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Oct 16, 2025
Reaching 10,000 followers on TikTok means a profile can access the Creator Program, monetize the account, and unlock new growth opportunities. Brands, creators, and marketers eyeing this milestone can find a step-by-step guide below.
Hi. I’m George Danaila, content marketing strategist at Planable.
Planable is a social media management tool that can schedule TikTok posts and content for 9 of the biggest other platforms. I grew Planable’s TikTok account to well beyond 10k, and I’ll tell you how you can do it, too.
TikTok’s algorithm favors organic reach, so with the right content strategy and strong tactics that boost audience engagement, organic growth is achievable.
TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) personalizes content for people based on user interactions (likes, comments, shares, etc.), video details (hashtags, captions, music), and device plus account settings (language, location).
Reaching 10k followers via organic discovery is definitely still possible, but increasingly challenging. It takes consistency, understanding what resonates with your audience, and a bit of luck to catch a trend at the right time.
Going viral doesn’t necessarily mean guaranteed TikTok followers that add up to a community. Or sales, or long-term success. Growth comes when you prioritize retention over reach, by having a strategy in place for what happens after a flurry of new users starts following you.
I’ll get into this below, but here’s a tip: a comment can also go viral. Prioritize interactions with other accounts in your niche where you have something funny, creative, or insightful to say.
Your TikTok journey is likely to be meandering, full of trial and error. That’s okay. A few well-defined content pillars can carry you through.
A successful TikTok content calendar has a mix of authentic storytelling, behind-the-scenes looks at the brand, and fun, relatable content. TikTok thrives on authenticity, so showing the human side of a brand and being transparent really strike a chord.
Short-form, high-quality videos featuring value-driven content that address pain points or offer tips also help draw in followers who appreciate practical insights.
The fun side of content really resonates with lots of audiences. You can see a lot of success with skits, trend-based videos, and playful takes on popular topics. The “relatable humor” approach, where you use the brand’s personality to make fun, playful content (if it fits the brand voice, of course), can be a major driver in keeping audiences entertained and coming back for more.
Leaning into authenticity is even easier if you’re a creative, not a brand. The same principles apply, even if not every type of content fits your style. You build a loyal social media community when your personal brand has a vision as strong and focused as a small business — because that’s exactly what it is.
Any trend you join must feel authentic to your brand’s voice. The key is adapting trends in a way that aligns with the brand’s messaging rather than just jumping on the latest viral craze. If a trend doesn’t naturally fit, skip it. If it does, make sure the execution ties back to the core values or identity of the brand. It’s about creating a seamless blend of both.
Consider developing a personalized checklist for determining whether a trend can be molded to fit your brand universe. Does it expand on existing brand pillars? Is it engaging for your existing TikTok followers? Can it build a true connection with potential followers?
It can count as high-quality content, but clash with your overall vision, so consider aesthetics and tone. Some trends have a mean-spirited edge that wouldn’t work for brands cultivating a calm, compassionate voice. Incorporating trending music is essential, but some tracks won’t fit your sonic universe.
A mix of evergreen educational content full of tips and savvily tweaked trends builds a confident TikTok presence.
At least for the first three months, post 1 to 3 times a day. Prioritize growth-focused CTAs, but consider if you can put a creative spin on them that appeals to the viewers in your specific corner of TikTok.
Your best bet is a mix of content for every stage of the sales funnel: awareness (tutorials, trend-based videos), engagement (collaborations, stitches), and conversion (product-focused videos, paid ads, etc.).
At the end of the day, it boils down to one thing: when you make great TikTok content, you help more followers discover it. Here’s how:
To boost discoverability, make sure the first few seconds of every video are captivating, either through an interesting hook, a question, or an unexpected visual. Captions are best kept short and punchy, often adding context to the video. Clear audio is a must.
Hashtags should be a mix of trending ones and niche hashtags that target the brand’s specific audience. A free TikTok hashtag generator can come in handy for finding said mix.
A creative approach to thumbnails is also important. The often chaotic nature of TikTok means viewers are likely to find an authentic frame from the video more engaging than a highly stylized visual. On the other hand, choosing to create custom thumbnails helps you build a coherent brand presence. In time, users can come to recognize it in their feeds.
Consistency is key, not just in terms of frequency, but also in terms of subjects and formats that can turn TikTok followers into a community. The best posting times will depend on your location and industry. There’s usually a surge of active users between 7-9 am, 11 am-1 pm, and 6 pm-11 pm.
The TikTok algorithm favors posts that users are already engaging with, well-optimized for search, with a strong hook. Creative uses of trending sounds also boost visibility.
Going viral is a real challenge. Staying relevant after that moment is an even bigger challenge. But it can be done.
Turning viral moments into steady growth requires consistency. After a post goes viral, it’s a good idea to quickly engage with followers, respond to comments, and create follow-up content. The key is keeping the conversation going and creating content that encourages people to stick around.
You should also consider having a sales funnel in place, so more followers can be directed to whatever you’re promoting. To turn a surging follower count into a longstanding connection with an audience, get clear on where you want to redirect all that attention and the similar content that can help achieve this.
As your account grows, start analyzing your audience’s engagement more deeply, tweaking your strategy based on the data. For example, when you see certain content types gaining more traction, shift to producing more of those.
I recommend using a mix of TikTok analytics and reporting from a complete social media management tool like Planable. It generates in-depth insights for every post, including your top-performing ones.
Track TikTok performance in Planable with real-time follower growth, engagement metrics, and top performing content insights.
Also begin to experiment with more diverse content formats, like longer educational videos and product showcases. Your goal is to shift from visibility and discoverability to serious community-building.
It’s a good moment to do some competitor analysis and figure out what fruitful content gaps could be filled. Remember to research right around the edges of your niche – brands and creators from adjacent industries can inspire your strategy in unexpected ways.
TikTok analytics hold the key to understanding your audience and how to turn them into a community, a.k.a. viewers that truly share a connection and plenty of inside jokes. Here’s how you know if you’re skillfully engaging your niche:
Keep an eye on these social media metrics:
For accounts with under 5-10k followers, a healthy engagement rate should hover around 4%. Also look out for a like rate of around 3-4%.
Depending on your niche, strategy, and multiple other factors, getting to 10k TikTok followers can take about 3 months to a year.
Getting to 10,000 followers on TikTok also involves streamlining processes so you can make more and more room for creative thinking.
For task management, depending on the size of your organization, consider a tool like Asana or monday.com. When it comes to performance tracking, TikTok Analytics is indispensable. Analytics allow you to track video views, engagement rates, and follower demographics in real time, so you can adjust your content strategy based on what works best (and continue refining your approach).
For content management, use Planable to stay organized. It helps keep track of content ideas, develop all the scripts for TikTok videos, and schedule posts in advance using a shared calendar. It’s especially helpful for team collaboration without bottlenecks or endless email chains.
Here’s a simple workflow:
Planable handles all these stages and more – planning and reporting are also in the mix. By keeping everything in one place, you get closer to that sweet balance between efficiency and originality. You can batch content, create and reuse templates, but also reschedule TikTok content with a single drag-and-drop.
Planable also allows you to give clients or stakeholders a quick overview of the content plan via a guest view link. They can see posts and give feedback without having to log in.
Visual TikTok content calendar template in Planable, designed for scheduling and previewing cross-platform video posts.
You’re making good TikTok content, and you know it hasn’t reached its full potential for raising your follower count. Here’s how to make that happen:
I reuse content that performed well, but also rework content I feel has value and could reach more potential followers with the right edit. I edit the same shots differently for other social platforms.
For example, content made for Instagram or YouTube often has a more polished, long-form style, but for TikTok, I would trim it down, add quick cuts, and incorporate elements like trending sounds and more dynamic pacing to match TikTok’s informal, fast-paced style.
Each platform has its own audience expectations, so I make sure to create content that feels native to TikTok rather than simply repurposing content from other platforms.
Considering how hard you work to make content engaging for new followers, cross-posting is a must. Repurpose content for other platforms, but also take your best TikToks beyond the socials (for example, embed them in a newsletter or blog post).
Cross-promotion lets you optimize your conversion rate. Make sure every CTA is aligned with your goals.
The short answer is yes. A Dentsu study says TikTok provides the highest ROI compared to other platforms.
Consider ads when you’re confident you’re already making quality content, so growth isn’t stalled by production value or strategic choices. And if it fits your brand, match the timing of paid posts with key commerce moments like important holidays.
A mix of organic content and paid tactics is ideal for driving growth. While organic content is the backbone of many strong strategies, boosting specific posts is a powerful way to target a more precise audience.
By using paid promotion to amplify posts, you can specifically target people based on location, interests, and behavior, allowing you to reach a broader audience of individuals who are more likely to engage with the brand.
This blend of organic creativity and targeted post-boosting is crucial for achieving growth in a more efficient and focused manner. It can allow you to expand your reach while maintaining the authenticity and the social media engagement of your organic content.
Don’t just look for people with lots of followers on TikTok, but specifically for users making engaging content that aligns with your brand values. Explore the For You Page and browse manually by hashtag or keyword. Some social media management tools can help identify influencers with a healthy following and related interests.
You’ll want to create partnerships that balance visibility and credibility. A small account might be well-aligned in terms of what they post, but not bring in much of an audience. Conversely, a well-known account might not be believably pertinent in your industry. Get someone who can do both.
Growing your following to 10k is less a matter of hacks and more a matter of long-term thinking.
Create a strong strategy, take the time to understand different sections of your audience, and keep an eye on TikTok analytics. Post various iterations of the same concept until you get it right and incorporate regular testing into your workflow.
Develop a knack for making trends your own, and you’re well on your way to a strong TikTok presence.
George – Content Marketing Strategist, storyteller, and self-appointed cringe detector. 7 years in marketing, starting from graphic design to social, campaigns, and content. Writes, shoots, edits – if it’s creative, he’s on it. Knows what’s funny, what’s fresh, and what should never see the light of day. Always up to date, always cooking up something (and trying to hit his protein goal), all while pretending to get 8 hours of sleep.
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