How to Get More Views on TikTok: 12 Strategies that Work

After going back and forth with your marketing team, you decided it was time to open a TikTok account for your brand. 

Well, congratulations! 

You’ve joined the train of businesses that use TikTok as part of their marketing strategy.

Advertising on TikTok can get you:

• More engagements
• Increased brand awareness
• More sales

There’s just one thing though—it’s been a minute and you’ve yet to see any of these happening. 

Producing interesting videos and using hashtags is one thing; getting people to watch them is another.

So, what should you do?

Well in this guide, we’ll provide proven strategies that can help you get more views on TikTok. 

Ready to begin?

Let’s get right to it!

1. Keep your Videos Short and Sweet

Your videos will have a good chance of being watched and rewatched if they’re short and sweet. 

Why is this important?

Well according to a study from Microsoft Corp, people’s attention spans are now shorter than they used to be. 

So if you’ve always loved long videos, this is a sign to start making short but high-quality videos. 

Even though video content on TikTok can be up to three minutes long, you’ll be doing yourself a favor if you used one-third of that.  

That way, you can be certain that your TikTok ad video will end up on the For You Page (FYP) and, more importantly, that people will watch it to the end.

What else?

TikTok even suggests a duration of 9-15 seconds for video ads on the app. 

An example of a short video is this user-generated content from the Isle of Paradise: 

It’s a 15-seconds video that got over 3k views from viewers. 

You’d like something like this and more, wouldn’t you?

Let’s continue!

2. Collaborate with Creators and Influencers in your Niche

Partnerships like this which is also called influencer marketing are a great way to get more views and engagement on your TikTok videos. 

We know you’re wondering how.

Well, you’ll be collaborating with TikTok users who’ve built a community of people who trust them.

Or as narrators will say, “they’ve hacked the system.”

So, featuring them in your video will grant you access to their audience or fans whose views you can be certain of. 

Plus when other people who are yet to discover your brand see creators or influencers in your video, they’ll be more inclined to watch it. 

That’s what eBay did in this video below:

Guess what?

The video has over 1 million video views. 

“So, where can I find TikTok creators or influencers to work with?”

You can use Insense to do that. 

We have two ways you can get started: 

• Generate a creative brief and get matched with suitable creators
• Manually search for TikTok influencers from our creator marketplace

Let’s move on!

3. Add Text Overlays

Text overlays are words you see on video and are usually accompanied by video effects.

Adding them to your video can get you more views. 

But, how is that possible considering text overlays have been associated with videos where the sound can be turned off? 

…something that isn’t possible on TikTok.

Well, here’s the thing:

Text overlays act as a great hook for your videos and keep people engaged. 

When added, they’re able to capture people’s attention so much that they're looking forward to what’s to come. 

Look at this TikTok video from @devdoesreviews where they used text overlay:

The video has over 500k views and likes which is pretty good. 

Now let’s compare this with another video from them where text overlays weren’t added:

The video currently has 7.4k views. 

See what we mean?

Now, we’re not saying videos without text overlays wouldn’t get views. 

What we’re trying to say is that adding it will improve your chance of getting a higher view count. 

4. Use Captions

TikTok caption is a distant cousin to text overlays.

Even though they both involve written words, what’s different is where they’re placed. 

Captions are placed underneath and are an opportunity to tell your audience why they should watch your video. 

We can also say it’s a way to spark interest in your viewers by telling them what they should do next. 

You know, like a call to action (CTA) which if you think about it actually is.

And studies have shown that ads with CTA get users’ attention. 

The caption can be something as simple as ‘wait for it’ to get people to watch the video till the end. 

Here’s an example of a TikTok video that used captions: The Interactive Ad Effect: CTAs in Mobile Video Shoppable Ads

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The video has over 49k views and 4k TikTok likes.

5. Use Trending Music and Sound Effects

This is another hack that can get you the views you want on TikTok. 

There are often music and trending sounds that go viral at different times on the social network. 

By trend, we mean more users are creating videos with that sound and even more are watching videos featuring it. 

So if you join the train, TikTok’s algorithm will show your video to users who’ve watched or engaged with videos featuring the sound. 

How do you know which sound or music is trending?

Well, click the + button on the app and then Add Sound at the top of the page that comes up. 

There, you’ll see a trending playlist where you can select a sound to be added to your own video.

Using viral music can help you scale your TikTok ad videos.

6. Create Content that’s Useful

If you want to get more TikTok views, engagement, and sales, then you should be creating quality content. 

We added this tip because it’s very easy to share only promotional content especially if you’re a small business or sales have been dwindling. 

But, doing that kinda shows your audience that you’re more concerned about your business than them. 

When this happens, the chances of your video getting views and shares will be slim. 

…and that’s not good for business. 

So, what kind of content is considered useful?

It basically means content your customers or potential customers find valuable. 

In other words, is it helping them meet a challenge they’re facing or might be faced with?

Some useful content ideas include:  

• How-to videos 
• Before and after videos
• Numbered list videos (e.g., 3 ways to grow your audience)
• Explainer videos 

You can also throw in humor to spice things up too. 

Here’s an example of a TikTok video that can be considered useful: 

As you can see, the creator used the numbered list idea and you’ll agree that anyone can learn a thing or three :) from this video.

The video currently has over 590k views and engagement.

Let’s move on!

7. Check What your Competitors Post on TikTok

You’ve heard this a thousand times. 

…well perhaps not a thousand, but you get the point😌.

And you probably never thought it’d apply to getting views on TikTok of all things. 

Well, it does and it’s very important too, especially if you just opened a TikTok account or aren’t getting the results you want.

You need to look at: 

• What your competitors are doing
• Who their audience is and what they respond to
• How they craft their storylines

This way, you can make proper plans to improve your own video using data obtained from your competitors.

8. Boost your TikTok Content

Here’s another strategy that can get you more video views on TikTok. 

It involves boosting/promoting the content, running ads, or scaling your ads.

What does it mean?

You get to pay to show your content to more people by placing it at different locations on the app. 

How do you promote your content on TikTok?

• Choose the video you’d like to boost. Ideally, it should be an organic video that’s performed well. 
• Access the Promote feature by tapping the Promote button in the video setting or go to Settings and Privacy > Business suite where you’ll see the Promote button too.
• Create your promotion by choosing an objective which in this case will be video views, a budget range, length of the promotion, and your target audience.
• Submit it for approval and see your views go up!

9. Leverage Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO is a feeling that something interesting may happen and one might miss the chance of being a part of it. 

This is a natural human feeling that you can use to your advantage. 

Creating the type of content that leverages FOMO will get people to watch your video till the end and probably rewatch it.

And with the way the TikTok algorithm is designed, videos with a high completion rate often make it to the For You Page (FYP).

Now, how do you leverage FOMO?

• Use a catchy hook to draw them in (e.g., wait for it)
• Offer value so their waiting time is rewarded
• Add good music to lighten their mood
• Use great visuals to keep them glued to the screen

Here’s an example of a TikTok video subtly using FOMO:

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In this post, the hook was the text overlay telling their TikTok followers things they didn’t know but should know. 

That sparks curiosity such that the audience will want to see what comes next. 

The video has over 380k engagements at the moment which is impressive. 

10. Use the Duet Feature

The duet feature is a powerful tool that can help you increase your views and engagement rate. 

You’ll be using someone else’s popular video to build your views as the video you create will be seen by both your audience and the other party’s fans.  

Duet on TikTok features a split screen with the other user on the right side and yours on the left. 

See this example of @ginabrillon using the duet feature in her video:

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The video has more than 13k views and 12.5k likes. 

With the duet feature, you can:

• React
• Sing along
• Give your opinion
• Create a humorous dialogue

11. Invest in Spark Ads

Spark Ads is a TikTok ad format that allows you to leverage the authenticity of an organic post by boosting it.

With Spark Ads, users can form a connection with your brand just like regular posts as they can like, share, comment, and even bookmark the content.

Why is this strategy important?

Well, reports show that Spark Ads has a 134% higher completion rate and a 157% higher view-through rate than In-feed ads.

Plus, you’ll have access to metrics and analytics that can help you optimize your campaign if you’ve switched to a Pro account. 

It’s kind of like the “Boost your TikTok content” tip but, in this case, you’ll be promoting content from creators or influencers that support your brand’s message. 

The ad will be seen by active users as another post by the creator or influencer so they’ll be more inclined to share it.

Thus leading to more views and engagement for you. 

Spark Ads and In-feed are what Schwarzkopf used when they wanted to promote their Live color hair dye range.

They ran an A/B test to determine which solution was suitable for their ad campaign and, as you guessed, Spark Ads came out on top. 

The campaign resulted in over 18 million video views, more than 20 million impressions, and more.

12. Post Content Consistently

Finally, try and post consistently if you want to get more views. 

TikTok is one social media platform where it’s allowed to saturate your audience with videos.

You just have to ensure that the videos you put out are: 

• Interesting  
• Creative 
• Valuable

Follow those guidelines to avoid ad fatigue and you can post multiple times a day. 

Actually, TikTok recommends posting between 1–4 times per day. 

So, don’t hold back on those videos and you’ll increase your chances of popping on your target audience’s FYP. 

Let’s tie this up!

Now Over to You

Alright, marketing buddies, it’s a wrap!

We’re certain you know what you need to do to start racking up those views!

If you’re yet to add TikTok to your social media marketing strategy, the best time to start is now. 

At the same time, if you need help getting started so you can devote more time to your business, feel free to book a demo with Insense.

We’d be happy to show you ways to make that happen.

Thanks for stopping by!