11 tested tips for boosting your TikTok engagement
Summary/Overview
TikTok is the perfect platform for those with short attention spans and a passion for video content. It’s the place where many social media trends are born, where stories are told, and where Gen Z spends their time. TikTok also happens to be a highly underrated marketing platform.
Luckily for you, we’re here to explain how to increase your TikTok engagement rate so you can grow your TikTok presence and get onto more “For You” pages.
What is TikTok engagement?
TikTok provides a number of ways for users to engage with your content and show the algorithm what they want to see. Like other platforms, TikTok allows you to like and comment on content, but you can also download content from TikTok and save posts to your favorites within the platform. TikTok’s algorithm will also take note of whether your content has been sent to another TikTok user, how long you watched the video, and whether you watched it multiple times.
How to find and calculate your TikTok engagement rate
TikTok engagement rates allow you to get an idea of how successful your TikTok content is overall. We recommend calculating your TikTok engagement rate using information found within your TikTok analytics plugged into the formula below:
TikTok likes + TikTok comments + TikTok shares, all divided by number of followers
- Studies have shown that engagement on TikTok is 15% stronger than on other platforms, meaning that your TikTok engagement rates need to be a little higher than on other social platforms to be considered successful. For TikTok, we’d consider a good engagement rate to fall anywhere between 4% and 18%.
- A solid engagement rate for other social media platforms is generally anywhere between 1% and 2%.
How to increase your TikTok engagement
Reply to comments with a new video
Replying to your comments is essential but responding with a new video is going the extra mile, and definitely worth the effort. Making more TikToks in response to comments shows that you are engaged with your audience, making them feel seen and heard. It’s also a great way to get more content in front of any viewers who are scrolling through the comments and want to see your response.
Utilize the Q&A feature
In March 2021, TikTok launched a new Q&A feature that allows creators to add question and answer sections to their profiles. Once enabled via Creator tools within your Settings, creators can reply to any questions with a video which will appear on their TikTok page, similar to video replies. Making use of this feature allows you to create the most relevant content for your audience and build up your relationships with them. The more questions you answer, the more questions you will get — so try your best to make the time to reply to as many as you can.
Increase your content production for better results
When it comes to TikTok, there’s no such thing as too much content. Unlike LinkedIn, wherein there’s no benefit to posting more than once a day, the ideal posting frequency for TikTok is one to three times per day — although some TikTok influencers have been known to post up to 10 times a day. Essentially, posting more content increases your chances of appearing on anyone’s “For You” page. Anyone who watches and engages with one of your TikToks is more likely to engage with your content in the future, while that engagement also teaches the algorithm which users to show your content to next. Keeping a good pace of content creation ensures that your content is on multiple “For You” pages and helps you increase your reach, all resulting in a higher TikTok engagement rate.
Give engagement to get engagement
Engaging with TikTok content and other creators is a simple way to encourage more engagement with your own content. Leaving comments here and there will help you to form connections with other creators and users who will reciprocate the effort you are making to engage with them. It will also help you get your name out there a little more so that people can have the chance of discovering your page.
Include Calls-to-Action in your posts
For some people, engaging with the content they see is second nature. But for others, it’s not always so automatic. Including CTAs in your TikTok video or in the video caption reminds people of the options they have to engage with your content. Those who are making a series of videos on one topic might encourage people to follow their page to keep up with future episodes, while other creators may promise a specific type of content if they get enough likes on their TikTok video. Encouraging users to engage in some way can have a hugely positive effect on your engagement rate.
The three-second rule for TikTok
Attention spans are shorter than ever so it’s important to get to the point when it comes to creating your TikTok content. The first three seconds of every video need to be interesting enough to stop someone from swiping past. Not only are the first three seconds a make-or-break moment, but also the TikTok algorithm will push your content to more “For You” pages if the first few viewers watch for more than three seconds.
Tell a story with your content
Everybody likes a good story, but nobody likes it more than the TikTok algorithm. Many TikTok trends are built around storytelling with Stitching — a feature that allows users to “stitch” their video to that of another creator. Stories generally perform well on TikTok because viewers need to sit through your entire video to get the full story. Many creators will also encourage viewers to go to a “part two” for a continuation of the story, resulting in more eyes on more of your content. If the story is interesting and your audience enjoys it, then your engagement will continue to grow.
Use popular trends to your advantage
Trends are trends for a reason. Get involved with TikTok trends and challenges — as long as they are relevant to you and your brand — and you’ll be sure to increase your TikTok engagement. Include hashtags in your caption and make use of trending sounds for an extra boost to your content’s discoverability and remember to have fun!
Host a live stream on TikTok
Live streams are great for giving your audience the opportunity to connect and engage with you on a more personal level in real time. Live streams allow creators to answer questions, speak more in-depth on a particular subject, and build a rapport with viewers. You can also take this opportunity to insert some CTAs to increase your follower base. Ideally hosting a live stream will make viewers feel more connected to you and more likely to engage with your content in the future.
Learn from your TikTok analytics
TikTok’s analytics can reveal information about who exactly your audience is in terms of demographic, location, and video performance. This information is invaluable in guiding your content creation, demystifying what your audience wants, and maintaining your appeal to your audience. If you get this formula right, your TikTok engagement rates will surge.
Post consistently
The recommended frequency for posting on TikTok is at least 3 times a day. It’s important to keep up with this pace of content and remain consistent in order to appease the TikTok algorithm and increase your chances of regularly reaching the For You pages of your audience. The more content you create, the greater the exposure, and the greater the engagement.
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