Best Ways To Gain Traction On TikTok

By  //  October 15, 2021

When you’re just starting out on TikTok, it can be difficult to see how to build and maintain a presence. Many established influencers and content creators manage to rack up millions of views per video, and there are also celebrities jumping ship to TikTok every day, so how can you stand a chance?

If you’re an unproven force, you might be thinking that carving out a niche for yourself on TikTok is impossible, but you’d be wrong. Here are some of the best ways to gain traction on TikTok and potentially become a renowned influencer!

Closely watch your followers and likes

While some have referred to TikTok followers and likes as “vanity metrics” – and there’s some truth to that – they’re still very important statistics to monitor. More TikTok likes and followers equals more presence on the app, and while that’s not all there is to it, these two numbers are a huge part of the battle.

There are lots of easy ways to get TikTok followers out there, and these will be a massive help, but the important thing is to make sure you’re always looking at your followers and likes and seeing if what you’re doing is helping to amass more.

Look at your analytics

Helpfully, TikTok comes complete with a built-in analytics tool that can show you how your content is performing. Anyone can access this tool provided they have a Creator account, which is free to set up within the TikTok app itself. All you need to do is head into your profile, then go to “Manage account”, followed by “Switch to Pro account”.

Select Creator rather than Business, then head back to your profile and you should see a brand new “Analytics” option. Tapping this will show you lots of detailed information about your content; who’s watching it, when it’s being viewed, and so on.

It’s all about trends

After even a few hours of using TikTok, you’ll almost certainly notice one thing: the app is hugely centered on trends. Trending hashtags and topics dominate TikTok, so it stands to reason that if you want to gain traction on the app, you’re going to need to make videos in those topic categories as well. Every time you open up TikTok to make a new video, make a habit of checking the trending topics first.

You won’t necessarily be able to hit all of them, as some of them may be meant for different demographics or content types, but you’re bound to find something to work with!

Go local

If you can’t penetrate the wider TikTok market, then you might think about making content themed around your local area. Local hashtags and topics are always popular with folks who live in that region, so why not hit the streets and document something you’ve always found funny or interesting about your stomping ground?

You might find that there are memes or hashtags specific to your area that will get you a lot of traction if you make content about them. This type of content tends to have a much greater rate of engagement, too, which is great for your profile!

Focus on engagement

Tracking followers and likes is all well and good, but those numbers don’t mean very much by themselves. It’s also important to make sure people are actually engaging with your content and talking to you on TikTok rather than just silently consuming your videos and moving on.You can search for a suitable TikTok bot to manage your profile more easily. Ask for comments and structure your content in a way that invites discussion.

The more comments you get, the more you know people are actually engaged and aren’t just blankly scrolling through their For You feed. Engagement is king, and this still holds true on TikTok.

Work with others

Most social media is essentially collaborative by nature, but TikTok especially prizes this quality. The built-in Duet and Stitch features encourage you to position your content alongside others’ videos.

These are both great options for getting your videos viewed and amassing more followers and likes, but if you really want to start getting more engagement, you should reach out to other TikTok users and ask them to actively collaborate on videos with you. TikTok loves fresh content, so making a new video alongside a respected content creator is a great way to grow your channel.

Get your dates and times right

There really is no magical formula for overnight success on TikTok, no matter what anyone tells you. After all, if there was, everyone would be TikTok famous! Still, there are ways to give yourself the best chance of success possible, and one of these is to make sure you’re posting on the right days and at the right times.

Naturally, this will vary depending on where you live. In the UK, the best times to post tend to be around evenings and mornings, but this will almost certainly be different if you live elsewhere, so make sure to check your country’s best times to post in order to maximize your content’s potential.

Accept brand collaborations if they’re worthwhile

As you start to gain traction – however small it may initially be – you’ll almost certainly start attracting offers to collaborate from brands and businesses. Doing so can be a great boon for your channel, but you need to make sure to accept the right offers.

Some businesses and brands aren’t good for your profile, so be sure to conduct extensive research before you decide to accept or decline an offer. Working with the right brands and aligning yourself with the right forces should put you on the fast track to TikTok success!