TikTok is a popular social media platform focused on short-form videos. With over 1 billion monthly active users as of 2022 according to Statista, TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent years. The main goal for TikTok creators is to produce fun and engaging videos that will attract a large following and potentially go viral. However, many users struggle to gain an audience and get followers on TikTok. This raises the question – why aren’t people following my TikTok?
Quality of Content
The quality and entertainment value of your content is crucial for attracting and retaining an audience on TikTok. While trends and hashtags can help get initial views, it’s engaging content that keeps people coming back and hitting “Follow.” According to research from Grin, some of the most popular and effective content styles on TikTok include comedy skits, POV videos, life hacks, satisfying compilations, and educational explainers (Source). The key is finding your niche and creating videos that are fun, visually appealing, and bring value to viewers.
For example, food creators may find success with quick recipe tutorials or behind-the-scenes restaurant content. Pet owners can showcase cute moments with pets or humorous animal antics. Fashion and beauty influencers may try clothing hauls, beauty tips, or outfit transition videos. Take time to craft high-quality videos using good lighting, compositions, editing, captions, and soundtracks. This polished style of content helps you stand out on TikTok and keeps people engaged.
Consistency and Frequency
Posting regularly and consistently is key to gaining more followers on TikTok. When you post high-quality content on a regular schedule, you increase your chances of showing up in peoples’ For You feeds. TikTok’s algorithm rewards accounts that post consistently, so aim to post at least a few times per week.
According to experts, the ideal posting frequency on TikTok is 1-4 times per day (Source). When first starting out, try to post 1-2 quality videos per day for the first few weeks to build momentum. After gaining some followers, you can taper off to posting a few times per week. Consistency is key – space out your posts throughout the day and stick to a regular schedule that your followers can rely on.
While daily posting may seem daunting, you can batch film videos in advance and space out posting over time. The key is keeping your content and posting cadence consistent to build an engaged audience over time.
Use Trends and Challenges
One way to get more views on TikTok is to leverage popular trends and challenges. TikTok has a constantly evolving set of trending sounds, hashtags, effects, and challenges that can help expose your content to a wider audience if utilized effectively.
Monitoring sites like Later and TikTok’s own Creative Center can help you stay on top of the latest viral sounds, effects, and hashtags. For example, some current popular trends include the “KicktheTrend” challenge and the “chrollo.lucilfer” effect.
Participating in trending TikTok challenges like the “Flip the Switch” or “Wipe It Down” challenges can be a great way to create fun, engaging content while tapping into the built-in audience for those trends. The key is to put your own creative spin on the challenge rather than just copying what’s already popular.
Repurposing popular audios, making video duets, and using trending hashtags are other ways to leverage what’s currently resonating with the TikTok community. Just make sure your content offers something new and doesn’t just mimic what’s already successful.
Interact with Viewers
One of the most important things you can do to increase engagement on TikTok is to actively interact with your viewers through comments. Responding to comments shows followers that you are invested in them and appreciate their feedback. It also facilitates further conversation and connection.
Aim to respond thoughtfully to as many comments as you can. Ask viewers questions to keep the conversation going. You can also give viewers shoutouts by replying directly to their comments and tagging their handle. This public recognition encourages them to engage more.
In addition to replying to comments, you should also like comments from followers. This sends the message that you are listening and fuels the feedback loop. Followers will be more motivated to comment if they know you are likely to respond.
TikTok also allows you to go live and directly interface with your audience in real time. Use livestreams to announce new videos, answer questions, host Q&As, or collaborate with viewers. This highly interactive format stands out and gets people more invested.
The more you can engage with your viewers as real people, the more likely they are to follow and participate. Focusing on relationship-building is key for increasing TikTok engagement organically.
Optimize Profile
Your profile serves as a first impression to new viewers, so make sure it’s on point. According to The Leap, it’s important to have a strong bio, profile photo, and links in your TikTok profile.
Choose a profile photo that shows your face clearly and reflects your brand. The bio should concisely explain who you are and what you do in a compelling way. Include relevant links to your website, social media, or email list so viewers can learn more about you.
In addition, feature your best and most popular content right on your profile to entice new followers. Pin creative videos that represent your brand and showcase your skills. This gives potential followers a preview of what they can expect from your channel.
Cross-Promotion
One effective strategy for gaining more followers on TikTok is to cross-promote your account on other social media platforms. You can let your established audiences on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc. know that you also have a TikTok account. Include links to your TikTok profile or specific videos in your posts and descriptions on these platforms. As noted in this article from Ghost Retail, “Ask the TikTok influencers you’ve collaborated with to share your content on their other social media platforms…” https://www.ghostretail.com/post/the-art-of-tiktok-cross-promotion
TikTok also provides tips on cross-promotion in their Promote support section: “Promote is an advertising tool you can use in the TikTok app to help you get more people to discover your videos, guide more people to your website, and improve conversions.” https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/growing-your-audience/use-promote-to-grow-your-tiktok-audience
Collaborate with Others
Collaborating with other creators in your niche can be a great way to cross-promote content and reach new audiences. As noted in this TikTok blog post, branded collaborations between brands and creators result in higher engagement and view rates. Look to partner with accounts that have a similar style and audience as you. Joint content will get shown to both of your follower bases, allowing you to tap into each other’s audiences.
As explained by Skyperry.com, TikTok’s marketing partner collaborations have inherent advantages for brands looking to maximize campaign performance [1]. The same idea applies at the creator level. Collaborating on content with the right partner can help you reach new viewers organically.
Hashtag Strategy
Coming up with the right hashtag strategy is crucial for increasing visibility and reach on TikTok. Experts recommend using a mix of both popular and niche hashtags related to your content to maximize exposure. According to Sprout Social, adding relevant hashtags to your TikTok captions can help get your videos in front of users who aren’t already following you.
When selecting hashtags, aim to use a combination of broad, popular hashtags like #fyp and #foryou along with more specific ones tailored to your niche like #biology or #smallbusiness. As Buffer notes, niche hashtags have less competition and can help you reach engaged users interested in your content. Make sure to stay up to date on the latest trends and challenges too.
It’s also recommended to use the maximum allowed hashtags (100 for regular videos, 30 for LIVE videos). Populating all the available hashtag slots, even with some less popular tags, increases the chances of your content getting discovered. Just be sure hashtags are relevant and not spammy.
Paid Promotion
Paid advertising can be an effective option for increasing views and follows on TikTok, especially for brands or businesses looking to reach a wider audience. TikTok’s self-serve ads platform allows you to target your ads to specific demographics and interests. You can choose from different ad formats like in-feed videos, brand takeovers, and more. Some key benefits of paid TikTok advertising include:
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- Increased exposure beyond just your current followers
- More control over targeting your ideal audience
- Reporting tools to track performance and optimize campaigns
- Professional ad creation through TikTok’s creative partners
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So while organic growth takes consistency and patience, paid promotion can help jumpstart growth for brands and creators. TikTok’s ads manager makes it simple to set budgets and track ROI. Just be sure content remains authentic when incorporating advertising.
For more details, visit: TikTok’s marketing platform and TikTok Ads Manager.
