TikTok is without a doubt my favorite app of all time. It took me a second to jump on the bandwagon, but once I did, I was instantly hooked. If you haven’t signed up for the platform yet – WHY?! Do yourself a favor and go download it immediately. It’s free serotonin, after all! 

But aside from that, there’s a whole market of viewers on TikTok that you could reach if you tapped into the app. TikTok uses short-form videos to allow users to easily join and create conversations with people from all over the world through hashtags and trends. The goal of the app is to go viral! So, what type of content wins on TikTok? Here are our keys to help you try to go viral on the viral app. 

What’s trending?

TikTok has easy video editing and customization capabilities and gives users access to a library of songs, effects, filters and sound bites to add to their videos. TikTok is unique because the algorithm is curated and customized based on the user and the types of content they interact with. The best way to find out what’s trending on a daily basis is to scroll through the “For You” and “Discover” pages. The “For You” page is algorithmically curated based on the videos you interact with; the accounts and hashtags you follow; your location and language preferences; and the type of content you create. The “Discover” page is curated using TikTok’s algorithm, which does the work of finding trends for you. Here, you’ll see popular hashtags, sounds and effects. Pay attention to these trends and be sure to jump in on the action when you get a chance! 

To hashtag, or not to hashtag?

Every video should utilize popular hashtags within the space you’re trying to reach. If you want a wide variety of people to see your video, TikTok users often use the top trending hashtags regardless of the correlation between their video and the tag. Use at least three with each video you post, as it makes sense. A good rule of thumb is to not use #FYP, #foryou or other generic hashtags. Your video will get lost in the sauce! If you have a super niche video, niche hashtags can sometimes help TikTok serve your video to the right crowd. 

Consistency is key.

Notice anything about the TikTok influencers you follow? You probably see them more often than not. That’s because they’re pushing out content frequently, sometimes multiple times daily. The more often you post, the more likely you are to have a video go viral. Don’t skimp on quality, but try to push yourself to consistently post videos. Not only will it help you hone your editing skills, but you’ll be more likely to have one of them get noticed and go viral. We see you, Brittany Broski! 

Throw some money at it. 

TikTok has an Ads Manager feature that allows you to create a targeted ad and disseminate it to your preferred audiences. TikTok uses In-Feed Video Ads that appear on users’ “For You” pages that look similar to regular videos, so they easily blend organically into your feed. Other advertising features include Hashtag Challenges, where brands ask users to complete a task using the selected hashtag; Brand Takeovers, which is the 3-5 ad that shows up as soon as you open the app; Top View ads that display on the full screen and can be up to 60 seconds long; and branded effects or custom stickers, filters or lenses users can add to their videos.

Are you ready to start your TikTok journey? Three..two..one..RECORD.