TikTok 101: Your Ultimate Guide to Becoming a TikTok Influencer

Fancy becoming a TikTok influencer? 

Who could blame you! With their amazing brand deals, trips to all corners of the globe, and incredible PR boxes, being a TikTok influencer is a pretty sweet deal. 

Yet, the role of a TikTok influencer isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Building a strong platform takes countless hours of work, planning, and management. Lucky for you, we’ve broken down how to be a TikTok influencer into four easy steps, so you can start your journey today! 

Read on to find out more. 

WHAT IS A TIKTOK INFLUENCER 

Quickly becoming some of the most sought-after influencers in the world, TikTok influencers are growing in fame every day. 

The term “TikTok influencer” pertains to any creator with a reasonable following on the platform TikTok. These can be nano, micro, macro, or mega influencers – as defined by how large their following is. 

Some famous TikTok influencers include Charli D’Amelio (156.5M followers), Addison Rae (88.4M followers), and Khaby Lame (161.6M followers). 

HOW TO BECOME A TIKTOK INFLUENCER

Find your niche 

@jamielaing

It was a long shot @Sophie Habboo 🤣

♬ La Boda – Camilo

With 1.59 billion active users each month, finding a way to stand out is essential to becoming a TikTok influencer. 

Simply producing the same content as everyone else isn’t going to cut it. The key to growing your audience and reaching as many users as possible is staying true to your authentic passions. A lover of gardening? Why not create an agriculture account! A terrible baker? How about sharing your journey to baking pro with the world! 

Niche influencers are proven to have more engagement and high rates of loyalty. The more authentic you are to yourself, the more your audience will want to come back. So create content that excites YOU, rather than appeases everyone else. 

Consistency is key 

@doritos

I tried 🤷‍♂️

♬ original sound – Doritos

The importance of consistency cannot be understated when it comes to becoming a successful TikTok influencer. 

Consistency refers to continuously posting content on your account at a steady pace. For example, if you plan on posting three times a week, then ensure it is always the same three days. 

When you are just starting out, be sure to trial a variety of different posting dates and times. Eventually, you will see a pattern of when your audience is most active – make sure to stick to this! 

Hot tip: Try using scheduling tools to keep up with your posting and ensure it is as consistent as possible. 

Optimise your content for discoverability 

@webhivedigital

Want to improve your TikTok SEO in 2025? Here are the best places to add your TikTok keywords so your content can get categorised! #TikTokSEO #TikTokGrowth #TikTokSEOStrategy #DigitalMarketing #seotips

♬ original sound – Kate Smoothy | SEO Specialist

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the secret sauce to getting your content out there. 

SEO is the process of layering keywords throughout your content so that TikTok’s algorithm pushes it out to as many people as possible. Recent updates to TikTok’s programming have made it more essential than ever to ensure your content has layers of optimisation. 

To make sure your videos pass the test, use this handy checklist: 

• Search words and keywords in the caption 
• Keywords on screen (either in the on-screen hook or shrunk down and hidden) 
• Search terms in your hashtags 
• Trending words in your hashtags 

Jump on trends 

@moodlesocialmedia

Of course Hailey Bieber is trending again on TikTok 🫶🏼 #trends #tiktoktrends #news #tiktoknews #trendstodo

♬ original sound – Moodle Social Media

Trends are a fantastic way to expand your audience and grow a steady following. 

When searching for trends, look closely at who is engaging with them and how recently the top videos have been posted. It is crucial to only film trends that suit your own niche – doing otherwise could alienate your existing audience and confuse the TikTok algorithm. Moreover, be sure to jump on current trends, rather than dying ones. This ensures the algorithm will push your videos to new viewers, rather than burying them. 

Engage with your audience 

@duolingo

@Are You Okay? | lizzo has the right idea 😏 #falstaff #duolingo #lizzo

♬ original sound – Duolingo

Finally, forming a strong connection with your followers is essential to being a TikTok influencer.

Ensure to practice top-tier community management by consistently replying to any comments made on your content. Be sure to use your own tone of voice and be authentic, or your followers will become disinterested. Most importantly, try your best to respond to followers quickly – wait too long and they will begin to feel rejected! 

Moreover, proactive commenting is an excellent way to expand your audience and reach new viewers. The practice consists of following several accounts that have a similar audience to your own and leaving comments on their latest videos. In doing so, you not only get your name in front of new users, but you also show some of the real human behind the profile picture. 

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@sociallypowerful