How to Get More Likes on TikTok Videos

Chasing likes on TikTok isn't just a vanity game, it's a direct signal to the algorithm that your content is resonating with viewers, getting you a coveted spot on the For You Page. If you feel like you're creating great videos that just aren't connecting, you’re not alone. This guide will walk you through clear, actionable strategies you can implement today to get more likes, increase your engagement, and start building real momentum on the platform.

What Actually Makes People Like a TikTok Video?

Before jumping into specific tactics, it's helpful to understand the psychology behind a "like." The double-tap is an impulse action. Viewers like videos that make them feel something, teach them something new, surprise them, or are just incredibly satisfying to watch. The TikTok algorithm pays close attention to this signal. A surge of immediate likes tells the algorithm, "Hey, people are enjoying this," prompting it to push your video to a wider audience. Every strategy that follows is designed to trigger that positive response from your viewers and, in turn, from the algorithm.

1. Hook Your Viewers Within The First 3 Seconds

In the fast-scrolling world of TikTok, you don't have a minute to make your point - you have less than three seconds. The "hook" is the most critical part of your video. If you don't grab a viewer's interest immediately, they'll scroll away without a second thought, and you’ll lose your chance for a like. Your hook's only job is to convince someone to stop scrolling and watch until the end.

Effective Hook Strategies:

• Pose a Question: Start a video with text on the screen like, "You're probably cleaning your kitchen blender wrong," or "Is this the biggest money mistake people in their 20s make?" This piques curiosity and makes viewers want to know the answer.
• Start with the Climax: Show the most satisfying or dramatic part of your video first, then show how you got there. For a cooking video, start with the perfect cheese pull. For a DIY video, show the stunning "after" shot before you show the "before."
• Make a Bold or Controversial Statement: A statement like "Hot take: cardio is a waste of time for fat loss" is sure to get a reaction. People will stick around to hear your reasoning, whether they agree or disagree.
• Create a Visual Shocker: Start with an unexpected visual. A messy room that's about to be satisfyingly cleaned, an unusual makeup look, or a strange scientific experiment instantly makes people pause and wonder what's going on.

2. Jump on Trends, but Make Them Your Own

Trending sounds, effects, and formats are the language of TikTok. The algorithm actively promotes videos using trending audio because it knows users are already engaging with it. Participating in trends is one of the fastest ways to get discovered by new audiences who aren't following you… yet.

How to Use Trends the Right Way:

• Find Trends Early: The best place to find trends is on your own For You Page. When you start hearing the same audio or seeing the same video format over and over, that's a sign. You can also tap the "+" to create a new video and go to the "Add sound" section to see the official viral and trending sound charts.
• Adapt, Don't Just Copy: The most successful accounts don't just replicate a trend - they adapt it to their niche. If there's a trending "pointing to text on screen" dance, a financial coach can use it to point out "3 Saving Hacks," while a book blogger can use it to show "My Top 3 Fantasy Reads." This makes the trend relevant to your existing audience while reaching a new one.

Applying a trend to your unique niche is what separates standout videos from the ones that get lost in the noise.

3. Prioritize Value: Entertain, Educate, or Inspire

A like is a confirmation that your video provided a viewer with something in return for their time. Every video you post should fall into at least one of these three categories: educational, entertaining, or inspiring. Before you post, ask yourself: Is this video teaching someone how to do something better? Is it making them laugh or making their day a little brighter? Or is it motivating them to go after a goal?

Content Buckets That Earn Likes:

• Educational "How-To's": Short, snappy tutorials are social media gold. This could be anything from "How to crop a houseplant without killing it" to "My 5-minute secret for perfect beachy waves." Give your audience a quick win they can apply to their own lives.
• Relatable Humor: Create skits or share stories about a universal experience. Topics like the struggles of working from home, funny things pets do, or common parenting mishaps make people feel seen, which almost always earns a like and a comment like, "This is SO true!"
• Satisfying & ASMR Content: Don't underestimate the power of satisfying visuals and sounds. Things like power washing, product organization, paint mixing, or soap cutting are strangely hypnotic and extremely likable. The "oddly satisfying" niche is huge for a reason.
• Compelling Storytelling: Structure your video like a mini-story with a beginning, middle, and end. "Storytime" videos where you share a personal experience - whether it's funny, dramatic, or heartfelt - are incredibly effective at building a connection and encouraging likes. Starting with "Part 1" is a classic way to hook them for a follow.

4. Use Hashtags and Keywords Sparingly and Smartly

The role of hashtags has changed. Instead of stuffing your caption with ten generic tags like #fyp and #viral, focus on using keywords that accurately describe your video. TikTok's search functionality is becoming more like a search engine, and the algorithm uses the words in your caption, your on-screen text, and even what you say in the video to categorize its content and show it to the right people.

A Modern Hashtag and SEO Strategy:

• Use Descriptive Keywords in Your Caption: Instead of a minimalist caption, be direct. For a recipe, you could write, "Here's the easiest recipe for a weeknight pasta dinner." This immediately tells the algorithm what the video is about.
• The 3x3 Hashtag Method: If you use hashtags, aim for a balanced mix. Use maybe 1-2 broad tags (if relevant, like #homereno), 2-3 specific niche tags (#diypanelwall, #accentwallideas), and consider one unique branded tag for your own community (#MyBrandBuilds). This strategy helps your video get found in both broad and focused searches.
• Add Text On-Screen: The text you place on your video is scanned by the algorithm. Having a clear, readable title like "My Go-To Morning Skincare Routine" on the screen for the first few seconds reinforces your content's topic and helps it get categorized correctly.

5. Post When Your Followers are Most Active

Timing your posts is one of the easiest and most overlooked strategies for getting more likes. You want your video to go live when the highest number of your followers are active on the app. An initial burst of engagement from your followers signals to the algorithm that your post is worth showing to a wider audience on the For You Page.

How to Find Your Peak Posting Times:

1. Make sure you have a TikTok Pro or Business account (it's free to switch in your settings). This unlocks your analytics.
2. Navigate to your profile, tap the three lines in the top-right corner, and select Creator Tools.
3. Go to the Analytics tab and then tap on Followers.
4. Scroll down to the "Follower activity" section. This will show you a graph of the days and hours your audience was most engaged over the last week.

Plan to post about an hour before your audience's peak activity. This gives the algorithm enough time to index your video and start showing it to your followers right as they're opening the app, maximizing your chance for that critical initial rush of likes.

Final Thoughts

Getting more likes on TikTok ultimately comes down to understanding what your audience wants and consistently creating content for them. From crafting an unbeatable hook to strategically timing your posts, the key is to create an experience that's so valuable, funny, or satisfying that hitting the heart button becomes an automatic reflex for viewers.

As our content calendar filled up with videos for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, keeping everything organized became a challenge. A big part of what we do at Postbase is creating tools to solve that exact problem. Our platform was designed for today's social reality, letting us visually plan all our short-form video content in one place. Scheduling our TikToks to publish automatically during peak audience hours and managing all our comments in one unified inbox helps us stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed.