TikTok, like Instagram, is where everyday people become creators. They post something, it takes off, and suddenly, they’ve gone from mixing paint at Sherwin-Williams to being an account people open the app for (looking at you, @tonesterpaints).
Even so, there’s no magical formula that will make your content go viral and turn you into a TikTok influencer. Instead, the best you can do is put specific strategies in place to reach more people and build an audience who genuinely loves your content.
If you want to do that, stick with me, because I’m about to give you the full rundown on how to become a TikTok influencer, from setting up your account to monetizing your content.
Becoming a TikTok Influencer in 6 Steps
You’ve probably seen the videos of someone dancing in their living room or yapping at their camera while doing their makeup, and thought, “I could do that.”
And guess what? You can do that — the six steps below are just how you turn it into an actual influencer career.
Step 1. Create a TikTok account
If you want to be a TikTok influencer, you’re going to need a TikTok account. If you’re brand new to TikTok, I recommend checking out our TikTok Starter Kit for a deep dive into creating and optimizing your TikTok account.
For now, here are the must-dos:
- Download the TikTok app and sign up for an account. You can use your email address, phone number, or an existing social account.
- Choose your account type: Business or Personal. If you want to be an influencer, a Personal account is the best choice. We did a full breakdown of both account types, so that’s here if you need it, though:
- Choose your username. Ideally, your username is short and easy to spell and remember. If possible, match what you’ve got on other platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or X.
- Add a bio, profile picture, and links to your profile. For your profile pic, use the same one you use on other platforms so followers know it’s you as soon as they land on your page or come across one of your videos. Also, add your contact information (namely, your email address, so it’s easy for brands to find you if a brand deal opportunity comes your way.
Step 2. Choose a niche
On TikTok, niches are communities built around specific topics, like #BookTok, #MomTok, #PetTok, and so on. Having a niche gives you instant in with a certain crowd (people interested in content in that niche) and helps set you up for brand deals.
When choosing a niche, don’t overthink it. What is it you want to post about? The first thing that comes to mind is likely your best option for a niche. But you should have an angle to your content — that’s what will get people to actually hit follow on your account (not just watch your videos in the For You feed).
What is an angle? It’s the thing that makes your account unique. So, if you’re in the food niche, your angle could be your specific cuisine (whether that’s comfort food or vegan meals).
You can learn more about why having a niche is so important and explore the most popular niches on Instagram and TikTok in our guide, The Top Influencer Niches on Social Media.
Step 3. Create a content plan
Your content plan doesn’t have to be anything crazy; you don’t even need to involve a feed planner or scheduling tool unless you want to. What you do need is content pillars: recurring themes and formats for your TikTok content. Content pillars help you avoid hitting a creative block.
I interviewed three TikTok creators for How Macro Influencers Operate Outside the Algorithm, and each had their own content pillars.
- Mecca Evans @meccavellii: Mecca is an actress, podcaster, and creator who posts about internet and reality TV culture (themes). She often makes videos responding to her followers' comments (format).
- Jackie Coffey @jackiethehappyinvestor: Jackie is a real estate investor and TikTok influencer who makes content about flipping houses and being a landlord (themes). Most of her videos are inspired by the most common questions she gets about investing in real estate (format).
- Jaala James @jaala.james: Jaala is a social media manager at Proof Publicity. She’s also a luxury influencer who posts a mix of skit-comedy content (format) and lifestyle content about Scottsdale, Arizona (theme).
Take a hint from Mecca, Jackie, and Jaala, and decide what kind of themes and formats you want your account to be known for.
And if you really want to set yourself up for success, use TikTok Creator Search Insights to find topics in your niche that haven’t been covered enough yet on TikTok. Creator Search Insights tells you exactly what people are looking for on the platform and not finding, so it’s an amazing way to find post opportunities.
Learn more: TikTok Creator Search Insights: A Secret Shortcut to Going Viral.
Word of advice: Keep your content authentic
If you want to be a TikTok creator, you have to be authentic. It’s what followers want, as was revealed in Manychat’s 2026 Creator Report.
Thousands of TikTok videos have gone viral that are just someone talking at a camera. You don’t need a full production set or an aesthetic life to find success.
Keep it real, and you’ll grow an audience that genuinely likes your content because it feels relatable. You also won’t have to spend so much time staging videos and trying to get the perfect edit, which will speed up your content creation process.
Step 4. Use TikTok’s filters and sounds
TikTok is all about participatory culture. It’s the trending sounds, dances, filters, and formats that make it really stand out as a platform.
But aside from being fun, these features also boost your content in the For You feed. TikTok favors content that uses native filters and sounds, so get creative and incorporate them to boost engagement.
You can learn more about trending filters and sounds with these articles:
- TikTok Filters: An Easy Way to Participate in What’s Trending
- Build a TikTok Strategy to Drive Engagement
The main thing to know when you first get started is how to find trending songs. For that, all you need to do is:
- Open the TikTok app.
- Hit the + like you’re going to post.
- Hit Add music at the top of the screen.
- Swipe up on the music menu, then tap on the Hot tab.
Congrats, you’ve found the top 50 trending songs on TikTok. Use these as often as you can to help your content reach more people.
Step 4. Post, and post often
One of the most common pieces of advice for aspiring creators is to just keep posting.
The more you post, the more you’ll see your profile grow. The TikTok algorithm thrives on engagement, and posting more increases the chances of accumulating engagement. TikTok recommends posting anywhere from one to four times a day.
Don’t lose hope and delete something if it doesn’t take off right away. On TikTok, there's a greater chance a video will resurface days or even weeks after it’s posted.
💡Tip: TikTok uses hashtags to help new audiences find your content on the For You or Explore pages, so use them to make your content as discoverable as possible. Just make sure you stick to ones in your niche and avoid generic hashtags (like #viral or #dog).
Step 5. Engage with comments
Take the time to engage with and reply to users who leave comments on your content. At the very least, give their comment a like to let them know you saw it. This is how you start to build a community, something even more powerful than a following.
Also, the comments section is a great way to find content ideas. Some creators, like Mecca, go so far as to respond to comments with another TikTok video. Here’s an example from Mecca’s page:
This strategy is brilliant for several reasons. For starters, it’s a low-effort way to create content, but it’s also content on a topic that at least one follower has already expressed interest in engaging with. And then there’s the added benefit of using a native TikTok feature (Reply to comments with video), which is known to give your content a boost by the algorithm.
Comment on other videos in your niche
Priority #1 is to respond to comments on your content, but another way to make yourself visible is to comment on others’ viral videos in your niche.
Don’t just drop an emoji (I mean, you can, but it probably won’t get anyone’s attention). Leave a thoughtful or funny comment that you think others will relate to; that way, they tap the heart, and your name moves to the top of the interaction list, like in the screenshot below.
Step 6. Monetize
Let’s say you’ve been posting consistently for a while and growing your audience; now, you’re ready to start monetizing. Great news: there are many ways to monetize on TikTok, and we’ve covered them all in From Scroll to Bankroll: Here's Every Way to Monetize on TikTok.
Check that out, but here are the highlights:
- Platform payouts: TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program is the primary monetization option for creators on the app. The program is designed to reward accounts for publishing high-quality, original videos. The requirements for joining are pretty strict (you need 10k followers and 100k views in 30 days). Payouts also vary once you’re in.
- TikTok One: TikTok used to have the TikTok Creator Marketplace, but it was rolled into TikTok One in 2025. This is good news for creators, because it’s no longer invite-only. So, if you want to be visible to brands looking for influencers for TikTok campaigns, go ahead and sign up for TikTok One. You should also sign up for popular third-party influencer marketplaces while you’re at it.
- TikTok Shop: Creators can join TikTok Shop and earn commissions through affiliate marketing and UGC. If you’re in the beauty, pet, or travel niche, TikTok Shop is a great option for monetizing.
- TikTok Series: You can put some of your content behind a paywall on TikTok via a feature called Series. This is a great option if you have a recurring content format that tends to go viral. The best strategy is to offer one or two videos from the series for free to hook people, then put the rest behind a low-cost paywall.
- Tips and Gifts: Finally, you can accept gifts from fans on TikTok that convert to cash. While it’s not a reliable income stream, it is a feature worth knowing about, especially if you plan to do TikTok LIVEs (which tend to have higher gifting rates). Learn more: How Do Gifts Work on TikTok? (Open to Find Out).
- Brand deals: a very popular way for TikTok influencers to make money. You don’t need to wait for an offer to come your way — you can pitch brands on the possibility of creating sponsored content for them. It’s best to build a media kit before you do this that explains your value proposition as a creator. And what do you know, we have a media kit generator for you: make your own media kit.
Find out what’s realistic: How Much Money Can You Make on TikTok?
TikTok on the Clock, but The Party Don't Stop
Pardon the Kesha reference, but the party doesn’t stop on TikTok. Two billion people are active on the app today, and the average scroller spends almost an hour a day thumbing through content.
Plus, TikTok’s revenue was $33.6 billion in 2025, a 46% YoY increase. Every sign says that TikTok is going to continue to grow its user base and monetization options, so it’s a good time to kick off a creator career.
Frequently asked questions
To become a TikTok influencer from scratch, start by creating and optimizing your account, choosing a clear niche, and consistently posting content for a specific audience. Your niche can be broad — like food, beauty, books, or personal finance — but your angle should give people a reason to follow you instead of simply watching one video and moving on.
Next, create a few content pillars, or recurring topics and formats you can come back to regularly. This makes it easier to post consistently without constantly searching for new ideas.
From there, focus on actually building a community: experiment with TikTok-native formats, respond to comments, turn good questions into new videos, and interact with creators and viewers in your niche.
There’s no official minimum number of followers required to call yourself a TikTok influencer. Creator Ryan Lu started telling people she was a “TikTok star” when she had 50 followers.
If you have an engaged audience and can influence what they watch, talk about, or buy, you can start building an influencer career long before reaching hundreds of thousands of followers.
Follower requirements do matter for certain TikTok monetization tools, though. For example, TikTok currently requires creators to have at least 10,000 followers to join TikTok One’s Creator Marketplace in most regions.
So, instead of obsessing over a specific follower number, concentrate on building an audience that consistently watches and engages with your content. A smaller, highly engaged niche audience can still be valuable to brands, especially when the creator and brand serve the same type of customer.
To grow your TikTok followers and get more views, focus on consistent content, discoverability, engagement, and repeatable formats rather than trying to manufacture one viral hit.
First, create content around topics your target audience already cares about. TikTok’s Creator Search Insights can show you popular searches and “content gap” topics where demand exists but relatively little content has been created. That gives you a much stronger starting point than guessing what people might want to watch.
Engagement matters, too. Respond to comments, especially questions you can turn into new videos. You can also leave genuinely useful or funny comments on popular videos within your niche to introduce yourself to people who already care about your topic.
Finally, make your posts discoverable. Use relevant niche keywords and hashtags, experiment with TikTok-native trends and formats, and continue posting even when every video doesn’t immediately take off.
The best content to post as an aspiring TikTok influencer sits at the intersection of your niche, your unique point of view, and what your audience actually wants to watch or searches for.
Start by choosing several content pillars: recurring subjects or formats your audience can associate with your account. For example, a food creator might post inexpensive recipes, restaurant reviews, and cooking mistakes to avoid. A real estate creator might answer common investing questions, show property transformations, and share behind-the-scenes stories.
You can also use TikTok’s Creator Search Insights to find topics people are actively searching for. This tool identifies frequently searched subjects and lets creators spot “content gaps,” where search interest is high but relatively few videos address the topic.
Ultimately, your TikTok content goal should be to be recognizable enough to build your brand but flexible enough to experiment. Test different hooks, topics, formats, trends, and lengths, then pay attention to which ones consistently generate watch time, comments, shares, profile visits, and followers.
TikTok influencers make money through brand deals, TikTok monetization programs, affiliate commissions, paid content, and fan support.
Brand partnerships are particularly popular, but other monetization options include:
- Creator Rewards Program: TikTok pays eligible creators based on qualified views and other performance factors.
- TikTok Shop and affiliate marketing: Creators can promote products and earn commissions from qualifying sales.
- TikTok Series: Creators can place premium content behind a paywall.
- Gifts: Eligible creators can receive virtual Gifts from viewers, including during TikTok LIVEs.
The biggest takeaway is that you don’t need to rely on one revenue stream. Many successful TikTok influencers combine sponsorships, affiliate income, platform monetization, products, and other offers as their audience grows.
Originally published: May 6, 2022, Updated: Aug 19, 2026
