20 Tips To Get More Followers on TikTok

Let’s clear something up real quick: TikTok isn’t just for viral dances and teenage chaos anymore. It’s one of the most powerful brand-building, culture-shaping, product-selling platforms out there, with zero signs of slowing down. In fact, with over 1 billion monthly active users, your brand’s next customer (or superfan) is probably already scrolling.

But follower growth on TikTok isn’t about chasing clout, it’s about creating real visibility that drives brand love, trust and sales. Whether you’re a startup finding your voice or an established name ready to unlock Gen Z gold, gaining followers while staying true to your brand is the move.

This blog breaks down how to do just that: no cringey trends and no off-brand chaos, just real strategies that hit different.

TikTok is not your average social platform. Unlike traditional social media websites (we’re looking at you, Instagram), TikTok doesn’t care how many followers you have when deciding whether to boost your content. It’s all about the watch time, shares, saves and that sweet, sweet algorithmic magic.

So yes, a TikTok account with 73 followers can absolutely hit a million views overnight. But, here’s the tea: just because follower count isn’t everything, doesn’t mean it means nothing. Growing your followers means growing your community. And for brands, community is everything. Here’s why:

• Consistency over virality: Views come and go, but followers stick around. They’re the ones who engage with your content consistently, trust your brand voice and become repeat customers.
• More data = smarter strategy: A loyal follower base gives you richer insights into what content hits and what flops — which means fewer guess-posts, more strategic wins.
• Built-in amplification: When your followers actually like you (not just your one viral vid), they become micro-ambassadors — sharing, saving and stitching your content without being asked.
• Partnership power: If you’re eyeing creator collabs or brand deals, your follower count can still matter. Why? Because it reflects your brand’s reach and credibility at a glance.

Follower count might not be the only thing TikTok cares about, but it’s a solid indicator of your brand's health. If people are hitting that follow button, it means you're delivering value, showing up authentically and making content that resonates.

So yes, chase that watch time and optimize for shares, but don’t sleep on follower growth. Your community is the foundation of your TikTok presence. Build it right, and the rest will follow (pun fully intended).

TikTok is a full-blown search engine, a storytelling platform and an entertainment playground where brands can go from 0 to viral overnight. But continued growth doesn’t happen by accident. Whether you’re a brand, a creator or somewhere in between, building a loyal TikTok following takes more than using viral TikTok trends and ring lights.

The good news? We’ve got you. Below are 20 tried-and-true tips to help you gain more followers on TikTok while keeping things authentic, on-brand and community-focused. No bots. No gimmicks. Just pure strategy.

1. Don’t Buy Followers

Fake followers are out. Authentic growth is in. Buying followers might boost your numbers for a hot second, but TikTok’s algorithm is way too smart, and your engagement rate will tank faster than a flop video. Instead, focus on building a real community that likes, comments and shares your content.

→ Pro tip: Focus on building quality engagement, not vanity metrics. Comments and shares matter more than follower count. 

2. Focus on Storytelling

TikTok isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about narratives. People scroll to be entertained, informed and emotionally hooked. Whether you’re showing your product journey, sharing behind-the-scenes chaos or telling a customer story, give your content a beginning, middle and end. Bonus points if it’s relatable or funny. 

Jones Road Beauty leans into founder Bobbi Brown's legacy in the beauty industry, touching on her busy daily life and how she uses Jones Road Beauty products in her car, vanity and wherever else her packed schedule takes her.

→ Pro tip: Hook viewers in the first three seconds. Avoid the (dreaded) millennial pause and start strong to immediately capture viewers’ attention and keep them interested.

3. Conduct a Competitive Analysis

Know what your competitors (or inspo accounts) are up to. What kind of content do they post? What trends do they hop on? What’s a flop? Take notes, then find your own lane to stand out, but smarter.

→ Pro tip: Simplify the competitive analysis process with our free Competitive Analysis Template.

4. Have the Right Hashtag Strategy

TikTok hashtags still matter! Mix niche hashtags (#MomTok #BookTok) with broader trending ones to increase discoverability. And no, using #FYP 10x in a caption doesn’t guarantee virality; curate with intention.

→ Pro tip: Test different hashtags combinations across videos to see what drives reach for your specific niche

5. Stay Tuned to TikTok Trends

If you're not living on the For You Page, wyd? Staying current with TikTok trends is key and timing is everything. Whether it’s a trending challenge, audio clip or a background song, being an early-adopter can give you that viral edge.

Cult Gaia leans into the 'show and tell' TikTok trend to creatively showcase part of their accessory collection, a great example of organically incorporating TikTok trends into an existing product campaign.

→ Pro tip: Save trending sounds as you scroll, then batch film while they’re still hot. Or, check out the TikTok Trending Sounds tab in the Dash Social platform.

6. Leverage Trending Sounds

TikTok is a sound-first platform. Using trending TikTok sounds gives your content a boost in discoverability and helps it feel current. TikTok sounds can act as a cue for the algorithm, helping bring your videos to users already interacting with that audio. 

→ Pro tip: Add your brand spin to the trend so it still feels you; avoid replicating exactly what you see from competitors and focus on honing your own brand voice.

7. Segment Your Audience

Not all your followers are the same — and your content shouldn’t be either. Segment your audience by interests, behavior, niche community or other relevant audience demographic. Tailor your content accordingly to make it feel personal and binge-worthy. 

→ Pro tip: Use Social Analytics and Monitoring to identify engagement patterns among your audience.

8. Explore Collaborations

Partner with other creators or brands for a mutual boost. Whether it’s a stitch, a co-created series, a giveaway or developing a brand partnership with a company or creator, collaborations expand your reach while doubling down on trust, fun and social proof. 

Charlotte Tilbury cleverly leverages UGC from fellow beauty industry giant Hailey Bieber, simultaneously combining collaboration and social proof with a beauty trendsetter.

→ Pro tip: Prioritize partners whose audience overlaps with yours or who are successfully engaging a new audience segment you plan to target.

9. Optimize Your Posting Schedule

TikTok’s algorithm loves consistency. Find your audience’s sweet spot by testing different times and days. 

→ Pro tip: Tools like Dash Social can help you pinpoint your best time to post on TikTok when your followers are most active (and ready to scroll).

10. Reach Out to Your Community

Respond to comments, slide into DMs, shout out loyal followers — whatever builds trust and keeps the convo going. TikTok’s comment section is half the fun, so make sure you’re in it.

→ Pro tip: Pin thoughtful or funny comments to spark more engagement and show you’re listening.

11. Emphasize Your Value Proposition

Why should people follow you? Are you educational? Entertaining? Inspiring? Make your value clear fast. Viewers decide within the first few seconds whether to follow — so make those seconds count.

→ Pro tip: Lead with a bold hook or whatever else makes your content valuable immediately.

12. Do More Than Just ‘Sell’

Hard selling on TikTok is a no-no. Focus on creating content around your product or service: think user stories, tutorials, behind-the-scenes or ‘day in the life’ posts. Make people care before they click “buy.”

Scrub Daddy has built a humorous brand voice on TikTok, and leans into funny TikTok trends to cement their brand identity as a comedic presence , often gently touching on their product benefits.

→ Pro tip: Shift your content focus from product-first to value-first. Show benefits in action, not just features or introducing your product without making it clear how it helps the end user.

13. Create Accessible Content

Your social content should be for everyone. Social media accessibility ensures your content can be consumed by anyone, regardless of ability on social media. But this doesn’t happen automatically, and optimizing your content doesn’t just widen your audience, it often encourages the algorithm to boost your content even wider. Use captions, clear visuals and high-contrast designs to make your content inclusive. Accessibility = wider reach = more followers = good karma.

Starface uses custom captions so even more audiences can enjoy and interpret its content.

→ Pro tip: Turn on auto captions and double-check legibility, especially for fast speech or noisy audio.

14. Lean Into TikTok Stories

Stories on TikTok? Yup, they’re here — and they’re a great way to keep your audience updated in a casual, low-lift way. Use them to post Q&As, share hot takes or drop daily vibes.

→ Pro tip: Use Stories to test ideas before posting them as full videos. Low stakes, high feedback. 

15. Develop a Content Series

Give your audience a reason to keep coming back. Whether it’s ‘Marketing Mondays,’ ‘Hot Take Tuesdays’ or ‘Behind the Brand Fridays,’ series create structure, build anticipation and boost retention.

Canva has developed different content series to teach users how to best leverage their products for different designs; cleverly hooking users with the finished product to entice people who are interested in creating similar designs.

→ Pro tip: Add consistent thumbnails, titles or introductions to make your series recognizable instantly.

16. Include Organic CTAs

Want to grow? You have to ask. End your videos with natural calls to action like ‘Follow for part 2,’ ‘Tell me your thoughts in the comments,’ or ‘Share with a friend who needs to see this.’ Make it feel organic and conversational — not desperate.

→ Pro tip: Frame CTAs as part of the story. For example, “You won’t believe what happens in part 2” to build curiosity and encourage follow-through. 

17. Try Stitches and Duets

Duets and stitches are TikTok gold. They allow you to riff off other creators’ content, add your POV and tap into wider audiences. Use them to react, respond or just add your spice to a convo.

Along with leaning into funny TikTok trends, Ryanair doesn't shy away from stitching or duetting users, which helps engage its community while generating comedic content. In the example below, Ryanair stitches a user measuring their carry-on luggage with Ryanair's baggage sizer with a simple reply: "nice".

→ Pro tip: Use stitches to answer FAQs or hot takes; they’re built for quick, compelling engagement.

18. Try Out Paid Ads

If you’ve got the budget, TikTok’s ad tools are powerful. From In-Feed Ads to Spark Ads (boosting organic content), there are a ton of ways to expand your reach while still keeping it native and non-cringe.

→ Pro tip: Boost top-performing organic videos to get more mileage without creating new paid assets from scratch. 

19. Continually Monitor Growth

Track what’s working and what’s not. Look at engagement, watch time, follower spikes and don’t be afraid to pivot. Tools like Dash Social help simplify all the analytics chaos so you can focus on creating.

→ Pro tip: Check your follower activity weekly to spot trends in user responses, and then double down.

20. Set Your Own Trends

Last, but certainly not least: lead, don’t follow. Your brand voice is your superpower. Use it to start new conversations, invent your own challenges or remix existing trends with a twist. Trendsetters win over trend chasers.

Ready to turn your TikTok into a follower magnet? These 20 tips are your roadmap to sustainable, on-brand growth with no shady hacks required. Keep scrolling, keep vibing and keep building that loyal following that actually cares about what you post.

→ Pro tip: Launch a branded challenge with a clear call-to-action and get creators involved early.

How many followers do you need on TikTok to go live? 

You’ll need 1,000 followers to go live on TikTok. That’s the golden ticket to unlock the feature; once you hit 1K, you can start going live, chatting with your followers in real time, hosting mini product drops, Q&As or host dance parties. Whatever best fits your brand vibe.

How do you unfollow someone on TikTok?  

Sometimes your feed just isn’t feeding anymore. If you’re looking to refresh your Follow list (no shame), here’s how to do it:

• Head to the profile of the person you want to unfollow
• Tap the Following button — it’ll switch to Follow again, meaning you’ve unfollowed them
• And that’s it! Clean feed = clear mind