How I Gained 1,000 Followers My First Week on TikTok

A few months ago, I started a teaching TikTok and Instagram account called @gomissfish. I wanted a space to express my creativity, laugh at the chaos of teaching, and connect with other educators who just get it. I wasn’t really trying to go viral.

I just wanted to make content that felt real.

Then it happened.

The very first video I posted blew up… 720,000 views on Instagram and 270,000 on TikTok. I gained over 1,000 followers in just a few days, and it kind of felt like I had accidentally stumbled into something huge. But looking back, it wasn’t an accident.

That video worked for one simple reason: relatability.

Relatability = Shareability

If you’ve ever scrolled through social media and thought, “Wow, this is so me,” then immediately sent it to three friends... that’s where the magic happens. Relatable content gets shared. And shareability is what drives views. It’s how videos trend. It’s how they make their way onto the screens of people who’ve never heard of you.

That first post captured a universal experience for teachers. It was short, funny, and honest. And because it connected with people emotionally, they wanted to share it. That’s where the momentum started.

Strategy Over Virality

Once that video took off, I didn’t waste the moment. I kept posting. Some of my next videos reached 79,000 views on Instagram, 59,000 on TikTok, 17,000 here, 10,000 there... Eventually, my TikTok account hit over 33,000 likes in total. But more than the numbers, I started paying attention to why certain posts worked.

I asked myself questions like:
What makes this relatable?
Would a tired teacher send this to a coworker?
Does this feel real and specific, or generic and forced?

I thought about the everyday experiences teachers go through…. the little frustrations, the funny moments that happen when you’ve said “please sit down” for the 37th time that day. I turned those moments into short videos that connected with other educators.

And I watched the analytics. I saw which videos held attention and which ones people skipped. I paid attention to comments and DMs. I watched when people clicked off of my videos and tried to figure out why. If people mentioned, “This is exactly how I feel,” I knew I was on the right track. I adjusted my content based on what resonated most with my audience.

Know Your Audience

The biggest thing I learned from this experience is that good content isn't about going viral. It's about knowing your audience. For me, that was teachers who were passionate, sarcastic, creative, and human, looking for others to connect with.

Even though I’ve paused posting to focus on my transition into marketing, the lessons stuck with me. Creating content that connects, knowing your audience, and telling real stories? That’s not just social media advice. That’s marketing.

Want to see what I posted? Find me at @gomissfish on Instagram and TikTok.