How To Get TikTok Followers: 7 Can't-Miss Steps

TikTok success stories are everywhere.

Content creators can build a huge following with a single viral video or catchy audio, rising to fame and turning their TikTok hobby into a career — or at least a well-paying side gig.

If you’re eager to shine on this social media platform, you’ll need a strategy to find the right audience, grow your following, and keep them coming back.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to get TikTok followers and find the success you’re looking for. 

How To Grow on TikTok: 3 Strategy Tips

On TikTok, skipping a video that doesn’t interest you is easy, thanks to a simple scroll. Since viewers are used to moving on so quickly, you need to figure out how your content can grab their attention to stop them from scrolling away. 

Try these three things to make content that keeps your viewers watching: 

1. Identify Your Target Audience

Not all viewers enjoy every video — and that’s a good thing. You have the opportunity to make TikToks that grab the attention of a particular group of people who will actually enjoy and connect with the subject matter. This group is your target audience, and when they identify with your content, they’re more likely to like, follow, share, and become loyal fans.

Consider who you want to watch your content on TikTok. If you enjoy doing makeup tutorials, your target is beauty product fanatics. If you want to post gaming videos, your audience includes other hardcore gamers. You may even have a more specific aim, like reaching people interested in a particular brand or who play a particular video game. 

Whatever content you want to create, try to come up with a clear picture of who your potential followers are. This helps you make content these users will like so you can ditch TikTok ideas that seem too random or unrelated to those viewers. 

2. Do What Resonates

After determining your target audience, you likely have a general idea of the type of content they’ll enjoy. You’ll probably share interests with them, making it easier to decide what to create. Use these instincts to plan a lineup of future videos you believe your followers would enjoy. 

If you want some inspiration, check out what other TikTokers have posted on similar topics, as they likely have a similar following. Then, put your spin on those content ideas or mimic the formats you really enjoyed watching.

You won’t always make viral content on the first try. So, if a video flops, treat it as a learning experience. Now you know that particular content angle doesn’t move your audience, and you can avoid similar videos in the future. You can also repeat and refresh ideas that perform well. 

3. Add Value

There are countless videos under every type of content heading on TikTok, so your videos must offer something slightly different from the rest to stand out. 

Add value to the TikTok offering by creating memorable and unique content. Don’t be just another makeup TikToker. Be one that focuses on inclusive shade ranges from eco-friendly brands while telling viewers hilarious stories from your day.   

7 Steps to Boost Your Content and Get Real TikTok Followers

Another way to get more followers on TikTok (and keep them) is by playing the game correctly. There are a few tried-and-true tips that content creators across a range of niches use to ensure their videos get in front of viewers. Follow these steps to encourage the TikTok algorithm to show content to the right audience.

The TikTok algorithm helps audiences find content they want to see by providing suggestions on their For You Pages (FYPs). The FYP shows videos similar to the ones users interacted with in the past. If you hope to grow, you want your content to land on your target audience's FYPs. 

Here are seven tips on how to grow your TikTok account by leveraging the algorithm and ending up in front of the right viewers:

1. Publish Consistently and at the Right Times

The best time to launch your videos depends on your audience. To get views, likes, and shares, post when your viewers are awake and active as this is when they are most likely online. Don’t post too late or early when people might be asleep. 

If you’re preparing to post your first video, you won’t have any insight into the best time to post on TikTok just yet. That’s okay — the FYP often shows viewers videos that are months old, so you still have a chance to be seen. Post your first few videos whenever you can until you have some data. 

By checking your TikTok analytics page, you can ensure you’re posting at the best time for your audience. You can see when followers have most actively watched your videos and track these trends. If your audience is mainly active at weekday lunch times, you know this is a great time to launch new content. 

2. Leverage Trending Songs

Sounds, like music or speech tracks, go viral on TikTok as more and more content creators use them in their videos. If you don’t feel like creating an original sound, you can still use trending songs to increase your exposure. The algorithm favors viral sounds, so your video might end up on someone’s FYP just for using the latest catchy audio. 

If you create one of these popular tracks, you could see a significant boost in TikTok followers as people trace back to your page to see who the genius behind this trending sound bite is. If a page visitor likes the rest of the content they see there, they’ll likely hit “follow.” 

You don’t have to be a musician to create a resonant track. Sometimes, recording a funny one-liner is enough. Other content creators might riff on your line in their videos, making that audio clip viral. 

3. Choose Hashtags Mindfully

Hashtags help people find your content on TikTok because anyone searching for these terms can organically stumble upon your videos. Always use relevant hashtags on posts and select a mix of specific and broad terms. 

For example, you might tag a crocheting video #crochet and #DIY so that audiences who like videos of this particular craft and do-it-yourself projects in general can find you. From there, you can get specific with tags about your project, like #crochetturtorial, #howtocrochet, and #sweatercrochet, to find users with specific searches. 

If you need help brainstorming hashtags, rely on Captions AI. The app has a Social Post generator that can suggest hashtags and a description for your video. Here’s how:

1. Open the Captions app.
2. Go to the “Projects” tab in the bottom left.
3. Tap the three dots on the right side of the project you’re ready to post.
4. Tap “Prepare Social Post” at the top of the menu.
5. Click “Edit” to make any adjustments you need to the description or tags. 
6. Use the “Copy” button on the right side to copy your title, description, and hashtags. (Note that you have to copy each individually.) 

4. Enhance Accessibility 

Make more accessible content by adding subtitles or translated dubbed audio. Viewers who are hard of hearing, speak a different language, or prefer to watch videos with the sound off will all be able to enjoy your content. This value-add can make your videos stand out against similar ones without subtitles or translations, encouraging people to follow you instead of the competition. 

Captions uses AI to automatically add subtitles to videos. It can also translate and dub them in dozens of languages to help wider audiences understand your TikToks.

5. Collaborate With Other Creators

Collaborating with other creators is one of the savviest ways to get more TikTok followers quickly. When you invite another TikToker to participate in your content or appear on their profile, you’re exposed to their audience. 

Suppose you make TikToks about books (which would make you a Booktokker). You have another creator join you for some of your regular content, like listing out all the books you’ve finished reading at the end of each month. You can compare your lists of what you read and offer each other recommendations for next month. 

When that other creator reposts your video, you’ll be on their audience’s radar. Plus, that audience will interpret your content as “vetted” or “recommended” by the creator they already follow, since the collaboration means you probably make similar content. That makes your TikTok account seem worth following so they can see more of what interests them.  

6. Double Down on Your Successful TikToks

Think of your favorite restaurant. They likely have a signature dish that boosted their fame and that they continue to offer successfully through the years. Learn what your “signature dish” is by studying what your followers like. Then, make more of those videos. 

Check your Analytics page to see how particular TikToks have performed. Those with many TikTok views, comments, likes, and shares resonate well and are worth repeating — just with a twist. Consider making a series, like turning a popular demo of a smokey eye into several featuring different renditions of the makeup look. 

7. Cross-Promote Your TikTok Videos

If you already have followers on other platforms, like Instagram or YouTube, bring them to your TikTok profile by talking it up in these other spaces. Create an Instagram Reel with highlights from TikTok videos to get your IG followers interested in following you on TikTok. It helps to only post some content on one platform to encourage audience members to follow you on both. 

Don’t forget to include a link to your TikTok page in your other social media bios and posts so that people can easily find you. 

The Secret to TikTok Growth? Great Content

One of the best tips for growing your reach is making awesome content. Just remember: Although content starts with an idea, excellent editing makes it great.

As a TikToker, you’ll need a straightforward editing tool that helps you turn clips into eye-catching videos. That’s where Captions comes in. The app’s intuitive editing features help you enhance video quality and can even help you brainstorm hashtags and descriptions for your content when you’re ready to post.