How to become a top influencer on TikTok

The road to becoming an influencer on TikTok can feel like a long and lonely one. Sometimes, people achieve TikTok success overnight, watching as a video they made in ten seconds goes viral and attracts millions of viewers. Usually, though, a content creator on TikTok needs to put the work in and make lots of content before they’re noticed by the wider audience.

Becoming a top influencer on TikTok isn’t as easy as it looks, and it doesn’t look easy. Thankfully, with the right combination of hard work, market savvy, and luck, you can break into the market and get your content noticed on TikTok. It isn’t quite the same as other social media platforms; you’ll need to unlearn what you’ve learned from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, at least partially. Here’s how to become a top TikTok influencer.

Create great content

There’s really no substitute for great content on TikTok, and that’s a lesson you’ll learn very quickly if you decide to become an influencer on the platform. You can have the best social media strategy in the world, but if your content isn’t up to snuff then you won’t be able to make it. First and foremost, you need to make sure the content you’re crafting is top-notch. Get the basics down first, then look into making longer and more intricate videos as you go.

Build a following

It stands to reason that if you can’t get yourself a following on TikTok, you won’t become a great content creator. The main way to do that is simply by making great content regularly, but there are other methods, too. Sites like TikTokFollowing.com will help you amass followers so that you can get your videos out to more people. However you do it, building a following on TikTok is one stepping stone to becoming a renowned influencer; without a following, you don’t have an audience to create for.

Be individual

TikTok is full of also-rans who decided to steal other people’s aesthetic and try and crib some followers from it. While this may work while any given craze is going on, once the dust has settled, you’ll find that you won’t have many followers left if your individuality isn’t shining through. Whatever content you’re creating, it needs to express your individual personality. If you’re naturally cynical, let that shine through. More of a slapstick type? Put that in your content.

Hop on trends

One of TikTok’s most distinctive features is the way in which it focuses on trending content. A lot of social media platforms do this, but TikTok is unique in that it’s almost aggressively centred on hashtags and trends. If you want to be a TikTok influencer, it’s imperative that you stay abreast of the most popular hashtags on the platform at any given time. Content is rarely evergreen on TikTok, and although it may find its way into a compilation video at some point, you shouldn’t bank on that as an influencer.

Collaborate

People love to see their favourite influencers collaborating with one another. It’s one of the best ways to amass followers organically; if you and another influencer have audiences that cross over, then you’re bound to collect followers from collaborative videos. You need to try and find influencers who either complement your content or are making similar videos to you. If you pick the wrong ones, you might end up with something that feels off to both of your brands and doesn’t appeal to your demographics.

Know your audience

As important as it is to know your own strengths when it comes to creating TikTok content, it’s also crucial to know what your audience expects of you. The kind of content that got you known as an influencer doesn’t have to be where your career is at forever, but it’s definitely a good idea to cater to your audience’s tastes at least somewhat. Good, faithful followers will know that your personality should dictate content, but if you shamelessly start creating content that’s nothing like your usual style, people will notice.

Upload consistently

A consistent upload schedule is the key to making sure your TikTok content is widely viewed and shared. If you’re erratic with your schedule, your audience won’t stick around; they’ll move on to someone who keeps a regular upload schedule because they know they can rely on that creator. Just like Twitch streaming, TikTok requires you to be active regularly so that your audience doesn’t get bored. As such, you should be uploading daily or every couple of days at the same time. Try to aim for what’s colloquially known as Magic Hour when it comes to social media uploading.

Have fun

Above all else, you should be aiming to have lots of fun when you’re uploading TikTok content. The best influencers clearly love what they do, and while it won’t be possible to adore your job every single hour of every day, you should be projecting the image of enjoying your job. Many people would love to be TikTok influencers but can’t find the time or don’t have the talent, so you’re lucky if you manage to amass some followers. You should try to be aware of that luck as much as you possibly can, because it will translate into higher quality when it comes to crafting and sharing your content.