How to go Viral on TikTok

Today, not only is it one of the most popular social networks in the world, but it’s also set to be the fastest-growing social media platform in 2022. Having said that, one question all brands should be asking is: how to go viral on TikTok?

Given its ability to boost brand awareness and sales, knowing how to make a video go viral on TikTok is coveted knowledge for many businesses. However, what may work for other social networks may not prove effective on TikTok. 

That’s because, unlike many other social media sites, TikTok’s algorithm does not recommend videos based on the number of followers an account has. In other words, just about anybody can go viral on TikTok—even a brand new account with zero followers.

Below are our top 5 tips on how to go viral on TikTok.

1. Keep Up With the Latest Trends

As one of the most trend-driven social media platforms, one of the most important ways to know how to go viral on TikTok requires you to keep up with the latest trends. Knowing what’s currently hot among users can inspire you to create similar content, whether it’s a specific dance, audio clip, video format, or topic.

Fortunately, finding out what’s trending on TikTok isn’t difficult. Simply hop on over to its For You page, which is a personalised feed of curated content, and you’ll be greeted with endless videos and ideas. As you browse through them, identify a trend, consider whether it’s relevant to your niche and if so, jump on it and create your own video.

Note that TikTok trends don’t tend to last more than a few days. So if you have an idea that has the potential to get you viral, it’s best to jump on it right away.

If you’re serious about going viral on TikTok, try to dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to simply browsing through the For You page to stay in touch with what’s currently popular and inspire new (and potentially viral) content ideas.

2. Use Trending And Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags are a key ranking factor on TikTok and allows the TikTok’s algorithm to categorise your content. If you want to know how to go viral on TikTok using hashtags, you need to know the right ones to use. 

You can search for what hashtags are trending in your niche within TikTok itself. Enter a keyword in the search bar (without the hashtag) and once the list of results is loaded, tap on the “hashtag” column and you’ll find a list of trending hashtags and the number of views received by videos with these corresponding hashtags.

Try not to overload your post with hashtags. As a general rule of thumb, three to five hashtags per post is sufficient to guide the algorithm. 

You’ll also want to avoid using hashtags that are too generic as competition for them is extremely fierce. These include #FYP and #foryou, which have a total of 37 trillion views between them.

3. Hop on Trending Audios

TikTok is huge on audios.

When looking through your For You page for what’s trending, you may want to consider paying close attention to the music, sounds, and songs used in the videos you come across. 

TikTok’s algorithm actively recommends videos containing trending audios to other creators who have previously engaged with the audio, making a great way to increase your reach!

4. Post Consistently and Regularly

One factor TikTok’s algorithm looks at is the amount of activity (comments, likes, shares, etc.) a particular video receives. It does not consider whether a user has had high-performing videos in the past.

That said, you don’t need to be posting every hour, nor every two. A good guideline is the lifespan of TikTok trends, which recent research puts at three to five days. 

5. Keep Your Videos Short

Over the years, consumers’ attention spans have been shortening. In fact, some studies even claim that our attention spans are now even shorter than a goldfish’s. 

When TikTok first launched, users were only able to publish videos up to 15 seconds long. Over the years, it’s added 60-second and three-minute options, and more recently, ten-minute long videos.

Despite this, TikTok users seem to still prefer bite-sized videos, and experts recommend creating videos of nine to 15 seconds for maximum impact.