TikTok is where follower counts move fastest, and where reading them programmatically is hardest to arrange through official channels. Metrika gives you the number for any public account from a plain username, no OAuth flow and no research programme application.
Usernames, without the @
The identifier is the username as it appears in the profile
URL, minus the @: request nba, not @nba. A roster of
creators fits in one call, up to ten accounts at a time:
$ curl -X POST https://metrika.run/api/v1/resources/search \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"resources": [
{"platform": "tiktok", "type": "account", "identifier": "nba"},
{"platform": "tiktok", "type": "account", "identifier": "nasa"}
]
}'
Follower count arrives under metrics next to following
count and post count, with the verified flag under
attributes. Each value has its own status and a
collected_at timestamp; new accounts come back pending
until their first collection completes, and known accounts
refresh daily.
Why not the official APIs
TikTok's Display API returns data for the account that just authorised your app, which is the wrong shape for tracking creators who will never log into your product, and the Research API is aimed at approved institutions. The full reasoning lives in our TikTok comparison; the short version is that public follower counts fall between the official offerings.
Where the number fits
Creator marketing runs on this number: shortlisting, pricing, and campaign reporting all start from reach. Because the same request works for every platform Metrika covers, a TikTok-first roster can grow Instagram and YouTube columns without new integrations.
Worth knowing
Metrika returns profile-level numbers, not video analytics: no views, no engagement rates, no sounds or hashtags. Values are the current public counts, refreshed daily, so history is something you build by storing snapshots on your side.
Getting started
Create an account, generate an API key, and you can make up to 500 requests per month for free with no credit card. See the docs for authentication and the full response reference.
Get started with Metrika
Create a free account and start pulling social media datapoints in minutes. The free tier includes 500 requests per month, no credit card required.