Is it normal for a new TikTok account to grow this slowly?

I recently started a new TikTok account for a small niche project and I’m trying to understand what normal growth looks like in the early stages. Right now I’m posting consistently and trying to follow common advice like using trending sounds, writing better hooks in the first few seconds, and keeping videos fairly short.

The issue is that the account still feels very slow to grow. Some videos get a few hundred views but the follower count barely moves. I know TikTok growth can take time, but it sometimes feels like new accounts struggle to gain traction when they have almost no followers.

I’ve heard some creators mention using small follower boosts early on just so the profile doesn’t look completely empty when people check it. Others say it’s better to rely entirely on organic growth.

For people who have grown TikTok accounts before, what helped you get past the early stage and start gaining followers more consistently?