What to do when your TikTok growth has plateaued
If you’re reading this, and your TikTok growth has stalled, don't worry! I have 7 actionable steps to get you out of that TikTok plateau and your account back on track!
2022 is all about TikTok - There’s no denying it’s a cultural phenomenon dominating social media. In 2021, it even surpassed Google as the world’s most popular domain. It’s a powerhouse of a social media marketing tool and I couldn’t be more excited! When you use TikTok for business, your digital marketing strategy essentially multiplies indefinitely.
Thanks to the For You Page, (your curated vertical feed to scroll and watch videos) there is a huge opportunity to increase your visibility, build an audience and become known. However, like other social media platforms, engagement is the name of the game. It also relies on people watching your videos, likes, comments and shares in order to grow.
One thing you should note is that growth on TikTok for the average user is rarely linear in the upwards direction. When you have plateaued it’s important to stay consistent and ride the wave knowing that what goes down will eventually come back up again. Be patient and in the meantime take action with the following 9 steps to reduce your time in these plateaus.
How to keep your TikTok account thriving and surviving - the 7 step Wave Wyld way:
Step 1: Know what’s happening in your analytics.
Go to the content tab and check each video for the last 30 videos. Specifically, look at your average watch time and compare it to the length of the video. If people are not watching 50% of your videos, make them shorter. If your likes and comments are low, think about how you can use call to actions to get people talking in your comments sections or liking your videos. Overall, make more of what works and less of what doesn't and that will bring you growth. Bonus mindset tip! A video that doesn’t perform is just an opportunity to learn what went wrong and how to improve it.
Step 2: A plateau may mean that you need to switch up your content style.
Try a different video format. So much of TikTok is experimentation and it’s a good idea to be open-minded. Maybe switch things up with a skit, or make an ASMR video in your niche, instead of talking, try music and text. Don't be afraid to take risks and learn from each experiment. This makes you a smarter content creator!
Step 3: Study short-form video creation fundamentals (this is a biggie).
You can do this by watching videos from large creators that perform well. Notice how they format their videos, how they tell a story or communicate information. How do they play into emotions or offer value? Pay attention to the hooks they use, and what they are doing to generate engagement. You can also observe what is popular and unpopular in TikTok culture. Trends come and go so fast! This is an example of why I made a TikTok video saying that pointing to text is not as effective as it used to be. It's been overused and people are more likely to scroll when they see those types of people. See where I’m going with this?
Step 4: When you are in a plateau, spend more time engaging and nurturing the followers you already have.
Instead of obsessing overview counts or ghosting and posting, spend more time connecting with people and engaging with other people's content. They notice and are likely to support back. Also, respond to your comments. Attention spans are short on TikTok and it amazes me to see accounts that are focused on growth not responding to comments. If that person took the time to write something meaningful it’s a good sign these are your people! It's a missed opportunity to build a relationship, build community, and/or lead to a sale.
Step 5: Repeat after me: Invest in help, invest in help, and. Invest in help.
My entire business is dedicated to helping accounts like yours step into their potential, grow and make sales. I know it may seem scary to invest if you have never done it before, but really it’s an investment in yourself and if you are feeling nervous about it, you need to read this blog here. Service announcement: There are multiple ways you can work with me. I have worked with over 300 clients and students and have helped them achieve amazing results - click the ‘Work with Wave’ option at the top of this page or click here: Work with Wave
Step 6: Consistency is key to success on TikTok.
The app rewards active users by pushing their content. As said before, (because I know you need to hear it again!), you need to push through and ride the wave when you feel stuck. Having a content strategy plan definitely helps you stay focused and accountable. Try pre-planning your posts for each week and batch content. I understand when you feel like your content isn't receiving its fair share of attention, which can be discouraging and make you want to quit but think of TikTok as a long-term game plan. Winners stay consistent!
Step 7: Keep your content fresh.
Organic reach is not dead on TikTok. People are still going viral every day and many users are growing their accounts. TikTok still has more organic reach than any other social media platform! And it will always remain that way - since essentially that's the draw and attraction to the app. Take advantage of this - keep up to date with trends (sign up for my weekly trend report email) and keep your content fresh.
TikTok is all about experimentation and like life, it’s a never-ending learning cycle, but with consistent effort and trial and error, you are sure to be rewarded. Don’t let the lows get you down, it’s normal and you can get out of a plateau once you implement these 7 steps.
Happy TikToking!
