TikTok has exploded in popularity over the past few years, becoming one of the fastest growing social media platforms globally. As of January 2023, TikTok boasts over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.
With its addictive short videos ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes, it‘s no wonder users of all ages get sucked into endlessly scrolling through TikTok for hours on end.
But with such a massive userbase, creators on TikTok have to be more considerate about privacy and security. Unlike other social platforms like Instagram or Facebook, TikTok actually allows users to choose between having a public account or private account.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about managing follow requests and followers as a private TikTok user.
Why Follow Requests Matter on Private TikTok Accounts
The option to switch to a private account is important for TikTok creators who want more control over their audience and privacy.
Here‘s an overview of how public vs private accounts work on TikTok:
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Public accounts – Anyone can view content, follow, and engage without needing approval. Creators have no control over followers.
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Private accounts – Users must send a follow request to see content or follow. Creators must approve each request.
Essentially, private accounts give TikTok users the ability to manually filter their followers list and dictate exactly who can access and interact with their account.
According to TikTok, over 60% of TikTok accounts are currently set to private. Most users utilize private accounts for key reasons like:
- Maintaining privacy of content
- Avoiding harassment, bullying, or unwanted interactions
- Cultivating a specific niche follower base
As a private account holder, you must personally review and accept or decline all follow requests sent to you. Approved followers gain access to view your private profile, while denied requests are blocked.
This gives creators significant control over their audience and followers list. But it also means effectively managing incoming requests is critical.
Next, let‘s look at how to switch your account to private on TikTok.
Switching to a Private TikTok Account
If your account is currently set to public, you‘ll need to change it to private first in order to enable follow requests. Here are the steps:
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Open the TikTok app and tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
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Tap the 3-dot menu icon in the top right and select "Settings and privacy".
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Choose "Privacy" settings.
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Toggle the switch for "Private account" on (it will turn green when activated).
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Confirm you want to switch to a private account.
It‘s that simple! TikTok will automatically convert your account to private. Now anyone who wants to follow you must first send a request that you can approve or deny.
Time to learn how to access those incoming requests.
Where to Find Follow Requests on TikTok
Once your account is set to private, any follow requests will be directed to your notifications inbox. You have two ways to access and view pending requests:
1. Through Your Activity Notifications
This shows real-time notifications for any new follow requests.
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Tap the "Inbox" icon in the bottom navigation bar.
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You‘ll see an alert for "Follow requests" with the number of pending requests shown.
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Tap into that notification to view and manage the requests.
2. Via Your Account‘s Privacy Settings
For a complete list of all pending requests, you can head to your privacy settings.
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Tap the "Me" icon in the bottom navigation bar.
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Tap the 3-dot menu in the top right and select "Settings and privacy".
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Choose "Privacy" settings.
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Select "Followers" to view your full list of follow requests.
Checking both your notifications and privacy settings lets you stay on top of managing follow requests. Now let‘s go over how to accept or deny requests.
Accepting and Declining Follow Requests
When viewing your list of follow requests, you have a few options:
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Accept – Tap the green checkmark icon to approve the request. This allows the user to follow you and view your private content.
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Decline – Tap the X icon to deny the request. This prevents the user from accessing your profile and they cannot attempt to follow you again.
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Block – You can block any user to prevent them from viewing your account or contacting you in the future. Tap the 3-dot menu next to their name and select "Block".
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Ignore – If you aren‘t sure yet, you can ignore a request and it will remain pending in your inbox until you choose to accept or decline it later.
As a private account owner, it‘s up to you to decide who seems legitimate and you‘re comfortable letting into your audience. Set expectations in your bio letting people know you manually approve followers.
I recommend reviewing your pending follow requests at least once a week and clearing them out. You don‘t want them to pile up!
Occasionally audit your approved followers list as well. Remove any that are fake accounts, bots, inactive, or no longer relevant to your target audience.
Now let‘s look at it from the other side – sending a follow request to a private account.
How to Send a Follow Request on TikTok
When you come across an interesting private TikTok account you want to follow, sending them a request is simple:
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Navigate to the private TikTok profile and tap their profile picture to open it.
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Tap the Follow button. Since their account is private, TikTok will automatically send them a follow request rather than letting you follow directly.
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The Follow button changes to Requested to indicate you‘ve sent your request.
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If the user approves your request, you‘ll get an alert that they accepted. If they deny it, the Requested button reverts to Follow so you can send another.
Then it‘s a waiting game to see if the user accepts your request! If they don‘t within 2-3 weeks, it‘s best to just move on.
As a reminder, even if you don‘t follow someone, you can still view, like, and comment on their videos if you find them organically. But only approved followers can access their full profile.
Next, let‘s go over some pro tips for managing follow requests.
Expert Tips for Managing TikTok Follow Requests
After helping thousands of clients grow their social media followings, here are my top professional tips for effectively handling follow requests:
Set Clear Expectations
Add a note in your TikTok bio explaining that you manually approve followers to set expectations. Something like "Private account – must be approved to follow" works well.
Check Requests Regularly
Make it a habit to check your pending follow requests at least 2-3 times per week. Don‘t leave them piling up for months.
Prune Your Followers
Audit your approved followers once a month and remove any accounts that seem fake, inactive, or irrelevant now. Keep your community aligned.
Limit Personal Content
Be selective about approving requests from strangers to protect your privacy. Consider a separate TikTok account just for friends and family.
Utilize Location Bans
If you get unwanted requests from a specific country/region, you can actually block that location badge from ever finding your profile.
Go Public Strategically
When posting content you want to go viral, temporarily switch to a public account for 24-48 hours then revert back to private.
Leverage Your Niche
Connect with others in your niche by collaborating and cross-promoting content to aligned accounts. A tight-knit community protects privacy.
Review Requesters‘ Profiles
Glance at a user‘s profile before approving their request to ensure they share related interests and post relevant content.
Implementing these follow request best practices takes a bit of work, but pays off through a cultivated audience that "gets" you and your content.
Now let‘s address a key limitation of private accounts on TikTok.
Limitations of Private TikTok Accounts
While private accounts provide more control over followers, there is one major limitation to note:
Private accounts cannot restrict who can like or comment on their content.
Even if someone doesn‘t follow you, they can still like, view, or comment on your videos if they happen to come across them. Unlike followers, these interactions cannot be limited.
The only content that is fully blocked from non-followers is your profile page and complete video feed. So you may still receive unwanted engagement from random accounts.
For true influencers going viral, this lack of comment/like control means staying public is usually preferred. But smaller creators early on benefit more from the privacy and curation of a private account.
Should You Switch to a Private TikTok Account?
Deciding whether to have a private vs public TikTok account depends largely on your goals and priorities:
You may want a public account if:
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Your focus is gaining followers and increasing viewership. Public accounts get more visibility.
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You want to go viral. Public videos can be viewed and shared more widely.
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You have an established audience. Public feeds off an existing engaged following.
A private account may be better if:
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You want to limit access to your content. Private provides more privacy.
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You hope to cultivate a specific niche audience. Private allows selective followers.
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You are concerned about security and harassment. Private controls unwanted interactions.
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You are an individual posting personal content. Private limits visibility from strangers.
Analyze your situation and current goals on TikTok. Typically, smaller creators just starting out gain more benefits from operating a private account.
As your following grows, you may consider eventually switching over to public for that expanded TikTok reach. Test both options to see which works best for your needs!
Key Takeaways on Managing Followers
Here are the core takeaways on effectively managing your followers as a private TikTok account holder:
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Switch your account settings to private to require follow requests.
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Check your notifications and privacy settings to view incoming requests.
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Thoughtfully accept or deny each follow request based on the user‘s profile.
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Set expectations in your bio that you manually approve followers.
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Prune your followers list occasionally removing irrelevant or fake accounts.
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Send follow requests to desired private accounts you discover.
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Periodically re-evaluate if private still makes sense based on your goals.
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Remember public accounts cannot limit likes/comments if you go viral.
Controlling your TikTok audience as a private account holder takes more effort, but provides creators with needed security and creative direction.
Put these follow request management tips into practice to take full advantage of TikTok‘s privacy features and grow your community intentionally.
Final Thoughts
Follow requests are a key benefit of using a private account on TikTok. It transforms an otherwise public platform into a space you can carefully curate based on your goals and priorities.
But managing requests well requires discipline and strategy. Check your inbox routinely, prune irrelevant followers, and deliberately approve each new request.
Your TikTok profile should represent your brand. A cultivated custom audience allows you to make genuine connections and reach users who appreciate your style of content.
So embrace the superpower of private accounts on TikTok. Follow requests put you in the driver‘s seat, controlling exactly who can view and engage with your account.
What tips do you have for managing follow requests? What has worked for building your niche audience on TikTok? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
