With over 1 billion active users, TikTok has become one of the fastest-growing social media platforms around the globe. Users spend an average of 52 minutes daily scrolling through the app for short, entertaining videos from TikTok influencers and creators.
Being a TikTok influencer can open the doors to several opportunities, especially if you want to build a brand for yourself. This includes connecting a wide range of users from your target audience pool and having the chance to generate revenue as your brand grows. In this article, we will explore some of the best strategies to help you become a TikTok influencer – from content creation to audience engagement and more.
Table of Contents
- What is a TikTok Influencer?
- Types of TikTok Influencers
- How Much Can You Make from TikTok?
- How to Become a TikTok Influencer
- Understand TikTok’s Algorithm
- Commit to a Niche
- Create a Unique TikTok Profile
- Know Your Audience
- Develop a Content Strategy
- Check Out Your Competitors
- Create Amazing Videos
- Utilize Hashtags Wisely
- Post Consistently at the Right Time
- Leverage Popular Trends
- Grow Your Following
- Collaborate With Others
- Host Interactive Events
- Promote Your Videos on Other Social Media
- Run Contests and Giveaways
- Join an Influencer Agency
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is a TikTok Influencer?
A TikTok influencer is a social media user with access to a large audience due to their increased following and engagement over time. They create frequent popular videos that go viral and manage to persuade more people due to their reach, credibility, and authenticity. This makes them sought after for brand partnerships, sponsored posts, advertisements, and collaborations – ultimately increasing their revenue streams.
Types of TikTok Influencers
TikTok influencers can be categorized into different sectors, namely:
- Nano Influencers (1K-10K followers): these influencers have a smaller but highly engaged audience with targeted videos for a niche.
- Micro Influencers (10K-50K followers): these influencers reach a broader reach but still maintain a connection with their audience and tend to be more intentional with their videos.
- Mid-Tier Influencers (50K-500K followers): these established content creators with a large follower count often collaborate with brands on more extensive influencer campaigns.
- Macro Influencers (500K-1M followers): these influencers have a larger and more diverse audience known within and beyond the TikTok community for professional and high-quality content.
- Mega Influencers/Celebrities (1M+ followers): celebrities and mega influencers have massive followings and create significant content on and off TikTok, creating viral videos with huge impressions.
How Much Can You Make from TikTok?
TikTok’s creator fund program helps by paying content creators based on the number of views received. To be eligible, you must have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views over the past 30 days. Through this, you are expected to earn between $0.02 and $0.04 for every 1,000 views.
How to Become a TikTok Influencer
Becoming a successful TikTok influencer requires some key strategies, including:
1. Understand TikTok’s Algorithm
Unlike other platforms that predict what content users are interested in, the TikTok algorithm rather prioritizes based on how users interact with videos. This is determined by likes, comments, watch time, and shares – all of which determine what users see on their For You Page (FYP).
Once you understand this, it can contribute greatly to how you create content. Focus on creating videos that will grab your audience’s attention and keep them on your page for longer. Join trends and use viral sounds, effects, and challenges to grow your TikTok account, increasing your chances of being featured on the FYP of more users.
2. Commit to a Niche
The key to creating more viral videos and working towards your influencer journey is sticking to a niche. Have a specific topic or area of interest in line with your passion and expertise. Niche accounts help you establish yourself as an authority in your field, increasing your credibility and getting more users to trust your videos. There are several niches to choose from, and some popular ones include:
- Fitness
- Travel
- Food
- Music
- Dance
- Comedy
- Beauty
- Memes
- Gaming
- Finance
- Tech Reviews
- Pet Care
3. Create a Unique TikTok Profile
TikTok has over a billion users, which means it will take extra effort to be noticeable – but this begins with creating a distinct and captivating profile. By designing a profile that’s different from the norm, you can easily drive the interests of users.
Start by crafting a compelling TikTok bio that clearly spells out what your brand entails, including relevant keywords and a high-quality profile picture that represents you or your brand. Also, consider using consistent colors, themes, filters, and aesthetics to maintain a cohesive look, setting the stage for your success as a TikTok influencer.
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4. Know Your Audience
Knowing and aligning with your audience is a game-changer when it comes to creating engaging TikTok videos. First, do your research and learn about your audience demographics, including their behaviors and content preferences.
Then, review your TikTok impressions to discover which posts your audience engages with the most and use that to shape your content strategy moving forward. Consistently delivering videos suited to your target audience helps you build a stronger connection and increases your influence on TikTok.
5. Develop a Content Strategy
Maintaining a clear content strategy is key to building a strong presence on TikTok. You need to start by establishing your goals, and the specifics of how you will strategize becoming an influencer. Develop a content plan around these objectives and then constantly analyze and adjust the strategy as you tick off each goal.
It’s often best to explore several content types, whether it’s educational, entertaining, promotional, or just fun content, for a more diversified approach. Make a TikTok video that aligns with your content strategy to keep your audience engaged and achieve long-term success as a TikTok influencer.
6. Check Out Your Competitors
Analyzing your competitors contributes to your digital growth and is a great step toward becoming a recognized TikTok influencer. However, you have to be strategic about your approach with so many influencers to choose from.
Start by identifying other TikTok influencers who are successful in your niche and check out their content style and type, posting frequency, and level of engagement. You can then compare and contrast with yours to better understand what you might be missing out on that can shape your influencer journey.
7. Create Amazing Videos
No matter what you do, you must focus on high-quality video uploads to make your content worthwhile to watch. To achieve this, let your video script be placed with amazing storytelling to be infused into the video. Then, invest in lighting tools and professional editing tools to achieve amazing results.
Add music and a caption in line with the video, and use trending effects or filters for a wider reach. Create videos that are informative and entertaining, encouraging viewers to follow and engage with you. Pay attention to your audience’s response to avoid losing followers on TikTok and ensure your content remains engaging and relevant.
8. Utilize Hashtags Wisely
Hashtags can help categorize your videos and help you reach a targeted audience interested in your content, increasing the discoverability of your TikTok videos. When you use hashtags, your focus should be on how relevant, popular, and niche-specific they are.
You need to reach both a broad group and your target group. For example, if you make a video on Content Marketing Strategy, you can use #Marketing for a broader audience and hashtags like #ContentPlan #ContentStrategy for a more niche-specific target to keep your content visible and engaging as an influencer.
9. Post Consistently at the Right Time
It’s one thing to share videos on TikTok and another to post them at the right time when they have a better chance of engagement. Look out for the best times to post, when your audience is mostly active on TikTok: often between 4 and 6 pm on Tuesday – Friday, and Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Posting consistently builds anticipation among your followers, increasing engagement and enhancing your influence on the platform.
10. Leverage Popular Trends
Getting high engagements on TikTok is sometimes dependent on how well you can leverage popular trends. Most of these trends revolve around trending sounds, effects, filters, or even topics that have garnered huge attention within a period.
Find trending songs and include them in your video, increasing your chances of appearing on the For You Page (FYP) and gaining exposure to a wider audience. The more trends you partake in, the higher your chances of becoming a top-shot influencer.
11. Grow Your Following
Becoming a TikTok influencer greatly depends on how well you build and maintain your following over time. A growing follower count enhances your brand’s credibility and boosts your visibility and influence. To build a strong and engaged community, actively interact with your audience by liking and responding to comments and participating in live-streaming sessions.
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12. Collaborate With Others
Partnering with other TikTok influencers can help you reach new audiences and provide fresh, engaging content. It’s best to target a top page or business account in your niche so you don’t stray farther away from your target audience.
TikTok allows you to do duets and stitches, which makes collaborations easier since you’re tapping into the other party’s follower base while offering your audience new content. You can also create a joint branded video to increase your visibility and influence on the platform.
13. Host Interactive Events
Interactive events such as live streams, Ask Me Anything (AMA), or Q&A sessions allow real-time engagement with your followers. This helps you connect with them on a deeper level while getting immediate feedback that will be useful in your content strategy in the long run. With a stronger connection and real-time interaction, you can build a loyal community around your videos, further establishing your influence on the platform.
14. Promote Your Videos on Other Social Media
Beyond the walls of TikTok are huge opportunities for your digital growth as an influencer. Take advantage of other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote your videos. This helps you get famous on TikTok, bringing in viewers from diverse channels.
After sharing your video on TikTok, you can download it and share it on other platforms, encouraging your audience on these channels to visit your TikTok page for more. You can also share clips and attach the TikTok URL to the full video content. This allows you to leverage your existing followers on other platforms as you drive more traffic to your TikTok account.
15. Run Contests and Giveaways
Contests and giveaways are now an easier way to get most people’s attention on the internet, as they create genuine excitement among users and drive engagement. However, as popular as this method is, you need to be strategic about it to get the most out of it.
Decide on quality and competitive prices and set your rules straight, which should require participants to like, comment, and share your video to enter – thereby boosting your influence. More importantly, ensure your rules are in line with TikTok guidelines.
16. Join an Influencer Agency
Influencer marketing has grown big in the digital space today and a quicker way to be part of this movement is by joining an agency. These agencies provide brand new influencers with the support they need, opening the doors to earning money on TikTok.
Subsequently, they help you access relevant brands, secure partnerships, and brand deals, and manage negotiations. By simply being part of an agency, you can boost your credibility as an influencer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who are the Top TikTok Influencers?
The top TikTok influencers, according to Forbes, are:
- Charli D’Amelio: $17.5 Million, 155.5M followers
- Dixie D’Amelio: $10 Million, 55.8M followers
- Addison Rae: $8.5 Million, 88.8M followers
- Bella Poarch: $5 Million, 94.1M followers
- Josh Richards: $5 Million, 25.6M followers
- Kris Collins: $4.75 Million, 50.8M followers
- Avani Gregg: $4.75 Million, 42.2M followers
2. How do you Become a Beauty Influencer on TikTok?
To become a beauty influencer, create more content around the niche, stay updated with trends, and collaborate with other influencers to break into the industry.
3. How Many Followers Do You Need to Be an Influencer on TikTok?
You must have at least 10,000 followers to be an influencer on TikTok. Although, nano-influencers with less than 10k followers might be considered if they have engaging profiles.
4. How Much Do TikTok Influencers Charge Per Post?
This depends on several factors, including your number of followers, content industry, content type, and length of partnership. Depending on these factors, influencers may charge between $5 and $2,500 per post.