How to Get 10k Followers in Under 30 Days on TikTok in 2024
Episode 857: Show Notes
I have so many thoughts about growing on TikTok! Today, I want to talk about my own journey. I am less than two weeks into a personal 30-day challenge I put on myself to hit 10,000 followers on TikTok in less than 30 days. I’m currently at 7,400 followers! There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll reach 10k.
You might be surprised to know that this account has nothing to do with business. Honestly, that’s the reason I was so resistant to doing TikTok in the first place. Sometimes, people go viral for all the wrong reasons, and that really sucks. I’ve experienced it myself.
I hesitated to go back for a really long time, but there’s an opportunity here. I’ll talk about some of the mindset shifts I had to go through. But today, I want to talk about how this applies to you, how it applies to business, and how you might think about growing on this platform differently than you would think about growing on Instagram.
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TikTok Is a Way to Say Hello
TikTok is an opportunity to reach the masses. It is a discovery tool. You are more likely to be introduced to new people on the regular than you are to be seen by your followers. The majority of users are scrolling their ‘For You’ page, so they are constantly being exposed to new people. I want you to think about TikTok as a way to say hello. I don’t think enough business owners put emphasis on ways to grow traffic, and with the rapid changes we are seeing in search, we need to be thinking about how to get in front of more people on a regular basis to generate traffic.
How to Really Start Getting Traction on TikTok
TikTok’s algorithm serves your content to a mix of your followers and users who don’t know who you are. Simply put, your content is served to the users that the algorithm thinks will be interested in it. Based on my experience, I can definitely confirm that if a post performs well, it will come back. I have posts from ten days ago that are still getting consistent traffic. Increased watch time improves the reach, and although you can post static photos now, this is not how to get your posts to perform. You are more likely to get traction from taking that photo and creating a carousel post.
One Thing That Really Works on TikTok (If You’re Ethically Okay With It)
It’s called ‘Rage Bait’; people are doing this more on TikTok than on any other platform. The question is, how do you do something that is going to make someone feel like they have to enter the conversation? The people who do this consistently are definitely doing it on purpose. Others do it completely by accident, and that’s not always a bad thing. Some examples are people who do makeup tutorials using far too much product or do absurd pranks on their loved ones. I think there is an ethical way to use controversy to your benefit. If you have a strong stance on something and you know people will disagree, that content will get you in front of more people.
How To Kill Your Ego and Reach The People Who Need You Most
This was surprising to me, but I had to work on losing my ego. The thing I struggled with is that I have successfully grown communities on different platforms. I have amassed a following. People do listen to what I have to say. In some ways I felt a little entitled, thinking that the same thing should happen on this new platform. People should care. They don’t! Why should they? Give them a reason to. I needed to work on my ego. I had to go in with more of an open mind. What I needed to do was to reach people that need my help. These people had never heard of me before, and that was not only okay, but exciting!
Preparing Yourself For The Opinions Of Others And Moving Away From a Teacher’s Mindset
I know it sounds wild, but I had to prepare myself to have my feelings hurt. Leading up to this point, I have put out content in a way that protected me from getting constant comments and attention. I had some conversations with people who have huge followings on TikTok to prepare myself for the exposure. Another thing I had to do was shift out of a teaching mindset. Teaching is not the only way people get value! Emotional connection, entertainment, feeling heard and understood, and finding community are just some of the other ways people get something out. The account I chose to start first is not a business account, and I think that is why it’s worked so much better for me.
An Unexpected Strategy For Growth
If the goal is to increase watch time, we often get really caught up on what to say and how to hook your audience and keep them engaged. But the truth is, it takes practice to get good at video and editing. I don’t even necessarily think I’m great at it, and I’ve been talking for a living for ten years! But some ways are more natural for those of us who have been writing and producing content in some form for a long period of time. Utilizing carousel posts on TikTok are an incredible way to do this right now. It’s a huge opportunity! How can you tell the story? If we appeal to people’s emotions, we have an ability to connect with them. You can do this by telling a personal story.
Walking the Walk Instead Of Talking the Talk
One of the things I was trying to do on the business account was share how successful the business was, and show that I had all these downloads. I was trying to get people to be interested and pay attention. But people don’t care about that! They aren’t interested in where your success has come from, but they are interested in how that unfolds. Anytime you can make the person consuming the content the hero of the story, the more they’re going to like you. This is often just a shift in language. You can tell the same stories, just center how to build the content around them instead of you.
The Ultimate Principle Behind Finding What Works For You
More than anything, I just had to move away from this thought that everything had to be perfect, or that I had to have this brilliant idea every time. You just never know what’s going to work! Letting go of this idea that it has to work not only once but every time, is going to give you permission to just relax and have fun. And the more fun I’ve had, the better things were. It has to feel authentic to you. So if it’s a little wild, a little different to everyone else, honestly, that’s probably the thing that’s going to work.
I could not have predicted that on a video-based platform, photos were going to work best for me. And that’s not going to stay that way, so I will continue to iterate, and work on it, and try things. What’s the goal for you? Not everyone needs to have a TikTok. Ultimately, you need to think about what your goal is. How can you connect? If this particular platform goes away, how can you take that audience with you? Is it something you want to try? I do think some consistency is required, but it doesn’t have to be something that’s overwhelming. It can be fun! I’m excited to take what I’ve learned, apply it, and report back to you.
Quote This
TikTok is an opportunity to reach the masses. It is a discovery tool.
Highlights
TikTok Is a Way to Say Hello [0:05:20]
How to Really Start Getting Traction on TikTok [0:09:00]
One Thing That Really Works on TikTok (If You’re Ethically Okay With It) [0:17:26]
How To Kill Your Ego and Reach The People Who Need You Most [0:22:00]
Preparing Yourself For The Opinions Of Others And Moving Away From a Teacher’s Mindset [0:24:40]
An Unexpected Strategy For Growth [0:33:10]
Walking the Walk Instead Of Talking the Talk [0:39:29]
The Ultimate Principle Behind Finding What Works For You [0:41:20]
OUR HOST:
Abagail Pumphrey
Boss Project on Instagram | Facebook
Abagail Pumphrey, the Co-Founder & CEO of Boss Project, has been a driving force in the creative entrepreneur industry since 2015. With a passion for empowering service-based business owners around the globe, she became internet-famous after the launch of the transformative training, "Trello for Business." This innovative system revitalized the operations of over 10,000 business owners, making a significant impact on the online business landscape.
Under Abagail's leadership, Boss Project has been featured in prestigious publications such as Forbes, Marie Claire, INC, and HuffPost. Her twice-weekly podcast, The Strategy Hour, is a staple in the business community, continuously topping Business and Management Charts on Apple with millions of listeners from around the world.
Abagail's superpower lies in her ability to break down complex concepts into easy-to-implement, duplicatable systems. As an expert in online sales and a data-driven strategist, she has turned a layoff into a 7-figure work-from-home business. Abagail's mission to help more female founders become financially free, without letting their businesses take over their lives, continues to inspire and guide entrepreneurs on their path to success.
Key Topics:
TikTok, Social Media, Online Marketing, Mindset
