Every marketers’ goal on any social media would be to have a large and growing loyal fanbase.  This means having to constantly engage audiences, while pushing to grow followers within and beyond existing target audiences.  Given that growing followers is a long-term marathon and not a sprint, here are five (5) tips on how to grow followers on the next big social media platform, TikTok:

1. Speak The Language of Your Audience

On the internet, some people prefer professional inspirations, while some prefer casual personal connections. The range of desired tones and attitudes may even differ across generations. The bottom line is that it is crucial to be relatable and to speak the language of your audience on TikTok. This includes using words that are searchable in creating hashtags, using relatable or audience-specific headlines if you choose to add words to your videos. These are some of the simple ways to get people to stop and watch your video, and eventually, open your profile to get to know you even more.

If you are a newbie with TikTok and need some help to speak like a TikTok-er, try analyzing captions of top TikTok brands or influencers. TikTok analytics tools including Analisa.io can show you the top words used in profiles’ captions.

2. Join in Your Audience’s Social Activities and Trends

In order to be a part of the community, you need to take part in their social activities, whether it be memes or social competitions. Besides, joining trending challenges, using popular sounds, and installing filters are the best ways to get yourself discovered and get featured on the TikTok For You Page.

This method has been adapted by popular media companies on TikTok, most notably The Washington Post. What we can learn from the digital-savvy newspaper company is that adjusting to a brand new audience requires a different strategy to show that you do belong on TikTok and have successfully adapted your social media content to TikTok trends.

3. Be Generous to Your Community

Other than being funny and entertaining, being generous is also a great way to attract followers. In this case, being generous means sharing as many tips or behind-the-scenes footage. Such information-driven content has often attracted followers that are curiously eager for your next post. These are the followers who would watch you for your content repeatedly and share it among their group of friends. 

4. Give Your TikTok Followers a Silver Lining to Follow

If you want to go viral, you might only need one really good, shareable post. However, to get loyal followers, you need to convince your audience that you are not simply a TikTok one-hit-wonder. This means that when you are planning your content, do not forget to plan for future content. This gives your audience a stable stream of likable content that they will follow you for. Not only does it help with gaining followers, but it also serves as a sustainable way to retain followers.

One of the tricks that influencers and brands often use to maintain fan excitement for their next posts is by making sequenced content. Creators often break their content into several parts. This usually comes with captions such as “See next post for results”.

5. Build Consistency and Momentum on TikTok

To get discovered by followers, your post needs to appear where and when most users are actively scrolling on TikTok. This means taking the time and effort to study the best time to post to increase your chances of getting featured on the For You Page. The higher your reach and engagement (Likes, Comments, Shares), the better your chances.

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to analyze your best time to post on TikTok. Find the best time to post for your industry and the influencers that are followed by your target audience. These insights that are easily accessible from TikTok analytics will help get your TikTok Profile in front of a wider audience faster and consistently grow TikTok followers in the long run.