How to Get People to Follow You on TikTok

Gaining TikTok followers is less about stumbling upon a viral trend and more about having a clear, repeatable strategy. If your view count is high but your follower count is stuck, you're not alone. This guide breaks down the actionable steps to turn casual viewers into a community of loyal followers by defining your niche, mastering your content strategy, and working with the TikTok algorithm.

Define Your Niche and Optimize Your Profile

Before you create a single video, you need to know who you’re talking to and why they should listen. A vague and generalized account gets lost in the noise. A focused, niche account signals to both the algorithm and potential followers exactly what you're about, making the decision to follow you an easy one.

Don't Try to Appeal to Everyone

The fastest way to get ignored on TikTok is to create content for “everyone.” When your content jumps from a recipe video to a travel vlog to a tech review, it confuses both viewers and the algorithm. People follow creators for a specific reason - for their expertise, humor, or a particular type of content. If they don’t know what to expect from you next, they have no reason to stick around.

Instead, get specific. Your niche is the intersection of what you're passionate about and what an audience finds value in.

• Instead of “Business,” focus on “Marketing tips for freelance graphic designers.”
• Instead of “Food,” focus on “30-minute weeknight dinners for busy families.”
• Instead of “Gaming,” focus on “Final Fantasy lore deep dives.”

A smaller, targeted niche attracts a more dedicated audience that is far more likely to engage with your content and hit the follow button. This focus teaches the TikTok algorithm exactly who to show your videos to, increasing the chances of landing on the right 'For You' pages.

Craft a Profile That Converts

Think of your profile as your digital storefront. When a viewer enjoys your video and clicks on your name, your profile has just a few seconds to convince them to follow. A strong profile does three things:

1. It tells people who you are and what you do. Your profile photo and username should be identifiable and professional. Your bio line should immediately state what your account is about.
2. It shows them the value you provide. Why should they follow you? What problem do you solve for them? What will they learn or experience by joining your community?
3. It includes a call to action. Tell them what to do next, like "Follow for daily tips" or point them to a link in your bio.

Example of a Weak Bio: "Lover of life. Cat mom. 📍NYC."

This tells visitors nothing about your content. They have to scroll through your videos to figure it out, and most won’t bother.

Example of a Strong Bio: "I help SaaS startups get their first 100 customers with simple marketing tips. 👇 Free guide to cold emailing."

This bio is clear, value-driven, and gives the visitor a strong reason to follow and engage further. It establishes expertise and sets expectations for the content they'll see on their feed.

Create Content That Captivates and Attracts Followers

With a clear niche and optimized profile, your focus shifts to the videos themselves. On TikTok, content that earns followers has a few things in common: it grabs attention immediately, provides genuine value, and feels right at home on the platform.

Your First Three Seconds Are Make-or-Break

The average user scrolls through hundreds of videos a day. You have roughly three seconds to convince them to stop scrolling. This initial moment is called the hook, and it’s the most important part of your video. A strong hook is provocative, asks a question, or makes a bold statement that creates curiosity.

Here are examples of powerful hooks:

• "Stop making these 3 common mistakes when cooking steak."
• "Here’s a side hustle literally anyone can start this weekend with zero dollars."
• "You will not believe what this Airbnb host tried to charge me for."
• "If your boss says this, it's time to start looking for a new job."

Start your video with immediate action or your most compelling phrase. Ditch the slow introductions like "Hey guys, so in today's video..." Get straight to the point to keep viewers hooked from the very first frame.

Embrace the Four Pillars of Value

Every video that performs well on TikTok provides some form of value to the viewer. When planning your content, make sure it fits into one of these four categories:

1. Educational: Teach something useful. This could be a quick tutorial, a life hack, an industry insight, or a breakdown of a complex topic. This type of content positions you as an expert and gives people a clear reason to follow you for more knowledge.
2. Entertaining: Make them laugh or feel something. This includes skits, funny stories, satisfying visuals, or engaging storytelling. Entertainment builds a strong connection with your audience and makes your content highly shareable.
3. Inspirational/Motivational: Share a "how I did it" story, a stunning transformation, or a powerful message. This content resonates on an emotional level and encourages people to follow your journey.
4. Relatable: Create content around shared experiences. POV (point-of-view) videos or skits about everyday situations make people feel seen and understood. Tapping into common frustrations or joys is an amazing way to build community.

Use Trending Sounds and Formats - But Make Them Your Own

TikTok is driven by trends, and using them is a smart way to increase your content's reach. The algorithm recognizes trending audio and formats and is more likely to show them to a broader audience. You can find what’s trending by browsing your 'For You' page or by tapping the "Add sound" button when creating a video to see the current TikTok Viral list.

However, the key is to adapt trends to your niche, not just copy them. Simply performing a viral dance won't attract your ideal follower if your account is about personal finance. Instead, think about how you can use the structure or sound of a trend to deliver your own unique message.

For example, if the trending sound is a snippet of dialogue, how can you use it to create a funny skit about a common problem your audience faces? If the trend is a "5 things" format, how can you use it to share 5 tips related to your area of expertise? This approach lets you benefit from the trend's momentum while still providing the value your followers expect from you.

Work With the TikTok Algorithm for Maximum Reach

The algorithm isn't a mysterious force, it's a system designed to serve users content they will enjoy. By understanding the signals it looks for, you can significantly increase your videos' visibility and attract more potential followers.

Post Consistently to Build Momentum

Consistency is not about posting ten videos a day. It’s about creating a predictable rhythm that signals to the algorithm that you are an active and reliable creator. Aim for a manageable frequency - three to five high-quality videos per week is a great starting point. Quality always beats quantity, a frantic, burned-out creator produces worse content than one on a steady, sustainable schedule.

To find the best times to post, head to your analytics. Go to Creator Tools &rarr, Analytics &rarr, Followers tab and scroll down to "Follower activity." This graph shows you the days and hours your audience is most active. Scheduling your posts for these peak times can give your videos an initial boost in engagement.

Use a Smart Hashtag Strategy

Hashtags help TikTok understand what your video is about and who might want to see it. Avoid using generic, oversaturated tags like #fyp and #viral. While they won't necessarily hurt your video, they won't help much either, as millions of videos are competing for those spots.

Instead, use a combination of 3-5 relevant hashtags:

• 1-2 Broad Hashtags: These relate to your general category (e.g., #socialmediamarketing, #homecooking).
• 2-3 Niche Hashtags: These are more specific to your video's topic (e.g., #instagramgrowthtips, #veganpasta). This is where your ideal audience is searching.
• 1 Optional Business/Brand Hashtag: A unique hashtag for your brand or a specific series you're running (e.g., #askpostbase).

Spark Conversations and Engage With Your Community

Engagement is a powerful signal to the algorithm. When people comment, like, share, and save your video, it tells TikTok that your content is valuable. You can encourage this in a few ways:

• Ask questions in your video or caption. Simple prompts like "What's the one app you can't live without? Let me know in the comments" can significantly increase engagement.
• Reply to comments. When you respond to comments - especially within the first few hours of posting - it doubles your comment count and shows you’re building a community, not just broadcasting content. You can even use the "reply with a video" feature to create new content from user questions.
• Engage on other accounts in your niche. Spend 15 minutes each day watching and leaving thoughtful comments on videos from other creators in your niche. This builds relationships and makes you a visible part of the community, driving relevant users back to your profile.

Turn Your Viewers into Loyal Followers

Getting views is one thing, converting those viewers into followers is another. The final step is to give people a clear and compelling reason to hit the 'Follow' button so they don't forget about you after your video ends.

Master the Call-to-Action (CTA)

Often, the simplest way to get more followers is to ask for them. A Call-to-Action (CTA) is a prompt that tells your viewer exactly what to do next. Integrate it naturally into your content.

You can do this verbally at the end of your video ("If you found this helpful, follow for more tips"), with on-screen text, or in your caption. The best CTA is one that connects back to the value you just provided: "For more easy weeknight recipes, make sure to follow me." This reinforces the reason why they should follow you.

Create a Content "Series"

Creating a series is one of the most effective strategies for follower growth. By intentionally splitting your content into multiple parts ("Part 1," "Part 2," etc.), you create an organic cliffhanger that gives viewers a powerful incentive to follow you to see the outcome. This works for storytelling, tutorials, step-by-step projects, or even ranking or rating things.

It taps into a psychological need for completion and transforms a passive viewer into an active follower who is invested in your content journey.

Pin Your Three Best Introductions

TikTok allows you to pin up to three videos to the top of your profile. This is prime real estate. Think of these videos as your best handshake and first impression. A new visitor shouldn't have to scroll to understand what you're about.

Pin videos that:

1. Clearly introduce you and your content niche.
2. Showcase your expertise or personality.
3. Drove high engagement or represent a viral success, providing social proof.

Your pinned videos should answer the silent question that every potential follower has: "Is this account for me?"

Final Thoughts

Growing a dedicated following on TikTok doesn't happen by chance. It's the result of deeply understanding a specific audience, consistently creating content that provides tangible value, engaging with your community, and strategically prompting viewers to become a permanent part of your journey.

Maintaining that consistency - planning, scheduling, engaging, and analyzing - can feel like a full-time job. To keep things manageable across TikTok and your other platforms, we built a tool that handles the busywork. With Postbase, you can see your entire content plan on one visual calendar, schedule video-first content without issues, and manage all your comments in one place, freeing you up to focus on creating great content that connects with your audience.