We’re going to hold your hand while we say this: getting more followers is one of the hardest things to do on TikTok. Any video can skyrocket to virality, with likes, comments and shares flooding your notifications. But if you’re not converting those views into followers, odds are you’ll be lost in the scrolling abyss.
To increase your TikTok follower count and teach the almighty algorithm who’s boss, you’ll need a solid strategy. And that just happens to be what this blog post is all about. These 22 tips (plus examples) will help you assemble an audience of faithful supporters. You following? Let’s go.
Bonus: Get a free TikTok Growth Checklist from famous TikTok creator Tiffy Chen that shows you how to gain 1.6 million followers with only 3 studio lights and iMovie.
Why does TikTok follower count matter?
TikTok is ruled by an algorithm: a series of metrics and ranking systems that determine what a user will find most entertaining. And it works— 40% of the app’s users say that their For You Page (FYP) is extremely or very interesting.
Because of this, users don’t have much conscious control over what they see on TikTok. Watching a video for an extra second could mean content from that same account will appear again later. Just as mindlessly scrolling past a video might mean you never see that creator again.
You can like, comment on, or share a TikTok to indicate to the algorithm that you’re interested, but the only way to say to TikTok, loud and clear, “I want to see more of this creator’s videos”—is to follow a TikTok profile.
That’s why TikTok follower count matters. Followers will regularly be shown your TikTok content, and a rising audience number tells the algorithm that your videos are worth watching.
Having a single video go viral is great for your brand awareness, but converting those views into followers is where the real business is–a dependable audience to engage with your content again and again.
22 ways to get more followers on TikTok
1. Know who you’re trying to reach
When you’re using TikTok for business, it’s essential that you understand who your target market is. Your target audience should be people who are interested in your industry, engaged with your product or service and passionate about the work that you do.
In other words, people who will want to follow you.
With a verified Taylor Swift TikTok account, Taylor Nation certainly knows its audience—videos like the one above prove they understand fans’ tendencies to look for secret messages in everything.
Pro tip: If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed or confused about your target audience we have a free step-by-step guide for finding your target market and some examples from the world’s top brands.
2. Find your niche
This goes hand-in-hand with mastering your target market. Almost every successful TikTok account has honed in on a particular niche or specific area of interest. Their followers are made up of people who are passionate about that niche.
Take original creator Nurse John, for example. All of his videos are related to nursing in some way, often making light of the profession’s darker parts (for example, doing CPR to the beat of Sabrina Carpenter’s latest hit).
3. Post often
TikTok recommends that users post as often as four times per day, and notes that there’s no limit to the number of posts that creators and small businesses publish.
But because we dare to give you attainable goals, Hootsuite recommends posting 3 to 5 times per week.
While high quality TikTok videos matter, TikTok is really a numbers game—the platform has about 2 billion users pumping out content and furiously scrolling through it, and part of engaging new followers is ensuring that you’re consistently putting out videos.
With Hootsuite you can schedule your posts in advance and tap into the best times to post on TikTok to ensure your content reaches the most users.
4. Use trending sounds
Trending sounds are another way to indicate to TikTok’s algorithm that your video is timely and worth ranking. Using popular songs and sounds on the platform will result in your video appearing on more For You Pages, leading to more engagement and more followers.
In addition to being funny and relatable, Hannah Hokit’s TikTok uses a song that’s trending “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter.
5. Learn from your analytics
TikTok offers analytics for creators and businesses, and apps like Hootsuite can help you interpret them. You can use your TikTok analytics to see how well your videos are doing, and pay special attention to which kinds of content increase followers.
Once you know what kinds of content grows your audience, lean in. Focus your videos on subjects, trends and ideas with tried-and-true results.
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6. Stitch and duet other videos
TikTok’s stitch and duet features enable you to interact with other creators beyond the comments section. And often, stitching or duetting a popular video will result in more views and engagement (usually more followers, too).
And sometimes, a stitch or duet can become its own niche or branded hashtag.
TikTok creator Smac, has gained a massive following through her performance art mimicking hydraulic press videos. If that doesn’t show you how unlimited the world of stitches and duets are, nothing will.
7. Encourage users to comment on your videos
One of TikTok algorithm’s most important ranking signals is comments. The platform uses comments to determine how relevant a video is, what kind of users will like a video, which For You Page to show a video on, and more.
Translation: the more comments your video receives, the better its chance of performing well, in turn, getting more users to hit that follow button.
So, why not encourage your audience to comment on your videos? Check out how this TikTok user asks viewers to make their comments section look like a cat’s Google history.
8. Use relevant hashtags
TikTok uses hashtags, in part, to determine what a video is about. Using #booktok, #bookworm, and #bookrecommendations, is enough to let TikTok know that your content is book-related, and should be shown on the For You Pages of folks who are interested in reading.
Hitting the right hashtags will help your video appear in the right searches. For example, see how this TikTok features trending hashtags like #howtostyle, #outfitinspo, and #makeover, to populate in relevant searches.
Source: McKenzie Welch
The more relevant your hashtags are, the more likely your target audience is to find you and follow you.
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9. Post at strategic times
According to our data, the best time to post on TikTok is Thursday at 7pm. Though, Monday at 10pm and Saturday at 11am are also ideal times to post.
And while posting at those times gives your video the best advantage for being seen, after 5pm on a weekday and midday on a weekend are not ideal times to work.
With a scheduling app like Hootsuite you can schedule and plan your posts in advance to publish at the best times. That way, your video will get the maximum amount of reach, plus more followers along the way.
10. Participate in trending challenges
TikTok is all about quick, timely trends, and hopping on a hot dance, audio, or craze can boost your brand to viral status (picking up some shiny new followers along the way).
One of 2024’s most adorable trends is people putting their “bad dogs” on display for the world to see.
However, because trends change at lightning speed, the best way to find what’s trending on TikTok is to scroll through the platform and note videos you’re seeing most often, or read tuned-in blogs like Hootsuite that spot trends for you.
11. Have a sense of humour
TikTok can be educational and informative, sure, but it’s also very playful—so be a little silly. Some of the best viral content on the platform is from brands that aren’t afraid to use humour in their social media marketing.
The Paris 2024 Olympics account is a great example, just take a look at how they incorportated the “passenger princess” trend.
Using your brand’s TikTok account solely to advertise likely won’t gain you many followers. Users are looking for value and entertainment when it comes to the accounts they follow, so don’t be afraid to joke around.
12. Respond to comments
TikTok veterans know that sometimes the best action isn’t in the video itself; it’s in the conversation that happens around the video. The Paris Olympics 2024 TikTok we mentioned earlier? The comments are even better.
Source: Tiktok
The Olympic-level replies to comments are tonally perfect and very funny and further display how dialed-in the brand is.
Interactivity is one of TikTok’s greatest strengths—unlike watching a movie or TV show, audiences can engage with the creators on a personal level. Replying to comments on your own videos shows your audience that you care, and helps foster a connection that gives them an incentive to follow you.
13. Reply to comments with another TikTok
Instead of simply responding to a comment, you can turn that comment into a TikTok of its own.
This works in two ways: first, it motivates your audience to interact with your video (in the hopes that their comment may be used in a future video) and second, it motivates your audience to follow you (to see which comments are used in a future video).
Check out how this TikTok creator has nailed the formula.
The artist draws stacks of cats, and takes requests from users to build the feline pile. Followers can see the drawing grow and pitch ideas for their own cat.
14. Promote your TikTok on other platforms
It’s time to become a cross-promotion master. If you use other social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook or Linkedin, make sure you’re letting your audience know that you use TikTok, too.
Include a TikTok icon on your website and in your email newsletter. If you use YouTube or record podcasts, promote your TikTok on those platforms, as well.
Source: We Are Social
Why? According to a 2024 global report from We Are Social, only 0.1% of TikTok users are unique to the platform. The rest are also on other social media apps (more than 80% are on Facebook and Instagram, for example).
So shout your TikTok handle from the rooftops, include it in an Instagram Reel or a tweet—it’s the best way to make sure that your already engaged audience knows there are more ways to follow you.
15. Use Tiktok Ads
As great as organically growing your TikTok is, sometimes the best way to boost your brand on TikTok is to open up your wallet. Buying a TikTok Ad almost guarantees an increase in views, likes, comments, shares, and follows (all those juicy metrics).
That’s because TikTok Ads allow you to set campaign objectives and target your audience based on location, gender, age, interests, and more. Instead of casting your video out into the void, your ad will be specifically aimed at people who are likely to find your content interesting.
Source: Le Creuset
This Le Creuset ad definitely hit the right audience—the comments are filled with people who are very passionate about Dutch oven colours.
Source: TikTok
Pro tip: To learn more about setting up a TikTok Ad campaign, read our complete guide to TikTok Ads.
16. Partner with creators or influencers
There’s plenty of followers to go around. Collaborating with influential creators will expose your brand to their audience (and them to yours).
It’s a mutually beneficial partnership that should gain you some fresh followers who already love your content—so long as you partner with the right influencer.
Be selective about who you collaborate with to ensure that your influencer marketing campaign is worth it. Partner with influencers who share your brand’s core beliefs and people who work in a similar niche.
For example, a toy company partnering with a creator who recently had a baby.
17. Partner with other brands
Instead of partnering with a creator, flip the script and collaborate with a brand. Again, the partnership should be mutually beneficial, with each brand getting exposure to (and hopefully, followers from) the other brand’s audience.
This collab between soft drink brand Poppi and bagel shop PopUp Bagels shows how it’s done.
The two brands have a similar marketing strategy and are both active on TikTok, so a partnership proved lucrative for both brands (and capitalizes on humanity’s favourite duo: food and drink).
18. Make timely content
Jumping on TikTok trends can be hard, especially when they change so fast—for example, it’s likely that the jump in the pool fully clothed trend we’re referencing now will be old news at the time you’re reading this.
But using a social media content calendar, can help you plan ahead to ensure that your TikToks are timely. Referencing seasons, holidays, and popular events is a great way to root your videos in time and indicate to users (and the algorithm) that your content is relevant and up-to-date.
You might make a TikTok about spring cleaning, or come October something about Halloween. Capitalize on timely things that people are already talking about to give your videos an extra boost.
19. Make useful content
TikTok is a great place to learn new things, especially “life hacks” (this mango peeling trick has changed our lives).
Create engaging videos that are useful—and therefore valuable—to your viewers will prompt them to follow you in hopes of learning more.
Take this video from Ian Fujimoto on what to do with leftover fry oil.
The creator took a frequently asked question (“what do I do with my leftover fry oil”) and made a short, sweet and informative TikTok about it.
The video has almost 3,000 saves, proving that this mini tutorial is something that viewers deemed worth coming back to. And for the same reason, it’s likely that many also deem this creator worth following.
20. Create a series
We don’t have much control over our own For You Pages (that’s up to the TikTok algorithm). In fact, following an account is one of the only ways that a user can ensure that they’ll see that account again.
Encourage your viewers to follow you by creating a series: two or more videos that cover the same story, topic or trend.
When users follow you, they’ll have a much higher chance of seeing part two (and three and four). Check out how these popular TikTokers took their video series strategy up a notch.
Not only did the creators post a series in multiple parts, but they took turns posting each part on their own separate account. That way anyone who wants a full list of “home decor icks” would be prompted to follow both of them. We see what you did there.
21. Experiment
There’s no foolproof recipe for getting more followers on TikTok (even though we did our very best here). So whether you’re a TikTok pro or are still finding your groove on the platform, it’s essential to experiment.
Try new video formats, test out new trends and explore new collaboration opportunities and ways to reach out to your community.
Was this video from a car dealership guaranteed to perform well? No, but they tried it anyway.
The result? Almost four million views and thousands of comments— many of them genuine questions about cars.
Experimenting with new kinds of videos will expose your brand to a new audience, and pick up some followers along the way. Plus, it will help your current following stay engaged and excited about your content.
22. Be authentic
Remember everything we’ve told you about jumping on trends, being timely, using hashtags, and all that? Here’s the thing: without authentic, genuine content, none of that stuff matters.
Videos that show a more honest side of you (whether it’s a personal, just-for-fun account, or your brand’s business account) fosters a personal connection with your audience. See how thisTikTok series shows just how effective vulnerability—and Hannah Montana playlists—can be.
There’s no set formula for authenticity, but modern audiences crave it (especially Gen Zers). So make sure you’re being true to yourself as you formulate your TikTok strategy—nothing is quite as follow-worthy as genuine passion.
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