Grow on TikTok: a free course with a 30-day plan

The fastest way to learn TikTok is to post. This module gets your profile ready and your first video live, so the rest of the course works on real numbers instead of plans.

Profile basics.

• Name and username: short, easy to say out loud and close to what you post about. People will type it after seeing you in someone else's video.
• Photo: your face, well lit, readable at a tiny size.
• Bio: one line on what you post and who it is for, then one line on what to do next ("New recipe every day", "Tips for first-time managers").

How TikTok finds viewers. Every video is shown first to a small group in the For You feed. If they watch, rewatch, comment, share or save, it is shown to more people. Your follower count matters less here than on most networks, so a new account can reach strangers from its first video.

Your first post. Film vertically on your phone, in good light, with clear sound. Choose one simple idea from your area: a tip, a before-and-after, a quick story. Keep it short and get to the point in the first second.

Common mistake. Waiting for the perfect first video. Your first videos are practice; the platform and you both learn from them.

TikTok learns who to show your videos to from what you post and who watches. A clear niche makes that learning faster and turns viewers into followers who know what to expect.

Pick three pillars. A pillar is a type of video you can make again and again. For a fitness coach: "10-minute home workouts", "form mistakes", "what I eat in a day". For a software founder: "build in public updates", "tool tutorials", "lessons from customers".

Test each pillar. Make at least three videos for each pillar over the next two weeks. One video tells you little; three start to show a pattern.

Repeatable formats. Inside each pillar, choose a format you can repeat: the same opening line, the same camera angle, a series name like "Day 12 of learning piano". Repetition helps viewers recognise you in the feed and makes videos faster to produce.

Where ideas come from. Questions in your comments, popular videos in your niche, search suggestions in the TikTok search bar and your own daily work. Keep a running list on your phone.

Common mistake. Changing niche every week after a slow video. Give each pillar enough videos before you judge it.

On TikTok, people decide in the first moments whether to keep watching or swipe. The hook is the most important part of every video.

Three layers of a hook. Use all three at once:

1. Visual: start with movement or the most interesting frame, not a still shot of you getting ready.
2. On-screen text: a short line that states the promise ("3 mistakes that ruin your sourdough").
3. Spoken: the first sentence repeats or sharpens the promise.

Hook styles that work in any niche.

• The result first: show the finished outcome, then how.
• The problem: "If your plants keep dying, it is probably this."
• The list: "Three apps I use every day as a freelancer."
• The surprise: a fact or opinion your viewers do not expect.

Deliver on the hook. A strong hook brings viewers in; the rest of the video has to keep the promise. Cut pauses and get to the first step fast.

Before and after.

• Weak: "Hi everyone, so today I wanted to show you something."
• Strong: "This one setting doubles your phone battery life" with the setting already on screen.

Common mistake. A slow start for context. Give the context after the hook, not before it.

TikTok has formats that exist nowhere else, and they are built to put you in front of new people.

Trends and sounds. A trending sound or format gives viewers something familiar. Use it only when you can apply it to your niche; a trend that has nothing to do with your pillars brings viewers who will not follow.

Stitch and Duet. Stitch lets you use a few seconds of another video and then respond. Duet puts your video side by side with someone else's. Both are ways to join a conversation that already has an audience: react to a popular video in your niche with your expert take.

Reply to comments with a video. When someone asks a question in your comments, answer with a new video that shows the comment on screen. It turns one viewer's question into content for everyone and invites more questions.

Photo posts. Swipeable photo posts work for lists, steps and before-and-after sets, and they give you another way to post on days when you cannot film.

Series. Number your videos ("Part 3") or name a series. Viewers who like one part go looking for the others.

LIVE. Going live is a separate skill, but even short live sessions answering questions build a closer audience.

Common mistake. Only posting standard videos. Mixing native formats gives you more ways to be found.

Many people use TikTok like a search engine: "easy dinner ideas", "how to style wide-leg jeans", "best laptop for students". Videos that answer these searches keep getting views long after the first days.

Find what people search. Type your topic into the TikTok search bar and read the suggestions. These are real searches, and the related terms show how people phrase them.

Say it, show it, write it. Use the words people search in three places:

• Spoken in the first sentences of the video.
• On-screen text in the hook.
• Caption in a plain sentence that describes the video.

Hashtags. Use a few relevant hashtags that describe the topic and the audience, not a long list of general ones. They help TikTok understand the video; they do not replace a good hook.

Make search videos part of your mix. One or two videos a week that answer a specific question give you a steady base of views, while trend and opinion videos bring faster spikes.

Common mistake. Captions that say only "wait for it" or an emoji. A caption that describes the video helps both search and the viewer.

Followers who comment and come back are worth more than views from people who never return. This module is about turning viewers into a community.

Reply to every comment early. In the first hours after posting, answer comments with something more than an emoji. A thread under your video keeps people on it longer and shows new viewers that you are there.

Pin a comment. Pin a question, the answer to the most common question or a link to the next part. Many viewers read comments while the video plays.

Ask for a specific reaction. End with a question people can answer from their own life: "What is the one app you cannot work without?" Avoid generic "comment below".

Comment on others. Spend a few minutes a day leaving useful comments on videos from creators in your niche. Their viewers see your name and your profile photo, and some come to check your videos.

Make your viewers part of the content. Video replies to comments, "you asked, I tested" videos and questions you ask on screen turn the audience into co-authors.

Common mistake. Posting and leaving. The conversation in the first hours is part of the video.

The last module turns the course into a plan for the next 30 days, guided by a few numbers from your TikTok analytics.

The numbers that matter.

• Average watch time and watched full video: whether your hooks and pacing hold attention.
• Traffic sources: For You, search, your profile, following. Search views tell you which topics people look for.
• New followers per video: which videos turn viewers into followers.
• Comments, shares and saves: which videos people react to, pass on or keep.

Record your baseline today. Followers, views over the last 7 days and the top three videos by new followers. You will compare against these numbers on day 30.

Your 30-day action plan.

1. Week 1: post daily or every other day across your three pillars.
2. Week 2: add one Stitch or Duet and one video reply to a comment.
3. Week 3: make two search videos from your list of search phrases.
4. Week 4: look at your best three videos by new followers and make a follow-up or part two to each.

Review weekly. Every week, compare your best and weakest video. Was the difference the hook, the format or the topic? Change one thing at a time.

Common mistake. Judging the account by one viral video or one flop. The 30-day pattern matters more than any single post.