TikTok has become a major player in social media marketing. With its short videos and a large audience of Gen Z and Millennials, it gives businesses a great way to reach potential customers. While running ads on TikTok can be effective, there’s also a powerful way to grow without spending money—organic TikTok marketing.
Know Your Audience
You can’t please everyone, and that’s okay. The key to success is knowing who your audience is and focusing on them. When you understand who your content is meant for (and who it isn’t), you increase the chances of it appearing on their For You Page (FYP)—the main feed users see when they open TikTok. This is exactly where you want your content to be.
If you’re not sure what your audience wants, just ask! Use your other social media platforms to get their input. Instagram polls and question boxes are great ways to engage and get more followers and let them know you’re on TikTok.
Create Niche Content
Creating content that connects with TikTok’s different communities is essential for building a loyal audience. The platform is full of smaller groups, each with its own interests. When you focus on a specific niche, you show that you genuinely understand and care about your audience.
This builds trust, strengthens connections, and encourages viewers to keep coming back. Plus, content that fits well within a niche is more likely to spread within that community, helping you grow faster. With so much content on TikTok, finding your niche is what helps you stand out.
Stay Consistent
Posting consistently is key to getting TikTok’s algorithm to promote your content. Many people struggle to grow their audience simply because they don’t stick to a regular posting schedule. If you aim to post at least one video daily and follow other best practices, success will come with time. However, if daily posting feels overwhelming, try to upload multiple times a week—but at the very least, aim for one video per week.
Trends and Challenges
Challenges are a big part of TikTok and can help you grow your followers quickly. They can be anything from emotional storytelling, like the “core memories” challenge with billions of views, to creative prompts, like the “journal prompt” challenge with millions of views.
Choose challenges that align with your brand and appeal to your audience. This way, your content stays relevant and engaging while still benefiting from the trend’s momentum.
Hashtags
Using the right hashtags helps people who don’t follow you discover your content. If you’ve spent any time on TikTok, you’ve likely seen #ForYouPage or #FYP—hashtags that have been used billions of times. However, relying only on these won’t guarantee success.
A better approach is to mix popular hashtags with niche and branded ones. Using 3-8 well-chosen hashtags can improve your video’s reach.
Sounds & Music
Many of today’s top-charting songs gained popularity on TikTok for a reason. The platform has a huge influence on the music industry and even works with record labels to promote certain tracks. Using trending songs in your videos can increase the chances of your content appearing on For You Pages (FYP).
To find out which sounds your audience is engaging with, check your Analytics tab (available with a TikTok Pro account). Under the Followers tab, you’ll see a list of the most popular songs and audio tracks your audience has listened to in the past week. This can help you choose the right sounds to make your content more relevant and engaging.
