As one of the fastest-growing social media apps, TikTok has become an important platform for businesses aiming to reach a younger and highly engaged customer. TikTok Shop, the platform’s e-commerce feature, provides companies with a unique opportunity to sell and showcase their products directly to TikTok’s giant user group. One of the best ways for a TikTok Shop store to keep in touch with customers is to set up an efficient process to consistently increase your TikTok followers.

In this blog article, we outline 12 effective tactics for increasing your followers on TikTok and maximizing your chances of success on TikTok Shop.

What is the importance of TikTok followers?

TikTok’s home page is broken up into two different feeds: “Following” and “For You.” While the For You Page is dominated by the TikTok algorithm, the Following feed is filled with videos only from the accounts that TikTok users follow. This means, the more followers you have, the more Following feeds your videos will appear in.

There are ways to get your content on the For You Page, but having your video content seen by those who follow you can also help your content go viral, help you get more engagement, and help turn those followers into customers. Discover how to grow your followers so you can build an engaged audience of TikTok users.

How to effectively get more followers on TikTok?

1. Identify your target audience

The first step in growing your followers is to make sure you understand who you are creating content for.

• Dive into your TikTok Analytics. Get to know their age, gender, location, and their likes and dislikes. Once you have identified your audience, think about what they would like to see and how they would like to be engaged.
• Take a look at competitors and influencers in your industry. What kinds of video content are they posting? Come up with your own unique ideas based on the most popular videos.
• Don't be afraid of trial and error. Try posting different types of content to figure out what gets more engagement. For example, which one gets more likes, shares, and comments.

Knowing your target audience allows you to make your content more engaging. This is not just a one-time activity, but an ongoing process. Keep an eye on your analytics, pay attention to your competitors, listen to your audience, and be ready to pivot your content strategy when needed.
 

2. Key an eye on trends & challenges

Trends and challenges are a big thing on TikTok. It’s like a large number of posts follow very similar outlines or use the same sound clip. This proves they are very popular during a certain period. Trying to create a similar but better video will help catapult your video onto the For You Page. Participating in trending and challenges or using trending sounds will showcase your creativity, reach a wider audience, and even go viral.

You need to consume a lot of TikTok content in order to discover popular trends and challenges. You can also head over to the Search section of your TikTok app to see trending news and topics if anything there stands out at you. Besides, you can also take aspirations from real life events that are happening and trending.

But remember, trends and challenges are time-sensitive. The earlier you jump in, the better. And only participate if they are relevant to your niche.
 

3. Use the right hashtags

Just like on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and many other social media platforms, using the right hashtags on TikTok make it easier for your target audience to find your content. This can help expand the reach of your content, increase the chance of gaining more followers and boosting engagement.

Some tips in selecting the right hashtags:

• The recommended number of hashtags is 3 to 5 hashtags per post.

• Only use hashtags that are actually relevant to what you are posting. Do not simply tag all of the trending hashtags in your captions.

• Select the one with the most views when typing in relevant hashtags.

• Include a mix of general, niche-specific, and trending hashtags. General (but relevant) hashtags cast a wide net, niche-specific ones attract a targeted audience, and trending hashtags can give you a shot at viral fame.

• Include the ever-popular #foryou or #foryoupage hashtags, popularly used in an attempt to get on the For You page

• Create a branded hashtag if you have built a significant following or want to establish stronger brand awareness.

• Don't use the same set of hashtags for every video – mix it up for different kinds of content and to reach different audiences.
   

4. Add closed captions to your videos

Adding closed captions to your videos not only helps make your content more accessible to a broader audience, such as the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, but also offers SEO benefits, because the captions can make your content more searchable. Plus, closed captions can increase the time people spend watching your videos, thereby, increasing viewer engagement.

You can either use third-party apps to automatically generate captions for you or manually type them in as you edit your video. The key is to ensure they're accurate and sync well with the video content.
 

5. Use trending music and sound clips

Leverage popular sound in your TikTok videos to grab attention right away from the jump. Using trending music can also increase the chance of videos going viral. TikTok's algorithm tends to favor videos that use trending music. This is because these videos are more likely to be liked, commented, shared, and saved, all of which the algorithm considers metrics when deciding what to show on the 'For You' page.

One of the best ways to know which sound clips are trending is to consistently explore video content on the For You Page as well as pay attention to what music popular TikTokers are using.

See if you can discover ways to incorporate popular songs into your own content to increase your content’s potential reach and engagement.
 

6. Create a content series

Creating a multi-part video series on TikTok can offer a sense of continuity that keeps your audience returning for more. It's a strategy that can pay off in spades.

Generally speaking, a content series is a string of interconnected videos that revolve around a central theme or narrative. It could be as simple as a "Tip of the Day" or “Outfit for a Week” series or as complex as a serialized story. The key is consistency in the theme, tone, and posting schedule of your content.

Here is an example of what this might look like from a TikTok tutor, who has created several videos on “top tips you need to master in growing your TikTok followers”. Each video covers a single tip, making this an easy type of video to create  every so often to share new tips. What’s more, if you’ve noticed that people love a funny video you just posted and comment on asking for more, give them what they want!

Reply to comments that you will or you have added additional parts so the videos are all linked together.
 

7. Publish TikTok videos at the right times

Sure, what you post matters. But when you should hit that “Post” button is just as important. Posting your videos at the right times can help your video reach a wider audience and increase its chance of going viral.

The best time to post content on social media platforms? When your target audience is most active on TikTok!

To figure out the ideal posting time:

Keep a log of past publish times to see when your past videos have received the most engagement and conduct A/B tests by posting similar videos at different times and days to see which performs better. What’s more important is maintaining a consistent posting schedule that your audience can rely on.

Publishing your videos on TikTok at the right times is a simple yet effective strategy that can make a significant difference in your TikTok success.
So set that alarm and get ready to hit the “Post” button when the time is just right!
 

8. Share user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is a great way for content creators or brands to build a more engaged and loyal community. When TikTok users mention your brand or post videos relevant to your content, why not share it? 

Before sharing it, make sure to always get consent from and give full credit to the original creator, of course, you can tag the original creator in the caption. You can use UGC as an opportunity to engage with your community. This adds a layer of authenticity and engagement that can set you apart from other creators.

So go ahead, ask questions, seek opinions, and encourage more users to share their content with you.
 

9. Adjust the length of your videos

TikTok videos can vary in length, ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes long. Do you know what is the ideal length for your video? As we all know, short videos on TikTok are more consumable, while longer videos allow delving deeper into a topic.

Videos lasting 15 to 30 seconds are the bread and butter of TikTok. It’s your first option if you want to capture attention first as short videos are quick to watch and easy to engage with. But if your content is tutorials, storytelling, or anything that requires more time to unfold, you can upload a 3 to 10 minutes long video.

Do not be afraid of trying different video lengths to see what length resonates most with your audience.
 

10. Use CTAs at the end of your videos

Another way that can not be ignored to get more followers on TikTok is to ask: ask viewers to follow you. No one will mind if part of your videos has a call-to-action. Try ending your videos with CTAs to visit your profile, follow you or check out similar videos.

You can do this by simply adding a short text sticker at the end of your videos, especially when you are creating a series content or posting multi-part videos.
 

11. Collaborate with TikTok influencers and creators

Collaborating and cross-promoting with other influencers and creators on TikTok can introduce your content to a broader audience, amplifying your reach and impact with a single video. But it's not just about the numbers – it's about community building and creative exchange.

Keep in mind that working with TikTok influencers comes with its own costs. How many influencers you can partner with or whether they are macro-influencers or micro-creators depend on your marketing budget.

Cross-promotion is a win-win situation when done right. So go ahead, do your research, check their engagement rates, and reach out with a well-thought-out proposal.
 

12. Cross-promote your videos on other platforms

It really takes time and energy to create high-quality content, so why limit it only on just one platform? And your followers on other social media channels might not know that you’ve created a TikTok account. So it’s really a good idea to cross-post or cross-share your videos on other platforms that favor short-form videos, like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Twitter, and LinkedIn This can amplify your content’s reach and impact and draw a broader audience.

Want to stay on top of the competition?

Excited to start implementing some of these strategies? Remember, growing your TikTok following is not an overnight endeavor, but needs your consistent effort and constant adjustment. Once you get relatively huge followers and reach, you will have more potential customers for your TikTok Shop business.

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