This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

How Did This 16-Year-Old Girl Amass 100 Million Followers On TikTok? It's not just authenticity. It's actually something else, and it's darker.

By Gene Marks

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

NBC | Getty Images

Perhaps you've heard of Charli D'Amelio? If you haven't you should. Particularly if you're looking to build a brand on social media. D'Amelio is just 16 years old, and yet she's managed to pull off something no one else has done so far. She's accumulated more than 100 million followers on TikTok, the popular video-sharing social networking service.

"100 million people supporting me," D'Amelio tweeted. "I truly cannot believe that this is real." For the record, it's not just TikTok where D'Amelio is popular. She also has 4.9 million followers on Twitter and almost 34 million on Instagram, a number that far surpasses some of the biggest brands in the world.

Of course, D'Amelio is not the only one with eye-popping numbers. Other young social media influencers like Addison Rae, Zach King and Loren Gray also have enormous followings on TikTok and Instagram. These entrepreneurs have received major sponsorship revenues from large corporations looking to have them endorse their products. And make no mistake about it, D'Amelio is shilling products and reportedly earning millions doing so. Good for her.