Learn all about user-generated content — what it is, why you should use it, and how to leverage it in your marketing channels.
One of my favorite things about TikTok is that it doesn’t play favorites. Even the newest accounts have a fair shot at reaching thousands (or millions!) of people.
The idea of a “welcoming” algorithm might feel strange to long-time creators and social media managers, but if there ever was one, it would be TikTok’s.
The social media platform is bursting with potential. With over 1.58 billion users spending nearly an hour every day on the app, chances are your audience is already waiting to discover — and follow — you.
Now, follower count isn’t everything. But it does open doors. It helps you build trust, unlock cool features like the TikTok Shop, and grow a loyal community that vibes with your content.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to get more followers on TikTok using 14 solid, no-fluff, actionable tips.
Jump to a section:
- 1. Choose a niche — and stick to it
- 2. Understand your target audience
- 3. Write a clear and compelling bio
- 4. Build a content calendar to post consistently
- 5. Create trending content
- 6. Post at the right time
- 7. Focus on scroll-stopping hooks
- 8. End your videos with a strong call-to-action
- 9. Start a content series
- 10. Use relevant hashtags and SEO terms
- 11. Engage with your community
- 12. Collaborate with fellow creators or influencers
- 13. Experiment with video length
- 14. Don’t buy TikTok followers
Just real, practical strategies that work. If you prefer watching over reading, we’ve summarized the top five tips for you in video form, too:
1. Choose a niche — and stick to it
It’s tempting to throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks — especially on TikTok, where the vibes are more chilled thaon n other social media platforms. But having a niche — even a broad one — has plenty of benefits:
- It tells the TikTok algorithm what your content is about
- It helps you filter your content ideas to a specific topic
- It helps you build authority and trust in your industry
- It makes you more memorable to TikTok users
Kirsti Lang, a Senior Content Writer at Buffer, grew her following by over 1,000% in 30 days. One of her core learnings was that a niche (or a handful of connected niches) is immensely valuable for growing a loyal following.
“If you do find a video you enjoy or find helpful in your FYP, you may tap over to the creator’s profile to see if there are more,” she says. “And if what you find there is a hot mess of all sorts of unrelated things, you’re going to bounce back to the FYP without tapping ‘follow’ real fast.”
Annie-Mai Hodge, founder of Girl Power Marketing, agrees: “People are wanting and searching for spaces and communities where they belong, where they can relate, and where they feel understood,” she says. “So they’re actively looking for creators who get them, or provide an experience for them like escaping — it’s why #BookTok is so huge.”
If you feel constricted by having a singular niche, have a broad one that can fit multiple content pillars — quenching your desire for spontaneity and creativity without violating the algorithm’s preference for cohesiveness.
For example, Kirsti first posted about various topics: her job at Buffer, her love of Taylor Swift, and her fitness routine. But despite one of her Swiftie videos going viral, her watcher-to-follower conversion rate remained low.
Her other videos about how to land a remote job did much better for that metric, even if they didn’t go viral.
@itsmekirsti Replying to @NikitaJade This is the exact process I would use to find a remote job from outside the U.S. if I was starting from scratch today! I wanted to follow up on my chaotic grwm video yesterday with something a little more structured — this is my step-by-step guide to finding and landing a remote job, particularly in the tech industry. Screenshot my notes at the end of the video! Let me know if you have any questions. 😊 #remotejob #remotework #jobsearch #jobsearchtips #remotejobs #wfh
“The Swifties were tapping over to my profile and didn’t find a Taylor Swift fan account,” she says. “The remote work video netted a very pleasing 70K views, and I earned a huge chunk of new followers — 757, to be exact — and a much healthier conversation rate.”
Lessons learned: Going viral doesn’t guarantee higher follower counts. You need a niche to establish yourself as an authority on the topic to gain followers and tell TikTok users (and the algorithm) what your TikTok account is about.
If you’re having too much trouble deciding what your niche will be, shift gears a little bit and think about who you’re creating TikTok videos for. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Understand your target audience
Having a solid understanding of who your target audience is and what they’re looking for is the bedrock of getting more followers on all social media platforms, TikTok included.
CEO of Fashivly, Ashlyn Greer, has grown the brand’s TikTok account to over 100k followers. Her core principle has always been to use TikTok to resonate with her audience by understanding (and catering to) her audience’s struggles. Take her video about sizing discrepancies in the fashion industry — it went viral because it struck a chord.
@fashivly the chokehold these jeans had on us #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo #millennial
“We’ve continued to create inclusive content based on [audience] insights,” she says. “Understanding their pain points has guided our content creation and ensured we stay as inclusive as possible because we know this approach resonates with our audience.”
Solidifying your niche will lay the groundwork to help you pinpoint the segment of TikTok users you want to reach. The second step is doing your research to figure out your target audience’s pain points and content preferences.
Audience research tools like SparkToro or AnswerThePublic can help you find your audience’s burning questions. But you can also work on understanding your target audience by spending time on TikTok and conducting a competitor analysis. For example, if you’re a creator focusing on creating healthy vegan recipes:
- Search for “healthy vegan recipes” on TikTok and see what pops up
- Analyze the best-performing TikTok videos and creators to understand what topics they’re creating videos on and which are resonating
- Pay attention to the comments on your fellow creators’ videos to dive even further into your audience’s questions, preferences, and recommendations
Understanding your target audience is an ongoing endeavor rather than a one-off task. The more you post (and experiment!), the more feedback you get — in comments, direct messages (DMs), and your TikTok analytics.
3. Write a clear and compelling bio
Your potential followers on TikTok will likely discover your content in the For You Page (FYP). But they might often navigate to your TikTok profile to learn more about who you are and what you post about.
If your TikTok bio is empty, you’re leaving valuable space that could work to get you more followers.
Your bio should tell what content you create — establish your niche and your unique selling point. Instead of making it about you though, focus on your audience and make it about them.
For example, Parker York Smith’s bio says, “Helping you look good and feel confident,” which is an instant value prop for why you should follow him.
While you’re at it, also ensure that your TikTok profile is up to date — have a clear profile picture and an easy-to-read username. All of the factors in your profile will work together to help build trust and make it tempting to follow you.
4. Build a content calendar to post consistently
TikTok, like all other social media platforms, loves consistency. The ideal posting frequency for TikTok is two short-form videos a day.
But take that number with a grain of salt. You can adjust this based on your capacity — more important to maintain the quality of your TikTok videos.
Kirsti, for example, has seen solid audience growth with two or three videos a month.
A smart way to increase your posting cadence without burning out is to repurpose your content. If you already have a YouTube channel, for instance, you can chop up some videos from there to post on your TikTok account. You can also shoot b-roll in bulk (hello, content batching) and reuse it for future videos.
Alice Kim, founder of PerfectDD, used TikTok to generate $25,000 in sales for her business in a month. She found that many of her old videos would resurface to new TikTok users, thanks to the algorithm. Having a consistent branding (alongside regular posting) helped her immensely in this scenario.
“I’ve found consistency in messaging is more important than consistency of posting,” she says. “This means that any of my videos could be seen by a new potential customer at any time."
"That’s why I’m unafraid to reiterate my brand promise and message over and over again, so people who are new to my videos always know what PerfectDD is all about.”
The easiest way to maintain a consistent posting schedule is by creating a content calendar and using a tool like Buffer to automate posting (Buffer also doubles as a content calendar — so you don’t need both!). This way, you can visually spot your content gaps and fill them.
Remember to leave some room in that content calendar for trending content.
5. Create trending content
Let’s be clear: Trending content isn’t a magic bullet to increase your TikTok followers. But it can help you become more visible on the For You Page — which can, by extension, help you get more followers on TikTok.
While creating your content calendar, leave some gaps for trending videos. Or you could treat them as bonus posts! There can be three kinds of trends:
- TikTok trends: A trend that’s unique to the TikTok app, like challenge videos.
- Trending songs: You can often find trending songs used behind TikTok videos.
- Industry-specific trends: Trends related to a specific news or event in your niche.
If you scroll on TikTok regularly, you’ll automatically start finding these trends on your FYP. Some trends are also tied to a specific period, like the holidays or the fall season. Most trending content will be time-sensitive, so you need to jump on trends before they fade.
Keep two things in mind before hopping on trends:
- Your trending videos still need to fit your niche. Don’t participate in a trend if it’s not true to your brand values or can’t be molded for your industry.
- Balance trending content with evergreen content. Trending posts can provide you with viral moments and boost visibility, but the real gold is the evergreen content that makes people follow you and stick around.
Alice experienced this herself:
“Sometimes, trendy TikToks didn’t work because the trend wasn’t authentic enough to me and my brand. The trends that have most benefited my business are the ones I personally had an emotional reaction to,” she said.
“I still try the trends when they’re easy and fun for me, but what people really pick up on are the videos in which I’m authentically sharing my experience and talking about my brand.”
Your TikTok strategy should include a healthy mix of trending and evergreen content. Trending videos might bring in a large TikTok audience to your profile, but evergreen content is what will make them stick around.
And while you’re creating that content calendar (hopefully using a smart tool like Buffer!), you also want to select the right time to post.
6. Post at the right time
There’s no such thing as the right time to start working on your goals. Or meet your soulmate. Or having a sweet treat. But posting on TikTok? Yep, there’s a right time for that one.
You don’t want to post when your engagement will be low. Or when there’ll be too much competition and your video will drown in the noise. Or when your audience is fast asleep.
The goal is to post when video discoverability is at an all-time high so you get more engagement. Based on our analysis of one million TikTok posts, that time is between 4-5 p.m. mid-week.
Posting at the right time might sound like a small, insignificant thing. And it is a relatively small piece of the puzzle of how to get more followers on TikTok. But it can help your TikTok content get that initial boost it needs to get in front of the right audience at the perfect time.
7. Focus on scroll-stopping hooks
Short-form video content (whether it’s TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts) thrives when the first few seconds of your video can quickly grab attention.
Take this video by Erin McGoff: The “I got the job!” phrase quickly piques interest and curiosity. The following line, “Ugh, that salary is way too low,” holds it. You want to know what the character would do next.
@erinmcgoff 🔬 According to Forbes, people who negotiate their salary (especially their first job!) make significantly more money throughout their life. 🇺🇸 In the U.S., negotiating your salary is common etiquette! Companies expect you to counter the first offer. The first offer is rarely their best offer. If it is, they’ll usually tell you that. Yet, 55% of candidates don’t negotiate. 😭 BUT, out of those who do? 85% get some or ALL of what they asked for. 🤑 🤷🏼♀️ Negotiating doesn’t have to be confrontational, awkward, or uncomfortable. If you use the right words, tone, and approach, you’ll have the company saying “you’ve got a deal!” in no time. 🫶🏼 I’m SUPER passionate about helping people advocate for themselves and make more money. 📝 That’s why I wrote a complete salary negotiation guide and sell it for $49.99! …jk, IT’S FREE! Link in bio 🙂 You got this 👏 money salary negotiation careeradvice
Your hook can be the audio, the visual, the text on the screen, or all three combined. The goal is to stop the scroll. Think: What would my audience see or hear and immediately stop in their tracks?
Use copywriting formulas and closely observe the hooks that make you want to watch more. Slowly but surely, you’ll learn to craft impeccable hooks.
Hooks might not seem like a TikTok strategy for follower growth, but a strong hook is what gets your foot in the door. Once someone is hooked (pun intended) to your TikTok content, they’ll stick around till the end to see it through. And if they like what they see, they’ll tap the follow button to see more of it.
8. End your videos with a strong call-to-action
Here’s something I learned in therapy that applies to TikTok marketing, too (the parallels of life remain unparalleled, amirite?): You gotta ask for what you need.
Maybe your TikTok videos are epic, but are you asking viewers to follow you? It could be something as simple as “Follow me for more [your niche] tips!”
Another thing you could do is tease what you’re going to post about in the future that might also interest your potential TikTok followers. For example, Kallie Baker ends with a call-to-action of “Tomorrow, I’ll teach you [this new thing],” in one of her videos.
@.kalliedanielle When you have to tackle the entire house, it’s best to have a step by step plan in order to get it done. Cleaning your house in 8 Steps: 1. Start one load of laundry 2. Trash 3. Two laundry baskets(one for dirty laundry one for clutter) 4. Put everything away and make beds 5. Dishes 6. Dusting and glass 7. Bathrooms 8. Sweep/vacuum and mop #cleanhouse #cleaninghacks #cleaningmotivation #cleaningroutine
If you’ve watched her video till the end, she’s already succeeded in making you see the value in her content. The call to action gives you a great reason to follow (‘I can learn this too if I follow Kallie!’), too.
You don’t need to overcomplicate it. If you can’t say the ‘follow me’ using a voiceover because you’re using music, use overlay text somewhere at the bottom or top of your video to nudge the same behavior and get more followers on TikTok.
9. Start a content series
A content series is when you create episodic content on a specific topic. It has the binge-able value that keeps your audience returning for more. Plus, a series makes it easier for you to come up with new video ideas.
Tiffany Yu — who landed $160k in brand partnerships and a book deal using her TikTok account — says her anti-ableism series put her on the map.
@imtiffanyyu My disability does stop me from doing certain things and that’s ok. #AntiAbleism #Disability #DisabilityPride #DisabilityAwareness #TikTokTaughtMe #TikTokPartner
“Since launching it, I was named to the inaugural API TikTok Trailblazers list alongside creators like Bella Poarch, and a literary agent who saw it reached out about writing a book,” she said. “The series has nearly 300 posts and over 5 million views.”
She also explains why she thinks the series helped her with follower growth: “For one, it helps new followers engage more deeply in my content,” she said. “When someone discovers a video and sees it’s ‘part 273,’ they’ll likely be curious to explore other content from the series.”
Annie-Mai also believes in the power of content series: “Audiences are craving something to latch onto, something that feels familiar, consistent and worth returning to,” she says. “That’s why series content works so well.”
A series can also help you stay consistent because you can create content on a broad topic without starting from scratch each time. Choose a topic that’s broad enough to require multiple videos and one that your audience is interested in.
10. Use relevant hashtags and SEO terms
The TikTok algorithm uses hashtags and keywords within your post to understand what your post is about and put it in front of people who like watching similar videos. SEO also comes into the picture because more and more people are using the TikTok app as a search engine.
This is why it’s important to use the right hashtags and SEO terms. Use three to five relevant hashtags with each post alongside naturally-woven keywords your audience might be searching for.
Follow this evergreen TikTok checklist each time before posting:
- Did your caption contain relevant keywords?
- Have you included 3-5 hashtags?
- Did you film within TikTok or use their affiliated app, CapCut?
- Have you included a TikTok audio?
According to TikTok’s Creator Academy: “Avoid including irrelevant or misleading keywords based solely on popularity — irrelevant text stacking will actually negatively affect your video traffic,” they say.
“If you want your video to do well in search, describe your video content accurately and objectively.”
11. Engage with your community
Someone who commented on your video might not follow you. Engaging with them by responding to their comment is an easy way to make them return to your video and become more memorable — leading to an eventual follow.
The TikTok algorithm — like many other platforms — pushes posts with more engagement at the frontline. If you regularly create engaging content that makes people comment and you reply back, you play in favor of the TikTok game.
But it’s not just about playing the game; it’s also the foundation of building a strong community: Social media is a two-way street. Instead of posting and ghosting, engage with your followers and learn from their feedback.
Tiffany focused on going the extra mile and giving video replies to her audience:
@imtiffanyyu Reply to @toguboguroblox – how I drive #WelcomeWeek #driverslicense #driversed #brachialplexusinjury #disability #disabilitytiktok #onehand #howidrive
“Early on in growing my channel, I not only made sure to try to respond to most of the comments, but I would also respond to questions with video replies,” she says.
“Not only does that person get notified that you replied, but it also signals to your audience that you are reading the comments and willing to engage with them, making them more excited to stick around.”
Gaining followers is not in a silo, after all. You don’t want an inflated follower count alone, you want a loyal and engaged community. And responding to every comment you can is the first step to make your followers feel valued and heard.
12. Collaborate with fellow creators or influencers
If you’re a creator, collaborating with other creators in the same industry can be a win-win for both parties: Both of you can cross-promote your content in front of new, vetted audiences who will like your content (and potentially follow you).
There are also TikTok features like a duet or stitch — where you can add your own spin to a popular video. This can be helpful when you want to add to a conversation that’s already a hot topic on TikTok.
Alice says many of her popular videos were created using stitches.
@perfectdd #stitch with @ashleigh Don’t worry, we’ve got you! No more looking like a tent because of our b!g b00b$. Our clothes have more room by the chest, not everywhere else! Fits up to an M cup. 🍒 👚 fu#fullerbustfashion#midsize#bigchestproblems #fullerbust #icup
“Some of our most popular videos lately have been duets or stitches with other women complaining about the exact problems that we’re trying to solve,” she says.
If you’re a business owner, you can also collaborate with TikTok influencers using influencer marketing and sharing user-generated content.
- Via influencer marketing, you want to choose relevant creators with a tight-knit, loyal audience to talk about your brand authentically. You can gift them your products with no strings attached or do a paid partnership if you have the budget.
- Via user-generated content, you can reshare your customers' organic posts and testimonials on your TikTok account. These serve to build trust and help you gain more followers.
Whether you use duets, stitches, or user-generated content, remember to credit the original creator before reposting (along with asking for permission to repost).
13. Experiment with video length
We analyzed over one million posts and found TikTok videos over one minute in length get:
- 43.2% more reach than videos in the 30-60 second range
- 70.3% more reach than videos in the 10-30 second range
- 95.7% more reach than videos in the 5-10 second range
The numbers were similar for average watch time (a crucial ingredient of the TikTok algorithm). TikToks longer than a minute got:
- 63.8% more watch time than videos in the 30-60 second range
- 175.6% more watch time than videos in the 10-30 second range
- 264.5% more watch time than videos in the 5-10 second range
While TikTok became famous for short-form video content, videos under 10 seconds are no longer the only way to keep your audience engaged. Instead, create content that focuses on providing value and experiment with various video lengths to find the one that works best for you.
Engaging content has no ideal length — it all depends on the topic at hand, your video editing chops, and your audience’s preferences.
14. Don’t buy TikTok followers
You’ll see loads of companies trying to sell bots as TikTok followers. But taking this shortcut isn’t just against TikTok’s Community Guidelines, it also doesn’t fulfill your larger purpose: building a loyal following.
In fact, gaining followers this way could hurt your TikTok presence because it harms your personal brand and overall reputation.
Your actual TikTok followers might put two and two together when they don’t see your engagement and follower count number adding up (or when bots comment generic compliments on all your videos). This will hurt your brand presence immensely in the long run.
There’s no denying that getting more followers on TikTok is hard work — it requires a lot of patience.
But buying followers isn’t going to make that any easier. Focusing on creating high-quality content for your target audience — without fussing too much over that follower count — might make it a bit more enjoyable.
Growing on TikTok isn’t a one-time affair
TikTok marketing is a whole host of things — increasing your follower count is a small, ongoing part of it.
What you don’t need in addition to creating content regularly, engaging with your followers, and keeping up with new features (along with algorithmic changes and potential ban fears), is also taking up the admin work of posting everything manually and tracking the results of your efforts.
Outsource those tasks to Buffer so you can focus on the important things that’ll give you a better ROI on your time. Take it for a free spin today.
More TikTok resources:
My TikTok Experiment: How I Grew My Following by More Than 1,000% in 30 Days
TikTok Has Landed Me $160K in Brand Partnerships and a 6-Figure Book Deal — Here’s How I Did ItHow to Use TikTok Studio: A Handy Tool for Growing on the Platform15 Trending Songs on TikTok in 2025 (+ How to Use Them)
