tiktok-growth — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

---
name: tiktok-growth
description: >-
  Use to grow a TikTok account — the TikTok-specific growth strategy that diagnoses where growth is
  stuck and orchestrates the other skills to fix it. Run when the user says "grow on TikTok," "TikTok
  growth," "get more followers/views on TikTok," "my TikTok isn't growing," "go viral on TikTok," or
  "TikTok strategy." Reads brand-profile, social-strategy, and audience first. Built on the 2026
  reality that TikTok is an interest graph — follower count is not a ranking factor; completion rate
  and rewatches drive reach, and search/SEO is a major evergreen pillar. Diagnoses the broken stage
  of the test-and-expand loop and routes to the right skill (tiktok-script, hook-writer,
  profile-optimization, content-calendar, hashtag-strategy, trend-jacking,
  viral-reverse-engineering). Judges via native TikTok analytics — not WoopSocial analytics — and
  treats followers as a business asset, not the reach mechanism.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
---

# TikTok Growth

This is the TikTok-specific **growth system** — not a content skill. It diagnoses *where* growth is
stuck and routes to the skills that fix it, on top of how TikTok actually distributes content in
2026. Don't carry over Instagram assumptions; TikTok is a different machine.

Three truths shape everything:

1. **TikTok is an interest graph, not a social graph.** Follower count is **not a ranking factor** —
   every video is tested on a cold audience, and ~70–80% of the FYP is non-followers. **You don't
   grow by accumulating followers for reach.**
2. **Completion + rewatch win.** The top signal is **completion rate (aim ~70%+)**, then
   **rewatches/loops**; likes are the weakest. The first ~1 second decides everything.
3. **Search and volume are growth pillars.** TikTok is a search engine (evergreen discovery), and
   each post is a cheap **at-bat** — consistency + reading patterns beats one-off luck.

Followers are the **business** asset (LIVE/Shop/owned audience), not the reach mechanism. (Full
model: `references/the-growth-engine.md`.)

## Step 0 — Read the foundation + the current state

Load `brand-profile.md`, `social-strategy.md`, `audience.md`. Get the **goal** and the **current
state** from WoopSocial post analytics (views, likes, comments, shares, saves) plus native TikTok
analytics for completion %, rewatches, traffic source, and follows-per-video — those are not stored
in WoopSocial. Never fabricate.

## Step 1 — Diagnose the broken stage/phase

Find where it's stuck in the **test-and-expand loop**: Phase-1 death (hook/completion) → Phase-2
plateau (cold-audience hold) → follow-conversion → search → volume/consistency → niche → community. A
growth problem is almost always **one** stage. See the diagnosis table in
`references/features-and-diagnosis.md`.

## Step 2 — Fix completion + rewatch (the dominant signal)

If reach is the issue: rebuild the **1-second hook**, raise **completion toward ~70%+** (fast pacing,
no dead air, right length), and add a **loop/rewatch trigger**. → `tiktok-script`, `hook-writer`. See
`references/completion-search-volume.md`.

## Step 3 — Build the search lane (evergreen discovery)

Put the **primary keyword in spoken audio + on-screen text + caption** (the triple mention), write
captions like search queries, and build keyword clusters so videos get found for months independent
of the FYP. → `hashtag-strategy`/`social-seo`, `tiktok-script`.

## Step 4 — Run consistent at-bats + read patterns

A sustainable cadence (commonly ~3–5×/week, quality-gated) gives the algorithm more tests; **judge by
patterns across many videos, not one flop**; the back-catalog resurfaces. **Photo Mode carousels** are
cheap extra at-bats where the niche fits (high-ceiling, niche-dependent — not a reach hack) →
`tiktok-photo-mode`. → `content-calendar`, `viral-reverse-engineering`. See
`references/completion-search-volume.md`.

## Step 5 — Convert + retain with native features

- **Convert:** if views are high but follows are low, it's the **profile** + no reason to follow →
  `profile-optimization` + a **Series/Parts** (drives binge + follows).
- **Reach features:** **Stitch/Duet** to piggyback momentum; **pinned comment** to seed engagement.
- **Community/business:** **LIVE** (needs ~1k followers), playlists, video replies — for warm fans,
  not early reach. See `references/features-and-diagnosis.md`.

## Step 6 — Niche, cadence, measurement

- **Tighten the niche** so the interest graph can categorize and recommend you ("sides of TikTok").
- **Sustainable cadence** → `content-calendar`.
- **Measure** via native analytics (completion, rewatch, shares, traffic source, follows-per-video).
  No WoopSocial analytics; **follower count isn't the goal metric.**

## Orchestration map

tiktok-growth diagnoses and routes; these execute: `tiktok-script` · `tiktok-photo-mode` ·
`hook-writer` · `caption-writer` · `profile-optimization` · `content-calendar` · `hashtag-strategy` ·
`trend-jacking` · `viral-reverse-engineering` · `cross-platform-repurposing` · `scheduling-and-queue`.

## Quality bar — self-check

- Did I **diagnose the broken stage/phase** rather than spray generic tips?
- Did I center **completion (~70%+) + rewatch** as the signals, and the **1-second hook**?
- Did I build the **search lane** and frame growth as **consistent at-bats + patterns**?
- Did I treat **followers as a business asset**, not a reach lever?
- Did I route to the right skills, with **sustainable cadence** and **native-analytics** measurement?
- **No bought followers / no #fyp / no polished-ad advice / no guarantees**, and the **flux** caveat?

## Edge cases & pushback

- **"Buy followers / I need followers for reach"** → refuse fake engagement; follower count isn't a
  ranking factor; reframe to completion/search + followers-as-business-asset.
- **"~200 views then dead"** → Phase-1 death → hook + completion → `tiktok-script`/`hook-writer`.
- **"One flop, the algorithm hates me"** → single videos are noise; consistent at-bats + read
  patterns.
- **"Guarantee me viral"** → no guarantees; stack the odds; note the 2026 algorithm flux.
- **Scattered niche** → tighten the lane so the interest graph can categorize you.
- **"Use LIVE to grow"** (small account) → LIVE needs ~1k and is community/monetization, not early
  reach.
- **"Which video performs best?"** → native TikTok analytics; no WoopSocial analytics.

## Related skills

- `brand-profile`, `social-strategy`, `audience-research` — the positioning growth rests on.
- `tiktok-script`, `hook-writer`, `caption-writer` — the content that earns completion + search.
- `profile-optimization` — converts reach to follows; `content-calendar` — sustainable at-bats.
- `hashtag-strategy`/`social-seo` — the search/keyword layer; `trend-jacking` — sounds/trends.
- `viral-reverse-engineering` — read patterns across videos; `tiktok-video-publishing` /
  `tiktok-photo-mode` + `scheduling-and-queue` — publish.

## References

- `references/the-growth-engine.md` — interest graph, the 3-phase test, the signals, the loop, flux.
- `references/completion-search-volume.md` — the three pillars: completion/rewatch, search/SEO, volume + patterns.
- `references/features-and-diagnosis.md` — native features, niche, followers-as-business, symptom→stage→fix.
- `references/examples.md` — worked diagnoses with routing, plus honest expectations.