Gaining Traction on TikTok
TikTok has exploded in popularity over the past few years, becoming one of the most widely used social media platforms in the world. As of December 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (TikTok Statistics You Need to Know in 2024). Many users join TikTok with the hopes of building a large, engaged following and gaining likes on their videos. While some turn to paid promotions, most regular users aim to gain a genuine, organic following over time.
This guide will explore tips and strategies to authentically increase your TikTok followers and likes, without having to rely on ads or promotions. The goal is to build an audience that truly enjoys your content and actively engages with your profile.
Optimize Your Profile
Your profile is the first thing people see when they discover your account, so optimizing it is crucial for making a good first impression. According to The Leap, your profile photo and bio are key elements to optimize in order to attract more followers and likes.
For your profile photo, use a high-quality, well-lit headshot or image that conveys your brand or content focus. The Leap recommends choosing a consistent profile photo so regular viewers can easily recognize you.
Crafting an engaging bio is also important. The Leap suggests including keywords describing your niche as well as some personality to connect with your audience. You can also link to your other social accounts like Instagram or YouTube so fans can follow you elsewhere. Ampfluence recommends including relevant hashtags like #foryoupage in your bio as well to help you get discovered in TikTok’s algorithm.
By taking the time to add a quality profile photo and optimize your bio with keywords, links, and branded hashtags, you can pique viewer interest right from your TikTok profile.
Post Relevant, Engaging Content
Posting relevant, engaging content is crucial for gaining more followers and likes on TikTok. You should aim to post frequently and consistently to stay top of mind with viewers. Experts recommend posting 1-4 times per day to maximize reach on TikTok’s algorithm.
Focus your content on current trends and viral challenges on the platform. Put your own creative spin on popular hashtags and sounds to tap into what’s resonating with the TikTok community. Participating in trending challenges gives your content a better chance of being discovered.
Most importantly, provide entertainment and value with your videos. Come up with fun, interesting ideas that will capture attention and make people want to watch more. Show off skills, offer helpful tips, or display an interesting slice of your life. Videos that inform, inspire or make people laugh tend to gain more engagement.
Consistently delivering creative, value-driven content tailored to what’s popular on TikTok is the best way to organically gain more followers and likes over time. Stay focused on engaging trends and challenges while showcasing your unique personality.
Use Proper Keywords and Hashtags
Hashtags are essential for helping your content get discovered on TikTok. Research popular hashtags related to your niche like #tiktok, #FYP, and #viral that have high volumes of views. According to Hootsuite, some of the best current hashtags for growth are #tiktok, #tiktokchallenge, and #tiktokviral.
Be sure to include relevant keywords in your video captions as well, not just in hashtags. Choosing keywords that are commonly searched for on TikTok can help the right audience find your content.
However, don’t over-tag your posts with excessive hashtags or keywords. TikTok recommends using no more than 5-10 total hashtags per video. Keep it targeted to tags that are truly relevant to maximize your reach.
Follow Trends and Challenges
One of the best ways to get more views and followers on TikTok is by quickly creating content around trending topics and challenges. Check out sites like EngageBay and Later to find out what’s currently popular on TikTok.
When you participate in trending challenges, be sure to put your own unique spin on them. For example, the “Cha Cha Slide Challenge” was popular in 2023. You could film yourself dancing to the song in a new location or add fun effects and edits to make your video creative and different. Using trends as inspiration rather than copying others will help your content stand out.
Jumping on trends early when they are just starting to take off can help expose your videos to a wide, engaged audience. Don’t wait too long though, as trends come and go quickly on TikTok. Aim to film and upload trending content within the first 1-2 weeks for the best results.
Engage With Your Audience
One of the best ways to increase your TikTok followers and likes for free is to actively engage with your audience. Take the time to like and comment on other people’s videos, especially those in your niche. When someone takes the time to engage with your content, be sure to reply back to their comments. This shows followers that you care about them and want to build relationships.
According to Adobe’s guide on boosting TikTok engagement, “Give engagement to get engagement. Engaging with TikTok content and other creators is a simple way to encourage more engagement with your own content in return.”
Going live on TikTok and interacting with your viewers in real time is another great engagement strategy. Ask questions, respond to comments, and make your followers feel included. The more you engage, the more likely users will be to follow you and like your content.
Collaborate With Other Creators
Collaborating with other popular creators is a great way to gain more exposure and followers on TikTok. There are a few effective collaboration tactics you can try:
Do Duets with larger accounts – Duets allow you to create a split-screen video responding to another user’s content. Identify larger accounts in your niche and do creative Duets with their content to gain views from their existing audience. Just make sure you have permission to use their content.1
Guest in others’ videos – Reach out to creators with higher follower counts and ask to guest star or be featured in their content. This exposes you to their audience and can help you gain new followers.
Cross-promote – Partner with other creators to cross-promote each other’s accounts and content. For example, you could share each other’s videos, mention each other in captions, do shoutouts, etc. This helps expand both audiences.
Use Paid Ads Sparingly
While paid ads on TikTok can help grow your account, they can also get expensive quickly. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, TikTok ads start at $10 per CPM (cost per 1000 views) and require a minimum spend of $500 per campaign.
With that in mind, it’s best to use paid ads sparingly when you’re just starting out and don’t have a large following or engagement yet. Test inexpensive ads with a small daily budget targeting potential new followers. But focus most of your effort and budget on creating captivating content rather than promoting it through ads.
As your account grows organically through great content, you can experiment with larger ad budgets. But don’t get caught in the trap of relying too heavily on paid ads to grow your TikTok. Spend wisely and strategically to supplement your organic growth.
Analyze Performance
Analyzing your performance data and metrics is key to growing your account. TikTok provides creators with analytics to track growth and engagement over time. You can view metrics like new followers, profile views, likes, comments, shares, and more. This allows you to see which types of posts are resonating best with your audience.
Check your analytics regularly to identify trends and patterns. For example, you may notice certain post times or formats tend to perform better. You can also see demographic data on your followers. Use these insights to adjust your content strategy accordingly. Experiment with different ideas while sticking to what works.
TikTok also provides live analytics for livestreams, so you can track real-time engagement. Check who has joined, likes, comments, shares, etc. Review the playback analytics after to see total views, new followers gained, etc.[1] [2]
Consistently analyzing your performance data will help you refine your approach and increase engagement over time.
Be Patient and Persistent
Gaining followers and likes on TikTok takes time and consistency. Don’t expect your videos to go viral and gain thousands of followers overnight. According to Reddit users, it can take anywhere from 8 months to 2 years to reach 100,000 followers, as gaining just one follower a day is slower than optimal. TikTok recommends posting 3-5 videos per day to maximize growth.
Stick to a consistent posting schedule, such as posting 1-2 videos per day at the same times. Avoid long gaps where you don’t post at all. The more content you put out regularly, the more chances for your videos to be discovered.
Continuously refine your approach based on what’s working best. Pay attention to when your posts get the most engagement and likes. Tailor your content strategy to capitalize on this, while trying new trends and challenges. Persistence and constantly improving will lead to a gradual increase in followers and likes over time.
Cite: https://www.quora.com/How-long-does-it-take-to-reach-100-000-followers-on-TikTok
