The time has come: you have created a TikTok account – congratulations!
You took advantage of the short video app that has swept the world (2 billion downloads and growing!) and created videos while honing your TikTok editing skills and perfecting your Doja Cat dance moves.
But creating creative donut cereal or mom prank videos is just one step to building a successful TikTok presence. Because you want people to actually watch your videos.
We have you covered. Read on for 14 essential strategies to get more views on TikTok. We will make you a star!
What is a “view”in TikTok?
Different social media platforms measure “views”differently, but on TikTok it’s very simple: the second your video starts playing, it counts as a view.
If the video plays automatically or loops, or the viewer comes back to watch it multiple times, these are all considered new views. (However, when you watch your own video, those views don’t count.)
Force someone to watch to the end? It’s a different story. But with such a fairly low entry threshold for what counts as “views”, it’s not that hard to get metrics on TikTok.
How much does TikTok pay per view?
TikTok launched its Creator Fund in August 2020 to offer payouts to the platform’s most popular and successful users. Or, as TikTok itself describes it:
“Through the TikTok Creator Fund, our creators will be able to generate additional revenue that will help reward the care and dedication they put into creatively communicating with an audience inspired by their ideas.”
There is no standard commission rate or payment plan (the amount available in the Creator Fund seems to change daily), but expect to get between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views.
Source: TikTok
But not everyone can capitalize on TikTok’s bounty. To be eligible to receive TikTok Creator Fund payments, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have at least 10,000 subscribers.
- Have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.
- Be located in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain or Italy. (Sorry Canada!)
- Your account must comply with TikTok’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
If this is you, you can apply for the Creator Fund through the app. Go to Settings & Privacy, then Creator Tools, then TikTok Creator Foundation. If you qualify, you will be prompted to enter your contact information and agree to the Contributor Foundation Agreement.
Should you buy TikTok views?
No! You should not buy TikTok views! Stop that! Put that credit card down!
As we learned from our recent experiment on buying TikTok followers, it’s impossible to buy social media success.
Maybe your view rates will go up, but your engagement rate will plummet, you won’t have any followers, and the audience you hired to watch will end up being deleted by TikTok anyway.
Save your money and invest your time instead… in following these hot tips for creating authentic and lasting interactions.
14 Ways to Get More TikTok Views
1. Add hashtags to your videos
Hashtags are a powerful tool in your TikTok arsenal. This is how the almighty TikTok algorithm determines what you post about and who might be interested in viewing it. Hashtags are also essential to help users find your content through search.
Reaching a niche with specific hashtags related to your audience and topic is one approach.
There’s also some data that suggests that popular topics are more likely to end up on a “For You”page, so it might be wise to keep an eye on what’s currently trending and jump into the conversation with relevant content (which of course, still matches your brand).
To see which hashtags are trending, click on the “Discovery”tab and then click on “Trends”at the top of the screen.
Some data to help motivate you: 61% of TikTok users said they like brands more when they create or participate in a TikTok trend.
2. Be concise and sweet
While TikTok videos can now be up to three minutes long, videos under 30 seconds are more likely to land on FYP. It’s also more likely that someone will watch something fast and furious a second or third time.
Noodles the Dog is holding on tight with this 12-second FYP-filtered video. Short, sweet and on the theme of the game Squid: the ingredients for success.
@noodles.thefrenchie ✨spoiler alert✨ — POV: this guy ate the extra boiled egg to stir up a fight #squidgame #squidgamenetflix #foryou
3. Popular sound effects
Hashtags are not the only element of TikTok that has its own trend cycle. TikTok sounds are also experiencing waves of popularity. Watch your eyes (well, your ears—the eyes of your auditory system, if you will!) Keep a close eye on the repetitive sound clips you might be playing too.
You can also find popular sounds by clicking the Create (+) button in the app and then clicking Add Sound. Here you will see the most popular audio clips.
4. Find your specific audience
There’s a distinct sub-genre of TikTok for everyone, from the oh-so-literary BookTok to the vibrant carpet-loving community. Figure out who you want to hang out with and watch popular accounts in these communities to see what hashtags, formats, and references they can use to inspire your own related content.
@jumpp.mann Not bad for a first try 🤷🏽♂️ #rugtufting #art #tufting #rugtok #rugmaking #thesimpsons #commissionart #tuftinggun
Comments and likes can also help you build relationships with your specific audience. We hope your insightful answers will inspire another bookworm to check out what content you are creating on your page.
5. Watch the tutorial video
Educational content is very popular on TikTok, so get into know-it-all mode and share your wisdom with the world.
How-to videos are especially popular, but even answering a frequently asked question or clarifying an unexpected aspect of your industry, job, or product can be a delightful break in the never-ending dance.
For example, these upcycling videos from Vintage Restock get a significant amount of views. Can they combine three pairs of pants into one? We’re glued to the screen, waiting to find out!
@vintagestockreserve Custom Adidas Track Pants🔥 #diy #upcycledfashion #adidas #custom
6. Play a duet
The Duets feature on TikTok is a great way to capitalize on an already popular video to create your own views.
With Duets, you can share a split screen video of another user to sing along, create funny dialogues, or share your hottest ideas… and use verified content to garner your own cute, sweet views. (Check out our guide to the most popular TikTok video editing features here!)
@tiktok 🚨New feature alert!🚨more #Duet layouts are now available. Try them out now!
7. Team up with an influencer or special guest
Whether you’ve hired an influencer or guest celebrity, or teamed up with another brand for a crossover opportunity, adding some third-party voices to your TikTok videos is an easy way to tap into a new audience.
Your special guest will help shine a light on the content you’ve created and get their fans’ attention on your video, just like photographer MaryV did for Calvin Klein.
@calvinklein #advicetomyyoungerself by MaryV. #PROUDINMYCALVINS #lgbtq #pride #showyourpride
8. Promote your TikTok content on other social networks.
Chances are, TikTok is part of your larger social media strategy, and you’re likely active on several other platforms. Engage this audience on your TikTok by sharing video teasers elsewhere.
A small snippet of Instagram Stories here, a Twitter link there, and you have a full omnichannel social campaign on the go!
9. Make them watch
While it’s true that users only need to watch a fraction of a second of your video for you to earn a “view”, it’s actually very important that they watch it to the end.
This is because the TikTok algorithm prioritizes videos with a high degree of completion. He wants to provide quality content as recommendations for the For You page.
So… how to keep the attention of the audience to the bitter end? Play with their curiosity and offer value. Hook them in the first few seconds with a promise of what will happen if they stick with it (how-to videos and recipes are great for this!), or use captions that build tension (like Bella Poarch’s “Wait”below) for a big reveal.
@bellapoarch Wait for it…. 🦙🍑 ✨
10. Don’t Forget Your Signature
Your TikTok signature may only have 150 characters, but they can serve you well. Your caption is a chance to tell viewers why they should watch your video (hopefully see it all the way above!) or start a discussion in the comments.
Ultimately, you want people to watch and interact with your video so that the algorithm understands that yes, this is good stuff. Your caption is a free and easy way to make another statement to your audience about why they should talk or sit back and enjoy.
11. Set up a TikTok Creator or TikTok Business account.
Professional TikTok accounts won’t give you FYP boosts, but both Creator and Business accounts give you access to metrics and insights that can help you better analyze and understand your audience.
Switching to a TikTok Business or Creator profile is easy. Just go to “Manage your account”and select “Switch to business account”. Pick the best category and you’re ready to dig into the data!
This information can show who your existing audience is, when they are online, and what content they like to watch – all useful for building your content calendar and planning the best time to post.
12. Post your video at the right time
If you post when no one is using the app, you will definitely not get the views you want. So check your account analytics to see when your followers are active so you can release your latest video at the right time for maximum exposure.
Learn more about how to find the best time to post on TikTok.
13. Upload multiple videos a day
Everything happens fast in TikTokaverse. Don’t worry about oversaturating your followers: just get creative and put out quality content. In fact, TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times a day.
The more videos you have, the more likely you are to end up on someone’s “For You”page, and the more likely they are to search for more.
14. Create quality videos
Well, if you’re not going to say it, we’ll say, yeah.
Make sure your videos look good (decent lighting and sound quality, some live edits) and people are more likely to want to watch them.
This couple, for example, has invested in some high-end cameras for their DSLR selfies… and it’s paying off. Is this a Hollywood movie?
@lexibrookerivera @andrew.davila
TikTok also tends to prioritize high quality videos on FYP, so you’ll want to give them the good stuff. Shoot vertically, add sound, and use effects (try one of the trending TikTok effects for bonus points).
Once those views start coming in, of course, your TikTok journey is really only just beginning. Real money metric? Followers: loyal fans who will be there no matter what.
Check out our guide to getting TikTok followers to start building your dream fan base. Just imagine how many views you will get then!