How to get more followers on TikTok? Effective strategies for success

Once a hub for pre-teen dance challenges and high-school pranks, TikTok has evolved into a platform where multiple generations come to learn, connect, and importantly, discover new products or services. The key to reaching this engaged audience is understanding how to increase your followers on TikTok.

As your follower count rises, your videos receive more views and engagement, prompting TikTok to promote your content to a broader audience. This positive cycle leads to further follower growth.

Whether you're new to TikTok or an experienced user aiming to overcome a growth plateau, this guide provides a comprehensive 20-point playbook for expanding your presence on the platform.

How to get more TikTok followers fast?

These 20 tips will help you attract new followers on TikTok quicker than you can say "hashtag dance challenge."

1. Identify your target audience on TikTok

While it might be tempting to create videos that:

• Have a broad appeal to attract more followers quickly
• Focus on topics that interest you the most
• Require minimal time, energy, and resources to produce

If you're using TikTok for business marketing, you can't take this approach. Your content must be created with your audience in mind. Your goal isn't just to gain TikTok followers; it's to gain followers who you can guide through your social media funnel from awareness to advocacy.

Similar to any other marketing channel, research which segment of your target audience uses TikTok. Understand their challenges, aspirations, interests, preferences for video content, and more. Utilize this information to customize your TikTok strategy.

2. Analyze your competitors

Many TikTok users are already following accounts in your industry. Take a look at what these successful brands are doing to grow their TikTok following and learn from their strategies.

It's simple to observe your competition. Enter a relevant term in the search bar that your target audience is interested in. Then, look for accounts that post about that term and examine the content they share.

For example, if you're a personal trainer and you know that running form is a common concern for your clients, you could search for videos or accounts related to running form to see what content is popular and engaging.

What other subjects does that creator cover? What is the style of their videos? Which hashtags do they use?

Each existing post provides valuable insights that can help shape your own TikTok content.

3. Embrace trends to increase your TikTok following

To gain exposure to a large audience and potentially convert them into followers, consider leveraging existing TikTok trends.

Trends can include dances, challenges, or specific video styles that attract a significant number of viewers who then imitate them. By participating in these trends and using relevant hashtags (more on that later), you can introduce your brand to users who may not have previously been aware of it.

Clicking on any trend provides additional analytics and popular examples for you to replicate.

Participating in trends can help your brand appear more authentic and integrated within the community, a quality that TikTok users value when deciding which accounts to follow.

4. Provide educational content to expand your TikTok audience

TikTok is not limited to just fun and dancing videos; an increasing number of creators are recognizing its educational potential, and audiences are responding positively. For instance, Finance TikTok, which covers topics ranging from passive income generation to cryptocurrency investment, experienced a 255% growth in 2021.

Investor’s Business Daily (@ibdinvestors) exemplifies the significant impact of educational content on TikTok. One IBD video, for example, received over 94,000 views and garnered numerous positive comments, likely resulting in a substantial increase in followers. This success story is not unique to Finance TikTok; educational content performs well across various TikTok niches.

Consider creating content about topics your audience is interested in or finds surprising. This could include practical tips, step-by-step explanations of complex subjects, or insider industry information. By providing genuinely helpful and informative videos, you can attract more followers.

5. Engage in TikTok challenges

Challenges are a unique type of trend on TikTok. They resemble the "dare" aspect of truth or dare, where you challenge followers to do something like prank their friends, try a new food, or perform a dance.

Challenges can encompass a wide range of activities. For instance, a hip mobility challenge could be an excellent way to attract new followers to your physical therapy practice.

6. Launch a branded challenge

Rather than solely participating in existing challenges, consider creating your own. For instance, if you regularly provide educational content, you could challenge your audience to apply the lessons you teach and share their outcomes in TikTok videos. This not only engages them but also increases visibility for your account and is likely to grow your following.

Orahex (@orahexph) has achieved notable success with this approach. The oral health brand introduced two challenges—#ORAHEXFaceDance and #OrahexGetBackOut—resulting in over 30 million combined views, numerous engagements, a large number of challenge participants, and a significant portion of the brand's 24,000 followers.

7. Utilize stitch and duet videos for rapid follower growth

For a quick and easy method to increase your TikTok followers, leverage two of the app's features to interact with other creators' videos.

A duet involves creating a video that plays alongside an existing video.

A stitch involves playing a portion of an existing video, often from another creator, and then adding your own video at the end. An amusing stitch can highlight the difference between an amateur's attempt and a seasoned pro's results.

With stitch and duet posts, much of the work is already done for you, allowing you to post more content quickly. Since these features use already popular videos, there's a good chance that visitors to your page will enjoy them and follow you for more.

8. Leverage user-generated content (UGC) to its fullest

Utilizing user-generated content (UGC) can boost your follower count in several ways.Firstly, you get fresh content without the need for brainstorming, providing more posts for potential followers to discover.Secondly, creators may be excited to see their content shared by you, encouraging them to share it with their own audience, potentially leading to a new group of followers for you.

Lastly, content generated by your customers, especially if they were not paid for it, is often viewed as more authentic.

To encourage more UGC, ask your customers for testimonials, conduct Q&A sessions, or encourage them to tag your brand in videos showcasing your products.

9. Experiment with longer videos to increase your follower count

To expand your audience, consider creating longer videos. On TikTok, accounts with more followers typically post longer videos.

Now, we're not suggesting you post three-minute mini-movies; that might overwhelm your audience. However, for certain topics, 60- to 90-second clips could work well.

How do you determine the ideal video length? Refer back to tip #2 and analyze your competitors. If their videos about summertime home maintenance are around a minute long, aim for a similar length.

10. Interact with the TikTok community

Research indicates that 73% of TikTok users feel a stronger connection to brands they engage with on the platform compared to other social media platforms. The key here is active "interaction."

Consistent posting is essential, but so is engaging with your audience. This practice not only earns you more fans who regularly interact with and share your videos but also increases the likelihood of receiving comments, especially as your account grows. More comments can improve your visibility on TikTok's algorithm, expanding your reach to a wider audience. When combined with other strategies, this can lead to a growth in high-quality followers.

Glacier Window Tinting (@glacierwindowtinting), with over 717,000 followers, is a prime example of this. Many of its videos are responses to comments, and the company consistently replies to numerous comments per video.

11. Enhance visual interest with a variety of backgrounds using the green screen effect

Imagine a new visitor lands on your TikTok page. They scroll through and see a sea of similar videos. They might quickly move on in search of more engaging content.

Avoid visual monotony by leveraging TikTok's green screen effect. This TikToker, for instance, uses the green screen effect to demonstrate how to use the green screen effect, adding a dynamic element to their videos.

Essentially, the green screen functions similarly to a Zoom background, but instead of a static picture, you can use a video behind you. Utilize the green screen for entertaining reaction videos or to create the illusion of being a news reporter on location.

12. Find ideas that will appeal to new followers through desktop topics

A neat trick to attract more TikTok followers is to explore the desktop version of TikTok. On the desktop platform, there's a bar at the top featuring a list of general topics.

Explore trending topics related to your brand for inspiration, competitor analysis, or to identify potential collaborators or content to react to.

13. Build on successful TikToks

Each video presents an opportunity to understand what resonates with your audience. Identify videos with the most impact and create new content with similar elements.

While views and likes matter, our primary focus is increasing your TikTok followers. Monitor increases in follower count after each new post and observe your account's performance when a video receives many views. If it doesn't result in new followers, it may not be as successful as anticipated.

14. Engage followers through TikTok Live

Using TikTok Live allows for real-time interaction with your audience, fostering a more personal connection. This can:

• Attract new followers who come across your live streams
• Encourage existing viewers who haven't followed yet to do so
• Prompt viewers to mention your account to others who might be interested in following you

15. Post strategically at optimal times

While content quality and relevance are paramount for building your TikTok following, timing your posts strategically can give them a boost in early engagement. This, in turn, can increase their visibility to a wider audience.

If you're wondering about the best times to share your next great video, this guide provides insights into the optimal posting times on TikTok.

16. Maintain a consistent posting schedule (especially at the start)

Imagine hitting a home run with your first post, attracting thousands of views. Visitors then check out your page but find no other content, leading them to move on without following you.

During the initial phase, prioritize posting as much quality content as possible. Once you have a collection of videos to engage visitors and encourage them to follow you, you can settle into a posting schedule that suits your content creation capabilities. Aim for at least a few posts per week.

17. Set clear expectations in your TikTok bio

A well-crafted TikTok bio should clearly convey your purpose and what viewers can expect from your videos.

This strategy reassures potential followers that you offer:

• Information or content that interests them
• Expertise in the topics you cover in your videos

Setting clear expectations and establishing trust make it easier to attract new followers.

18. Highlight your top content

Alongside your bio, you can strengthen your message by pinning your most popular TikToks at the top of your profile. This showcases the content that has already attracted followers, rather than relying on visitors to scroll through your page to discover it.

Robert M. Berger (@robertmberger) employs this tactic, recognizing that highly viewed videos are more likely to captivate potential followers than less popular ones.

19. Emphasize high-quality videos

Clear audio and video quality are essential if you want viewers to stay engaged and potentially follow you for more content.

You don't necessarily need to invest heavily in equipment, especially if you're just starting out and testing TikTok as a marketing platform for your business. However, having a decent microphone and camera is crucial.

Here are a few key considerations:

• Ensure good lighting
• Be aware of your surroundings
• If necessary, split longer videos into shorter segments
• Minimize background noise in the audio

20. Switch to a Pro Account

Upgrading to a Pro Account is a free and effective method to increase your TikTok followers.With a Pro Account, you gain access to analytics that can help you determine the optimal posting times. You'll also be able to see which videos are performing best, how users discover your account, and gauge your overall page popularity. This information is invaluable for creating engaging content that resonates with your audience and ultimately attracts more followers.