TikTok is rapidly evolving from a Gen Z obsession to acquiring mainstream adoption.
As of April 2022, the 35-44 year-old age bracket is the fastest-growing demographic on the platform.
For businesses with small budgets looking to make a massive splash on social media, TikTok is an absolute goldmine of underpriced attention. With the demand and supply dynamics of TikTok’s content favoring creators, it is not unusual for a post from an account with only a handful of followers to reach hundreds of thousands of people.
You are one post away from becoming a viral sensation on TikTok. Here’s how to do it:
1. Pick a Niche and Stick to it
This is where you decide on the type of content you want to be affiliated with. Some of the most popular TikTokers only make one style of video. For example, the most followed Kenyan TikToker, vick_brandon, only posts comedic videos about his experiences.
Suppose you don’t already have a following. In that case, you’ll need to experiment to find what kind of material resonates with your target audience and then stick with it. Sticking to a niche is vital for organic growth on TikTok and reaching an audience aligned with your business.
Recycle content by presenting it in various ways, such as using the same video with a different sound, to appeal to diverse audiences. This is highly efficient because it saves you time and accomplishes the goal.
2. Keep up with the Latest Trends
Consume material created by other creators in the same business. Simply go to the search box, type in your topic, and filter by most popular videos.
Consider the following questions as you examine current trends: What kind of video should I be making? Which hashtags do I use? What challenges can I participate in? Challenges unite the TikTok community and can be sponsored by advertisers or created by TikTok and the community.
Bonus tip: the TikTok duet and stitch feature are an intelligent way to interact with other creators in your space. Find ways to incorporate education about your products to raise engagement. Don’t be shy to interact with creators simply because you enjoy their content.
3. TikTok Video Batching
To grow organically on TikTok, you must post content constantly, at least twice a day. Realistically, you may not have the time to record four videos daily. That’s why it’s a good idea to batch.
What is Batching?
Batching is simply recording 3–10 concepts in a single session and creating time for spontaneity later.
Curate content, see what’s trending, and then form your ideas. Make sure to stay true to the brand in all the concepts.
Record your videos and edit them later. Add hashtags, captions, and effects.
Determine how often you want to post, and don’t be afraid to create and post. At the very least, give yourself a couple of hours between posts.
Pro-tip: Post something a little “off.” Have something that stands out in your video. This could be a prop or a bold item of clothing. People will comment on them and create more engagement, which helps you go viral. The TikTok algorithm LOVES comments.
4. Use Viral Sounds
Music is at the heart of TikTok. Using a well-known song as the soundtrack to your video could help it go viral. If you’re not using a viral sound, you are less likely to be featured on the For You page.
Navigate to sounds, add a song, and go to TikTok Viral under Playlist. If you’re creating a video explaining something, increase the volume of the original sound and drop the volume of the added sound.
The viewer will hear what you’re saying, but you’ll still get discovered for that viral sound.
5. Provide Value and Tell a Story
While TikTok trends can be fun, viewers are bound to get bored. Viewers want to be entertained, inspired, or informed.
Lead with providing value first and then promoting your brand. Tell a story; start with a problem, give clear steps about your journey, and end with a solution.
If your story is unique and inspiring, you’ll grow your TikTok and gain loyal followers that are emotionally invested.
The meat of it should be educational, and then plug your call-to-action in the last few seconds.
6. Use Hooks
To grow your TikTok, you need to keep your audience hooked from the beginning to every 5–10 seconds. This increases the average watch time, which is very important.
TikTok’s primary incentive is to keep people on their app longer. If your content hooks people and your average watch time is long, TikTok will reward you with added exposure.
Make quick jump cuts with flashing text in your videos to keep them exciting. When people can watch something and read simultaneously, it keeps them glued. Ask an intriguing question at the beginning of the video and spend the rest of the time answering it.
Keep in mind that some people might be watching without sound. For this reason, make your video easy to understand without audio.
Bonus tip: What about SEO? SEO is a key consideration for anyone seeking to get a little more oomph on their reach. Hashtags are a ubiquitous social media SEO tool – as is the title. Ensure that the first 5 seconds are scroll-stoppers – sufficient to make the user want to watch the rest of the video.
7. Study your Analytics
Keep track of the number of views on each video on your profile. Click on a video. Click on the three dots, and you’ll find your stats. Average watch time, where your audience is coming from, e.t.c.
Knowing how to interpret your analytics will help you know how your target audience reacts to different concepts.
It is, however, highly vital to understand how the different metrics actually translate to gaining success in your brand/business.
Bonus tip: It has been speculated that closing the App as soon as you post can help your TikTok organic growth. When you close the App, TikTok automatically wants to send you notifications, so you can return to the app. If you hold off long enough, TikTok can promote your video more to pull you back in.
8. Make Stand-alone Content
Make videos that are easy to follow on their own. It is easy on a platform like YouTube to pick a particular creator and watch all the videos they’ve ever made. On TikTok, however, it’s easy to miss videos of people you follow.
Avoid making videos that are part of a series. A single video should be enough to showcase what your brand offers.
It helps to assume everyone watching your video is new to your platform, and make them want to be a part of your brand.
9. Cross-promote your Videos
Another good strategy is to share your videos on other platforms. Find out where your audience spends the most time.
You can quickly post your TikTok video on Instagram Reels with the TikTok watermark, so you can send your Instagram followers to your TikTok.
Bonus tip: Watch out for shadow-bans. Shadow-banning is where bots that moderate TikTok detect some violation in your posts. This then leads to less exposure and a drop in engagement. If this happens, try to leave out any content you suspect might have caused it.
Above all else, always remember that TikTok encourages consistency and inventiveness. Don’t be afraid to tap into your imagination and eccentricity. In short, create more out-of-the-box content, and post more frequently.