If you consistently create videos on TikTok without getting views, this can be quite discouraging. You may wonder what you are doing wrong, especially when you see other videos garnering millions of views. If this sounds like you, you don't have to worry, as we have you covered. This article will guide you on how to promote your TikTok videos and make them go viral.

The TikTok Promote Feature

Before trying other complicated methods, you need to begin with the basics. The app has added a feature that makes promoting videos on the platform a breeze. So, what is the TikTok Promote feature? This feature makes it easy to turn your videos into ads.

It is available for all TikTok accounts in the app. It allows users to customize their ads and promotions according to their budget, target audience, and timeline. This feature is a great choice for driving video views. But before you begin using it, you should know there are limitations to the kind of videos you can make. These limitations are:

• The Promote feature is only available to promote public videos.
• If an idea has a copyrighted sound, you can't use Promote. Instead, you must use the TikTok library to create your sound.
• The video should be compliant with the TikTok Guidelines.

How to Promote Videos Using TikTok Promote

Here are the steps to follow when promoting a video using the TikTok Promote feature:

1. Create a video on TikTok.
2. Go to the video and tap the three-dotted line on the right. This will take you to the video settings. Tap on the Promote icon, which looks like a small flame.
3. Select a goal you want to achieve by promoting a Tiktok video. This could be something like increasing video views, visits to your website, or followers.
4. Select your audience. You can have TikTok choose an audience for you or customize it depending on your age range, gender, and interest.
5. Create a budget. Choose how much you plan to spend daily and how long you expect the promotion to continue. As you tweak the numbers, the expected video views will change. Once you are happy with your budget and video views, tap Save Changes.
6. You will be taken to the Account Overview Page, where you can change your ad settings before completing the setup.

You can also access the creator tool through the following steps:

1. Go to the Settings Menu. You can access this icon by clicking on the three dotted lines at the top right corner of your account. Click on the creator tool.
2. Tap Promote.
3. You will see a list of your videos that qualify to be promoted. Click on the one you would like to promote. Once you get to that video, you can follow steps 3 to 6 in the previous section above.

Understanding the Cost of TikTok Promote

Tiktok Promote lets you choose how much to spend over a given number of days. However, you can only spend a minimum of $3 per day and a maximum of $1000 per day. TikTok will provide you with a range of estimated video views when setting up your ad, depending on your budget and timeline.

TikTok suggests that an amount as little as $10 will give you as many as 1000 views. However, you should note that your reach will be impacted by the audience you are trying to reach. You can reach more people when you target a broader category.

For instance, if you target women aged 30 to 50, you will reach more people than when you target women aged 30 to 50 who are interested in badminton. But on the other hand, targeting people interested in your niche can spur action compared to a broader category. It's a matter of quality over quantity.

Does TikTok Promote Offer Value for Money?

If you are a content creator looking to boost the visibility of your TikTok video, the TikTok Promote feature will enable you to do that. Due to its minimal financial investment, it is the most cost-effective and viable way of gaining video views.

On the other hand, TikTok Promotes and allows you to create a campaign for as low as $3 a day. But before you decide to use TikTok Promote, here are a few pros and cons you should use to decide:

Pros

• Get more people to notice your content. TikTok’s SEO can be very helpful. However, relying on social media algorithms isn’t reliable as many factors come into play. For instance, if your competitors create better videos that go viral, TikTok will give more prominence to those videos. However, when you pay for Tiktok Promote, you are guaranteed more consistent results.
• Maximize your organic reach. Setting up TikTok ads can be tricky. On the other hand, TikTok Promote allows you to boost the views of your videos at the click of a button.
• Better understanding of your audience. TikTok Promote has many tools to help you better understand your audience.
• Cost-effective. TikTok ads don't come cheap, as they have a minimum budget of $50 for the campaign level and $20 for the individual level. 
• Expanded features. If you are a small business working with a creator, TikTok Promote allows you to boost the influencer’s content to get more views. TikTok recently added the promotional Pack, a new buying tool that helps small businesses buy a minimum number of views, thereby increasing visibility.

Cons

• Sponsored tag for promoted videos. GenZ, the majority on TikTok, doesn’t like ads and will quickly scroll past them. Since TikTok Promote usually adds the Sponsored ad tag, this can hinder the video views.
• It can be misused. With its low price, people can use the tool to amplify false news. Luckily, TikTok is cracking down on the issue by removing sponsored content featuring misleading news and sensitive topics.

Why Your Ad May Be Disapproved By TikTok

When you promote your video, it doesn’t mean that TikTok will automatically approve it. Each video goes through a review process before it appears on people’s feeds. Some of the reasons that may cause the disapproval of your video include:

• Make false or exaggerated claims in your video.
• Spelling or grammatical errors in your videos.
• Distracting capitalization or use of symbols instead of letters.
• Poor-quality image, audio, or video.
• The product getting promoted isn't consistent with what you are selling.
• Video promoting a nonexistent website.
• Unauthorized sale in your video.
• Graphic, sexual, or shocking content.

Tips to Make Your TikTok Videos Go Viral

On top of using the Tiktok Promote feature, you need to think of other ways of promoting your videos if they will go viral. Some of the most effective methods for marketing your brand and videos on Tiktok are:

Understand the TikTok Algorithm

As is the case with other social media sites, TikTok has an algorithm that it uses to decide which videos to show to viewers. By understanding how the Tiktok algorithm works, you can better position your videos to appear in their search engines. Also known as the recommendation system, it determines how content is displayed on the For You page.

Each TikTok user is shown a unique and curated feed best tailored to their needs. In other words, TikTok recommends videos to users based on what they have liked in the past. That means the system might show one user many dancing videos while another might be shown many cat videos, depending on their watching habits.

TikTok considers three major elements when recommending videos to viewers. These are:

• User engagement. This considers the action that a user performs on the app. It is usually something like liking, commenting, or sharing content.
• Content creation. The type of content affects its reach. This also considers whether a video uses trending TikTok sounds and hashtags to increase the video's reach.
• User interaction. The duration of a user's viewing of your video is an important consideration. If they keep watching until the end, it indicates to the algorithm that your content is adding value to them.

Once you understand the above factors affecting a video’s reach, you can use the information to increase your video’s reach. For instance, you can increase your video interactions by focusing on engagement. Create shorter videos to improve your watch time. You should also use trending music and relevant hashtags in your videos.

Remember that a high follower count doesn't guarantee your videos go viral. While it can help increase the number of people who see your videos initially, the number of likes and comments will decrease if the video isn't shown to a larger audience.

Create Trending Videos

Creating high-quality videos is one of the best ways to make your TikTok content go viral. Most trending TikTok videos are associated with a new trend, such as a glow-up or unpopular transition. By keeping track of the trends, you can reach more people and gain the potential appreciation of your viewers.

Take Part in a Challenge

Tiktok challenges can be used by brands advertising to hype their products or creators and influencers growing their following. To find the latest challenge, visit the TikTok Discover page. You can then search for challenges to see the content under the hashtags. Avoid going with just any challenge available. Instead, choose one in line with your brand to participate in.

Understand Your Audience

Unlike the past when Tiktok was filled with GenZ, today, it has a wider audience demographic as it becomes more popular. Therefore, instead of creating general content, you must determine your audience and create content that meets their needs. Take time also to understand their likes and dislikes.

For instance, if your audience is into more dancing videos, there is no need to create cat videos as they will not have the desired outcome. Here are a few tips to help you determine your audience demographic:

• Try different content formats.
• Experiment with varying times of posting.
• Add the relevant hashtags in the niche.
• Understand the best posting time.

Use the Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags are a good way of helping Tiktok Discover what your content is all about. Make sure you use trending hashtags. To find them, go to the Discover Tab, and you will see the trending content. You can scroll through the content and work with hashtags that resonate with your content and message style.

When you use the right hashtags, Tiktok will show your content to people interested in that hashtag on the For You page. Instead of searching for TikTok hashtags every time you post, you can always have them ready. To get the most out of Tiktok hashtags:

• Strike a balance between niche and popularity. While popular and trending hashtags are great, they can cause more harm than good if they aren't in your niche.
• Use branded hashtags. One way of creating a community around your content is to use branded hashtags. Therefore, encourage your viewers to continue using them.
• Consider the competition. Check the hashtags of your competitors and influencers in your niche.

Use Viral Music and Sounds

As a modern-day JukeBox, Tiktok focuses more on tunes that get people talking, engaging, and dancing. With a music-driven algorithm, Tiktok picks beats that resonate with their audience. By understanding trending music, brands can reach a broader audience and increase video engagement. Using viral music can help to:

• Improve the reception of the video. The TikTok sound is usually considered to be more informative and engaging. Therefore, using viral music can help you create an unmatched music experience that will improve the reception of your video.
• Increase engagement. 73% of Tiktok users agree that they are more likely to engage with an ad with interesting music.
• Enhance brand image. Good music can improve brand image and develop an emotional connection with the brand.

Keep Everything Short and Engaging

When it started, Tiktok users could upload a maximum of 15 seconds. However, this has now been increased to a maximum of three minutes. However, most users still post shorter videos. One of the key factors that Tiktok considers when ranking videos is the video completion rate. By keeping your videos short, you can increase their completion rate and, therefore, the chances of the videos appearing in the For You recommendations. 

Engage With Your Audience

Interacting with your TikTok audience is one of the best ways to grow your account. TikTok also considers increased engagement a sign of a high-quality video. Therefore, engaging with your audience will help improve your ranking on the app.  

Regularly posting will help keep your brand in the minds of your audience. It will also increase the chances of your videos getting discovered. While there is no one-size-fits-all on the best posting schedule, you can use TikTok Analytics to determine how often to post and when is the best time to do so.

TikTok is a platform that thrives on authentic connections. You must do the same if you want your audience to engage with your brands. Some of the content that can help you increase engagement are:

• Create videos that respond to frequently asked questions.
• Create product tutorials.
• Have an Ask Me Anything session.
• Engage in interviews.

Respond to questions from your audience using the live chat feature. When you go live, videos will appear in the For You section, and users can join with a simple swipe.

Collaborate With Other Content Creators

Another great way of boosting your TikTok following and engagement is by collaborating with other creators with a larger audience. A collaboration can help increase the reach of your content and add a fresh twist to it. When collaborating with other creators, choose one whose content aligns with yours. For instance, if you create food content, you can collaborate with a restaurant.

Use the Right Captions

Another way to boost your video views is through effective captions. These work because they give your videos a deeper context, personality, and depth.  

Include the right captions at the bottom of the posts and in the video overlay. When you do this right, you can hook viewers, spark their curiosity, and encourage them to continue watching until the end. So, how do you create outstanding TikTok captions? Here are a few tips:

• Be concise. In a world of fast-paced TikTok videos, you only have a few seconds to capture the viewer's attention. Therefore, make your captions short.
• Add some personality. Ensure your captions are loaded with wit, humor, or emotions that add personality and make them stand out.
• Ask questions. To increase engagement, ask questions on your captions and encourage viewers to respond.
• Add some intrigue. Ensure that your captions pique curiosity. You can do that by adding a teaser and hinting at what's coming up in the video.
• Highlight the key points. If your video contains a procedure or a tutorial, you can highlight some of the key points in the video. This will help your viewers grasp their takeaways quickly.

When adding TikTok captions, you should make them more than just words. They should also have great visuals and a winning formula to help you capture your audience’s attention.

Use Tasteful Humor

One of the key things that TikTok users love is a good joke. Studies indicate that funny hashtags are among the most popular on the platform. Videos posted with comments or funny hashtags have received over six million views.  

Many TikTok users suggest that funny videos affect their buying decisions. This is not surprising, considering that many TikTok users use the platform as a source of entertainment and joy. Besides, the videos on TikTok have a unique format and joke style that users can resonate with.

When creating content on TikTok, avoid making it solely about pushing your marketing agenda. Instead, focus on creating content that your viewers will enjoy. This will help you improve your reach and engagement on the social media platform. Don't be afraid to use humor and have some fun with your content. It will surely get people to like, comment, and share your content.

Do TikTok Monitoring

Monitoring your competitors' activities is good if you run out of ideas. However, you must do more than just watch what your competitors do. Instead, you should systematically analyze the platform's content to gain meaningful insights concerning your brand and theirs.

You can do that by monitoring your brand mentions and industry-related hashtags. You should also stay abreast of the performance of your campaigns and the strategies your competitors are using. Monitoring your competitor’s strategies can help you identify the gaps and opportunities in your plan. You can also get better insight into emerging trends, enabling you to stay relevant and adapt your content strategy accordingly.

Here are the steps to follow when doing TikTok monitoring for your brand:

• Set clear goals. Start by understanding what you want to achieve using TikTok monitoring. Is it to understand your audience, check competitors, or track the performance of your campaigns?
• Use native Tiktok analytics. If you have a pro account, TikTok will provide you with a detailed analytics tool to see the performance of your videos. This could be based on the number of followers, TikTok engagement metrics, and video views
• Check comments and other analytics. Reviewing the direct messages and comments on the videos is also important. This can provide important feedback from your audience and help grow your brand perception.

Conclusion

Tiktok videos are a great way of promoting your brand in an era when TikTok is a major news source for US adults. Since the app doesn't discriminate against new creators in its algorithm, it can help you grow easily. However, If you want to see results with your TikTok videos, you must promote them. Following our guide should help you increase your video views and the chances of your videos going viral easily.