How to get more TikTok followers in 2025

TikTok is a great place to go viral and gain an audience. But how do you get more TikTok followers, is it OK to buy them, and how do you get verified?

Alec Chillingworth

Mar 4, 2025 • 8 min read

TikTok is the home of the viral hit — anyone can become the main character overnight. But beyond striking gold with a lip-sync banger or a zeitgeisty skateboarding video, how do you bring in more followers?

We’ll cover the essentials today, including:

Is it easy to get followers on TikTok?
How many followers do you need to get paid on TikTok?
Can you buy TikTok followers?
How to get more followers on TikTok, for free: 10 top tips
How do you get TikTok famous in 10 minutes?
How do you get verified on TikTok?

Is it easy to get followers on TikTok?

TikTok’s bite-sized virality and perceived randomness might make it seem “easy” to get followers…but it’s not. The sheer amount of people using the platform every month — more than 1.5 billion at the time of writing — leads to a saturated market. With around a fifth of the world’s population on the app, it’s hard to cut through the noise.

Numbers aside, the TikTok algorithm may also pose a challenge. It’s a complex, ever-changing thing, constantly testing different types of content with various viewer groups to find the sweet spot. It’s worth bearing the TikTok algorithm in mind, but it’s not the only thing that matters.

How many followers do you need to get paid on TikTok?

You need 10,000 TikTok followers to unlock the full monetization benefits laid out in the TikTok Creator Rewards program. You’ll also need at least 100,000 video views over the past 30 days.

Once you have access to TikTok Creator Rewards, you can monetize content that’s over a minute in length. However, the video can’t be a Duet, Stitch, shot in Photo Mode, or part of an advertising/sponsored campaign.

If 10,000 followers feels a little overwhelming, you can still access monetization at a lower level; once you have 1,000 followers, you can start using TikTok LIVE. This lets your followers send LIVE Gifts, which can be exchanged for “real” currency, during your streams.

Can you buy TikTok followers?

You can buy TikTok followers. It’s perfectly legal and doesn’t violate the platform’s Terms of Service. However, it won’t do you much good in the long run.

If you buy TikTok followers, you’ll receive just that: more followers. These are low-to-no-engagement accounts that only boost your numbers superficially. Here are the issues you could run into:

Your engagement rate will sink. This is because you’ve bought accounts who only follow you, rather than liking, commenting, or sharing. The algorithm will notice this, deprioritize your content, and cut down your chances of featuring on people’s For You page.
TikTok may remove your followers. The platform knows when something’s fishy — you might receive a message saying TikTok is “reducing inauthentic follows.” If that happens, bots and inactive accounts will be removed from your follower count, and you’ll have nothing to show for the money you spent.
Your credibility could take a hit. When you’ve got hundreds of different followers with variants of the same username, people will know something’s up. It’s best to gain followers organically than risk looking like a cheat.

How to get more followers on TikTok, for free: 10 top tips

Those first 1,000 followers are a milestone. Then, 10,000. Then, who knows? Unless you strike gold with a viral hit, building TikTok followers is a gradual journey — very few people find instant success and sustain it.

That said, here are 10 handy, actionable tips on how to get TikTok followers.

1. Understand your audience

People rarely follow TikTok accounts for no reason. Usually, a piece of content will show up on their For You page, grab their attention, and convince them to hit the right button.

Have a clear idea of who your audience is, what they’re into, the hashtags they search for, and the content they love — if it helps, write it down. Like a TV show, book, or movie, your content should have a target audience, a niche to slot into.

Once you reach 100 followers, you’ll unlock TikTok analytics. It’s a free tool which helps you further understand your audience’s behavior, likes, and dislikes. You can also gauge what your audience digs by, well, asking them — polls, questions, and calls to action all help peel back the curtain.

2. Find inspiration in others’ content

Whether you’re creating content specializing in gaming, makeup tutorials, upcycling, or something else entirely, you need inspiration. So, check out the leaders in your chosen field. The point of this isn’t to steal their ideas or rip off their content — look at what works for them and what their audiences enjoy. Then, apply that to your own output.

Some people find quick success on TikTok by participating in challenges. While this isn’t a foolproof way to get more TikTok followers, it could increase your chances.

Research what kinds of challenges are popping off, why they’re trending, and how you can add your spin to them. That last point is the key — what can you bring to the table that’s truly different from every other creator?

Branded challenge hashtags can be a solid method to get TikTok followers, too. If a supermarket, tech company, entertainment network, or big brand is running a challenge, you’re presented with a captive audience.

4. …and jump onto other TikTok trends quickly

TikTok trends move fast — you saw how swiftly “demure” came and went last year. Get in there quick, add your unique spin, and don’t be discouraged if your first try doesn’t take off. Professional content creators and brands make careers from following trends to maximize engagement, and even they don’t have a 100% hit rate. Try, fail, learn, try again!

5. Engage your audience

Ask them to write their opinions in the comments. Invite them to respond. Give shoutouts. Sure, keep on top of trends and challenges, but don’t forget that people follow you on TikTok for you.

6. Experiment with CTAs

This lives next door to the previous tip: drive engagement with a specific call to action. Given that TikTok content is short-format, CTAs usually work best at the start or the end.

Actively tell people to follow you so they don’t miss out on new content — don’t be afraid to be direct here. If people like it, they’ll play along.

7. Create content often and consistently

Make yourself a content calendar. Professionals use these, and while yours doesn’t have to be as stacked as theirs, it’s good practice.

Pumping out regular content gives people a reason to return to your profile and interact with your videos. In turn, this appeals to the TikTok algorithm and boosts your chances of appearing on others’ For You pages.

8. Use your other platforms

Do you have a big Instagram following? Did you make your name on Facebook? If you already have a presence on another platform, repurpose your TikTok content there.

For example, if you’re established on Instagram, you can use your TikTok videos for Instagram Reels. Just don’t forget to leave the watermark in — that way, you can score more TikTok followers by just reposting.

9. Play around with thumbnails

Once someone finds their way onto your profile, you’ll want to keep them there to secure the all-important follow. Your thumbnails can help — a curated grid of stylized thumbnails gives the impression that you know what’s up.

Balance representative, non-clickbaity thumbnails with eye-catching text and stylish edits, giving potential followers a snapshot of your content.

10. Use Duets and Stitching

Reinterpret and react to other people’s videos with the Duet and Stitch features. Much like challenges, you can reel people in with your take on trending content.

How do you get TikTok famous in 10 minutes?

As we’ve covered, viral hits are often random. Tons of work goes into curating and creating content that resonates with people, sure, but sometimes it’s just a moment that connects with people.

Doggface208 wasn’t a celebrity before 2020. He was some guy vibing to Fleetwood Mac, but the below video dropped during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. People felt isolated, alone, confused.

This was the perfect piece of content for that time. Would it have received the same level of hype, praise, and copycats if it came out in 2025? We’ll never know, but it’s unlikely.

How do you get verified on TikTok?

You might have noticed that Doggface208 is verified. He’s a blue-checker. So, how do you get verified on TikTok?

There’s no official route to verification. You can’t apply or buy your way in — TikTok decides whether you meet the criteria. However, you can always keep them sweet. Here’s how to get followers on TikTok and hopefully snag verification along the way:

Go viral. Again, this isn’t the most reliable technique, but if you’ve had viral hits, you’ll likely be offered the big blue check.
Feature in the media. If your name pops up in YouTube videos, magazine articles, websites, news features, and more, you stand a solid chance of getting noticed.
Get verified on another platform first. Some are easier than others. For example, you can apply for verification on X/Twitter with very few followers, whereas Instagram is trickier.
Stick to the rules. Bans, strikes, and takedowns will harm your verification chances.

When thinking of how to get followers on TikTok, look beyond the blue check. Verification is impressive, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.

You’re not on TikTok just to bump numbers up — your content has to be good, your audience has to believe in it, and so do you. Keep our tips in mind, but most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy yourself.

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