikTok:
- Non-Optimized Profile – If your profile lacks elements like a good profile photo, compelling bio, linked social accounts, etc. it fails to make a strong first impression to convince viewers to follow you.
- Irregular Posting – Inconsistent posting makes it hard for any initial interested viewers to become habitual engagers. Sporadic videos may get lost without ongoing content to keep audiences checking back.
- Poor Video Quality – Videos that are blurry, have bad lighting or audio, don’t showcase much skill or talent, or seem thrown together too fast may fail to retain viewer attention compared to the high bar of competition on TikTok.
- Overused Trends – Jumping on viral trends too late when they are extremely saturated makes it hard to get visibility against first movers and stand out in a sea of repetitive content.
- Weak Captions – Forgettable or repetitive captions not tailored for TikTok fail to intrigue viewers to engage further or return for more captivating personality content later.
- **Using Irrelevant Hashtags ** – Improperly tagging videos with hashtags unrelated to the actual content makes it less discoverable by ideal target audiences seeking those topics.
The key is optimizing all elements – profile, posts, captions, hashtags, engagement, quality – tailored to TikTok specifically over an extended period. Analyze which areas need improvement to start gradually converting viewers into followers.
How do you Grow on TikTok from 0?
Here are the best tactics for growing your TikTok from 0 followers:
Improve Your Profile
- Add a compelling bio that communicates your value. Include strong keywords.
- Use a vibrant profile photo that aligns with your brand.
- Add links to other social platforms to leverage cross-traffic.
Strategize Your Content
- Identify popular trends and put your creative spin on them. Use relevant hashtags.
- Emulate video formats from influencers in your niche that perform well.
- Post consistently 2-3x per day to build visibility. More frequent content performs better.
Interact With Your Audience
- Reply to all comments for the first few weeks to build relationships with early followers.
- Share user content that engages with or mentions you and provide feedback.
- Ask intriguing questions in captions to spark conversation.
Use Analytics
- Assess which videos receive better engagement and why. Double down on what works.
- Pay attention to your followers’ demographics and interests. Customize content accordingly.
Collaborate & Cross-Promote
- Reach out to aligned micro-influencers for shoutout exchanges to help gain initial traction.
- Share your best TikTok content across other social platforms. Embed links to lead traffic back.
Gaining traction from 0 followers demands consistency for months, but deliberately optimizing for TikTok’s algorithm and audience leads to compounding growth!
How to Get 1k Followers on TikTok in 5 Minutes Without Buying?
Unfortunately, it’s essentially impossible to gain 1,000 legitimate TikTok followers in 5 minutes without buying followers or using promotion. While viral fame can occasionally strike extremely rapidly, most authentic follower growth happens gradually over an extended period through strategic effort.
However, here are some ethical tips to accelerate your follower count over time:
- Create intriguing, high-quality content consistently
- Use a mix of popular niche and viral hashtags
- Encourage shares and tags from current followers
- Go live to gain followers during broadcasts
- Run follower contests and giveaways
- Promote your best content across social channels
- Engage audiences for conversions and loyalty
The key is routinely providing value through entertaining videos, leveraging trends strategically, interacting with supporters, and cross-promoting content.
Set reasonable targets for follower milestones day-over-day and week-over-week rather than extremes like 1k in 5 minutes. Consistent effort compounds over the long run to build authentic, engaged audiences organically. Stay motivated through gradual benchmarks indicative of smart growth strategies!
How Much Does TikTok Pay for 1,000 Followers?
TikTok does not directly pay creators for reaching 1,000 followers. However, gaining 1,000+ engaged followers on TikTok can unlock monetary opportunities:
- TikTok Creator Fund: The TikTok Creator Fund provides creators an avenue to earn a supplemental income from their videos. Eligibility is based partially on having a minimum threshold of 10,000 video views over 30 days. More followers drives more views and traffic to potentially qualify.
- Brand Sponsorships & Partnerships: Having at minimum 1,000 real followers serves as important initial social validation and influence to potentially collaborate with brands. Sponsored content rates increase together with follower size.
- TikTok LIVE Gifting: Once enabled, LIVE stream gifting allows fans to purchase and gift virtual currency to creators during live broadcasts. Conversion rates increase together with greater follower sizes watching streams.
While TikTok themselves does not directly compensate creators for hitting 1,000 followers, achieving that base follower count can lead to unlocking money making features or deals that begin supplementing income generated from strategic viral content.
The key for creators is continuing to scale legitimate engaged audiences over time through value-driven videos and community interaction. Income metrics indirectly align with influence metrics!\
Conclusion
Implementing even a handful of these 17 tactics for getting more TikTok followers will dramatically expand your audience and visibility.
Be sure you have the key foundational elements dialed-in first, like an optimized profile and consistent posting schedule showcasing your talents before layering on more advanced strategies.
Progressively add to your marketing mix based on priorities and bandwidth. Analyze what achieves the highest ROI for doubling down on the most effective efforts.
Now you have an expanded playbook for exactly how to gain more TikTok followers fast this year and turn views into devoted, engaged audiences.