Social media has always been a part of digital marketing, and typically many social platforms have followed similar structures and guidelines when it comes to post length, the best hashtags, and the best times to publish. 

TikTok, however, is blowing most of these practices out of the water. 

The TikTok platform is a disruption to the way social media sites function and its algorithm for trending videos makes it hard to get to the top of everyone’s feed by just posting at a specific time. 

There are, however, still methods to employ that will help your brand see more success with your TikTok videos. 

Understanding the importance of posting cadence and knowing what it takes for your video to trend will help your TikTok strategy develop and provide more traction for you and your company. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at the best way to navigate the algorithm and the best time to post on TikTok. 

We’ll also go through 10 different tactics for growing your follower base and going viral for 2025 and beyond.

How Do You Go Viral and Grow Followers on TikTok in 2025?

Navigating the TikTok algorithm is a difficult process, but a worthwhile one to explore. 

It’s important to keep in mind though that you need to both be attempting to trend on the “For You” page and grow your follower base. 

Followers are a key factor in your brand’s popularity. They also are your biggest reliable audience for views and can help your videos start trending. 

Here are 10 tips on how to grow followers and, in turn, go viral:

1. Make Your Videos as Short as Possible

One of the key factors in the TikTok algorithm is video completion. 

The longer your video is, the harder it becomes to capture the attention of a viewer for the entire content. 

Shorter, faster videos are not only more likely to be finished, but they also have a higher chance of being rewatched. 

It’s also important to hook your audience within a few seconds to keep them invested in the entire video. 

Hinting towards the solution at the end or including video text for longer videos is a great way to keep audiences watching.

2. Include CTAs

The fun and quirky nature of TikTok and making viral videos can sometimes lead marketers to forget their end goal — bringing in leads and promoting the business. 

Including a CTA is crucial to keep your audience moving down the marketing or sales funnel and becoming a customer. 

CTAs are often expected from brands. Imagine how disappointed you would be to watch a video about a great product but have no idea where to buy it by the time the video ended. 

A CTA delivers on your brand’s promise and encourages sales.

3. Capitalize on Trends

Trends on TikTok are often the inspiration behind many brands and creators. 

A popular trend will leave viewers looking for other similar videos, and jumping on a trend can bring a lot of viral visibility to your brand. 

It’s important to edit, however, and not try too hard to jump on every trend that comes by. 

Pick trends that fit with your brand image, and always understand the context behind the trend. You don’t want your brand embarrassed by making a video with less than great origins.

4. Use In-App Tools

While you can create snappy, visually appealing videos outside of the platform and upload them into TikTok, you risk losing some authenticity. 

TikTok provides viewers with original content, and appearing too polished can make your brand stand out for the wrong reasons. 

The TikTok platform has filters, editing tools, automatic captions, and many other tools that can help you create videos without outside help.

It’s kind of wild how much audiences have come to value genuine, lo-fi content. There’s always the temptation to go Hollywood with production, but oddly enough, sometimes all viewers want is a casual video shot with shaky hands and a bit of background noise—something that actually feels like it came from, well, a real person. If every video looks like an ad, the magic sort of fizzles out fast. Nobody logs on hoping to be bombarded with commercials, even if they are clever—so finding that sweet spot with in-app tools helps you stay in the right lane. Lean into the platform’s quirks instead of smoothing them away.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of interacting through features like duets or stitches; these let you bounce directly off trends or creators, which is basically TikTok’s version of joining the global party. These little collaborative tools might not seem like a game changer until you see your mentions unexpectedly spike or another user’s remix goes viral using your original sound. The ecosystem thrives on this kind of playful interactivity, and brands that play along tend to stick in people’s minds much longer—even if the actual content is just a goofy reaction or a quick tip wrapped in trending audio.

5. Create Content that will Generate Traffic in Your Comments

While views and video completion statistics are important, you also need to try and increase the number of likes and comments on your videos as well.

Asking direct questions or saying something like, “comment if you agree”, can help create more traffic in your comments sections.

You can also use comments to start conversations between customers and try to increase word of mouth positive associations with your brand. 

Just be aware that comment sections can quickly go out of hand, so having team members who monitor and moderate is important.

6. Use Your Own Audio for Videos

One of the biggest features on TikTok is the ability to use audio clips from other creators. 

This is often how trends begin, with a single audio clip being used to generate hundreds or thousands of trending videos. 

However, as a brand, there are benefits to creating your own audio rather than using existing ones. 

You can create something that’s personal and target your audience by telling them exactly what you want them to hear without adding captions or otherwise trying to explain your position over an existing sound.

7. Make Sure Your Videos are Rewatchable

A video completion is a huge statistic in determining the success and viral ability of your videos. 

Even more important, however, is the rewatchability of your video. 

When your videos get multiple views, you add on to your video completion metrics. You also create videos that are more likely to be liked and shared by other users. 

These can also raise the views on your videos and help your content reach a wider audience — even those outside of the “For You” page.

8. Don’t Forget the Hashtags

Just like other social media sites, hashtags are the keywords that can be used within the platform. 

Hashtags help users find your content, so picking hashtags that are popular and have relevant connections to your industry, products, services, or brand is important. 

You can also create your own brand hashtag to help viewers find your videos and create brand consistency that the algorithm will recognize.

9. Use Storytelling to Grab More Attention

Storytelling and video marketing go hand in hand, and audiences on TikTok are much more invested in creative stories rather than hard sales pushes. 

Ads on TikTok are a great example of how brands are being more creative and innovative than ever to create interesting and fun approaches to their products and services. 

By using storytelling elements, you can connect with audiences and increase your follower count.

10. Be Consistent

Consistency is key. You want followers to be looking forward to upcoming posts, not forgetting about your brand and your message. 

When you are consistent, you have a better chance of getting regularly featured on the “For You” page and appearing on your followers’ feeds.

You can also create better audience expectations with consistent posting, and may even find viewers tuning in at your specific posting times to catch your content as soon as it is posted.

Wrap Up: The Best Time to Post on TikTok? It Depends

Posting on TikTok isn’t as formulaic as it was to post on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

In order to see success and have your videos start trending, you need to put time and effort into the frequency of posts and understand how to use the algorithm to increase engagement with your videos. 

The “For You” page might seem like a daunting task for brands who are just getting started or are having trouble gaining followers. 

But after following the tips we’ve listed above, you should start to see your numbers go up and find your videos trending. 

While learning more about how the TikTok algorithm functions will help you improve your TikTok strategy, tying it back into your other digital marketing and content marketing efforts might seem overwhelming. 

Thankfully, there are ways to organize your content production and schedule ahead of time.

If you’re looking to help streamline and align your content, check out our marketing calendar kit! 

You’ll get tools to help you maintain consistency across different platforms and campaigns, avoid duplicating your content, and keep your entire team on the same page.

}}