First1000: How TikTok Acquired Its First 1000 Users
TikTok’s first 1000 users were captured through viral challenges, influencer partnerships, and an addictive AI-driven feed. Discover how this dynamic app reshaped social media and drew in a global audience.
In this First1000 feature, we take a look at TikTok, the short-form video platform that redefined online entertainment and quickly became one of the most downloaded apps globally. TikTok launched in 2016 as Douyin in China, developed by ByteDance. In 2018, it merged with the popular app Musical.ly to create the international phenomenon TikTok. Here’s how they acquired their first 1000 users—and rapidly grew to over a billion.
Founding TikTok: ByteDance’s Vision
TikTok was the brainchild of Zhang Yiming, ByteDance’s founder, who wanted to create a platform where users could easily consume engaging video content tailored to their interests. By leveraging ByteDance's AI-powered recommendation algorithms, TikTok stood out for its ability to personalize content based on user behavior in real time, giving users an addictive experience that kept them scrolling. In China, the app was known as Douyin, and within a year, it garnered millions of users.
To capture the global market, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly in 2018. The move was a strategic one, allowing TikTok to integrate Musical.ly’s user base and provide a solid foothold in the United States and other Western markets.
Ingenious Strategies to Acquire the First 1000 Users
- The AI-Driven “For You” Feed: TikTok’s success in capturing and retaining early users largely hinged on its highly addictive For You Page (FYP). Powered by ByteDance’s advanced recommendation algorithms, the FYP presented users with content that matched their preferences from their very first visit. This personalization gave TikTok an edge, as users felt instantly engaged with entertaining content without needing to search for it.
- Strategic Musical.ly Acquisition: Merging with Musical.ly allowed TikTok to bring an existing user base directly into its fold, giving the platform an instant audience. Musical.ly users were already familiar with short-form, music-centric videos, which eased the transition. By merging the apps, TikTok secured thousands of engaged users from day one, while also boosting its appeal to a younger, music-loving audience.
- Viral Challenges and Hashtags: TikTok’s marketing team developed viral challenges and hashtag trends to encourage content creation. These challenges, often featuring dance moves, lip-syncing, and user-generated stunts, invited people to join the fun. By participating, users could gain instant visibility, making TikTok attractive to aspiring content creators. The “#InMyFeelingsChallenge” and “#IceBucketChallenge” became early viral sensations, helping TikTok grow its user base rapidly.
- Influencer Partnerships: TikTok tapped into the power of influencers to drive growth, especially targeting creators with large followings on other platforms. ByteDance offered incentives and sponsorship deals to encourage influencers to join and promote TikTok, bringing their audiences with them. In the West, high-profile influencers like Loren Gray and Baby Ariel helped the platform’s credibility and appeal skyrocket among young users.
- Localized Content and a Global Strategy: TikTok took a unique approach by tailoring content to regional preferences, which helped drive adoption in specific markets. ByteDance hired teams in multiple countries to support local content creation, understanding that a more localized experience would make TikTok appealing globally. This strategy helped TikTok gain traction in key markets by connecting with diverse audiences and sparking viral trends that resonated locally.
TikTok Today
Today, TikTok is a global powerhouse with over 1 billion monthly active users and an estimated valuation of $75 billion. It continues to lead the short-form video space and has inspired a new generation of creators and influencers. TikTok remains privately held by ByteDance, which is among the highest-valued startups globally, although there have been considerations for a potential IPO in the future.
What is First1000?
First1000 is a series exploring how innovative companies attracted their first users and carved out their own markets. From unique marketing strategies to growth hacks, First1000 reveals the foundational stories behind today’s iconic brands and platforms.