TikTok Accounts Under 1,000 Followers See Biggest FYP Lift, Bulkoid Data Shows

TikTok creators with fewer than 1,000 followers may have the most to gain from early video engagement, according to new research from social media growth company Bulkoid.

The company’s analysis of more than 25,000 TikTok account-level scenarios found that smaller accounts showed the largest relative improvement in estimated For You Page (FYP) discovery potential when videos received strong early engagement.

Accounts with fewer than 1,000 followers recorded a 5.1x increase in estimated FYP likelihood, compared with 2.8x for accounts with more than 50,000 followers.

The findings suggest that early interactions could be particularly valuable for new creators trying to reach viewers beyond their existing audience.

Smaller TikTok Accounts Show the Strongest Results

The TikTok FYP early engagement study examined how follower count, early views, likes, comments and engagement timing were associated with estimated content discovery.

The results showed a consistent pattern across four account-size categories.

These figures represent estimated relative likelihood under stronger early engagement conditions compared with a low-activity baseline, rather than guaranteed increases in actual video reach.

Accounts with tens of thousands of followers already have an established audience that can generate interactions shortly after publication. Smaller creators often lack that advantage, making strong initial engagement a potentially bigger improvement from their usual starting point.

Why Early Engagement Matters for New Creators

Unlike platforms that rely heavily on existing followers, TikTok’s For You Page can introduce videos to people who have never interacted with a creator before.

This gives smaller accounts an opportunity to reach audiences much larger than their follower counts suggest.

Bulkoid’s research found that videos with stronger early engagement profiles were associated with higher estimated discovery potential than those receiving little initial activity.

Stronger early views alone corresponded with a 1.8x estimated FYP likelihood, while views combined with likes reached 2.7x. Adding comments increased the figure to 3.9x, with the strongest combined engagement profiles reaching 5.1x.

For smaller creators, this suggests that encouraging genuine audience interaction may be more valuable than focusing entirely on accumulating views.

The First Hours After Posting Could Make a Difference

Account size was not the only factor associated with stronger discovery potential.

The study found that videos receiving engagement during their initial launch window recorded a relative FYP likelihood of 5.1x, compared with 4.2x for engagement arriving later the same day.

That figure dropped to 2.9x when engagement arrived between 24 and 48 hours after publication, and 1.7x when it appeared more than 48 hours later.

For creators building an audience, these findings highlight the potential value of publishing when viewers are active, encouraging conversations and monitoring early video performance.

However, the results do not mean older videos cannot gain traction or that every successful video needs immediate engagement.

What the Findings Mean for Small Creators

The research offers an encouraging perspective for creators who have not yet built a large following.

While established accounts benefit from larger audiences, smaller profiles may experience greater relative improvements in estimated discovery potential when their videos receive strong early engagement.

There are important limitations. Bulkoid’s findings come from an internal analytical model rather than official TikTok algorithm data. The results identify associations between engagement patterns and estimated FYP likelihood, not proof that increasing engagement directly causes wider distribution.

The company, which provides paid social media growth services, also notes that no engagement strategy guarantees viral success.

Still, the findings suggest that follower count alone does not determine a video’s opportunity to reach a wider audience. For creators starting with fewer than 1,000 followers, strong early engagement may offer the greatest relative improvement in estimated FYP discovery potential.