LIFE

Eager to become the next Charli D'Amelio? With *tons* of free hours to spend perfecting dances in your bedroom, there's no better time than now to up your TikTok game.

"TikTok is such a creative platform that allows you to produce original content in whatever niche you choose, from comedy to dance to singing," says twin dance duo Splash Twinz, who have 2.8M followers on the app. "Just do you—the followers and fans willl come naturally!"

In fact, growing your TikTok account is actually easier than it seems. Case in point: just a few months ago, my own TikTok (@carrieberkk) had just 60 followers, and I had no idea how to navigate the app. But after much hard work and practice, I got verified and gained over 210K followers.

@carrieberkk

ur second @ has the hype! who is it?! 👇🏻 ##foryoupage ##foryou ##videocall ##strengthtraining ##ButterGlossPop ##fyp ##viral ##viralvideo ##makethisviral ##fy

♬ Sunday Best x Dont Start Now - goalsounds

Check out some of the top tips on how to grow your personal TikTok account, as told by popular creators...

1. Produce original content.

"When I started doing acapella covers in various places like my car, I stood out from a lot of other creators. It was like a consistent series of sorts, and that definitely helped my account grow," says singer Taylor Felt, who has over 2.8M TikTok followers (and performed at GL's 2019 Fash Bash!). "I'm just doing what I love, especially creating and writing original music in the studio."

2. Post consistently.

"I try to post at least 2-3 times a day," says Tori McKool, a creator with over 532K followers on the app. "That way, my followers are always looking forward to my posts and can depend on me for regular content."

3. Find good lighting.

"I'm always searching for good light so that the quality of my videos turns out better. As a dancer, I don't want my followers to miss a move!" says viral dancer Nick Bencivengo, who has acquired 1.3M followers. "Plus, content with better lighting tends to get on the 'For You' page."

4. Collaborate with top creators.

"The videos I make with other popular creators usually do really well," explains Ava Justin, who has over 355K followers. "One video I made with Addison Rae at Playlist Live has 2.2M views." Indeed, attending social media conventions is a great opportuntiy to collaborate with other creators; Playlist Live, VidCon, Boys of Summer, and Juice Krate are among the most notable.

5. Try different challenges and trends.

@charlidamelio

@zoifishh @angxlbailxy

♬ supalonely x whats my name - rapidsongs

"I'm always paying attention to what the trending songs are and putting my own spin on the dances that everyone does to them," says Kelsey Cook, a popular creator with 347K followers. "Charli [D'Amelio], Addison [Rae], Madi [Monroe], and Avani [Gregg] usually come up with really cool dances to try!"

Want to learn more about your fave TikTokers? Click here.

Slider Image: instagram.com/addisoneasterling

by Carrie Berk | 3/17/2020