How to Get More TikTok Followers: 19 Proven Growth Tips

To monetize an account, you’ve got to get TikTok followers. Many aspiring influencers struggle to meet the 1000 follower threshold.

Luckily, if this sounds like you, you’ve just found 19 tips on how to get followers on TikTok – the right way. (We even have some common pitfalls creators should definitely avoid at the very end.)

These are essential ways to get to that coveted 1000-follower benchmark. But it’s important to remind you from the get-go that all of these go hand-in-hand with hard work and determination. TikTok is a crowded place, and you have to keep showing up day after day to win out.

So learn these 19 tips, take heart, and start growing your TikTok account!

What Does It Take to Grow on TikTok? The Algorithm Explained

The tips we are about to show you are proven to be effective.

But before you can make use of them, you have to understand how TikTok actually works.

After all, you’ll always need to work with the algorithm to get the kind of success you’re looking for.

So, let’s hit the basics. The TikTok algorithm chooses what content it shows each user.

Unlike YouTube or other platforms, TikTok focuses more on the topics users are interested in than the accounts they already follow.

They do this by breaking up the home screen into Following and For You sections. Let’s see what each one does:

• TikTok Following Page: This shows you fresh content from all the channels you follow. It’s more reliable but also more predictable.
• TikTok For You Page (FYP): Here, TikTok shows users content from all kinds of creators and it’s where you’ll be shown to new users, potential followers, and aspiring influencers all the time.

Many users switch between these during a single session. This gives you so many opportunities.

What Does This Mean for TikTok Marketing?

These two sections are key to your TikTok strategy.

You get new followers by rocking the For You Page. And you turn those followers into new clients or paying customers on the Following Page.
Now that you understand how TikTok works, let’s dive into exactly how to get followers on TikTok with 19 practical, proven tips.

19 Tips to Grow on TikTok

1. Increase TikTok Engagement with the Right Niche

While this list isn’t in order of importance, this probably is the number one thing you need to consider.

You’ve got to pick a niche.

This will allow you to focus on engaging a targeted group of TikTok users. This is your audience. They’ll have similar tastes, so you can understand what entertains them and deliver this consistently.

What happens if you don’t pick a niche?

You will never really know who you are making content for. This hurts your consistency and limits your ability to hone great TikTok video ideas.

Remember this advice:

You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time

– John Lydgate

Now, we know why you need a niche. But how do you pick the right niche?

First and foremost, pick a niche you love making content for.

This love will shine through and connect with your audience. Plus, it will inspire you to continue making videos, even before you grow your TikTok.

2. Master TikTok Hashtags

Hashtags are one of the best ways to tell the algorithm what’s in the video and who the video is for.

Now, they aren’t magic. The TikTok algorithm uses a lot of information to sort your videos. If you put #unicorns under an AI-generated video of Will Smith eating spaghetti, you won’t fool anybody.

But if you have the right TikTok hashtag strategy, you can nudge it in the right direction.

There are three main places to find great hashtags:

• Check out videos in your niche that have gone viral. What hashtags do they have in common?
• Check out trending hashtags and hashtag challenges in your niche. These are a goldmine for getting new followers.
• Check out the Discover page.

These screenshots show real trending TikTok hashtags in action and the types of posts dominating each tag. You’ll find inspiration, content ideas, and a clear sense of what works for discoverability.
(Examples: #springbreak and #tiktokshopcreatorpicks)

Remember, you only have 100 characters in your caption section. So you must use hashtags judiciously. Use 3 to 5 hashtags per video.

These need to be ranked using the following principles:

1. They must be relevant to the video
2. The first two should be trending right now (either in your niche or across TikTok)
3. Keep experimenting until you find hashtags that work for you

You can use a tool like TikTok Hashtags to find some hashtag ideas.

3. Find the Best Time to Post on TikTok

Warning! TikTok gives each video a limited time window to “prove” itself. If you post when fewer viewers are on, you risk letting the video rot in obscurity.

Only post during peak times.

When is that? The answer changes depending on your niche. It also changes based on who you ask. (For instance, check out this answer and that one.)

Look in your analytics (more on that in the tip below) to find where most of your viewers are. This will let you pick a timezone or two that you want to focus on. Remember, morning in London is still the dead of night in New York City.

Now that you have a geo-target, you can pick the time.

There are many ways to answer the eternal question, “When should I post on TikTok?”

In general, you want to post mid-morning (10-11 AM) or early evening (5-7 PM).

On weekends, posts in the late afternoon can do well. But weekdays are better than weekends overall.

Wednesday and Thursday are the best days with the highest levels of engagement.

And some days seem to have higher engagement in the late hours than others.

So, we can make a list that looks something like this:

4. Use TikTok Analytics

As we saw above, your analytics section is crucial for making good decisions.

It helps you check out just what is working and what isn’t. This helps you experiment with everything from posting times to niche to video ideas. It also shows you how users and potential followers discovered your content. Did they go to your profile? Did they see it on the For You page?

Also, where are they from? What gender are you speaking to?

This all helps steer you in the right direction, and you can’t perfect your TikTok strategy without this kind of information.

5. TikTok Profile Optimization Strategies

We could write an entire book just on optimizing your TikTok profile. Let’s keep it simple here with the highest impact moves you need to make right now.

• Use a high-quality image for your profile photo. If you are a brand, it’s got to be a great-looking image of your logo.
• Match your username across platforms if you are on multiple ones.
• Have a call to action (CTA) and link in your bio. This is one place where you can convert followers to customers.
• Pin your highest-performing videos as well as videos that really speak to you at your best.
• Add keywords to your name field for searchability.

6. Engage With Followers

Increase TikTok engagement by interacting with your followers. This will create a feeling of connection to you and your work, making your audience eager to see what you’re making next. It will also drive profile views (where they should be finding your CTA, check above).

Once you have viral TikTok content, you can turn more of these viewers into followers by replying to their comments.

But engaging with your fans can go a lot further than simply replying in comments.

If your audience really wants to engage in conversation, consider creating your own community Discord or asking followers to request content that you then deliver.

7. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency (Consistency)

You have to be consistent.

It isn’t a checkbox for extra credit. This is the thing that separates great channels that grow on TikTok and great channels that disappear forever.

Once you find good times during the week that work for you, post at those times regularly.

If you look at the most successful accounts, you’ll see the value of consistency play out in the real world. Joanne Molinaro (thekoreanvegan) creates vegan cooking TikToks with almost one video going out every single day. That’s amassed her a following of over 3 million. You can read more about her story here.

There’s some evidence to suggest posting consistently earns you 450% more engagement on each and every post.

If you can, try posting 4-6 videos a week.

But how will I make so many videos? We answer that next.

8. Create a TikTok Video Idea Strategy

To make so much content, you must create a strategy that generates new ideas almost on demand.

Here are some considerations for making your own:

• Keep an idea pad (either physical or on your phone) where you write down every video idea that crosses your mind
• Check other creators in your niche and write down video types that would work for you (avoid plagiarism by simply writing down the kind of video rather than the exact concept)
• Keep track of TikTok challenges and trending concepts

If you are regularly writing down ideas from these three sources, you’ll have an unlimited number of video ideas to choose from. Just make sure they are relevant to your audience.

9. Choose Trending Songs

You can’t help but notice that certain songs dominate this platform.

When you notice a new song is trending on videos, take notice and use the song yourself.

How does this help you grow on TikTok?

It creates a sense of familiarity in the viewer. Even if they randomly came across you on their FYP, hearing the song they know will give you a couple of extra seconds to earn their attention.

On a platform as rapid as TikTok, even one extra second of attention early on in a video can be the difference between 1,000 and 1,000,000 views.

That leads us to our next tip.

10. Learn How Videos Go Viral on TikTok

Here’s the secret to virality on TikTok: views don’t increase in a straight line, they increase exponentially.

What does this mean for you?

A video that’s 10% better at keeping viewer’s attention and getting their engagement won’t get 10% more views. It will get 10x as many views.

Once you understand that, you know how important details are.

In the tip above, we talked about how choosing a trending song might buy an extra second of someone giving your video a shot. A second doesn’t sound like a lot until you understand what makes a video viral on TikTok.

It’s all a matter of small percentages, which keeps unlocking new levels of growth.

11. Closed Caption Text

Accessibility will always increase TikTok engagement and land you more followers.

Anything you can do to make videos more accessible will expand your potential audience and even help viewers who don’t necessarily need the features you use.

Closed caption text helps deaf users understand what you are posting. But even for those who are not deaf, captions drastically increase their ability to follow what’s going on.

TikTok has a built in captions feature, but you should consider creating more engaging graphic captions using tools like CapCut, Riverside, or OpusClips.

12. Take Advantage of the TikTok Stories Feature

This feature was added in 2022. Since then, it’s proven to be a unique way to connect to your audience. It lets you add 15-second stories that disappear after 24 hours. That’s the perfect place to load up time-specific CTAs and super-short material.

Because they disappear, they don’t have a lasting impact on your page. This lets you really experiment.

13. Make a Series

Creating a video series is one of the best ways to keep viewers coming back.

These build a recognizable format, and if viewers like them and follow you, they’ll be pleased to get more content just like it.

What can be a series? There are so many potential concepts, like “Hot Take Tuesdays,” “Write a Poem Every Day,” or anything else you can imagine.

A good series builds familiarity and trust, which is exactly what aspiring TikTok influencers need to build long-term audience loyalty. It reduces decision fatigue while increasing engagement through anticipation. TikTok’s algorithm favors retention, and viewers who watch multiple episodes will improve your performance.

14. Duets and Collaborations with Other Creators in Your Niche

Collaborating with other TikTokers in your niche is a smart way to expand your audience.

When you duet or stitch another creator’s video, you’re introduced to their followers and vice versa. It’s one of the most organic ways to build community and credibility. their followers probably enjoy the kind of content you create – especially if you’re working toward becoming an influencer.

Look for creators with a similar following and overlapping interests. Send them a DM or comment on their content to start a relationship.

15. Repost Content (with Permission and Attribution)

Reposting high-performing content (yours or others’) is probably the most time-efficient growth tactic.

If it’s your own video, re-edit and post again with a new caption or format. If it’s someone else’s, get permission and always credit them clearly. Plus, you should add your own commentary, reaction, or remix to bring new life to the content.

Smart repurposing isn’t just a time-saver – it’s a content strategy used by many successful influencers on TikTok.

16. Work on Your Hooks

The first three seconds of your video need to accomplish a lot. They need to create a compelling reason for the viewer to continue watching and make the basic concept of the video clear.

When you do these two things, viewers stay. That’s why this tiny window is called the Hook.

A few ways to make a good hook include:

• A provocative question
• A shocking image
• A bold claim

17. Repurpose Videos Across Platforms

One video can become five pieces of content (if you know what you’re doing).

Take your TikTok clips and post them to Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn if it fits.

Crop, caption, and tweak each version to suit the platform, but keep the core message the same.

Repurposing maximizes the value of every creative effort, and it exposes you to new audiences.

Just make sure you tend to the details that could get you punished. Always remove watermarks and stick to the time limits of the different platforms.

18. Put CTAs in Your Videos

At the end of the video, get your viewers to do something. This is your CTA, and many new creators struggle to take advantage of it.

Remind viewers or potential followers out loud to follow, like, or comment. Tell your audience where they can buy your product. This is how you convert views to grow on TikTok.

19. Try Trending TikTok Challenges

Jumping on TikTok challenges is a great way to ride a wave. These challenges often come with trending sounds, hashtags, and built-in curiosity (making good hooks easy to create). As we’ve seen, all of those are helpful for amping up viewers.

Participating in challenges signals to the algorithm that you’re active and relevant, which can lead to more exposure. Even if the challenge doesn’t go viral, it can increase engagement and community connection.

Just take a look at the viral “100 Men vs 1 Gorilla” trend.
Dozens of creators jumped on the wave by producing funny or original takes on the same idea – and many reached millions of views.

This kind of immediate context works like a hook amplifier. It grabs attention instantly because viewers immediately understand what’s happening within the first second.
(See examples below 👇)

This clip even sparked a deeper debate online.
Check out this video analyzing why the format works so well – even though the idea itself is abstract. It shows how powerful context and instant recognition are for TikTok virality.

Common Mistakes to Avoid on TikTok

We’ve given you 19 tips to grow on TikTok. Now, as a bonus, let’s rapid-fire cover the most common mistakes to avoid.

• Don’t buy followers
  A lot of websites promise to give you thousands (if not tens of thousands) of followers for a little bit of money. While it might sound tempting, they hurt you in the long run. Paid followers don’t engage regularly, which hurts your performance on the algorithm.
• Don’t violate the community guidelines
  TikTok will ban accounts that violate its rules around content. That means you need to understand what they are before posting.
• Don’t copy content with no added value
  This is a formula for getting viewers to dislike your account. If users notice you’re stealing concepts directly, they won’t follow you.

How to Get More Followers on TikTok? Follow This Advice

Before we end here, it’s worth making one last note.

Sure, we’ve covered how TikTok works. We’ve covered tips to succeed on the platform. We even threw in the three biggest mistakes creators make.

But none of it works if you don’t follow the advice.

So many creators will read through tons of advice to increase TikTok engagement and improve their strategy. Yet they never implement what they read.

Every TikTok influencer started with zero followers. If you apply what you’ve learned here, yours might be the next account to take off.

Other interesting articles:

• How Creators Promote OnlyFans on TikTok

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