Looking for the best ‘how to get TikTok followers fast’ scheme? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. The good news? You don’t have to buy TikTok followers to improve your TikTok marketing strategy.
From branded hashtags to TikTok creators collaborating to implementing a cross-promote strategy and creating engaging TikTok content — there are several ways to organically grow your TikTok following.
We’re here to tell you that you don’t need fake followers to succeed. Lucky for you, we spill all the deets for gaining followers here.
Read on to learn how to gain genuine TikTok followers (AKA free followers) in 15 easy ways.
How to get more TikTok followers instantly: 15 tips
Looking for effective ways to grow your TikTok account? You’re in the right place. In this article, we dive into our top tips for gaining more TikTok followers.
- Identify your niche
- Define your target audience
- Create engaging content
- Create Duets and Stitch videos
- Start your own TikTok challenge
- Use hashtags effectively
- Collaborate with other TikTok creators
- Engage with your followers
- Use trending sounds or music
- Post at the right time
- Post consistently
- Start a multi-part series
- Analyze and optimize
- Add closed captions to your videos
- Stay authentic
Tip 1: Identify your niche
To grow your TikTok following, first things first, you need to identify your content niche.
Creators often fall into two categories: the creator educator, and the creator entertainer. Basically, is your goal to teach your audience something or to entertain them? Once you’ve figured that out, you can identify the category of your content niche. For example, are you a home cook? Into fashion? A dog trainer? Or a Simpsons superfan? The sky’s the limit with TikTok, so have fun with it!
Tip 2: Define your target audience
So you have a good grip on your content niche, now it’s time to define your target audience. Having a set target audience in mind will help you build a more successful TikTok strategy. Knowing your target audience will also help you find brand sponsorships down the line, which can be a major advantage since TikTok ads don’t really pay the bills.
When thinking about how to get more followers, ask yourself questions like:
What is my target audience looking for on TikTok?
How is my TikTok audience engaging with TikTok?
Keep in mind your TikTok target audience might be different from your target audience on other social media platforms. You should always target TikTok users that feel authentic to you and your brand.
TikTok is a big wide world full of thousands of content niches. For context, there are over 1 billion monthly active users on TikTok across various demographics, locations, and niches.
But don’t get overwhelmed. Just remember there’s an audience out there for every creator. By choosing a specific audience and creating TikTok videos specifically for them, you’ll get more TikTok followers in no time.
Tip 3: Create engaging content
Great news! Unlike Instagram or YouTube, you don’t need a ton of TikTok followers to go viral. This is all thanks to TikTok’s vigorous recommendation system, aka the algorithm.
The beauty of the TikTok algorithm is that if you produce high-quality and trendy TikTok videos that are curated to your target audience, you have just as high a chance to show up on your target audience’s feed as all the other TikTok creators (yes, even if you have little to no followers).
So, how do you create content that catches the eye of your desired TikTok user? Read on for our top tips.
Top tips for engaging your TikTok audience:
- Always work on improvement: When you post a TikTok, don’t just consider it done and never look at it again. Review your content over time to see what works, and what doesn’t, and learn how you can make better TikToks.
- Start with a hook: The first few seconds of your TikTok should pull people in so they feel compelled to watch.
- Tell a story: Your TikTok should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. For example, a workout TikTok video can start with you getting ready, then go into your workout, and wrap up with post-workout stretching.
- Re-hook your viewer: Your TikTok should have quick moments every few seconds that keep people engaged. That can be a sound cue, a visual effect, or even just a quick cut.
TikTok is all about bite-sized forms of content, which is partially responsible for the micro-learning trend in general. Several creator platforms have emerged catering to this trend like The Leap, which has a free AI-powered mini-course builder that can generate templates for other digital marketing content like tutorials or your very own challenge).
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Tip 4: Create Duets and Stitch videos
Using TikTok’s Duet and Stitch feature is an easy (and fun) way to increase engagement. It’s also one of the most popular features on TikTok that sets it apart from other social media platforms. TikTok Duets allow you to create side-by-side videos, one with your content and the other with the original video creator.
TikTok creators generally use the Duet feature to show viewers their reaction or response in real-time alongside the original video. And for those who like to show off their vocals and harmonizing skills, Duets are perfect for creating singing videos with other creators.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s Stitch feature lets you incorporate a specific portion of the original video into your content.
Like Duet, the Stitch feature is another way to reinterpret or add to another user’s content. Think of using Stitch for building upon or responding to existing tutorials, recipes, or commentary.
Tip 5: Start your own TikTok challenge
TikTok challenges are a trend that encourages more followers to get involved. While hopping onto a trending challenge is great for getting TikTok followers, you can also take it to the next level by creating your own challenge for your TikTok audience..
If you can claim a strong hashtag and create content geared towards that challenge, you might get some serious traction as the TikToker who started a popular challenge.
Start by coming up with your own challenge that most people would be able to do — i.e., you don’t want to propose a particularly complicated dance, unless you want to keep the challenge specific to your niche.
Next, make and publish a TikTok about it, then reach out to people in your network to see if they’re willing to take part in it. That can be friends, family, and coworkers — not just other creators.
Keep an eye on your challenge’s associated hashtag for a couple of weeks after you’ve published it. If you’re still lacking engagement on your TikTok videos, consider using a Duet or Stitch to react to anyone contributing to the challenge to draw more attention.
Here’s a great example from creator Kelley Heyer, who started the #appledance challenge to Charli XCX’s hit track:
Tip 6: Use hashtags effectively
You might have noticed that creators with fewer TikTok followers tend to include more hashtags in their posts. This is because, just like on other social media platforms, hashtags can be an effective strategy for getting more TikTok users to see your content, especially when you’re just getting started.
But you always want to be strategic with your hashtags and use them moderately. We’ve all seen those posts with a thousand hashtags — it’s not the cutest look. So avoid spamming your followers on TikTok and stick to the expert-recommended amount of three to five hashtags per post.
You want your hashtags to be specific and relevant to your content, with a healthy mix of relevant hashtags, niche hashtags, and maybe a branded hashtag or two. Popular hashtags will help expose your content to a larger audience, while niche hashtags help you connect with a more targeted audience.
You can find trending hashtags through TikTok’s Discover page — just search up the topics you’re interested in. TikTok’s Creative Center is a great tool for searching trending hashtags and seeing how they performed over time, too.
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Tip 7: Collaborate with other TikTok creators
While Duets and Stitches are great for getting engagement through your reactions to other people’s content, they’re not the only way you should be working with other creators.
A collaboration can be a huge win-win, as both creators can benefit from the other’s TikTok following.
To make a successful collaboration work, ensure that your collaboration is mutually beneficial. As soon as one creator tries to get a bit more than the other out of the deal, things can turn sour.
Focus on what you bring to the table and what you can give. Then, try to be the creator who gives more in the exchange. It might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but it’ll build you some goodwill with that creator, and they’ll be more likely to want to work with you again in the future.
Aim to work with creators in your niche who have a similar-sized following, and reach out to like-minded creators at least once a day offering potential collaborations.
Tip 8: Engage with your followers
It’s no secret that more engagement equals more TikTok followers. So it should be no surprise that connecting with your followers on TikTok positively and engagingly can help you build a target audience with more followers.
Here are some of our top tips on the most positive and engaging ways to interact with your viewers:
- Reply promptly: Respond to viewers’ comments and messages to show them that you value their engagement.
- Be genuine: Respond to your viewers with sincere, personalized replies.
- Be appreciative: Show gratitude towards your followers on TikTok by simply thanking them for their comments, likes, and shares.
- Encourage interaction: Ask your viewers to respond to a question in the comments to learn more about your target audience and encourage more conversation.
Address concerns: If one of your viewers raises a valid concern or criticism, take the time to craft a thoughtful and respectful response.
Tip 9: Use trending sounds or music
your videos. But how do you know what songs are trending? As always, keep checking that Discovery page and TikTok’s Creative Center to stay up to date on the latest song trends!
We also recommend following influencers and creators who are within your same content niche to observe what sounds and trending songs they’re using.
Tip 10: Post at the right time
We’re not going to lie, deciding on the right time to post on TikTok can be tricky — who can predict what time everyone will be on the app?
The best answer here really harks back to knowing your target audience. Think about the demographics of your TikTok followers, like their age group, location, and general interests.
What time do you expect your followers on TikTok to be on TikTok the most? For example, are they 9-to-5ers where you see a spike in views late afternoon and evening?
Or, maybe your target audience demographic is students whose schedules might be less predictable.If you’re not sure where to start, there are some more general peak user hours you can use, based on research from SocialPilot, such as Monday at 6 a.m. EST or Saturday at 11 a.m. EST.
Once your channel grows, you should analyze the view time of your followers directly from the TikTok Creator Tool tab. Creator @rixirising outlines how to do it in this TikTok:
Tip 11: Post consistently
Like any content creation, consistency is key. The more content you have published, the closer you’ll be to getting more TikTok followers.
You also want to be realistic about how much content you can create. For example, you don’t need to post one video a day, but you do want your TikTok followers to rely on when they can expect new content from your account.
So before you get started on TikTok, you’ll want to seriously consider how much high-quality content you can realistically produce in a day, week, month, or year. Then build a content calendar and stick to it!
Tip 12: Start a multi-part series
While most of your TikToks will probably work fine as one-offs, a series can really help bring in more followers — and make them stick around. The promise of recurring content means you’re worth following, and it builds anticipation for what you’re going to create next.
Creating a series doesn’t just help you get more followers, but it also naturally incentivizes you to post more consistently!
When planning your content calendar, set some creation time aside for starting a series and contributing to it regularly. As you release each part of your series, keep an eye on the numbers.
If you notice the series as a whole isn’t performing as well as you’d expected, you can find ways to shorten it to put your creative energy elsewhere.
Tip 13: Analyze and optimize
To max out your TikTok revenue potential and increase your TikTok presence, you’re going to want to focus on the most important metrics. Think more followers, high engagement, and multiple revenue streams. Keeping all this in mind, TikTok’s analytics tool will be your new best friend.
First things first, to access your analytics tool, you’ll need a TikTok Pro account. Once you have TikTok Pro, go to your TikTok profile page and tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. Then select “Analytics” from the menu. Here you’ll find various sections with information about your account and content performance.
Start exploring analytics by checking the “Overview” section on your TikTok profile, which provides a summary of your account’s performance over the last 7 or 28 days. Look for metrics like total video views, profile views, TikTok followers gained, and trending videos.
By continuously monitoring your TikTok analytics, you can adapt and optimize your content strategy based on the insights you gather.
Tip 14: Add closed captions to your videos
About 11 million people across the U.S. are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing. Adding captions to your videos doesn’t just get you more followers, it also makes your content more inclusive. It takes a little bit of extra work, but it’s more than worth it.
Not sure how to add closed captions to your TikToks? Here’s creator @meagankoch with a quick guide:
- With one of your TikToks open, hit the down arrow to the right.
- Hit Edit.
- Hit Text at the bottom of the screen, then hit Captions.
- TikTok will automatically generate captions, but you’ll want to swipe through the TikTok’s timeline to make sure it’s accurate.
- If you need to edit any of the captions, just tap the text box, then make the changes you need to.
Tip 15: Stay authentic
Last but definitely not least, the golden rule of any content creation is to stay authentic.
As long as you stay true to who you are and produce content that’s authentic to you, you’ll be gaining more and more followers on TikTok in no time!
Not only will you get new followers, but your existing followers will stick around for longer because you’ll be committing to the content and brand they’re used to.
How do you stay authentic? Before you do anything, ask yourself why you’re doing it. If the answer is something along the lines of “making more money,” then it’s probably not an authentic thing to do.
Too many TikTok creators fall into the trap of emulating other creators with tactics that don’t fit who they are. Your audience can pick up on that a lot better than you think. So the best thing to do is stay true to who you are!
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Time to skyrocket your TikTok growth!
In the last few years, the creator economy has exploded and TikTok is one of the newest social media platforms. Of the multiple social media platforms, TikTok operates more like a search engine tool, and the TikTok algorithm has quickly become a rival to Google as a go-to source for information.
This is great news for TikTok creators, since the more people that turn to TikTok for education and entertainment, the more it becomes a viable source of income for creators on the platform.
That means once you get a bunch of TikTok followers, it’s time to monetize your following! And one of the best ways to monetize your social presence is to sell digital products.
The Leap is the only free all-in-one creator store with an AI-powered digital product builder that helps you build mini-courses, guides, challenges, and other bite-sized digital products to engage and educate your TikTok following!
The Leap has all the tools you need to create, sell, and market your digital products like powerful email marketing tools including pre-made templates and automated email flows and broadcasts, a native calendar booking feature for selling digital services, a Creator Analytics dashboard, and even a referral program with the opportunity for creators earn up to 40% recurring commission!
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How to get TikTok followers FAQ
How can I get more followers on TikTok fast?
Here’s the scoop: You don’t need to buy TikTok followers. Instead, hone in on your unique style and create captivating, high-quality content that stands out from the crowd. Embrace the trends, challenges, and branded hashtags that resonate with your audience, and don’t shy away from joining the fun.
Engage with the TikTok community by liking, commenting, and collaborating with other creators. Be authentic, stay consistent, and post regularly to keep your audience hooked. Don’t forget to optimize your profile, use a branded hashtag, and eye-catching thumbnails, and experiment with creative effects to make your content pop. Lastly, promote your TikTok on other social media networks and leverage the power of word-of-mouth.
What hashtags should I use to grow my TikTok account?
While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to which hashtags you should use to grow your TikTok following, there are some general rules to consider while building your hashtag strategy.
The first rule of thumb? Research! Look up trending hashtags on TikTok’s Discover page and Creative Center, or check out popular videos in your niche to see what hashtags are included.
Secondly, always use specific and relevant hashtags to dish out a healthy dose of trending and evergreen hashtags, FYI “evergreen” means it will remain popular and relevant over an extended period. Finally, don’t forget to leverage niche-specific hashtags or your own hashtags, which can help build a sense of community around your content niche.
How do you make money on TikTok?
Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok doesn’t compensate the majority of its creators for running TikTok ads on videos, so creators and third-party brands don’t have standardized rates to follow if they decide to work together. This means that the revenue from brand deals and sponsored posts can vary widely depending on several factors. To simplify the calculation process, check out The Leap’s handyTikTok Money Calculator to help you estimate how much money you can make.
Follow The Leap on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more audience growth tips. We also make a newsletter.
Further reading
- TikTok SEO: 8 Tips To Help Your TikTok Videos Rank High in Search
- How To Make Short-Form Video Content Work for You
- How To Use TikTok Hashtags To Get More Views
- What Are the Best Times to Post on TikTok?
- TikTok Money Calculator: Estimate How Much You Can Earn as a Creator
This article was originally published in June 2023, and updated in December 2024 with additional information.
