What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short-form video sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It allows users to create, watch, and share 15-60 second videos typically set to music or other audio clips. TikTok launched in 2016 under the name Douyin in China before being released internationally as TikTok in 2017. The app quickly grew to become one of the most popular social media platforms globally, especially among teenagers and young adults. As of 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (Backlinko, 2023). It is available in over 150 countries and 75 languages. The app is known for its powerful algorithm that determines which videos go viral based on each user’s interactions. Overall, TikTok offers a creative outlet for users to express themselves through entertaining short videos.
What are TikTok fan accounts?
TikTok fan accounts are user accounts on the platform dedicated to posting about and supporting a specific TikTok creator, influencer, or celebrity. These fan pages typically focus entirely on one particular individual and aim to share content related to that person, such as reposting their videos, photos, dancing, reactions, memes etc. The goal is to show appreciation, admiration, and promotion for the chosen influencer or celebrity (e.g. @addictforcharli is a fan account for Charli D’Amelio).
Unlike personal TikTok accounts, fan accounts do not post much original content. Their primary purpose is to curate, compile and share content related to their chosen idol or interest. Some fan pages also aim to provide a community for other supporters and fans of that influencer or celebrity. They serve as hubs where admirers can come together and interact over their shared interests.
Why do people create fan accounts?
One of the main reasons people create TikTok fan accounts is to show appreciation and support for a creator they admire. Fans use these accounts to spread positive content about their favorite TikTok stars, helping promote them to new audiences. According to one article, “Celebrity fan pages are purely created out of motivation to share your knowledge about them, pay tribute to them, support them on media, and learn more about them” https://www.likesforyou.co/blogs/tiktok-fan-page/. By making compilations, reactions, duets and other content featuring a creator, fans demonstrate their loyalty and passion for that person’s work.
Beyond supporting individual creators, fan accounts allow people to connect with others who share their interests. Running a fan page provides a sense of community and shared identity. Fans can use these accounts to make friends, coordinate projects, and bond over their common appreciation for an influencer or celebrity. Ultimately, fan accounts stem from a desire to express adoration for someone’s content and character.
What do fan accounts do?
The main purpose of fan accounts on TikTok is to curate and share a creator’s content with a wider audience. Fan accounts will frequently repost videos, photos, and other media from the creator they are supporting. This allows fans who don’t follow that creator directly to still see their content regularly. Fan accounts also promote various campaigns and initiatives related to the creator, like promoting new music releases, films, TV shows, or other projects the creator is involved in. They will create their own videos and content to hype up these campaigns and engage the creator’s fanbase.
Additionally, fan accounts often closely monitor their chosen creator’s social media activity and interactions. They will highlight the creator reacting to fan content, going live, posting updates about their life, and engaging with fans. This gives followers of the fan account a deeper look into the creator’s daily life and personality. Fan accounts also frequently share “inside jokes” and lore about the creator that regular followers may not be aware of. This cultivates a stronger sense of community and connection between the creator and their fans.
In general, the goal of fan accounts is to spread a creator’s reach and content as far as possible. They want to facilitate deeper engagement between the creator and fans. Fan accounts also aim to unite a creator’s fanbase and give fans a space to bond over their shared interests (Source).
How do fan accounts grow?
There are a few key strategies fan accounts use to grow their follower count on TikTok:
Engaging with the creator they are a fan of and their community is important. Commenting on the creator’s videos, duetting or stitching their content, and interacting with other fans helps fan accounts get noticed. Being an active part of the creator’s community can attract their existing fans to follow the fan account (Source).
Using relevant hashtags that are related to the creator or their content is another growth tactic. Including hashtags like #fyp (for you page), #CreatorName, #fandom, etc. makes it easier for people interested in that creator to find the fan account through hashtag searches (Source).
Posting quality content daily is also important – fan accounts need to post regularly to keep gaining new followers. Sharing content like behind-the-scenes footage, fanart, analyses and commentary helps provide value for existing fans while attracting new ones (Source).
Benefits of running a fan account
Running a TikTok fan account provides several benefits for the account owner. Some of the main benefits include:
Gain a following and influence: By consistently posting about a particular creator or topic, fan account owners can build up a sizable following of their own. Having an engaged audience gives fan account owners influence within the TikTok community. They can use this influence to promote their favorite creators and shape conversations around shared interests.
Interact with creators: Fan accounts often have opportunities to engage directly with the creators they support. Creators will duet, comment on, and even follow fan accounts that provide value to their community. This allows fan account owners to make connections and get recognition from creators they admire.
Join a community: Running a fan account connects people to a community of shared interests. By using relevant hashtags and participating in trends, fan account owners can meet and collaborate with fellow fans. The social connections and sense of community can be highly rewarding for fan account owners.
In summary, fan accounts allow TikTok users to engage deeply with creators and topics they love. Through running a fan account, users can build influence, interact with creators, and join a community of shared interests.
Challenges of running a fan account
Running a successful TikTok fan account takes a lot of time and effort. Here are some of the key challenges fan account owners face:
Time commitment – Fan accounts require investing significant time to create quality content, engage with followers, and keep up with trends. Staying active daily to post videos, comment, and interact with the creator’s community is essential. This can compete with other obligations.
Competition – Popular creators have numerous fan accounts dedicated to them. Standing out in a crowded niche takes creativity and social media marketing skills. Fan account owners are in constant competition to produce the best content and gain followers.
Creator relationship changes – If a creator drastically changes their content style or personal brand, it can make it difficult for fan accounts to adapt. Fan accounts are dependent on the creator they support. Any shifts in the creator’s presence can positively or negatively impact the fan account.
According to TikTok’s Community Guidelines, fan accounts must clearly represent themselves as unofficial and have content relevant to the creator. Overly promoting a fan account or not properly attributing content could result in removal.
Best practices for fan accounts
Running a successful fan account on TikTok requires following some best practices. Here are some tips for fan account owners:
Always properly credit any creators whose content you share. Make sure to tag them in your captions and provide links back to their profile or original video. Getting permission to reuse content is ideal.
Follow all TikTok community guidelines. Don’t share harmful, dangerous, or inappropriate content. Respect copyright rules and don’t repost others’ content without permission.
Build relationships with the creators you support. Engage with them online and collaborate when possible. This helps strengthen the fan community.
Keep your account focused on a particular creator or niche. This helps attract the right audience.
Post regularly to keep your audience engaged but avoid flooding followers’ feeds.
Use relevant hashtags so your content is discoverable.
Always stay positive. Don’t spread negativity about creators or others in your community.
Stay on top of trends related to your niche and adapt content accordingly.
Analyze your analytics to see what resonates with your audience.
By following these tips, fan accounts can grow while respecting creators and building community.
Monetization opportunities
There are various ways TikTok fan accounts can make money and monetize their audience. Three of the most popular methods are through brand sponsorships, selling merchandise, and affiliate links.
Brand sponsorships involve collaborating with brands to promote their products or services. Popular brands will often reach out to fan accounts with large followings to create sponsored content. The fan account will get paid to make TikTok videos featuring or reviewing the brand’s products. Rates can vary greatly based on the account’s niche, audience, and engagement levels. According to Shopify, accounts with 100k to 250k followers can charge around $100 per sponsored post.
Another option is creating and selling custom merchandise like t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, and other products featuring your fan account’s brand and designs. Fan accounts can set up merch shops through sites like Teespring and keep a portion of sales. Successful accounts often promote their merchandise within TikTok videos to boost sales.
Affiliate marketing also presents an opportunity to earn commissions by promoting other brands’ products. By joining affiliate programs like Amazon Associates or ShareASale, fan accounts can earn a small commission each time a follower makes a purchase through their affiliate link. Affiliate links are commonly added to fan account profiles or video captions.
With creativity and persistence, TikTok fan accounts can leverage their audience and content into multiple income streams. But it often takes time to build up a following and reputation that makes monetization feasible.
Future trends
As TikTok continues to grow rapidly, the future looks bright for fan accounts in terms of increased monetization opportunities, collaboration through networks, and social activism.
Monetization on TikTok is still in its early stages but is expected to expand significantly, allowing fan accounts to earn income through sponsorships, gifting, livestreams, and more. According to TikTok’s “What’s Next” report for 2022, the platform is focused on “building an ecosystem to diversify creator monetization” (TikTok, 2022). As monetization infrastructure improves, top fan accounts will likely be able to make TikTok their full-time job.
Networks of fan accounts dedicated to the same topic are also likely to become more common. By cross-promoting and collaborating on content, these networks can help fan accounts grow faster. And by pooling resources, they can more effectively negotiate brand deals and sponsorships.
Finally, fan accounts will continue to be hubs for social activism and mobilizing audiences around causes. Given TikTok’s emphasis on authenticity and community, fan accounts can meaningfully bring awareness to social justice issues and charitable organizations their followers care about.
