How to Reach More People on TikTok

Getting your TikToks in front of more people can feel like trying to solve a secret puzzle, but it’s more about a solid strategy than random luck. It comes down to understanding how the platform works, what viewers want, and how to create videos that consistently deliver on both fronts. This guide breaks down actionable steps to expand your reach, moving from hacking the algorithm to building a community that genuinely wants to see your content.

Understanding the TikTok Algorithm is Your First Move

Forget everything you think you know about social media algorithms that prioritize follower count. TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) has one primary goal: to serve each user a hyper-personalized feed of videos that keeps them on the app for as long as possible. Your job is to create videos that help the algorithm achieve its goal. It does this by analyzing a few key signals.

What the Algorithm Actually Cares About

When you post a video, TikTok shows it to a small test group of users. Based on how they react, it decides whether to push it to a broader audience. Here’s what it’s looking for:

• Viewer Completion Rate: This is arguably the most important metric. Did a viewer watch your entire video? Even better, did they watch it more than once (a "rewatch")? A high completion rate tells TikTok, "This video is good enough to hold someone’s attention."
• User Engagement: Strong signals include shares, comments, and saves. While likes are nice, these other actions indicate a deeper level of interest. A share means someone found it so valuable or entertaining they sent it to a friend. A comment means it sparked a conversation. A save means it was useful enough to return to later.
• Video Information: The algorithm reads everything to understand what your video is about. This includes your caption, the hashtags you use, and the audio or trending sound you’ve chosen. Providing clear, relevant information helps TikTok categorize your content and show it to the right people.

The core principle is simple: feed the algorithm what it wants. High-retention, high-engagement videos prove your content is valuable to the platform's ecosystem, and in return, it will show your video to more people.

Nail the Hook, Hold Their Attention

You have about three seconds - if that - to convince someone to stop scrolling. If the beginning of your video doesn’t immediately grab them, they’re gone. A powerful hook is non-negotiable for reach. It’s what earns you the viewer's attention so you have a chance to get that all-important completion rate.

Hooks That Work Every Time

Instead of starting with "Hey guys," try a more direct approach that sparks curiosity or promises instant value. Here are a few formats that get straight to the point:

• The Problem-Solving Hook: Start by addressing a pain point your target audience has.
  • Example: "Stop making this one mistake when you edit your videos."
  • Example: "If your views are low, you're probably missing this step."
• The "Here's How" Hook: Offer a clear, educational promise.
  • Example: "Here's how to create social media content 10x faster."
  • Example: "Three affordable tools every content creator needs."
• The Storytelling Hook: Begin in the middle of a compelling narrative.
  • Example: "I almost quit my business until I discovered this..."
  • Example: "The most embarrassing thing happened at a client meeting today."
• The Visual Hook: Show something visually satisfying, surprising, or intriguing without saying a word. This could be an organization process, a dramatic transformation, or setting up a shot in a unique way.

Your opening is the gatekeeper to the rest of your video. Before you post, ask yourself: If I saw the first three seconds of this on my FYP, would I honestly keep watching?

Optimizing Your Videos for Maximum Discoverability

A great video deserves to be seen. Optimizing your content is how you help the right people find it. Think of hashtags, audio, and captions as signposts that tell the algorithm exactly who to show your video to. A lazy or non-existent optimization strategy is like hiding your best work.

A Hashtag Strategy That Actually Works

Ditch the generic, saturated hashtags like #fyp, #viral, or #foryou. While they won’t hurt you, they don’t help much either. The algorithm already knows you want to be on the For You Page. Your goal is to use hashtags that describe your content topic and target audience with precision. A good strategy uses a mix:

• Broad Category Hashtags (1-2): These describe your general topic area (e.g., #smallbusiness, #fitnessmotivation, #digitalmarketing).
• Niche-Specific Hashtags (2-3): These zero in on your sub-topic and specific audience (e.g., #tiktokforbusinessowners, #athomeworkoutsforwomen, #contentcreationtips). This is where you’ll find your most qualified audience.
• Video-Specific Keyword (1): Sometimes it’s helpful to add a simple tag that describes what’s literally in the video, like #graphicdesigntutorial.

Leverage Trending Sounds and Audio

Using a trending sound is one of the easiest ways to get an initial boost in reach. When a sound is popular, TikTok’s algorithm is actively looking for more videos using that audio to show users who have engaged with it before. Here’s how to do it right:

• Find trends early: Your FYP is your best research tool. If you hear the same sound three or four times in a short session, it's trending. You can also click on the sound in a video to see how many people have used it. Look for sounds on the rise, not ones that have already peaked with millions of uses.
• Adapt it to your niche: Don't just lip-sync randomly. Find a way to connect the trend’s format or theme back to your area of expertise. A marketing expert could use a trending comedic audio to poke fun at old-school marketing tactics. A fitness coach might use a popular sound to demonstrate an exercise progression.

Write Captions That Drive Engagement

Your caption isn't just a place to dump hashtags. It’s an opportunity to hook the viewer even further, provide extra context, and tell them what you want them to do next. A well-written caption should:

• Ask a question: Prompting a response is the easiest way to generate comments. Instead of just stating something, ask, "What do you think of this?" or "Have you ever tried this?"
• Include a Call to Action (CTA): Explicitly tell viewers what to do next. "Save this post for later," "Follow for more daily tips," or "Drop your questions in the comments!" directly guide engagement.

Create Content People Will Genuinely Connect With

Algorithmic tricks can only get you so far. Sustainable growth comes from creating content that builds a real connection with an audience. This means moving beyond one-off viral hits and developing a consistent content strategy that provides value and defines your brand.

Find Your Niche and Own It

Trying to appeal to everyone on TikTok is a recipe for appealing to no one. Defining a niche does two things: it builds a loyal community of people who are genuinely interested in your topic, and it trains the algorithm on who your ideal viewer is. The T-shirt brand that just posts product shots will struggle. The T-shirt brand that focuses on funny, relatable content for 90s pop culture nerds will find a devoted audience because their content has a clear point of view. Ask yourself: who is my content for, and what problem, desire, or interest am I serving?

Consistency is Queen

You can't post one video, have it flop, and decide TikTok doesn't work. Reaching more people requires consistency in both frequency and focus. Posting regularly (aim for 3-5 times a week, if realistic for you) provides the algorithm with more data points to understand your content. More importantly, it gives your potential audience more opportunities to find you and see that you are a reliable source of quality content. To avoid burning out, plan your content around 3-5 core "content pillars" - central themes you talk about - to make idea generation systematic instead of chaotic.

Engage With Your Community (and Beyond)

TikTok is designed to be a conversation. If you’re just posting and ghosting, you’re missing half the strategy. Serious growth happens when you actively participate in the community you’re trying to build.

Respond to Comments and Questions

When someone takes the time to comment on your video, they're handing you a perfect opportunity. Replying doubles the engagement count on your video and makes the commenter feel seen. Better yet, use the "Reply with video" feature to turn great comments or questions into brand new pieces of content. This not only validates your audience but also gives you a nearly endless supply of video ideas tailored to what your viewers actually want to know.

Collaborate Through Duets and Stitches

Duets and Stitches are native features designed to make collaboration easy. They are powerful tools for reach because they allow you to insert yourself into an already-popular conversation. You can add your expertise, a funny reaction, or a differing opinion to another creator's video, instantly exposing your profile to their audience. Find a trending video in your niche, hit the share button, and see if you can add valuable commentary to it.

Final Thoughts

Reaching more people on TikTok isn't about finding a single viral hack, it’s about building a sustainable system. By mastering the hook, creating content formatted for high completion rates, optimizing with relevant sounds and hashtags, and consistently engaging with your community, you provide every signal the algorithm needs to push your videos to a wider, more relevant audience.

As we’ve built brands on social media, we know that the biggest challenge is staying consistent. Getting ideas out of your head, filmed, and scheduled while juggling everything else is tough. That’s why we built Postbase. It's designed for how social media works today, with a visual calendar that lets you plan all your short-form video content - TikToks, Reels, and Shorts - in one place. Instead of fighting with clunky tools, you can simply see your entire content plan, drag and drop videos to reschedule, and trust that your posts will publish reliably. It gives you back the time to focus on what matters: creating great content that connects.