How to Increase Followers on TikTok

Gaining real, engaged followers on TikTok boils down to a clear strategy, not just luck. If you feel like you're posting great videos that aren't getting the views or follows they deserve, you're not alone. This guide breaks down the exact steps you can take to understand the platform, create content that resonates, and build a community that wants to follow you.

Define Your Niche and Identify Your Target Audience

You can't create content for everyone. The first step to building a loyal following is to decide exactly who you're talking to and what you're talking about. A specific niche helps you attract a dedicated audience that is genuinely interested in your content, making them much more likely to hit the follow button. Think of it this way: a page about "food" is too broad, but a page focused on "easy weeknight air fryer recipes for busy parents" is incredibly specific and valuable to a particular group of people.

How to Find Your Niche

To pinpoint your niche, ask yourself a few questions:

• What am I passionate about? You'll be creating a lot of content, so it should be a topic you genuinely enjoy. Your enthusiasm will shine through and feel authentic.
• What am I an expert in? Do you have a special skill, a unique profession, or deep knowledge about a specific subject? This could be anything from personal finance for freelancers to advanced Excel tips.
• What problems can I solve for people? Value often comes from solving a problem. Are you helping people learn to play guitar, organize their homes, or feel more confident?

Your niche lies at the intersection of your passion, your expertise, and the value you can provide to an audience. Once you've settled on a niche, commit to it. Consistency in your topic helps the TikTok algorithm understand who to show your videos to and tells potential followers exactly what they can expect from your account.

Optimize Your TikTok Profile for Growth

Your profile is your digital storefront. When a new viewer lands on your page, you have just a few seconds to convince them that you're worth a follow. Every element should be optimized to communicate your value proposition clearly and professionally.

Your Username and Profile Picture

Your username (@handle) should be simple, memorable, and easy to spell. If possible, keep it consistent with your handles on other social media platforms to build brand recognition. Avoid using a long string of numbers or underscores that make it difficult for users to search for you. For your profile picture, use a clear, high-quality headshot if you're a personal brand. If you're a business, a clean version of your logo works best. Your photo should be easily recognizable even as a small thumbnail.

An Engaging Bio and a Link

Your bio has limited space, so make it count. In just a few lines, tell people:

• Who you are.
• What kind of content you post.
• Why they should follow you (e.g., "Daily tips for small business owners" or "Your guide to vintage fashion").

Use a clear call-to-action (CTA) that encourages people to check out your link in bio. Once you reach 1,000 followers, TikTok allows you to add a clickable link. Use this space strategically to direct traffic to your website, blog, online store, or other social media accounts.

Create Videos That People Actually Want to Watch

At the end of the day, content is king on TikTok. No growth hack can substitute for creating high-quality, engaging videos that people want to save, share, and re-watch. Here's how to do it.

Hook Your Viewers in the First 3 Seconds

The average attention span on TikTok is incredibly short. If you don't grab a viewer's interest within the first three seconds, they will scroll away. Your videos' first moments are the most important.

Start with:

• A bold statement or question: "You've been using your air fryer all wrong."
• An intriguing visual: Show the final result of a project or recipe first.
• On-screen text: A simple text hook like "3 tips to save $100 this week" immediately tells the viewer what value they'll get.

Leverage Trending Sounds and Audio

TikTok is an audio-forward platform. Trending sounds aren't just background music, they're discovery tools. When you use a trending audio, your video has a chance to be seen by anyone else listening to or engaging with that particular sound. Don't just slap a song on your video - find a sound that complements your content or is related to a trend that fits within your niche and add your unique spin to it.

How to find trending audio:

• Scroll through your "For You Page" (FYP) and take note of sounds you hear repeatedly.
• Tap the sound at the bottom of any video to see how many other videos have been made with it. Sounds with hundreds of thousands or even millions of videos are often trending.
• Check the TikTok Creative Center for lists of currently trending songs and audio clips.

Participate in Relevant Trends and Challenges

Trends are the language of TikTok. Participating in a relevant trend can give you a massive boost in visibility. The key here is relevance. Don't just blindly follow a popular dance trend if it makes no sense for your brand or niche. Instead, find a way to adapt the trend to your content.

For example, if a transition trend is popular, a real estate agent could use it to show a "before and after" of a renovated property. A financial advisor could adapt a "things I wish I knew sooner" trend to give money advice. Adapting trends shows you understand the platform while remaining true to your niche.

Tell a Compelling Story

Even in a 15-second video, you can tell a story. Humans are wired for narratives. A simple story structure (beginning, middle, end) can make your content far more engaging. You can tell a story about a business failure that led to success, a day in your life, or how you created a product. Storytelling creates an emotional connection with your audience and turns casual viewers into loyal followers.

Work With the TikTok Algorithm, Not Against It

The TikTok algorithm isn't a mysterious black box. It's designed to show users more of what they like, based on their watch history and engagement signals. Your job is to create content that sends the right signals.

Post on a Consistent Schedule

Consistency is more important than frequency. You don't need to post five times a day to grow. Find a sustainable schedule - whether it's three times a week or once a day - and stick to it. Posting consistently trains the algorithm to expect content from you and keeps your audience engaged. A regular cadence builds momentum and helps prevent your account from going stale.

Post When Your Audience is Most Active

Posting at the right time can give your video an initial boost in engagement, which signals to the algorithm that it's worth showing to a broader audience. TikTok gives you the data to figure out your optimal posting times.

Here's how to find it if you have a Business or Creator account:

1. Go to your profile and tap the three lines in the top right corner.
2. Select "Creator Tools" or "Business Suite."
3. Tap on "Analytics."
4. Go to the "Followers" tab and scroll down to "Follower Activity."

This graph will show you the days and hours when your followers are most active. Experiment by scheduling posts during these peak times and track your performance.

Use a Mix of Strategic Hashtags

Hashtags help TikTok categorize your content and show it to relevant audiences. A good hashtag strategy uses a mix of broad, niche-specific, and trending tags.

• Broad Hashtags (#fyp, #viral): Use these sparingly. While they have a massive volume, they are also highly competitive and don't necessarily attract your target audience. You might get views, but not necessarily followers.
• Niche Hashtags (#smallbusinessowner, #homedecortips): These are more specific to your content and industry. They help you reach users who are actively looking for content like yours. This is where you can find potential long-term followers.
• Trending Hashtags: Just like with sounds, including hashtags for current challenges or trends can give your video a temporary visibility boost.

Aim for a mix of 3-5 relevant hashtags per video. Avoid using irrelevant tags just because they're popular, as this can confuse the algorithm.

Engage to Build a Thriving Community

Growth on TikTok isn't just about racking up numbers, it's about building a community of people who trust and support you. Active engagement is non-negotiable.

Respond to Comments on Your Videos

When someone takes the time to leave a comment on your video, they are opening a door for conversation. Reply to as many comments as you can, especially in the first few hours after posting. This not only builds a relationship with that individual but also increases the overall engagement on your video - a positive signal to the algorithm. You can even use the "reply with video" feature to answer interesting questions, turning one engagement into a brand new piece of content.

Collaborate with Other Creators

Collaborating with other creators in your niche is one of the fastest ways to get in front of a new, highly relevant audience. TikTok has built-in features that make this easy.

• Duet: Create a video that appears side-by-side with another user's video. This is great for reaction videos, commentary, or adding to a conversation.
• Stitch: This feature allows you to clip and integrate moments from another creator’s video into your own. It's perfect for responding to a question or adding your perspective to an existing video.

When you use these features, you're not just creating content, you're participating in a larger conversation on the platform, which can introduce your profile to that original creator's audience.

Final Thoughts

Growing a following on TikTok is a marathon, not a sprint. It's about consistently showing up with valuable content, understanding your audience, and building genuine connections. By defining your niche, optimizing your profile, creating engaging videos, and actively participating in the community, you'll be well on your way to turning viewers into dedicated followers.

We know managing a consistent content calendar across multiple platforms can feel overwhelming, especially when you're trying to keep up with trends and engage with your audience. We've wrestled with clunky tools and missed posting times ourselves, which is why we built Postbase. Our simple visual calendar lets you plan and schedule your TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts all in one place, so you can focus on creating great content instead of fighting with your software.