Tiktok Comments That Signal Real Influence, Not Just Popularity

When you spend time scrolling through TikTok, it’s easy to notice which videos have millions of views or which creators are followed by huge numbers of people, but those stats don’t really show you the full effect someone has. What seems more important is what happens after the video – whether it opens up any kind of real conversation. If you stop and read the comments, you start to notice these moments.

Sometimes people are asking follow-up questions, telling their own stories that relate to what they saw, or even continuing a joke that started in the video. It can be small things, like someone mentioning how a tip actually helped them, or a discussion breaking out about something the creator said.

Sometimes it goes further and people start talking in other spaces, like Telegram or Discord. This back-and-forth is a sign there’s something beyond surface-level interest – it’s more about people feeling like they’re part of something, even if it’s just a comment thread. There are all sorts of guides out there on everything to grow on TikTok, but what really stands out is this sense of genuine engagement.

For brands, for anyone who wants to start making videos, or even for regular viewers trying to understand why some creators matter more than others, paying attention to these details in the comments makes a real difference. There’s a difference between a video that trends for a day and one that people keep coming back to, and you can usually see it right there where people are actually talking to each other, sometimes in ways that have nothing to do with the original post.

I’ve realized my view of TikTok influence has really shifted over time. I used to think it was mostly about how many followers someone had or how many likes their videos got – sometimes even wondered what it meant when you’d see someone suddenly expand TikTok followers overnight. After sticking around longer and paying more attention to the comments, though, it’s clear there’s more to it.

It’s not just about the numbers – what actually matters is how people respond and talk to each other around a video. Sometimes you see someone mention how they tried out the creator’s suggestion in their own life, or you’ll notice people having full conversations about the topic instead of just saying things like “love this.” There are even arguments or people respectfully disagreeing, which usually means they’re really thinking about it. Some comment threads turn into inside jokes or people making their own videos about the idea, and that starts to stand out after a while. What changed my mind was seeing the longer back-and-forths that keep going even after the video is old news.

In those threads, friends tag each other to get advice, people share what happened when they tried something similar, or they break down why a certain point hit home. You can’t fake that kind of thing with bots or boosts; it happens when people are actually interested and invested. If you really want to spot who holds real influence, looking at those kinds of comments tells you more than any number at the top of the screen. The people who get others talking and thinking – even making their own stuff – seem to have something different going on, and that’s maybe where the real impact starts.

The thing is, you can keep making systems bigger and more complicated, but if you're just guessing, you won’t really get anywhere. When you’re trying to figure out who actually has influence on TikTok, it helps to look at the patterns in the comments. That’s what lets you move from stumbling onto someone by accident to having a real plan. There’s a big difference between someone who goes viral once and someone whose influence lasts – usually, it comes down to what’s happening in their comment sections. If you notice that whenever a creator posts, people ask thoughtful questions, have back-and-forth discussions, or bring up advice from older videos, that’s not random.

That’s a sign that something real is happening. These comments aren’t background noise – they’re data you can work with. If you’re a brand looking for partners, or a creator who wants to get better at what you do, it’s worth paying attention to what actually shows up in the comments over and over. Things like people sharing follow-up stories, asking for details, or starting conversations with each other – those are good signals to watch. It’s different from chasing spikes in likes or views because you’re focusing on things that actually repeat and build over time. Sometimes, people focus so much on how to gain attention on TikTok that they overlook what’s consistent in the comment sections, even though those patterns are often the real markers of lasting influence.

Looking at things this way gives you a better sense of what keeps people around, beyond just the top-level numbers. On a platform that never really sits still, noticing which comment patterns last – and even grow – makes your choices a little steadier. It doesn’t take all the risk out of it, but it does give you something firmer to work from, instead of always chasing whatever comes next.

Sometimes I find myself questioning whether most of what we say online actually reaches anyone. On TikTok, for example, the comment sections look lively at first glance – hundreds or even thousands of replies flooding in under every trending video. But when you pause to read through, it’s mostly short quips, repeated jokes, or people trying to get attention for themselves.

It starts to feel more like background chatter than real conversation. Seeing a video with a ton of comments, it’s easy to believe the creator is making a big difference, but most of what’s written isn’t really about the idea or experience in the video. It’s things like people tagging friends, bots posting links, or the same handful of emojis and one-word comments over and over. Sometimes you see people racing to comment “first!” before anyone else, and there’s not much to take away from that.

And yet, all those numbers – likes, engagement with TikTok views, comments – can give this strong impression of a conversation happening, even if it’s mostly noise. But every now and then, I’ll come across a smaller account where the comments are different. There, people ask questions about what the creator shared, bring up details from older videos, or even have disagreements without getting nasty. It feels more like an actual exchange, where people are thinking about what they saw and responding to each other. Those are the places where you can tell something’s really happening beneath the surface, even if it isn’t obvious in the numbers. It makes me wonder how much we miss when we only focus on what’s popular, and how easy it is to overlook the smaller, quieter conversations that might actually matter more.

If you’re feeling uneasy, try letting yourself sit with that for a bit. Some of the most revealing TikTok comment sections aren’t the ones full of quick jokes or endless emoji chains, but the ones where people are actively thinking things through. You see users questioning ideas, pushing back, or even reconsidering what they believe. It’s not always smooth, and sometimes the conversation gets a little tangled as people bring up earlier videos or go back and forth about what something means. That’s different from the usual pattern of everyone agreeing or looking for attention.

If a creator’s videos lead to this kind of back-and-forth, where people are willing to mention what they’ve seen before or build on each other’s points, it usually means the videos are doing something more than just going viral. A little disagreement or uncertainty in the comments is actually helpful; it suggests people are really thinking, not just scrolling. Interestingly, there are even services out there where you can buy shares for TikTok videos, but those don’t capture the messy, genuine conversations that signal real influence.

When you search for “TikTok influence” and land on creators whose comment sections are a bit messy or even tense, it’s usually a sign that something real is happening there. Influence isn’t always comfortable, and sometimes the comments that stay with you are the ones that leave things unsettled.

It’s not hard to make it look like people are paying attention on TikTok – there are always plenty of comments with a “same” or a meme, and those quick reactions pile up fast. But if you linger and read a little deeper, there’s usually a different kind of conversation happening further down. You’ll see longer comments where someone’s actually reflecting, maybe sharing how the video lines up with their own life, or picking apart something the person said. Sometimes people are comfortable enough to push back, and the back-and-forth stays respectful. Those aren’t usually the comments everyone likes or pins to the top, but they seem to start something – more people step in, threads grow, and the topic sort of expands.

That’s where I notice creators leaving a mark that feels more real. It isn’t about huge numbers or whatever shows up in TikTok engagement analytics; you could triple your TikTok performance and still find that the most meaningful moments happen in these threads. It's in the moments when a video makes people stop and talk to each other, or rethink something, even in a small way. These exchanges don’t always stand out unless you’re looking for them, but they can change the mood of a whole comment section, and once in a while, it feels like a bunch of strangers are actually trying to figure something out together.

When you see what looks like a lull in activity, it might actually be something shifting under the surface. On TikTok, for example, if you look at the comment section and notice people aren’t simply responding with quick reactions or emojis, but instead are taking time to share their own stories, question what’s being said, or suggest other ways to think about the topic, that’s something different. It’s not just people watching – it’s people building on each other’s thoughts.

That’s usually where real influence starts to show up. Likes and surface-level agreement are easy to gather, but when you see commenters expanding an idea, or even disagreeing in a thoughtful way, it’s clear the original post meant something more. Sometimes there’s a whole conversation branching off – a few people sharing resources, others weighing in with their own experience, or someone quietly correcting a detail. You can see these patterns on just about any active platform, but they’re especially noticeable when people drive traffic to TikTok and conversations start layering in the comments.

These are the moments where you can see that the creator’s work has weight and people trust them enough to keep talking. On platforms like this, that kind of discussion is a better sign of influence than any number of views. Watching for this – real discussion instead of a rush of approval – tells you which creators actually matter to people, not just to the algorithm. When someone’s videos keep sparking these sorts of back-and-forths, you know they’ve earned a spot in people’s minds. Influence starts to look less like a number ticking up and more like a conversation people want to keep having.