How to Increase TikTok Engagement: 16 Expert Insights

If there’s one thing all TikTokers agree with, it’s this — Brands that win understand how to create content people want to react to, share, or join in on.

Duolingo is a perfect example. A language app turned its mascot into a chaotic creator and pulled in more than six million followers. 

Chipotle did something similar with its #GuacDance challenge. A simple idea sparked hundreds of thousands of user-generated videos and pushed their reach into viral territory.

These wins came from understanding the platform and giving people a reason to engage.

To help you do something similar and improve those TikTok metrics, I talked to Nefise Tasdelen, founder of Social Island UK, who has helped multiple brands build human-first engagement strategies.

In this guide, we’ll learn practical ways to boost engagement on TikTok with real-life examples and expert insights.

How to calculate engagement rate on TikTok?

Calculating engagement on TikTok helps you understand how well your content connects with viewers. 

It shows whether people are reacting, commenting, sharing, or following after watching your videos.

TikTok engagement rate formula:

Engagement rate per post = (likes + comments + shares) ÷ views × 100

For example, if your video gets 12,000 views, 800 likes, 120 comments, and 80 shares, your TikTok engagement rate is: (800 + 120 + 80) ÷ 12,000 × 100 = 8.3 percent.

Alternatively, you can use third-party analytics tools such as Socialinsider to automatically get this number.

What is a good engagement rate on TikTok?

A good engagement rate on TikTok is generally higher than on other social platforms because TikTok’s algorithm favors interaction and discovery.

Nefise talked about what she considers a good rate on TikTok —

For me, a good engagement rate on TikTok isn’t a fixed number. It’s highly contextual. It depends on factors like your niche, account size, and the type of content you publish. That said, anything above 5% is generally considered solid.

According to Socialinsider's TikTok benchmarks report, smaller accounts usually see the highest engagement rates.

Nefise also said that instead of looking at just the absolute number, also consider how the engagement graph has changed over time. She said:

I focus on patterns over time, not one-off spikes. Consistently growing engagement shows that your audience is becoming more invested, whereas a single viral post is better used as a learning opportunity.”

16 ways to boost engagement on TikTok

Whether you’re recording an engagement rate of 15% or 4%, below are tried-and-tested ways to take that rate a notch higher.

Let’s reveal how to increase TikTok engagement.

1. Run a micro-challenge that’s easy to participate in

TikTok users love joining challenges. And why not? They are fun, engaging, and many give people a sense of accomplishment.

When you launch a simple challenge, you remove friction. People can film a video in seconds, add your hashtag, and feel like part of something bigger. You can even give people a format they can copy without thinking. 

Once the hashtag gains momentum, TikTok sees a wave of user activity around your idea and pushes your challenge into more For You Feeds.

One of my all-time favorites so far is Gymshark’s #Gymshark66 campaign. The challenge encouraged users to post daily fitness videos as part of a 66-day habit challenge. 

It became one of the platform’s biggest organic hits for the brand, generating over 1.9M likes, 12.5K comments, and 45M views, and countless before/after montages that turned the campaign into a community-driven movement rather than just a one-off post.

2. Prompt a duet/response format to leverage community participation

Duets work because users love adding their voice to a conversation that is already happening. 

I use this strategy when I want engagement that feels personal and reactive. The key is to give people a prompt that naturally fits a duet format. Think “Show me your version,” or “Try this challenge with me.” 

For example, beauty creators often post half of a transition and invite followers to complete the other half. Fitness creators do the same with partner workouts where viewers fill in the missing moves.

Make sure your setup is duet-friendly. Leave visual space, use a trending sound, and keep the instructions clear. Once you get a few strong duets, pin them or stitch them to spotlight participation. This motivates more users to jump in and keeps the engagement rolling.

3. Remember the rule of three on TikTok

You need to engage your viewers in the first three seconds of your TikTok video. Otherwise, they just hop onto another one.

Nefise said:

I treat the first three seconds of a video like a thumb-stop test. If you don’t earn attention instantly, nothing else matters because people will scroll before the message even lands.

But then, how do you create a strong hook?

Try opening with something bold, a direct callout to the viewer, or a visual that grabs attention immediately. 

Formats that build curiosity, like quick challenges, “I tried this for X days” videos, surprising shots, sharp questions, or mild controversy, also perform well because they spark emotion, connection, or anticipation right away.

Here’s a TikTok marketing example I liked from ClickUp.

I avoid introducing myself or the brand early on. Viewers don’t care who’s delivering the message. They care about what the message can do for them. That’s why I separate the hook from the rest of the content. We build the body and the CTA first, then brainstorm 10 hook variations and test which one works best.

Most brands get hooks wrong by making them self-focused, like ‘We’re excited to share’ or ‘Hi, my name is…’. These don’t create urgency or value. Instead of saying, ‘Today we’ll share tips on TikTok engagement,’ a stronger hook would be: ‘If your TikTok views are stuck under 500, it’s probably because of this one mistake you’re not noticing.’ That immediately grabs attention and positions the content as valuable.

4. Humanize your videos

Ask yourself this: What kind of videos instantly build a connection with me? Most times, it’s a brand sharing something personal or showcasing the humans behind the organization.

Even TikTok’s algorithm favors content that feels personal and relatable, and videos with humans naturally create that connection. 

Use this to your advantage. Show real reactions, relatable stories, or behind the scenes moments that only a human can deliver. This gives your social media content personality and makes it easier for viewers to respond. 

This is also the reason why many brands on TikTok now work on employee-generated content. 

Here’s an example from Fabletics.

5. Post at the right times

Have you ever posted a TikTok thinking, “This one will crush it,” only to come back the next day and wonder why it flopped? 

The problem might not be the content at all but the timing. 

If your audience is offline, your video loses the early engagement that TikTok uses to judge whether it should push it further. Those first few hours decide the entire trajectory.

To find the best time to post, you can either:

• Check your native analytics to see when your audience is most active. Look for patterns in your high-performing posts and note the time slots where your views spike fastest.
• Use analytics tools like Socialinsider. It pulls historical performance and tells you the best times to post for your specific audience. 

You can even try A/B testing different posting windows to see which ones consistently deliver stronger engagement.

6. Focus on the right content pillars

Are you sure you’re doubling down on the content that actually moves the needle? Most brands think they know their best-performing pillars, but without data, it’s a guess at best. 

When you don’t track pillar-level performance, you miss hidden opportunities. 

Maybe educational posts quietly drive the highest saves. Maybe behind-the-scenes videos outperform product promos. Or maybe your audience loves humor, but you rarely post it.

Take a look at how Nefise builds content pillars for TikTok —

I build content pillars at the intersection of performance data, audience behavior, and long-term sustainability—both for the creator and the brand. I double down on pillars that consistently drive meaningful engagement, such as comments, saves, shares, and DMs, because those signals usually indicate deeper audience interest and conversation. I also prioritize pillars that feel natural to create and align with the long-term goals of the brand or creator.

But how do you monitor which pillars drive strong engagement? Thankfully, you don’t need to spend a lot of hours. Socialinsider automates this for you.

Here’s what it looks like.

You may be tempted to copy content pillars that bring in great engagement for other brands. But Nefise recommends avoiding pillars that don’t fit your brand tone and style.

I believe content pillars only work when they genuinely fit your brand. Some brands naturally use humor and it feels seamless. Ryanair is a great example of this.

On the other hand, some brands try to force humor or jump on TikTok trends even though it never matched their tone. The content ends up feeling unnatural or even backfires and they risk getting called out because it doesn’t feel authentic.

The best content pillars are the ones you can sustain long term, feel excited to show up for, and that resonate with your audience.

7. Leverage micro-influencers or niche creators with high engagement

According to a recent study by Emplicit, micro and nano creators get more engagement on TikTok than bigger accounts.

Nefise explains why —

Micro and nano creators understand their niche and their audience intimately. Their audiences may be smaller, but the connection is deeper and the trust is stronger. I have seen that even a simple mention from them feels more genuine than a polished shoutout from someone with big numbers.

Here’s an example of an influencer who sticks to a language and even then gets great engagement on her posts.

When we got on the topic of influencers, Nefise recalled a moment from her days running social media for an aesthetic clinic —

8. Use trending sounds but make them work with your niche

Trending sounds can give you instant visibility, but the real win comes from making them your own. 

Instead of copying a trending sound or format as-is, layer it with niche-specific messaging, visuals, or humor. This way you get the best of both worlds. The trend pulls people in because it feels familiar, and your unique angle keeps them watching, sharing, and commenting.

This approach also boosts your discoverability. TikTok’s sound-based feeds and challenge pages often surface videos built on popular audio, which means your content gets extra reach without the pressure of inventing a brand new format.

9. End videos with conversation prompts

Comments are a strong ranking signal on TikTok. Meaning the more comments your video gets, the higher the chances of it reaching more people.

But how do you get more comments?

The trick is to tie your question to what the viewer just watched. Make it easy. Make it personal. And give them a reason to have an opinion. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Tie your question directly to your story: If your video shows a transformation, ask, “Would you have done it this way or differently?”
• Ask low-friction questions: Simple choices like “Which one would you pick?” lower the barrier to commenting. Here’s an example from Headspace.

• Spark mini-debates: Polarizing but harmless questions get people talking without feeling forced.
• Invite viewers to share their own story: People love being seen and heard, especially when the topic feels relatable.

Nefise vouched strongly for encouraging stories from people —

Comments happen when content sparks recognition, emotion, or a shared experience. Instead of focusing on prompts, the focus should be on storytelling and human moments that viewers see themselves in.

Simple lines like ‘Tell me I’m not the only one who deals with this’ or ‘This is the part that stresses me out the most. What’s yours?’ turn engagement into conversation. 

Moments of truth also drive responses, such as ‘I used to think this made me bad at X, until I realized it actually helped me get through it,’ or shared-experience hooks like ‘Be honest, do you do this too?’”

10. Try out TikTok Stories

TikTok Stories give you a low-pressure way to show up more often and stay top of mind. They’re short, 24-hour posts that sit on your profile picture and in your followers’ feed.

I feel Stories are a great way to keep your TikTok community engaged. Used well, they can quietly boost your overall engagement and keep your community warm. 

Here’s how:

• Share informal, human moments: Behind-the-scenes clips, daily routines, or candid thoughts make your audience feel closer to you and encourage repeat check-ins.
• Use polls, questions, and prompts: Stories are built for quick interaction, and those micro-engagements signal activity to the algorithm.
• Tease upcoming videos: Build anticipation and send traffic toward your main feed before you publish.
• Post frequently without cluttering your grid: Stories boost visibility and add extra touchpoints without overwhelming followers.

11. Build episodic content

Ever notice how some brands create content that makes you want to follow them and wait for their next TikTok video? Many times, that’s because they work on episodic content. 

When your account has a recurring character, a running joke, a weekly segment, or a signature storytelling style, you become a mini-universe your audience wants to revisit.

This can look like:

• A weekly series (Example: Usecase Wednesday), 
• A multi-part breakdown (Example:Part 1: Why your marketing strategy fails), 
• A recognizable setup you repeat in every video (same location, character, or opening line.) Here’s an example from Slack.

Episodic content also fuels anticipation. Ending a video with ‘Comment if you want Part 2’ not only spikes comments but gives viewers a reason to return to your TikTok content. 

12. Learn from your TikTok analytics

Nefise talked at length about using TikTok metrics to figure out ways to improve engagement. Here are the metrics she mentioned.

• Watch time and retention metrics: These show how long people stay with your video. If viewers drop off in the first three seconds, your hook needs work. If they watch to the end, that’s a signal to double down on that format or topic.

Nefise talked about looking at the retention graph too. She said, “I pay close attention to the retention graph to see exactly where people drop off. If viewers leave at the same second, I analyze what was said or shown in that moment, then rearrange the content and repost it as an A/B test to see whether that brings improvement.”

• Top-performing content: Look for the videos that consistently outperform others. What do they have in common? Format? Tone? Topic? Hook? Jot down these things and plan to utilize them well.

I generally use Socialinsider to get this content for a specific time period.

• Comment-to-view ratio:  Comments are a strong ranking signal. A high ratio means your content is sparking emotion, opinions, or conversation. These are all cues to create more in that direction.

I also look at the comment-to-view ratio. High views with low comments usually mean the content was entertaining but not impactful. Traffic sources matter too. If a video starts getting pushed through search, I lean into SEO-friendly content to increase long-term discoverability.

• Shares and saves: These are ‘high-intent’ engagements. When these metrics spike, you’re delivering value that travels.

I also rely on Socialinsider’s anomaly analysis to catch any sharp rises or drops in saves and shares. One click on the graph, and I know exactly which post/s triggered the shift, good or bad.

In the end, Nefise mentioned taking these social media metrics as cues –

Overall, I treat analytics as clues. They don’t dictate creativity, but they guide what to double down on and what to improve.

13. Learn from other brands in your niche

Instead of experimenting with every move, why not turn to what’s already working in your space? One way to do that is by running a competitor analysis.

I use Socialinsider’s competitor benchmarking feature to run this analysis.

All I need to do is add all the profiles and get a side-by-side comparison of key metrics.

I can even go to their individual profiles and see their content pillar analysis, top-performing content, best time to post, and organic value.

I don’t just stop at these numbers. I look closely at qualitative factors too: their tone of voice, video pacing, storytelling style, hooks, CTAs and on-screen characters. These nuances often reveal why a post performed well.

As a part of this qualitative analysis, Nefise also mentions looking at their comments closely —

Competitor analysis is a core step in my strategy process. There’s no real strategy without it. One of the most overlooked opportunities is studying competitors’ comment sections. That’s where a huge amount of insight lives.

By actively listening to direct competitors, you can analyze their content pillars, see what resonates with the same ICPs, and understand which pain points consistently surface.

Often, comments reveal gaps—questions left unanswered or frustrations with how topics are framed. Those gaps are content opportunities you can address directly, using your own messaging and perspective.”

14. Use TikTok Creator tools

TikTok gives you a full creative toolkit designed to help your content travel. 

Start with Analytics. Look at which videos have the highest completion rate, rewatch rate, and share rate. These metrics reveal the formats, hooks, and storytelling styles your target audience finds irresistible.

Next, experiment with TikTok’s built-in creation tools. Stitch, Duet, Green Screen, and Voiceover allow you to make interactive, remixable content, the kind TikTok naturally pushes because it fuels participation and community interaction. 

I have seen these formats often getting higher engagement because they tap into the platform’s collaborative culture.

Finally, make the Trend Discovery tool part of your workflow. It lets you spot rising sounds, themes, and formats early, giving you a head start before they become oversaturated. 

15. Create your unique style

You know that feeling when you’re scrolling TikTok and instantly recognize a creator’s video before their name even pops up? That’s the power of having your own style. And it’s something every brand should aim for.

If your videos look like everyone else’s, people won’t remember you. Your personality, your sense of humor, your values, your vibe, that’s what makes your content feel alive.

I love how Chipotle, the fast-casual restaurant chain consistently uses TikTok trends, sounds, and humor in ways that feel native. Their content often shows behind-the-scenes moments, staff memes, or playful takes on menu items.

And then comes the secret ingredient: consistency. Maybe it’s your editing style, a signature intro, the way you explain things, or even the background you always film in. When viewers can spot your content within seconds, that’s when you know you’ve succeeded.

Zapier is one company that has nailed the consistency principle on TikTok.

16. Perform A/B testing

A/B testing is an underrated strategy to boost engagement on TikTok. Small creative tweaks can make a massive difference in watch time, comments, and overall reach. But you won’t know which direction to scale unless you compare versions side by side.

Just pick one variable to change and keep the rest consistent. Test two hooks. Test two captions. Test two lengths. Test the same video with and without text on screen. You’ll quickly see which version keeps people watching longer or drives more interaction.

Once you find patterns, like a hook that consistently boosts retention or a caption style that generates more comments, you can double down and refine your content formula. 

Final thoughts

Boosting engagement on TikTok is all about understanding what your audience responds to, building a style that feels like you, and using TikTok’s tools with intention. 

When you focus on strong hooks, consistent storytelling, community interaction, and analytics that guide your choices, engagement naturally follows. 

If you want to track engagement, identify your top-performing videos, study competitors, and monitor the metrics that matter, try Socialinsider. Start your 14-day free trial and get the data you need.