How to Grow on TikTok from 0

Starting on TikTok with zero followers can feel like shouting into the void, but it’s actually the platform's biggest strength: anyone can go viral overnight - you just need the right approach. This guide will walk you through the exact steps to build your account from the ground up, covering everything from identifying your unique niche to creating content that the algorithm loves.

Define Your Niche (Before You Post Anything)

A common pitfall for new creators is to try and appeal to everyone. On TikTok, if you're talking to everyone, you're not really talking to anyone. Nailing down your specific niche from the start is the single most important thing you can do to build a dedicated community.

Think of a niche as a combination of your interests, skills, and passions. A niche isn't just "kitchen", it's "comedic kitchen fails." It isn't just "fashion", it's "styling vintage fashion for under $50." A great niche is specific enough to attract dedicated followers but broad enough that you never run out of ideas.

Actionable Steps:

• Start with a Venn diagram. Draw two or three overlapping circles. In each circle, list a topic or skill you're passionate about. For example: Circle 1: Gaming, Circle 2: Comedy, Circle 3: 90s Fashion. The overlap where these circles meet is your ideal niche area.
• Gauge your audience potential. Once you have your niche idea, ask yourself if a dedicated audience for it exists on the platform.
• Brainstorm content pillars. With your niche in mind, write down 50 video ideas. This will help you see if your niche has longevity.

Figure Out Your Vibe and Content Format

The next step is to establish how you'll show up in your niche. This includes your tone of voice, your editing style, and the overall look and feel of your videos. A comedy video in a cooking niche feels different from comedy that's dry and improvised. Ask yourself these questions:

• What mood do I want my audience to feel when they watch my videos? Happy, motivated, or informed?
• Am I a teacher, a friend, or a bit of both?
• What editing style fits my vibe? Quick cuts and memes? Slower-paced, cinematic shots? Raw and unfiltered?

Consistency in your look and feel across your videos helps your audience recognize your content at a glance. You should also decide on the primary type of content you'll create. Will it be:

• Educational Tutorials (e.g., "how to do a winged liner")
• Talking-head Videos (e.g., when you explain a concept directly to the camera)
• Comedy Skits or Trends
• Day-in-the-Life ("Vlog") Style Content (showing the behind-the-scenes of your process)

It's important to have one or two primary content formats that you stick with, but don't be afraid to try other things to see what resonates.

Master the Fundamentals of a Good TikTok

A good TikTok video doesn't need a Hollywood-level budget. It just needs to follow a simple structure to keep viewers engaged in the first few seconds so your audience will continue watching.

The Hook (First 3 Seconds)

This is the most important part of your video. It's what stops a scroller in their tracks. Think of it as the video's headline. It needs to promise the value you're about to deliver. Great hooks include:

• Asking a question or making a statement (e.g., "Here's why you're doing your '90s fashion completely wrong...")
• Posing a controversial claim (e.g., "You've been making coffee completely wrong.")
• Showing the final result at the beginning (e.g., a shot of the perfectly decorated cake before showing how it was made).

The Value Stack (The Middle)

This is where you deliver on the promise you made in the hook. "Value" can mean many things:

• Education: Teaching someone something new, providing step-by-step instructions, or solving a problem.
• Entertainment: Making people laugh, telling a story people can't stop listening to.
• Inspiration: Motivating someone to act or try something in their own life.

A successful video always delivers clear value - even if it's just making them laugh - and has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

The Call To Action (The End)

This isn't the end of your video, it's the beginning of a conversation with your audience. Tell them what to do next.

• Suggestive prompts like "follow for more" or "follow for Part 2"
• Pose questions that your audience can answer in the comments
• Ask them to share their favorite tip from the video.

Build a Simple Content Strategy

An accessible content strategy is key to avoiding burnout and staying consistent without running out of ideas.

Plan Using Content Pillars

Content pillars are the three to five sub-topics of your niche that you cycle through. For an account with a niche of "DIY home budgeting decor," your pillar content could be:

• Budgeting tutorials (with a funny twist)
• Documenting DIY Fails
• Room makeover tips

Content pillars make sure that you're not posting the same thing over and over. They help keep your content varied so you can discover what performs best with your community over time!

Consistency Is Key

Consistency on TikTok isn't just about quantity, it's about quality and rhythm. A good starting point is to post 3-4 times a week. As you gain more momentum, this may increase. But the most important part? Staying consistent is your fastest path to audience growth.

Adopt an 'At-Batch' Mentality

Batch producing your videos is an absolutely fantastic habit to get into. Instead of trying to come up with ideas, creating, and editing every single day of the week, take one block of time to produce several pieces of content at once:

• Schedule time on certain days to film several videos that you want to publish in the upcoming week.
• Once your content is created and scheduled, you can focus on engaging with your audience instead of worrying about posting daily. A content scheduling app simplifies this workflow, freeing up your time and reducing the stress of staying consistent.

Engage With Your Community and the Algorithm

TikTok is not a passive platform for creators. The algorithm signals what is popular and trending, and staying informed about these trends will give you an advantage.

How the TikTok Algorithm Works (in simple terms)

When you post a video, it is initially shared with a small group of users who the algorithm thinks will enjoy your type of content. If that initial group engages well - by watching, liking, commenting, and sharing - the algorithm pushes your video out to a much larger audience, which can lead to virality.

Signals the Algorithm Loves (and so should you):

• Watch time and completion rate: The algorithm heavily rewards videos that people watch all the way through. If viewers swipe away in the first few seconds, it signals that the content isn't engaging. If they watch to the end (or even replay it), the algorithm recognizes it as high-quality content worth promoting. A high completion rate is one of the strongest indicators of a successful video.

Use TikTok Tools to Your Advantage

TikTok provides creators with several tools that can boost your account’s discoverability. The two most important are hashtags and trending sounds.

Hashtags

• Aim for three to five relevant hashtags per video. Use a mix of broader keywords (e.g., #baking) and niche, community-specific tags (e.g., #cookietok). This combination helps both casual scrollers and highly engaged fans discover your content.
• Community-specific hashtags attract a more engaged audience than broad terms, which can lead to better watch time and growth.
• Keep your captions short and to the point. A concise caption that complements the video and includes a question or call to action is more effective than a long paragraph.

Trending Sounds

Using trending audio is one of the fastest ways to increase your reach. The algorithm often prioritizes content that uses popular sounds. Pay attention to the audio in viral videos and see how you can adapt the trends to fit your niche. The right sound can help you get discovered by thousands of new viewers overnight.

Engage With the Community and Beyond the For You Page

Growth on TikTok isn't just about posting, it's about engaging with the community. Use features like Duets and Stitches to interact with other creators' content. This strategy helps you build relationships with fellow creators and introduces your profile to their audiences, exposing you to new, interested viewers.

Final Thoughts

Growing on TikTok from scratch is an achievable goal. It comes down to defining your niche, creating consistent, high-value content, and engaging with the community. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can build a dedicated following over time.

Maintaining consistency is crucial, but it can also be time-consuming. This is where a social media scheduling tool can make a significant difference. By planning and scheduling your content in advance, you can focus more on creating great videos and engaging with your audience. Tools like Postbase help creators stay organized and consistent across all their platforms, freeing up valuable time so you can focus on what matters most: growing your brand.