How to Get 10K Followers on TikTok

Hitting 10,000 followers on TikTok unlocks some powerful features, like the Creator Fund and the ability to add a link in your bio, turning your creative outlet into a real opportunity. This milestone can feel incredibly distant when you're just starting out, but it’s absolutely possible with the right strategy. This guide breaks down the actionable steps you need to take to build an engaged community and reach that coveted 10K mark.

Define Your Niche and Your Audience

The single most important step in growing on TikTok is defining your niche. Without a clear focus, you're just creating random content and hoping something sticks. A niche tells the algorithm who to show your videos to and helps you attract followers who will be genuinely interested in everything you post, not just one viral video.

Think about a niche as the clear, specific answer to the question: "What is your content about?" Instead of being a "food creator," you could be a "creator who makes 30-minute weeknight meals for busy parents." Instead of "fitness," you could focus on "bodyweight workouts for people who hate the gym."

How to Find Your Sweet Spot

To find your niche, look for the intersection of three things:

• What you're passionate about: What could you talk about for hours without getting bored? Consistency is easier when you genuinely love the topics you're covering.
• What you have knowledge in: What skills have you developed? What do people ask you for advice about? Your authority builds trust with your audience.
• What people are looking for: Is there an audience for your topic? Use TikTok's search bar to see what types of videos and creators already exist in your potential niche. Look for areas with interested viewers but where you can bring a unique perspective.

Once you’ve defined your niche, every video you create should align with it. This trains the TikTok algorithm to identify your ideal audience, increasing the chances that your content will land on their For You Page (FYP).

Master the First Three Seconds: Perfecting the Hook

On TikTok, you don’t have minutes to earn someone’s attention - you have seconds. The "hook" is the first 1-3 seconds of your video, and it's your only chance to stop a user from scrolling past. A great hook makes a promise, presents a problem, or sparks curiosity, compelling the viewer to stick around.

Types of Hooks That Work

Don't overthink it. Most effective hooks fall into a few simple categories. Here are some examples you can adapt to your own niche:

• Start with a bold statement: "You’re using your air fryer all wrong."
• Ask a polarizing question: "Is a Roth IRA really the best way to save for retirement?"
• Present a problem and solution: "If your plants keep dying, you need to hear this…"
• Create curiosity: "Here’s one marketing mistake that cost us thousands."
• Show the final result first: Start with a shot of the delicious finished meal before showing the recipe, or the clean room before showing the organization process.

Your hook can be spoken, presented with on-screen text, or communicated through strong visuals. Test different types to see what resonates most with your audience. The goal is to make the viewer feel like they’ll miss out on something valuable or entertaining if they swipe away.

Build Content Pillars for Consistency

Staring at a blank screen and thinking "What should I post today?" is a recipe for burnout. Content pillars are 3-5 sub-topics within your niche that you can consistently create videos about. They give your content strategy structure and make it much easier to brainstorm ideas.

For example, if your niche is "eco-friendly living for apartment dwellers," your content pillars might be:

• DIY Swaps: Creating simple, homemade alternatives to single-use products.
• Rental-Friendly Hacks: Making sustainable changes that don't violate a lease.
• Product Reviews: Testing and honestly reviewing "green" products.
• Myth-Busting: Debunking common misconceptions about sustainable living.

With these pillars in place, brainstorming becomes simple. Instead of trying to come up with a random idea, you just have to think, "What's an interesting video I can make for my 'DIY Swaps' pillar this week?" This simplifies your process and ensures your content remains focused and valuable for your target follower.

Tap into Trends the Right Way

TikTok trends - whether they're trending sounds, filters, or video formats - are a powerful tool for discovery. When you use a trending audio, the algorithm might show your video to anyone who has previously engaged with another video using that sound. It's like a free pass to reach a new, wider audience.

However, the key is to adapt trends to your niche, not just blindly replicate them. Don't force a dancing trend if it feels off-brand for your serious financial advice channel. Instead, find a trending sound that involves pointing to text on the screen and use it to share three quick budgeting tips.

How to Find Relevant Trends

• Scroll with purpose: Spend 10-15 minutes a day actively scrolling your FYP. Pay attention to which sounds or formats you see repeatedly. Save any audios that seem like they could be adapted to your niche.
• Check the Creative Center: TikTok has its own resource, the Creative Center, where you can see a list of trending songs, hashtags, and videos broken down by region.
• Observe creators in your niche: See what trends other successful accounts in your space are using. This is a great way to find formats that are already proven to work for your target audience.

Optimize Your Entire Profile for Growth

Your videos are what attract people, but your profile is what convinces them to hit the "follow" button. A poorly optimized profile can be the reason a viewer who loved your video decides not to stick around. Every element should be clear, professional, and targeted.

Username and Profile Picture

Your username should be simple, memorable, and easy to spell. If possible, make it the same as your handle on other platforms for brand consistency. Your profile picture should be a clear, high-quality headshot or a clean logo. People connect with faces, so a headshot is usually the best option for personal brands or creators.

Your Bio is Your Elevator Pitch

You only have 80 characters, so make them count. Your bio should immediately tell a new visitor two things:

1. Who you are and what you do: "Helping you build a side hustle."
2. What value they will get from following you: "Follow for daily marketing tips."

Use keywords related to your niche (e.g., "marketing," "social media," "small business") because TikTok bios are searchable. End with a clear call-to-action (CTA) like "Follow for more."

Hashtags and Captions as SEO Tools

TikTok is quickly becoming a visual search engine. Users are searching for "healthy recipes" or "how to fix a leaky faucet" directly on the platform. Treat your captions and hashtags as an opportunity to get discovered through search.

Write descriptive captions that include keywords someone would use to find your video. For hashtags, use a mix of broad and specific tags. Aim for 3-5 highly relevant hashtags.

• Broad (1-2): These have millions of views and help categorize your content (e.g., #interiordesign).
• Niche-specific (2-3): These are more targeted and connect you with a relevant audience (e.g., #smallapartmentdecor).
• Video-specific (1-2): Describe exactly what is in the video (e.g., #diygallerywall).

Create a Realistic Posting Schedule

Consistency is more important than frequency. While posting multiple times a day can accelerate growth, it can also lead to burnout and a drop in quality. It’s better to post one high-quality video every day than three rushed, low-effort videos.

Start with a schedule you can realistically maintain. For many, that's one video per day or even 4-5 times per week. The algorithm values predictability. By posting at a consistent cadence, you signal to both the algorithm and your audience that you are an active, reliable creator.

To find your best time to post, check your analytics. Navigate to Creator tools >, Analytics >, Followers tab. Scroll down to see the hours of the day when your audience is most active. Aim to post about an hour before this peak activity starts to give your video time to gain initial traction.

Engage with Your Community Authentically

Your comment section is one of the most powerful growth tools you have. High engagement signals to the TikTok algorithm that people are interested in your content, which can push it to even more For You Pages.

• Respond to comments: Make an effort to reply to as many comments as you can, especially in the first hour after posting. At a minimum, "like" and "heart" every comment you receive.
• Use the "Reply with video" feature: This is a goldmine for content ideas. When someone asks a great question in the comments, use this feature to answer it in a new video. It makes your audience feel seen and gives you an endless source of proven content topics.
• Engage with other creators: Don't just stay on your own page. Spend time watching and leaving thoughtful comments on videos from other creators in your niche. This builds relationships and makes your profile visible to their audience, who are likely interested in your content as well.

Final Thoughts

Getting to 10,000 followers on TikTok isn't about finding a single viral shortcut, it's about systematically building a strong foundation. By choosing a clear niche, creating valuable content, optimizing your profile, staying consistent, and genuinely engaging with your community, you create a sustainable path to growth that goes far beyond just one number.

Staying truly consistent is often the hardest part, especially when juggling TikTok with other platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. At Postbase, we built a visual content calendar specifically to solve this problem. We make it easy to plan and schedule your videos for every platform in one place, which means less time managing spreadsheets and more time creating content that connects with your audience and pushes you toward that 10K milestone.