For many TikTokers, the ultimate dream is to go viral. The idea is that if their content can become popular with thousands to millions of viewers, their fanbase will explode, and they will have found success on the platform. While this often happens with viral videos, the trick is actually going viral in the first place. Many creators try and fail to get more attention on TikTok, and this is usually because they’re only going for the quick payoff of a single viral piece of content. What they don’t realize (or don’t want to admit) is that slow and steady also wins the race.
That being said, there are ways to get instant results for your TikTok account – and they don’t involve putting out a viral video. For example, sites like TikCeleb sell TikTok likes, views, and followers, which can be applied to your account within minutes of being purchased. When other users see the growth on your page, they’ll think that you’re worth checking out. This leads to more organic traffic, which leads to a bigger following and sustainable growth.
So which approach is best – trying to go viral, or building your following gradually? Well, since the two things aren’t mutually exclusive, you can do both!
Let’s start with the basics of getting more traffic to your TikTok page
There are all kinds of strategies that will not only help get your content in front of more viewers, but also keep them watching. These are the most important ones.
- Choose your niche
Every popular TikToker posts content within a certain niche, such as art, food, dancing, etc. There are even obscure niches like WitchTok and WaterTok to choose from. Even though the creators probably have interests or expertise outside of their niches, they make their content offerings more coherent by sticking to a single niche. This is a crucial part of understanding your audience. If you’re going to successfully target a specific audience, you’ll have to create content that appeals to a single group of people. Covering multiple niches may appeal to several different audiences, but not consistently enough to draw them to your page.
- Offer both quality and quantity
Some creators post very few videos because they spend hours filming and editing them to be just right; others post multiple videos a day that clearly require very little effort. The sweet spot is somewhere in between your videos look aesthetically pleasing, but they’re simple enough for you to make at least a couple of them per week.
- Follow trends
This is a key ingredient to steady growth, as well as going viral. TikTok is constantly featuring new trends on the platform, whether they’re hashtags, challenges, songs, sounds, or something else entirely. When you join in on these trends, the algorithm is more likely to recommend your content to other viewers. Will this make you go viral? Not usually. However, it will bring new people to your page, some of whom will probably end up liking or commenting on a video, or following your page.
Going viral on TikTok – the art of the “hook”
While the internet is full of tips on how to go viral on TikTok, there’s one component that’s probably the most important of them all: the hook. This is found in the first three or four seconds of a video, and it’s meant to “hook” viewers to get invested enough to keep watching. Popular examples of hooks include:
- X hacks to help you do XYZ
- Nobody talks about XYZ
- How to get (insert result) in 24 hours
- Top X tricks to increase productivity
- X tips I wish I knew earlier
- The most important tip that (type of person) should know about
Even though these are all great choices, you can’t simply rinse and repeat for all of your content. Fortunately, it’s easy to identify several different types of hooks, so you can come up with your own unique versions. So, how do you come up with a great hook? These are the most well-known options.
- The “how-to” hook
This type of hook targets people who are on the hunt for relevant, easily digestible information on specific topics. For example, home bakers might want to know “how to get perfectly smooth icing on the first try” – that’s an example of a hook that will catch their interest.
- The direct hook
The headline and first few seconds of the video don’t mess around with this type of hook; viewers immediately know what the video will be about. Since there isn’t much mystery to the direct hook, it’s especially important to make the subject and content as interesting as possible.
- The “list” hook
It’s a list with a twist. This hook doesn’t just list out various facts; they’re supposed to have an element of surprise, such as “10 fun facts you probably didn’t know about XYZ”. Since each element of the list is new and interesting information for the viewers (hopefully, anyway), this encourages them to keep watching until the end.
- The “reason why” hook
Here’s another informational type of video, with an opening that’s supposed to get them hooked by offering a definite solution to a problem. For example, the title could be something like “X reasons why your XYZ isn’t working”. Even if the problem seems complicated, a short video on potential solutions makes the issue seem a lot more approachable.
- The “curiosity” hook
Although this can be an effective hook, it’s also commonly used for clickbait; just make sure you deliver on the sensationalist title, and your viewers will be happy with what they see. An example of this type of hook is “nobody is talking about XYZ”, or “You won’t believe what so-and-so did at X event”. The hook creates high expectations right off the bat, which makes viewers want to keep watching to find out more.
The takeaway
Whether you have plans for building your following steadily, or you’re focused on going viral, there are plenty of ways to get more attention on TikTok.
