How to Get More Engagement on TikTok: 20 Top Strategies
TikTok isn’t just a stage—it’s a full-blown spotlight, and everyone’s vying for a chance to shine.
But going viral isn’t about luck; it’s about knowing the rules of the game.
From understanding TikTok metrics that matter to crafting a TikTok marketing plan that hooks your audience, it’s time to rethink your social media strategy and turn scrolls into stops.
Read on to learn hot to get more engagement on TikTok and make your next post the post.
Table of contents
What is TikTok engagement?
How to get more engagement on TikTok
#1. Understand your target audience
#2. Focus on authenticity
#3. Engage with other accounts
#4. Leverage UGC
#5. Deconstruct how top brands are doing it
What is TikTok engagement?
In 2025, TikTok engagement takes into account all these interactions and more, with some metrics carrying extra weight:
- Likes and comments: The classics. These quick taps and typed-out thoughts show immediate reactions but don’t always tell the full story.
- Shares: It’s one of the highest forms of endorsement. When someone sends your TikTok to a friend or reposts it, they’re saying, “This is too good to keep to myself.”
- Video views and watch time: Did they stay for the whole clip or scroll away halfway? How long someone sticks around matters just as much as how many hit play.
Why does this matter?
Strong engagement on TikTok directly influences how often the algorithm shows your videos to others. TikTok’s For You Page is built around engagement signals, meaning the more people interact with your posts, the bigger your audience can grow.
Whether you’re chasing virality or building a loyal audience, understanding your metrics is the first step to making your TikTok strategy pop.
How to get more engagement on TikTok
Ready to level up your social media marketing?
Here’s how to increase engagement on TikTok with easy, effective tips to make your content shine.
#1. Understand your target audience
Understanding your target persona is pivotal for improving your engagement rate on TikTok—and Semrush’s success exemplifies this strategy.
By leveraging relatable and authentic content, such as asking an employee what his job position is and tailoring it to their digital marketing audience, they created a viral video that generated nearly 900K views, as reflected in Socialinsider’s analytics dashboard.
The platform shows a massive spike in views on the day of the video, with detailed social media metrics highlighting its impact: 89K likes, 19K shares, and 917K total views.
Moreover, our social media analysis underscores how a single well-targeted video can significantly boost visibility and interaction, emphasizing that brands must stay consistent and creative rather than abandoning their efforts.
Essentially, these social media insights demonstrate that when your content aligns with your audience’s world, the results speak for themselves.
#2. Focus on authenticity
Focusing on authenticity is a proven way to increase your TikTok’s engagement, primarily because the platform thrives on real, relatable, and unscripted content.
TikTok users value genuine interactions and creative spontaneity over highly polished, corporate-style videos.
For example, in Booking.com's celebration of reaching 1 million TikTok followers, they shared a playful, authentic moment of their team dancing and taping confetti to the office ceiling.
This approach highlighted their team’s humor and personality, making their followers feel like they were part of the milestone celebration.
For brands looking for TikTok video ideas, this example emphasizes that showing behind-the-scenes celebrations or everyday moments can be part of the narrative.
#3. Engage with other accounts
One of the best social media practices you can follow to boost TikTok interactions is actively engaging with other accounts.
When a brand interacts with other accounts—through witty comments, timely responses, or creative banter—it not only humanizes the brand but also attracts attention to its profile.
This approach is a key part of what a social media manager does: building relationships with the audience and other accounts to foster a sense of community.
Ultimately, thoughtful TikTok interactions create a ripple effect, driving both organic engagement and brand loyalty.
#4. Leverage UGC
Another amazing idea on how to boost engagement on TikTok is leveraging user-generated content (UGC) to create relatable and authentic posts.
Because UGC feels more personal and less sales-driven, this type of social media content not only boosts engagement but also inspires others to share their experiences with your brand.