How to grow your TikTok followers — that is the subject of this lesson of our TikTok Academy.
This is the third lesson of the TikTok Academy. Having explained what TikTok is and how to create a TikTok account, in this lesson we will look at how to grow fans and followers on TikTok so you can get known and, if you want, earn as an influencer.
Let’s get straight into the lesson.
Want your TikTok profile to take off?
Want to land collaborations on TikTok?
Want to grow your TikTok followers?
Want to make money on TikTok?
Want to turn your TikTok around?
We can help.
On this page we will show you all the tricks and the main strategies for growing your TikTok following quickly. The techniques and strategies here have been used by various users (musers and tiktokers) and influencers with different results, but all of them have brought in a significant number of fans and followers.
Why grow your TikTok followers?
There are many different reasons for growing your TikTok following.
Some people simply enjoy being popular on this app, others use it to make money, while brands are starting to see marketing opportunities in it.
What not everyone knows is that TikTok actually gives its most popular users special treatment.
Enough preamble — let’s look at how to grow your TikTok followers.
Want your TikTok profile to take off?
Want to land collaborations on TikTok?
Want to grow your TikTok followers?
Want to make money on TikTok?
Want to turn your TikTok around?
We can help.
How to grow your TikTok followers
Below are some of the most effective methods and strategies for growing the fans and followers on your TikTok account.
An appealing, complete profile
Your profile is your calling card, the first touchpoint where you can start a conversation with your audience. So the first thing to do is spend time and energy making it appealing and filling in the information that matters. Make sure you have the right profile picture and a username that leaves an impression and is easy to remember. Try to use the same username on TikTok that you use on other social media (Instagram, for instance).
Use trending hashtags on your videos
Like Twitter and Instagram, TikTok uses hashtags (#) to mark trending subjects. The most-used hashtags change very quickly on the app, so make sure the ones you use are genuinely popular. If you use hashtags nobody is searching for, you get less visibility and therefore fewer potential followers.
Make unique, original, inventive videos
In the USA alone around 84 million videos are uploaded to the app every year, so if you want to stand out from the crowd don’t stop at lip sync videos and avoid copying other people’s content. By making content that is unique, entertaining and original you will win more fans and followers.

Free to use image from Google Images
Stay active on TikTok
Growing followers takes time and consistency, and it depends on keeping a steady presence on the app. Your followers expect to find new videos on your TikTok profile often, and if they don’t they may stop following you. You don’t have to post every day, but the posting has to be planned. Two or three times a week is already a good start, now that competition is nothing like Instagram’s, but what really makes the difference is publishing high-quality content regularly. Not just occasionally.
Understand your audience
Understanding what your target audience needs and expects is fundamental. Start by asking yourself: why should people follow me? What do I offer that other users don’t? Don’t be just another lip-syncher; make videos you know your audience will enjoy. It is far easier to focus your attention on a particular group of people than to churn out random content.
Use well-known tracks in your videos
TikTok is built on the use of music in videos, and the app gives users a huge music library to choose from. Through the “For You” section you can also see which songs other people are using. If you like a track but don’t know its title, tap the vinyl-record icon to find out. If you are new to TikTok, our TikTok guide (the next lesson) will help.
Take part in duets
Duets, through the option the app provides, are an easy way to grow your TikTok following. The feature lets you duet with another user without the two of you being in the same place, and it puts you in front of new groups of people. Where possible it is better to work with users whose following is similar in size to yours, since otherwise they may not be interested.

Free to use image from Google Images
Learn from more experienced users
A good way to build your follower base is to watch some of the countless videos in the “For You” section, especially those with thousands or even millions of likes. Then make your own videos, starting by asking yourself questions like these: what makes these videos so good? Which special effects were used? Then put what you have learned to work to improve your next TikTok videos.
Make viral videos on TikTok
If your video goes viral, the effort you put into making it pays back in a huge number of followers. So give this the time it deserves and put everything into it.
Mind the quality of your videos
If you want visibility and popularity from your videos, they had better be good. Higher quality means more popularity, so pay proper attention to the equipment you choose and use, and to the music and the audio quality, which should be free of noise.
Build engagement with your TikTok followers
Winning followers and subscribers is not enough; engaging your audience regularly is essential. Followers love interacting with the people they follow and are pleased when their suggestions shape the content. Replying to their comments and talking about good experiences closes the distance, and they will be readier to watch what you post. Use live sessions to discuss subjects your fans care about and run a Q&A to answer their questions and information needs on the spot.
Work with other users and influencers
Don’t hesitate to collaborate with other users on TikTok; it is an effective way to reach more people. As noted above, one effective route is duets with other users through the app’s own feature. That kind of collaboration creates reciprocity, which again shows up as more followers. Once you have built your follower base you can grow it further through more collaborations. Choose who you work with carefully, though, based not only on friendship but on people who share your enthusiasm for the kind of videos you like making.

Free to use image from Google Images
Post your videos to other social media
Another effective answer to how to grow TikTok followers is promoting your videos on the other social accounts you have, and on your website if you have one. Networks such as Facebook and Instagram have more than a billion monthly active users, and YouTube is not far behind — so share your videos there. Your fans may reshare them and make them viral, which puts you in front of a wider audience, builds your online reputation and gives you a shot at being seen as an influencer.
Post at the right times
As on other social media, there are certain hours of the day when it is better to publish, because visibility is higher then than at other times. For TikTok the sweet spot is between 11am and 5pm. In the same way, to increase the visibility of your content it is good practice to post at least twice a day (as we said earlier, 2-3 times a week is the baseline, while twice a day is ideal).
Join viral challenges
Of all the methods and strategies here, the single best way to grow your TikTok followers is still to enter a contest with your own videos. From the Guess denim challenge (#InMyDenim) to Alan Walker’s (#DifferentWorld) and McDonald’s, there are plenty of challenges to join. Following social media trends is an excellent way to find out which subjects are trending or most popular at any given moment. That lets you make on-trend content which, with the right hashtag, goes viral and reaches millions of people. Doing this not only widens your follower base: exploring new subjects and musical genres helps you define a style of your own that sets you apart and stretches your audience further.
Conclusion
In this lesson of your favourite TikTok Academy we covered how to grow your TikTok followers. You now have what you need to shape a strategy of your own, whether you are an influencer or a marketer. If you plan to use your account to make money or for marketing, keep following us — the next TikTok Academy lessons cover other very interesting things.
Stay tuned and keep following us: in the next TikTok Academy lessons we will go deeper and cover other very interesting things…
Want TikTok consultancy? Get in touch — we will work out the best strategy for reaching your goal.
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