I Grew my TikTok by 50K in 30 Days. Here's What I Learned

The month of October was largely a learning curve for me. I focused on learning how to create content efficiently, understand trends on the platform, and by November that work was already paying off. What makes TikTok a unique opportunity to grow is that a single video may convert thousands of followers in a matter of days, as I learned in the beginning of November.

While I still grew a large amount of followers in 30 days, there were another 45 or so where I was simply focused on understanding the platform. Those days were certainly key to much of my successful growth in November. Here are the top things I have learned since I started focusing on TikTok.

Following trends & adapting them to your niche is key to growth, but particularly key to rapid growth. Being able to capitalize on trends quickly does require a significant amount of time being spent on the app. I have been using a trend sheet for a while now and it has been incredibly helpful in saving me time, but I do still research trends in the app itself. Below is a great video sharing how to find trends on the platform from @jacksonstips, the creator of the trend sheet I use. I originally fell victim to the TrendTok app ads, but I have never seen success using the app, finding rather that most of the audios are well past their peak.

My following on TikTok was spurred through several viral videos, but I can almost always tell which videos are most likely to convert followers. I call these “introduction” videos. They essentially introduce you and the type of content you create, or share a common “problem” and present your content as a solution. Here is an example of a video that converted well for me that I would consider an “introduction” video.

My most successful introduction videos merge this introduction with a trending audio on tiktok, which helps the video get pushed further.

The key to a successful social media strategy is always providing value. While trends and introduction videos can get views to your profile, it is unlikely that anyone stays there without some kind of value. Whether you’re a skin care blogger breaking down ingredients or a photographer sharing editing hacks, your videos need to provide your target audience with the information they are looking for. A large segment of my audience is interested in budget friendly or free ways to work on personal development.

Stop taking advice from random people on the internet trying to be experts and start listening to the people who have already done it. But don’t listen to *everyone* who has done it. One of the things that has helped me significantly in working to grow on TikTok is that I chose two people to take advice from. I followed their recommendations and anything else I saw I simply ignored. It is incredibly important to be able to stick to a strategy and give it the opportunity to work.

For truly successful video content, you have to know your target audience. This is going to help you create the right phrasing and text for your videos to convert for yourself and brands. For example, I have a few very specific things that my target audience relates to. Having a list of these hyper specific items or pain points is very helpful when drafting video ideas. It also helps easily drive consistency across your content.

TikTok is a completely different platform and your content does not need to be the same as your niche is on other platforms. Changing my niche to something that fit better with my lifestyle was key to helping me produce the quantity of content needed for rapid growth on TikTok. Since most of my videos revolve around my daily lifestyle, they are much easier to produce. However, you NEED to have a niche. I believe this not only helps TikTok categorize your videos but also helps your audience better understand what to expect from you.

Daily posting (and then some) is incredibly important for growth on TikTok. Consider every post an opportunity to go viral. While they won’t all go viral, you have a better chance of multiple going viral when you’ve posted 150 in 30 days than when you have posted 30.

On that note, your videos do not have to be revolutionary to go viral. They may capitalize on a trend. They may only take a couple of minutes to create. And they definitely do not need to be perfect. One of the most important things I have learned over the last month is how to efficiently produce short form content for my page. Dropping the time to produce content has helped me stay consistent and still maximize my growth without spending every waking second on the app. Although, admittedly in the beginning I was spending every waking second on the app. The more you produce the easier it becomes, so speed up that learning curve!