How I became a TikTok microinfluencer without compromising my sanity

I recently passed 35k followers on TikTok! I downloaded the app in 2019 and, like most users, it was my go-to source of fun and levity during the pandemic. I’ve long posted on the app, low-key videos here and there. It started with videos featuring mostly my dog, then a few “TikTok dances” (the renegade was a workout). Dancing soon turned into lip syncing, that turned into cultural criticism, that turned into a series on how men perform toxic masculinity online that’s gotten over 170k views total. 

I’m what we in the business call a “casual” content creator. I’ve historically been active in posting on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, now Shuffles, and even Tumblr & YouTube in my younger days. While I’ve always flirted with influencer culture, I have been happy to walk the outskirts and never dove in headfirst myself. 

I took this same mindset to TikTok. Some days I would churn out a string of videos and sometimes I’d go weeks without posting. I honestly didn’t overthink what I was posting or have a strategy. Looking back, I can see how this may have been the best strategy of all. At least, for me. Over the course of the last year, I first “went viral” last August, I have slowly gained 35k followers in random bursts of thousands of followers. 

So much has changed on the app in the almost 3 years since I joined. Here are 4 things I did that I think contributed to my growth that I suggest you do too:

1. Post your drafts. All of them. 

I started posting my drafts because I needed more space on my phone. See, I loved making videos but I didn’t always care to put myself out there by posting them. However, I also didn’t want to let my creativity go to waste and I refused to delete them. So, in the drafts folder they sat. 

That is until the dreaded “iPhone Storage Full” push notifications turned incessant. I was out of GBs. The biggest culprit? TikTok. I had over 200 drafts in my drafts folder and decided that over the next month or so I would lower the number by at least 10 per day. The rules were that I could post (publicly or privately) or delete the videos. I started doing this every day, posting content I’d already mostly created. Since I was posting more it became so normal and I would post content same-day more often. Before I knew it, I was posting all the time. 

While I like to think that my content is high quality, I also suspect that the algorithm took note of my consistency and rewarded me. That’s the thing about TikTok. Many creators have compared it to a video game. Anyone can put in the work and beat the levels with enough practice and patience. Even if you don’t have a bunch of drafts to post, consistent creation will eventually pay off. The key is to do it and stay sane. 

2. Set an intention. Mine is to spark joy. (ie: marie kondo) 

If you don’t decide how you want to use the TikTok algorithm, it will use you. I have chosen to approach TikTok as a hobby. It’s become a place for me to talk about topics I’m interested in that maybe I don’t get to touch on as much at work. I can speak about Gen Z issues that mean a lot to me or simply weigh in on the latest celebrity controversy. Because I’m not trying to reach a certain follower threshold or work with brands, I am not beholden to metrics like views and likes. If I had fun making it, enjoy watching it, and people aren’t commenting nasty things; it’s a good video and gets to stay on my page. 

If your intention is to be famous, well the next 2 tips are more applicable and necessary. Creator burnout is very real.  

3. Don’t niche down until you’re ready (and even then stay versatile). 

Everyone will tell you to niche down. And while that may help you to find your voice, and grow quickly, it’s not a sustainable TikTok content strategy. In fact, once it gets a sense of where your strengths lie, the algorithm will try to encourage you into a niche. How? By flooding your fyp with the type of content it would like you to make more of and respond to (i.e., if you get 10k views talking about the Kardashians be prepared for a whole lot of Kardashian_Kolloquium on your feed.) 

But, don’t fall for the quicksand that is the promise of easy views. Niching down puts you in a box that may make you easy to digest and momentarily popular, but won’t build the connection necessary to make TikTok fun for the creator. Instead, lean into the app’s playlist feature to organize your various interests and content themes so you get to explore all the different sides of the app before you find the pockets that resonate the most. 

4. Be yourself from the beginning or you’ll end up burnt out.  

In order to build a loyal following who is there for you, not just your content you need to prioritize showcasing your authentic self. Or as much of it as you feel comfortable. I have a theory that one of the reasons for creator burnout, on TikTok especially, is a mismatch or disconnect between the creator and their audience. In order to thrive, creatives need to show up authentically, experiment, be themselves, receive good faith, and constructive feedback from onlookers, and generally feel safe to create. However, if a creator feels pressure to be someone they’re not to serve the audience, their work is going to suffer. 

One of my videos that blew up a few months ago was me organizing my closet to the sound of a multi-part series. I didn’t anticipate it would blow up (really, I swear) but it did and the comments demanded Part 2 (and then Part 3.) Those are some of my least favorite videos I’ve made. My heart wasn’t into making them, I just felt like I had to complete the story. They got some views but they’re not super representative of me, what I care about, or my personality beyond what I wear. 

Similarly, despite how cute she is, my dog Daisy is always the worst performing content on my page. But, I don’t care. Daisy is one of my favorite parts of my life and TikToks of her bring me joy and that’s important too! 

While withholding what my audience wants and giving them what I want instead could be risky, I think it’s been key to my success. Yes, it’s potentially alienating to my followers who still comment on every video asking where I buy my tank tops (Banana Republic) and clearly aren’t resonating with the POV of a willful and anxious 5-year-old dalmatian. However, I like to think it keeps the haters away. If you want my thoughtful hot takes, you have to take Daisy’s thirst traps that come with them.  

At the end of the day, it’s better to have 10 thousand engaged followers than 10 million who could take or leave you.