How to Get More Followers on TikTok: 25 Essential Tips for Brands

Want to learn how to get more followers on TikTok? We’ve delivered. Here are our 25 best expert tips and hacks to get more followers on TikTok - plus bonus advice.
Fanbytes | How to get more followers on TikTok

In 30 seconds:

  • Welcome to your ultimate guide on how to get more followers on TikTok.
  • We’ve listed 25 essential tips to boost the number of your TikTok followers – and make sure they are your target audience.
  • How do you effectively use hashtags and TikTok tools, get free followers, grow your TikTok likes, and make TikTok videos that reel in Gen Z? Here’s all you need to know.


Want to know how to get more followers on TikTok? Are you yearning to watch that follower count skyrocket? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. This article will give you all you need to boost your audience reach and finally nail that growth on TikTok you’re striving for. 

TikTok is abundant with users. 1 billion of them, to be exact. That’s why brands flock to the platform in the hope of reaching valuable audiences. And they are valuable: compared to other platforms, TikTok users are 1.5x more likely to buy something they discover on the platform immediately, and they spend 14% more on their purchases. 

But how can you reach them? Upping your follower account increases your authority, boosts brand awareness and grows your organic reach. It’s a simple equation: the more people who see your TikTok marketing, the more conversions you’re likely to make. 44% of TikTok users discover products from videos posted by a brand, so it’s up to you to get your content in front of potential customers. 

The future’s most influential consumers are ready and waiting on the video-sharing platform. Enter Gen Z, the TikTok generation.

Gen Z wants to hit that follow button

63% of Gen Z use TikTok daily. That’s now more than Instagram. Learning how to win them over is key to growing on TikTok. 91% of Gen Z prefers video content above other forms of marketing, so it’s no wonder the fastest growing social media platform is such a hot spot for this age group. 

This generation loves to find new ideas and interests through TikTok. The majority (97%) of Gen Z consumers say they now use social media as their top source of shopping inspiration. That means they are the perfect audience for brands looking to grow their following on the channel, and they’re constantly looking for new accounts to keep track of. Your brand should be under their noses.

How? Let’s get into it.

25 expert tips to get more followers on TikTok

You’ve set up your account, started making content, and now you’re looking to get your brand out there. You might be asking yourself, “How do I increase my followers on TikTok?”. That’s where we come in. 

As experts in social media marketing and serious TikTok nerds, we know our stuff on boosting your following and increasing consumer reach. We’ve got 25 top tips on how to get followers on TikTok, and keep the numbers growing. So grab your mug of choice and get ready for an insanely valuable coffee break. 

Tip #1: Be original

Your content needs to be great. But what’s the number one rule to follow when thinking about content ideas? Originality. 

The hard sell does not work here. Great content that leads with authenticity and approachability whilst still staying true to your brand will help you build your organic reach through the platform. 

Before you even begin to look at metrics or keep tabs on your follower account, you need to make you post content that’s worth watching. 43% of consumers will decide if they want to watch a video until the end in the first 1.5 seconds, so it’s vital to prove to your audience that you’re offering original, quality content as soon as possible. This means understanding your brand persona and putting it out there effectively. 

79% of TikTok users find content on the channel to be unique or different. So make sure you’re thinking outside the box and finding new ways to engage with potential followers. Your follower count will naturally start to grow. 

Tip #2: Find your niche

TikTok works by recommending content to users through their “For You Page” (FYP). The app categorises topics of interest, so it’s easier to suggest the right videos to different consumers. Niching your account to a particular interest is a smart step as it will help TikTok recommend your videos to the right people. 

TikTokers want to follow content they enjoy. If you’re looking to access gaming audiences, for instance, you don’t necessarily want to push towards the skincare TikTok community. Make sure your content fits within a niche, and try not to deviate too much. You want to make it crystal clear to the TikTok algorithm where you want your videos to go, and who you want to see it.

Consider the kind of content that users in your niche are enjoying. Are they tutorials, challenges, dances – or something else? How are they tagging and captioning their videos? Easy-to-find content will help you gain long-term followers and build trusting communities. 

Tip #3: Get on-trend

Trends start here”. This is one of TikTok’s famous phrases, and it’s well worth noting if you want to see success on this social network. TikTok is a trendsetting app, and jumping on trends is essential for brands and individuals alike. 

You might remember the “nobody’s gonna know” TikTok trend where people were sharing secret hacks and undercover tips. The Washington Post humorously jumped on this trend, and Photoroom cleverly used it to demonstrate its product. 

Leveraging trends in your own brand’s personality is vital, so think about creative ways to show off your product or service. 

The reason trends are so important? This is down to TikTok’s recommendation algorithm again. Trends happen because users *like* some aspect about them. So, do some research to find out what trends are currently popular amongst your target audience, and use them. This will increase the chances that TikTok shows your content to the right people.

How do you know if a TikTok trend is still “trending”? TikTok trends move fast and a casual Google search is likely to show up outdated trends. A good way to be constantly abreast of trends is to consistently engage with your niche on TikTok, so you’re first to know what everyone’s talking about. 

But that’s also pretty time-consuming. So that’s where we come in. We use our in-house tool, Bytesights, to find out what’s relevant in every niche – and we can also see trends just as they are beginning to grow, so you can hop on them early and get the most benefit from them.

We also use Bytesights to offer a weekly update that your brand can use – for free. Enter the Fanbytes TikTok Trends Newsletter. Sign up to get the latest in viral content to start boosting your following.

Tip #4: Stay consistent

TikTok users follow accounts they want to see more of. If they like one video, chances are they want to see more content like this

Imagine you’re a TikTok user and you’ve come across a video you like. You go as far as to tap on the profile of the video’s creator, to check them out. But – sigh – the rest of their videos seem to be completely random or uninteresting to you. They’re a one-hit wonder. Are you going to hit the ‘follow’ button? Nope!

But if you click through to see more videos that you like the look of, you’re more likely to choose to follow that creator. 

Use TikTok’s ‘playlist’ feature to categorise your content to make it extra easy for users to find similar videos of yours. That way, you can easily reward interested people with more of what they love – and encourage them to stick around.

And consistency matters after the ‘follow’ stage, too.

What happens if a month goes by without another post? Answer: people lose interest. Gaining a following is all well and good, but keeping that following is essential too, otherwise all your hard work will be lost to churn. 

Consistent content will help you reach more people, nurture your existing followers and help you rank better on people’s FYPs

Tip #5: Keep it punchy

Another TikTok slogan? “Make every second count”. They mean it. The app is built on quick, snappy content and it pays to keep it that way. Your content needs to be instantly attention-grabbing for users to watch to the end. Making sure your videos are punchy will help you achieve more views. 

Do longer viewing times necessarily mean new followers? Short answer: yes.

The TikTok algorithm ranks content based on watch-through rates. This means that if users watch your video to the end, the algorithm will make sure it surfaces on more people’s feeds. The more people see it, the more people you can convince to become followers.

Top tip: Looping your videos is a great way to get more watch-throughs. Find a way of linking your video to the beginning, as this TikTok user describes below. Your follower count will thank you for it. Y

Tip #6: Keep it entertaining

People (and of course Gen Z) come to TikTok for entertainment. 31% of users included “lifting my spirits” as one of the top three reasons for returning to the TikTok platform again and again.

You want to make your TikTok account appealing to your relevant audience, and keeping it light will help you attract more followers no matter your subject. Remember, Gen Z are especially looking to have fun, with 65% of them saying they use social media to find entertaining content. So if you want them to hit that follow button, keep it enjoyable

Tip #7: Create a TikTok challenge

We’ve discussed jumping on trends, but what about creating them

Thinking up your own challenge that TikTokers can participate in is an excellent way of expanding your sphere of influence on the app. Better yet? You’re encouraging user-generated content (UGC), which will help you reach new audiences. 

Warner Records tasked us with making Dua Lipa’s new song, Love Again go viral, and we rose to the challenge. Collaborating directly with Dua Lipa’s choreographers, we created a TikTok dance challenge inspired by the western themes in the music video. It was essential to ensure the dance was easy to replicate to reach a wider audience. This viral challenge sparked UGC to shoot up with 58,000 fan videos. It just goes to show you the power of creative channels. To read about the entire case study, click here.

More than half of consumers (50%) wish that brands would tell them what type of content to share. People want to create but often don’t know where to start. Give them a springboard, and let UGC take your account to new heights. 

Tip #8: Hook your viewer

Engaging your viewer immediately is vital. Hooks are a brilliant way of doing just that. They draw your target audience in. Asking a question or creating intrigue by promising something later in the video are clever ways to do this. 

A lot of creators also turn to storytelling soundtracks as a hack to get more followers on TikTok. It captivates your audience and is fully proven to work. Yes, storytelling can boost conversion rates by 30%, so it’s worth using in your TikTok content

Top Tip: If you want to get more traffic to your account, hook your audience in with a story and give them the outcome in a separate video called “Part 2”. A lot of creators ask people to follow them to see the second video and it’s a smart way to increase your following. 

Tip #9: Include the right hashtags

Including hashtags in your TikTok caption is a no brainer. They allow your account to be visible to TikTok searches and therefore give you access to followers who might not find your videos on their FYP

But sprinkling in random hashtags won’t help much. You need a hashtag strategy. It’s essential to think about your prospective audience and the kinds of things they might search for, alongside popular hashtags and how you can bring your own spin to them.

Every hashtag counts. Using some of the top hashtags on the platform like #FYP may seem tempting, but they are oversaturated. 

Everything you might need to know about honing existing viral hashtags and making them work for you is in this article: Viral TikTok Hashtags: How to Skyrocket Your Brand

Once you’ve handled your hashtags you’ll be well on your way to higher follower counts and winning TikTok campaigns.

Tip #10: Create bespoke hashtags

Understanding hashtags is essential for TikTok growth. Creating your own hashtags is a game-changer. 

Brands make hashtags to build authority and brand awareness. Whether creating one for a particular challenge (we do this for our clients every day) or using one that encompasses your brand’s ethos, bespoke brand hashtags help you firmly plant your feet in the TikTok world. 

Better brand authority helps you draw in more followers. Users want to follow accounts they trust on TikTok, and customised, relevant hashtags help build that.

If you can create a hashtag that goes viral, you’ll watch the number of followers on your account surge. 

Find out how to do precisely that in our article on how to create a trending hashtag, here.

Tip #11: Write your captions with care (think of TikTok SEO!)

You only get 150 words for a TikTok caption (including hashtags). But something so small can have a significant impact on your follower count.

TikTok needs to know where to push your content. It doesn’t just magically understand what your video contains. So how do you help it learn where to drop your videos?

Keywords. When writing captions, keywords are vital. They help you access audiences searching for your kind of content, so make sure you pack your captions with juicy words affiliated with your brand. It helps the TikTok algorithm optimise your creations and get them to the right place. 

Of course, readability trumps keyword smashing, so sprinkle them in a catchy caption that will grab people’s attention. 

To learn more about TikTok SEO and how to use it to your advantage, read our article, TikTok SEO: How to Get Discovered on TikTok.

Tip #12: Write a CTA

Using a call to action (CTA) in your content (both in the caption and as stickers on the video) can help you increase your followers. Studies have shown that adding a CTA button upped conversion rates by a whopping 83%. Put simply, if you ask people to follow you, they will. 

It can be easy to continue scrolling on TikTok, even if you enjoy someone’s content. Asking your viewers to follow you will halt that scroll and make them think about whether they want to see more of your videos. If your target audience likes what you’re producing, chances are they will hit that follow button. 

Tip #13: Timing counts

What you post on TikTok is important. When you post it counts too. You want to give yourself the best chance of being discovered on the TikTok platform, so putting up content when most people are offline won’t help you gain followers

There are particular times of the day that are busier than others, and you want to find that sweet spot for your brand. 

We’re always keeping an eye on the TikTok algorithm and its changes. In February 2022, we saw a transformation in optimal posting times.

The previous optimum posting times (before February) were as follows:

Fanbytes | Best time to post on TikTok to get more followers on TikTok

Now it’s different. 

Engagement rates now peak in the morning, pointing to a change in TikTok’s international vision. They used to push content from particular countries to viewers within that country, but that seems to have become less of a priority. 

We talk further on this subject and spill plenty of insider knowledge on how to hack the TikTok algorithm in this revealing article.

Tip #14: Engage, engage, engage

TikTok generates the highest social media engagement rate (ER) per post. That’s because videos on the platform are designed to be engaging and entertaining (see tip #6). TikTok wants its users to be active on the platform, so engaging with other creators means your own ER will go up. 

TikTok is a community. So being an active member pays off. Globally, an average of 77% of users say they read the comments on the posts and videos on TikTok. Visibility is the goal here and being seen in the comments helps you gain more followers on your own TikTok page. 

So be generous with your engagement (and authentic). Follow accounts that interest you or your brand and remember to comment on videos that you see. See this as an extra opportunity to get your brand’s voice out there!

Top Tip: Don’t spam. You’ll likely see copy and pasted messages within the comments section of videos from accounts asking for more followers or offering their products. Users see past this and it doesn’t lead to increased follower counts. Engage with the content to show that you are a real person – and be funny with it. TikTok users will thank you (and give you a follow) if you do.

Tip #15: Collaborate with influencers

70% of consumers say they trust the opinions of influencers as much or more than their real-world friends. Brands are starting to understand the raw power of influencer marketing, and they want a piece of the action. 

TikTok influencers have spent a lot of time and energy building a trusted fan base of loyal TikTok followers. To gain access to that engaged audience, your brand needs to collaborate with an influencer in the right way. 

Generation Z are sharp on this subject, with 88% of them saying it’s important for influencers to be authentic and genuinely care about their interests. Any influencer you work with must believe in your brand as that will be the driving force of a campaign. 

Working with influencers helps you gain better reach and a pool of new potential followers. 

We use our industry-leading social listening tool, Bytesights, to find and work with influencers all over the world who have organically mentioned brands to ensure we can foster the most natural collaborations. Get in touch to find out more.

Tip #16: Create an ad campaign

44% of TikTok users discover products through ads in their feed. TikTok ads are shaking up the social media advertising world with less disruption and more seamless ad experiences. 43% of heavy TikTok users feel that the “advertising” on TikTok blends in with the content. It’s a fantastic way to get in front of your target audience

So it’s clear: creating a high-quality paid ad campaign is a good idea if you want to skyrocket your following. But it’s critical to get it right. 

We were approached by a major music label who wanted us to help grow their account that had 40,000 followers. We created accessible, TikTok savvy media, and used our in-house tool Bytesights to optimise our campaign. After just six days of running the campaign, the follower count grew to 53,900K. That’s the power of a professional paid ad marketing strategy.

Sometimes it helps to enlist the experts when it comes to getting the most out of your ROI. Looking for some more info on paid ad campaigns? We’ve written everything you need to know about TikTok paid ads in this article.

Tip #17: Utilise multi-channel promotion

Although all social media platforms are all quite different to each other, they can definitely work in sync for your brand. Cross-channel marketing is a great way to get your original content out there.

You don’t have to be big on Instagram to become TikTok famous, but drawing attention to your TikTok account on other social media platforms will help you gain more followers on there. If you’re starting on TikTok and have a following on another social media app, it’s wise to bring some followers over. 

Even if the number of users who follow you from this action are small, you’ll be attracting the most engaged audience: these are people who follow you anywhere. This is great news for your engagement rate. As Jay Richards, Co-Founder of Imagen Insights said at our recent Fanbytes event, “Don’t panic – Jesus only started off with 12 disciples!” If you can turn your early fans into brand evangelists, you can use them to supercharge your growth.

Let your existing followers know where you are and how to find you, and they will come to you. 

Tip #18: Do a giveaway

Giveaways and competitions promote engagement and help you grow your follower count. You want people to shout about your brand, and hosting one of these is a great way to make this happen. 

When creating a giveaway, the best duration for your campaign is 25 days or 60 days. No matter how long you run it, you must be clear with your messaging. Stipulate that to enter the giveaway or competition, they must follow your TikTok account, and tag at least one friend’s TikTok account (alongside any other rules). Then tell them when the winner will be announced. TikTok users need to trust what they are entering into. You can supercharge your giveaway by partnering with an influencer to promote it.

94% of the time, users share a giveaway promotion immediately after registering. So the jury is in. Hosting these offers will help expand your reach organically and grow your following. 

Tip #19: Use music and sound

88% of TikTok users said sound is essential to the TikTok experience. Would any of the TikTok viral dances be viral if there was no audio? 

Using sounds will help people engage with your account and lead to more followers. There are also trending sounds on the app that you can use to leverage your content and get it in front of new people. Keep an eye on your For You Page for audio that comes up again and again. These are trending, and you can use them to rise up the ranks. 

You can learn more about the do’s and don’ts of using music in brand videos in our article here.

Tip #20: Add subtitles to your videos

This is different from your post caption. What we are referring to here is the speech-to-text captions you often see on social media videos.

Adding these subtitles within your content will make your videos more inclusive to those who are hard of hearing – or those who simply don’t have their headphones with them in public! It will also make your content more memorable. Studies show captioning a video improves comprehension of, attention to, and memory for the video. 

@hayleygeorgiamorris ad Gotta love brain and her ridiculous panic 🍌. Inspired by The Curse on @Channel4 streaming on ALL 4 #mevsbrain #comedy #Funny ♬ original sound - Hayley Morris

Putting written words on your video like this TikToker will make your content far easier to understand and get you noticed quickly by new potential followers.

It’s also a great way to optimise for TikTok’s growing search engine, as we discuss in our article, TikTok SEO: How to get Discovered on TikTok.

Tip #21: Make a duet or stitch your videos

Duets have risen in popularity on TikTok, and they are a brilliant tool to use. Creating a sharable duet allows other creators to add to your content and share with their followers. Additionally, stitching or duetting an already-trending video is a great way to capitalise on popular videos you know are going to please potential new followers.

We’ve got a whole article dedicated to TikTok duets and how you can nail them, here.

Stitching on TikTok is similar to duets, but instead of creating content alongside someone else, it allows you to ‘stitch’ up to five seconds of another video before or after your own TikTok video. For example, you could use a clip from someone’s account as an introduction or ending to yours. 

Check out our article on how to use the Stitch feature, here.

These features allow you to effectively double your reach with fun content collaborations. You can also challenge TikTokers to stitch or duet your content (by literally saying so in your video) to explode your brand reach via UGC.

Tip #22: Stay up to date with new features

Speaking of features, keeping in touch with TikTok updates and knowing their latest tools will stand you in good stead. TikTok is constantly introducing new capabilities to help users create high-quality videos. Use them. They are there to help you make consistent and compelling content that will boost follower growth and advance your account. 

It’s also good to be quick to use new features, as it’s a useful way to stand out from the (slower) competition.

TikTok wants to promote new features to test, scale and develop. If you’re using them, you’re more likely to be seen. 

Tip #23: Stay vertical and well-formatted

TikTok videos shot vertically have an average 25% higher 6-second watch-through rate. Keeping your videos upright will help people engage with your content and push it to other FYPs

It’s not just orientation that matters, though. Well-shot videos and good formatting will make you stand out among the crowd. 

What do we mean by “well shot”? This actually can depend on your niche. For music festival promotion, for example, the best videos are native; the kind of video a festival attendee would make to share their experience on TikTok. High spec, branded videos are not as successful here. But in the luxury TikTok sphere, a more glossy video with seamless transitions is a better fit.

This is where it pays to research your niche first (Tip #2). Understand what your content community wants to see, then make the best version of that. With your own spin of course.

If this sounds baffling, get in touch. This is exactly within Fanbytes’ wheelhouse. We’ll take you through your TikTok niche, your competitors, where you fit and what your brand can bring.

Tip #24: Never buy TikTok followers

If you’re thinking about dolling out some cash to get a boost in followers, don’t. It is never worth it. 

Taking this “easy route” may get you a chunkier number at the top of your profile, but it will actually stifle your growth afterwards. Why? It’s down to the TikTok algorithm again.

These followers are usually bots or fake profiles. Either way, they will not engage with your content – because they are not active users. This means your ER will be incredibly low. And we know that TikTok’s algorithm promotes videos based on engagement rates. You’ll post new videos and not only will your current followers not ‘like’ or ‘comment’, but it won’t get shown to other TikTokers, either. Rubbish!

Another route some new brands on TikTok take is to buy an existing TikTok account in their niche with a certain number of followers already. This is also a bad move. Many schemes like this inflate their numbers with fake followers, so you have the same issue as above. Additionally, even engaged ‘real’ followers will be expecting more of the same content they saw before. So when your brand takes over, they’ll be put off – and unfollow.

We explain this in further detail in our article on why not to buy TikTok followers, here.

Tip #25: Don’t delete your videos

Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? If you delete your under-performing videos, you’d assume that your profile looks amazing: all the videos that are left are telling a story that you only ever make high-performing content!

But sadly, this doesn’t work. Deleting videos like this was a trick TikTok users did in the early days, but the powers that be at TikTok got wind of it, and adapted the platform to discourage this behaviour. Nowadays, if you delete your old content, the Tiktok algorithm may actually de-prioritise your next few videos. You won’t reach any new Tiktokers’ FYP. This is clearly bad news for your growth.

The good news? It’s not always the newest videos that ‘go viral’ on TikTok. Sometimes a video that didn’t perform amazingly well at the beginning finds a new lease of life, and can help you to grow. Keep your old experiments: this is how you can demonstrate that you’re learning and growing – something that Gen Z has a lot of time for. 

Bonus tip: Don’t over-focus on the numbers

What? Surely the point of learning how to get more TikTok followers on your TikTok account is about making the follower number go up?

Well, actually – no. Follower numbers aren’t the be all and end all. You want to make sure that your followers are valuable ones: engaged, and ready to purchase your products or services. You should use TikTok to draw them to your brand on your own touch points – and actually shop from you or use your services, rather than just follow you. 

This doesn’t mean you should go in with a sales pitch – that’s off putting, remember! – instead, you should celebrate what’s best about the intersection of your brand and the TikTok platform. 

Be active and engaged, be original and relatable, have fun – and celebrate your relationship with your TikTok followers. This is what the all-star brand account, Duolingo (@duolingo) does. We spoke to Duolingo Social Media Coordinator Zaria Parvez (i.e. the brains behind the brand’s TikTok success) about growing your TikTok account, and this was her takeaway.

I’d highly recommend just being a consumer on the app and taking a step back from the pressure of wanting to build a large following. When you take the time to understand the platform, you can use the knowledge that you have about your brand to create awesome content!

You can read more of Zaria Parvez’ advice on TikTok, here

Metrics matter, but content is king

TikTok is a powerful tool for brand growth; to reach new audiences and turn them into sales. But over-focusing on these metrics puts you at risk of forgetting the simple fact that TikTok is a platform for your brand in a social space. So, it pays to consider how your brand operates as a social media – and TikTok-specific – user. 

Consider your brand as if it were a real person. What would they post on TikTok? How would they behave on it? This is the best way to make your brand feel genuine, and act in a more sociable way. Make sure your brand’s TikTok won’t be mistaken for anyone else’s. After all, if your TikTok content is a copy, who’s to say your products aren’t a rip-off, too?

Take time to understand the app and how it operates, then address how your ideal user interacts with it, and how your brand can establish itself in this mix. This is different for everyone – and that’s the exciting part. You’ll learn how to gain more followers on TikTok – but you’ll also learn how to turn TikTok into the best showcase for your business.

If taking a step into the TikTok realm is something that you’d rather do under expert guidance, get in touch. We’d love to talk you through how to make your brand *the* TikTok account that everyone’s talking about.


Now you know how to gain followers on TikTok, what’s next? Check out these links for TikTok marketing strategies and more TikTok tips your brand can use:


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