You’ve started a TikTok account — congratulations! You’ve embraced the short-form video app that’s been sweeping the globe (2 billion downloads and counting!) and are busy creating videos and honing your TikTok editing skills. If you’re wondering how to get more views on TikTok, we’ve got you.
Making creative videos to trending sounds is just one step in building a successful TikTok presence. You’ve also got to get people to watch your videos.
Read on for 15 fool-proof tips for getting more views on TikTok. We’re gonna make you a star!
Bonus: Get a free TikTok Growth Checklist from famous TikTok creator Tiffy Chen that shows you how to gain 1.6 million followers with only 3 studio lights and iMovie.
What is a “view” on TikTok?
A view on TikTok is counted the very second your video starts to play. Different social media platforms measure “views” in different ways, but on TikTok, it’s super simple.
If the video autoplays or loops, or a viewer comes back to watch it multiple times, those all count as new views. (However, when you watch your own video, those views are not counted.)
Getting someone to watch all the way to the end? That’s the tricky part. But with a fairly low barrier to entry for what counts as a “view,” racking up the metrics on TikTok isn’t too tough if you have reach.
How much does TikTok pay per view?
TikTok began offering payouts in 2020 when it launched its Creator Fund. Under the Creator Fund, you could expect to make between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views.
However, after a few years of trial and error — with most complaints being about low payouts — TikTok discontinued the program in 2023 and recently relaunched it as the Creators Rewards Program.
The Creator Rewards program incentivizes creators to create original, long-form content. One requirement for earning payment is that videos must be at least one minute long. As a result, TikTok says the earning potential is 20 times higher than the rewards from the previous Creator Fund.
Since its beta release in 2023, TikTok reports that total creator revenue has increased by over 250% in just six months. The company also shared in a press release that the number of creators making over $50,000 per month has nearly doubled.
Source: TikTok
But not just anyone can cash in on TikTok’s generosity. To be eligible for TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program payments, you need to meet all of the following criteria:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have a minimum of 10,000 followers.
- Have had a minimum of 100,000 video views in the past 30 days.
- Have a personal account (Business accounts are not eligible).
- Your account needs to meet the TikTok Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
- Be based in the US, UK, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, or South Korea (Sorry, Canada!).
- Post original content that is at least one minute long.
Additionally, only videos that meet the following criteria are eligible for the Creator Rewards Program:
- It must reach at least 1,000 views on the For You Page.
- It cannot be a Duet or a Stitch.
- It cannot be made in Photo Mode.
- It’s not sponsored content or a paid advertisement.
If that’s you, you can apply for the Creator Rewards program via the app. Go to Settings and Privacy, then Creator Tools, then Creator Rewards program under Monetization. If you’re eligible, you’ll be prompted to enter your contact info and agree to the Creator Rewards Program Agreement.
Should you buy TikTok views?
No! You shouldn’t buy TikTok views! Stop it! Put that credit card down!
As we learned from our experiment of buying TikTok followers, it’s not possible to shop for social media success.
Maybe your view metrics will go up, but your engagement rate will plummet, you won’t gain any followers, and the audience you’ve hired to watch will all eventually be removed by TikTok anyways.
Save your money and invest your time instead into building authentic, lasting engagement.
Why TikTok views matter
Views drive engagement on TikTok. The more views your video has, the more your video is shown in users’ For You Page (FYP).If your content resonates with viewers, then more views also mean more engagement in the form of likes, comments, shares, and follows.
The number of views you get can also help you understand your overall performance. For example, if your video is getting a lot of views, then you know you’re reaching people, and the content is engaging. And if it’s not getting high view counts, then you know you need to adjust your content or strategy. Speaking of which…
What if I’m not getting any views on TikTok?
There are a number of reasons why your videos may not be getting any views.
For starters, if you have a new account, it takes time to get your videos seen. TikTok determines how engaging your video is by showing it on a limited number of users’ FYP to see how much interaction it gets. Once your video starts getting likes and comments, the platform will recommend it to more people.
It can take a lot of trial and error to figure out what works, what people engage with, and even when the best time to post is. If you have a new account, the best thing you can do is experiment. Publish videos using various styles, trends, and tactics until you start to see what sticks.
If you’re still not getting *any* views on TikTok — we’re talking zero views on multiple videos — then you could be experiencing a shadowban. A TikTok shadowban is what happens when the platform temporarily restricts the visibility of an account. This can happen if TikTok believes you’ve violated its Community Guidelines or if you’re being spammy.
To avoid a potential shadowban, first, follow the rules. Second, don’t participate in bot-like activities like following too many accounts at once or leaving the same comment on hundreds of videos to lure engagement.
Okay, enough preamble. Ready to get to the tips?!
15 ways to get more TikTok views
1. Add hashtags to your videos
Hashtags are a powerful tool in your TikTok arsenal. It’s how the all-mighty TikTok algorithm identifies what you’re posting about and who might be interested in watching it. Hashtags are also essential for helping users discover your content via search.
If you’re looking to make a TikTok hashtag strategy, you’ll definitely want to watch our video:
Going niche with specific hashtags relevant to your audience and topic is one angle to take.
There’s also some evidence to suggest trending topics are more likely to end up on the For You page, so it can be worthwhile to watch for what’s currently trending and hop into the conversation with related content (that’s still authentic to your brand, of course).
To find out which hashtags are trending, tap on the Discover tab and then tap Trends at the top of the screen.
A little data to help motivate you: 61% of TikTok users said they like brands better when they create or participate in a TikTok trend, and 73% feel a deeper connection to brands they interact with on the app.
2. Keep it short and sweet
Though TikTok videos can now be up to 10 minutes long, videos under 30 seconds are more likely to wind up on the FYP. It’s also more likely someone would rewatch something that’s fast and furious a second or third time.
Depending on what your goals are, it’s worth experimenting with a mix of short and long-form videos. Long-form videos can be effective if you’re explaining a topic, telling a story, or going behind the scenes. But there’s also something powerful about a short and snappy video.
Anam & Eve, the creators behind the investing app Alinea Invest, make a statement with this six-second video. It simply outlines how much money you need to invest weekly to be a millionaire by age 65.
3. Trending sound effects
Hashtags aren’t the only element of TikTok with its own trend cycle. TikTok sounds also tend to go through waves of popularity. Keep your eyes (well, ears — the eyes of the auditory system, if you will!) peeled for recurring sound clips that you might be able to riff on, too.
You can also discover trending sounds by tapping the Create (+) button in the app, and then tapping Add Sound. Here, you’ll see the current most popular audio clips:
4. Find a niche audience
There’s a sub-genre of TikTok for everyone out there, from the oh-so literary #BookTok to a vibrant rug-tufting community. Figure out who you want to be hanging out with, and observe popular accounts in those communities to see what sort of hashtags, formats and references they might be using to inspire your own related content.
Commenting and liking can also help you build relationships with your specific audience. Hopefully, your insightful responses will inspire a fellow book(tok)worm to come check out what kind of content you’re creating on your own page.
5. Try a how-to video
Educational content does really well on TikTok, so get into know-it-all mode and share your wisdom with the world.
How-to videos are particularly popular, but even answering a frequently asked question or shedding light on a surprising element of your industry, job, or product can be a delightful break from the never-ending danceathon.
These upcycling videos from Vintage Stock Reserve, for instance, garner a serious amount of views. The creator demonstrates how they were able to repurpose denim scraps to make a bucket hat, while at the same time sharing facts about fashion waste and how to be more sustainable. It’s short and engaging — plus, you’re glued to the screen waiting to see how the final piece turns out!
6. Dabble in some duets
TikTok’s Duets feature is a great way to generate views by capitalizing on an already popular video.
With Duets, you can share a split screen with another user’s video to sing along, create funny dialogue, or give your hot take… and piggyback on some proven content to collect your own sweet, sweet views. (Check our how-to guide for TikTok’s most popular video editing features here!)
Chef Reactions is a popular account on TikTok that makes Duet videos to share real-time reactions to other users’ cooking videos. Not only is it a fun way to give his professional take, but the users whose videos are being showcased are also likely to receive a boost in views.
Keep in mind that Duets aren’t eligible to earn payments as part of TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program. However, if you’re simply using them to get more views for your account, Duets are a worthwhile feature to try.
7. Team up with an influencer or special guest
Whether you’ve hired an influencer or celebrity guest star or teamed up with another brand for a cross-over opportunity, adding outside voices to your TikTok videos is an easy way to reach a new audience.
Your special guest will help shine a spotlight on the content you’ve made and attract the eyeballs of their fans to your video — like singer Post Malone did for beverage brand Poppi in this short video below that received over 600K views:
8. Promote your TikTok content on your other social channels
Chances are, TikTok is part of your larger social media strategy, and you probably are active on a few other platforms out there. Lure those audiences over to your TikToks by sharing video teasers elsewhere.
A little snippet on Instagram Stories here, a repost on LinkedIn there (like Hootsuite regularly does, as shown below), and you’ve got yourself a full-fledged omnichannel social campaign on the go!
9. Keep them watching
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 super important to keep them watching all the way to the end.
That’s because the TikTok algorithm prioritizes videos with high completion rates. It wants to serve up quality content as For You Page recommendations, and a high completion rate indicates that your content is good.
So… how do you hold your audience’s attention ‘til the bitter end? Play with their curiosity, and offer value. Hook them in the first few seconds with a promise of what’s coming if they stick with it (tutorial videos and recipes are great for this!), or use captions that build suspense for a big reveal.
Duolingo is great at hooking their viewers—and what can we say, we love a company with a big owl mascot.
10. Don’t forget the caption
There may only be 150 characters to play with in your TikTok caption, but they can serve you well. Your caption is a chance to tell viewers why they should watch your video (hopefully right to the end — see above!) or get the conversation going in the comments.
Ultimately, you want people watching and engaging with your video, so the algorithm learns that, yeah, this is the good stuff. Your caption is a free, easy way to make one more pitch to your audience for why they should speak up or sit back and enjoy.
Meanwhile, the caption is a crucial place for planting your topic keywords if you have a TikTok SEO strategy. By getting your TikToks to rank in search, you’ll be driving more views over the long term, not just following trends. To learn more about TikTok SEO, watch our video:
11. Set up a TikTok Business account
TikTok’s pro accounts won’t give you a boost on the FYP. Still, both the Personal (previously called Creator) and Business accounts give you access to metrics and insights that can help you better analyze and understand your audience.
With a Personal account, individuals and content creators can access creator tools, analytics, and monetization opportunities through the Creator Rewards program.
If you are a brand or a business, you’ll want to set up a Business account. A Business account allows you to set up and manage paid ad campaigns and focus on driving sales.
It’s simple to switch over to a Business profile on TikTok. Just go to Manage Account and select Switch to Business Account. Choose the best category for your business, and you’re ready to dig into the data!
These insights can reveal who your existing audience is, when they’re online, and what kind of content they like to watch — all helpful for building out your content calendar and planning the best time to post.
Speaking of which…
12. Post your video at the right time
If you’re posting when no one is using the app, you’re definitely not going to get the views you’re craving. So check your account analytics to discover when your followers are active so that you can drop your latest video at juuuuust the right time for maximum exposure.
Using Hootsuite, you can schedule your TikToks for any time in the future. (TikTok’s native scheduler only allows users to schedule TikToks up to 10 days in advance.) Our TikTok scheduler will even recommend the best times to post your content for maximum engagement — unique to your account!
Schedule posts, analyze them, and respond to comments from one easy-to-use dashboard.
Try Hootsuite13. Upload multiple videos a day
Things move fast over in the TikTokaverse. Don’t worry about oversaturating your followers: just get creative and churn out that quality content. In fact, TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times per day.
The more videos you have, the more likely you are to wind up on someone’s For You page and the more likely they are to come looking for more.
14. Create high-quality videos
Well, if you’re not going to say it, we will: duh.
Make sure your videos look good (decent lighting and sound quality, some peppy edits) and people will be more likely to want to watch them.
Roblox, for instance, has clearly invested in video marketing as all of the brand’s videos are high-quality and clearly not filmed on a phone… and it pays off. Is this a Hollywood FILM?
TikTok also tends to prioritize high-quality videos on the FYP, so you’re going to want to give ‘em the good stuff. Shoot in vertical format, incorporate sound, and use effects (for bonus points, try using one of TikTok’s trending effects).
Once those views start pouring in, of course, your TikTok journey has really only begun. The real money metric? Followers: loyal fans who will be there through thick and thin.
15. Make a playlist
TikTok playlists are a feature that lets creators organize their videos into playlists. This makes it easy for viewers to consume videos that are similar to content they’ve already enjoyed.
Playlists sit at the top of your profile, above your regularly published or pinned videos (as shown in the photo below from TikTok marketing expert Jera Bean’s page).
The TikTok playlist feature isn’t available for everyone. Only creators with over 10,000 followers have the ability to add them to their profiles.
You’ll know if you’re in the club if you have the option to create playlists in the Video tab on your profile.
Now that you know how to get more views on TikTok, head on over to our guide to getting TikTok followers to start building your dream team of admirers. Just imagine the views you’ll rack up then!
Grow your TikTok presence alongside your other social channels using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts for the best times, engage your audience, and measure performance — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.
With files from Sam Lauron.
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