TikTok

Learn How to go viral on TikTok? Discover our 10+ Top Tips and find out what it takes to create trending content that will engage your audience.

These days, every brand wants to know how to go viral on TikTok. why? Because TikTok can get your brand exposed to more people faster, help you generate more leads, and increase your sales faster.

Many people don’t realize that creating a viral video on TikTok is very easy and doesn’t require a huge budget. With over 1 billion users by the beginning of 2021, your company’s TikTok videos will be viewed by many people. All you have to do is learn how to create the right content and implement some powerful social media tips to increase your reach and engagement.

So, keep reading and learn the 10 best tips to go viral on TikTok and check out the brands that have already succeeded by implementing these tips.

How ​​does content go viral on TikTok?

Like other social media platforms, TikTok shows you information based on your past interactions. This includes performing videos on your “Following” feed and your “For You” page (FYP).

So, how does TikTok know which videos go to our FYPs?

TikTok algorithm recommends videos based on views, likes, shares and comments, who you follow, content you click, your account description, video content (text, sound, hashtags); similar mathematics you follow and such you don’t. It shows the mixture.

For a video to go viral, it must pass a critical “test”. TikTok first shows your video to a limited number of people who can enjoy the video based on its content. When these users are aware and engaged, TikTok exposes itself to a wider target audience.

We do not know exactly how long this test takes. It can happen hours, days, or even weeks after you post the video.

How to Go Viral on TikTok

1. Deeply Understand TikTok’s Algorithm: Learn how TikTok decides which videos to show to more people.

2. Keep an Eye on Trending Content: Watch for what’s popular on TikTok right now.

3. Participate in TikTok Challenges: Join in on popular TikTok challenges.

4. Add Hashtags: Use hashtags to help people find your videos.

5. Use Trending Music: Add popular songs to your videos.

6. Keep it Short and Engaging: Make your videos quick and interesting.

7. Interact with Your Audience: Talk to people who comment on your videos.

8. Use Tasteful Humor: Be funny, but in a nice way.

9. Understand Your Audience: Know what your viewers like.

10. Monitor Your Competition: Watch what other brands are doing on TikTok.

1. Deeply Understand TikTok’s Algorithm

Each user sees a different feed based on their preferences. TikTok helps users find similar videos to their previous favorites. For example, some users may watch more cooking videos, while others may watch funny cat videos.

TikTok looks at three main factors when deciding which videos to display:

• User Engagement: This includes call to action such as liking, commenting, sharing, and following creators.
• User Interest: How long the viewer watches your video is important. When watched to the end, it tells TikTok that your video is interesting and TikTok will show it to more people.
• Content creation: Using trending sounds, adding hashtags, and editing with captions can help your video reach more people.

How can you use this information to enhance your video? If you want more interaction, encourage interactions, keep them short (to improve watch time), use trending challenges, sounds and hashtags.

Remember, having a lot of followers doesn’t always guarantee your video will go viral. Followers can help more people see your content initially, but you still need to get likes and comments to reach a wider audience and go viral.

Now that you understand how the TikTok algorithm works, let’s take a look at the types of content you need to post.

2. Keep an Eye on Trending Content

Trending TikTok sounds often signal new trends, like dances, filters, or popular opinions. Following these trends can help you reach more people and potentially go viral.

Show the fun side of your business to connect better with your audience and add some personality and humor to your content.

PRO TIP: Timing is key. Join trends while they’re still hot. If you wait too long, your content might seem outdated, and the algorithm may not promote it.

Example : Chipotle | @chipotle

The popular Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle has become a hit on TikTok with over 1.7 million followers and 3.8 million likes. They started with the #ChipotleLidFlip Challenge, which went viral with over 100,000 people trying it. Chipotle was also one of the first brands to use TikTok’s Ads platform, collaborating with popular creators to boost their official account.

Their next big hit was the #GuacDance challenge, generating over 250,000 videos and 430 million views in just six days. This also led to a surge in guacamole sales on National Guacamole Day.

Chipotle has now ventured into the metaverse. They brought their Halloween event, Boorito, to Roblox, gaining over 4.2 billion views with the hashtag #Boorito on TikTok. Recently, they reopened their Roblox store for National Burrito Day, using TikTok to spread the word.

3. Participate in TikTok Challenges

The TikTok challenge starts with famous brands or designers to create a buzz. You can search for challenges on the Discover page by searching for “challenge” under hashtags.

Identify and participate in challenges that suit your brand and this can help get your videos noticed by consumers and increase engagement.

Example : Bridgerton photo filter

Get ready to step into the Bridgerton world with this special TikTok photo filter. It’s made for all fans celebrating the show’s third season on Netflix.

You can join in on TikTok without needing to learn a new song or dance. And with more drama coming in June 2024, this trend is only getting bigger!

4. Add Hashtags

Adding hashtags helps TikTok understand what your post is about. You can easily search for popular hashtags in the Discover tab. Choose one that resonates with your content and message and engage in conversation. This way your videos can reach people interested in those hashtags. Using trending hashtags helps make your content more visible to your followers on the page for you.

With Storefries, you can create a collection of hashtags organized by topics and social media channels. Storefries allows you to add these collections directly to your content. This saves time so you don’t have to search for hashtags every time you post on TikTok.

Example : Biteable

Biteable is an app for making videos. Their social media team has over 23,000 followers. They post about the struggles of working from home and use popular hashtags to reach large audiences. They also use humor to connect with their viewers.

In their recent post, Biteable used these top hashtags and got these views:

• #WFHCheck: 31.5 million views
• #WFHLife: 164.3 million views
• #WFH: 2.6 billion views

These hashtags are popular and relate to their videos about working from home. Biteable’s TikTok videos often get tens of thousands of views.

5. Using Trending Music

Sound is crucial on TikTok, with 88% of users saying it’s a big part of their experience. The platform offers a vast library of music and sound clips for creators. Viral TikTok videos often feature trending sounds or popular music.

When exploring your For You page for trends, pay attention to the music and sounds used. Using these in your own content can increase your chances of going viral. TikTok’s algorithm promotes videos with trending audio, helping you reach more viewers.

TikTok’s Creative Center provides insights into popular sounds and songs for video creation. You can easily use trending audio by selecting it from any video—just tap on the sound’s name and choose “Use this sound.”

Example: Apple – Charli XCX 

Charli XCX’s song “Apple” is a fun and catchy pop tune that lots of people love on TikTok. It’s got a happy beat and a message that makes you think. People really like the chorus and how energetic it feels. 

The song is perfect for TikTok videos where people do the ‘apple’ dance challenge or create exciting and creative content. It’s so catchy that it’s become really popular!

Businesses can use this song on TikTok to make lively and interesting videos that people will enjoy watching. For example, fashion brands can use it to show off their new clothes in a fun and exciting way.

6. Keep it Short and Engaging

It’s best to keep your video short to increase the chances of your TikTok posts going viral. People’s attention spans get shorter with age.

When TikTok launched, videos were only 15 seconds long. Then, there are 60 seconds, three minutes and even 10 minutes options. However, users still prefer short videos. Experts suggest creating videos between nine and 15 seconds in length to maximize impact and resonate with what most users are watching.

Example: Nutshell Animations

When you scroll through TikTok, you can’t miss Nutshell Animations. Their videos, done in a simple black-and-white style that looks like flipbook drawings, feature characters dancing, changing shapes, shouting, and having fun. It’s all perfectly in sync with TikTok’s constantly changing trends and popular sounds, capturing the app’s wild sense of humor.

With a whopping 21 million followers, Nutshell Animations, despite being faceless, has become the top animation account on TikTok. They’ve mastered the art of creating humor that resonates widely on the platform.

7. Engage with Your Audience

Interacting more with your TikTok audience can bring you many benefits. TikTok values user engagement as a sign of great content.

Consider going live on TikTok and connecting directly with your audience. Here are some ideas to attract viewers to your live session:

• Answer frequently asked questions with a video response
• Host “Ask Me Anything” (AMAs)
• Create product tutorials
• Conduct interviews

During your live session, you can respond to viewer questions through the live chat feature. While you’re live, your video will appear on the For You page, making it easy for users to join in with a simple swipe.

People who watch and comment on your live session are likely to see more of your TikTok content in the future.

8. Use humor wisely

TikTok is all about short, engaging videos that entertain and engage people. It started with lip-sync videos but now covers everything from lectures to tutorials.

Focus on creating interesting content rather than pushing a marketing message. This strategy helps you reach more people and engage more effectively on social media.

Using humor can make your video more engaging, leading to more likes, comments, and shares—these signals are used by TikTok for promotional purposes.

Example: The little puff

9. Create Content for Your Audience

TikTok is hugely popular worldwide, so it’s important to tailor your content to your specific audience’s interests. This is the key to going viral and gaining followers. For example, making dance videos won’t appeal to cooking enthusiasts. To understand what works for your audience:

• Experiment with different types of content.
• Post at the best times.
• Use niche and relevant hashtags your audience likes.

10. Grab Attention from the Hook

With TikTok videos being so short and attention spans getting shorter, it’s crucial to hook viewers right away. Your video’s hook should be established in the first few seconds or frames. According to TikTok, over 63% of videos with the highest click-through rates (CTR) reveal their main message early on.

To keep viewers engaged, tease what’s coming up, use humor or something surprising, or show the outcome right at the beginning of your video.

11. Watch Your Competitors

When you need fresh content ideas, check out what your competitors are doing on TikTok. Don’t copy them directly, but learn from their successful videos. See what works in your industry, including the sounds and hashtags they use.

End’s Up : Want to go viral on TikTok?

Go viral on tikok so Now that you know the basics, it’s time to find your own recipe for success.

We’ve covered how to brainstorm content ideas, what makes videos perform better, and how to connect with your audience.

Going viral on TikTok can boost your brand awareness and even help you turn viewers into customers or earn money from your videos.

Storefries can help you achieve TikTok fame faster. It offers tools to create, edit, and consistent posting schedule content across all your social media platforms from one easy dashboard.

Start your free 14-day trial now and share your viral content faster and easier than ever!