How To Go Viral on TikTok: 7 Tips

It feels like everybody knows somebody who had a video or two blow up on TikTok. The app is better than any other at getting random videos in front of millions of eyes, and everybody is itching to create the next viral video.

But because there are so many other people out there trying to go viral, it can feel like it’s harder than ever to get a video to pop off. So many TikTok creators are stuck in 200-view TikTok jail, just waiting for their moment.

Well, for all you creators out there who want to start the next TikTok trend, this article is for you. Keep reading for some insightful tactics that could make you the next viral TikToker.

What To Know About the For You Page

Before we get into the how-to guide, it’s important to know what you’re up against so you can plan accordingly. So, let’s take a little bit of time to learn how the TikTok algorithm works and what information it uses to blow up videos.

The For You Page (FYP) is where all the magic happens. On a user’s FYP, they are fed content that TikTok thinks they’ll enjoy. That content doesn’t have to be from people they follow. It can be from anybody, anywhere. That’s what makes this platform so special.

So, how does the FYP decide what you see? Well, it takes in a variety of factors for each user. TikTok gathers data about what type of content you like, comment on, and share. It looks at which TikTok accounts you follow and what type of content you yourself make. It even keeps track of how long you watch each video and whether or not you finish it.

But one of the main things you need to know about the algorithm is that it puts every video through a test. Once you post a video, TikTok gives your video to a small group of people who it thinks will like your content. If it performs well with that group, TikTok will send it to more FYPs, and the process repeats.

When it comes to TikTok marketing, it’s important to take advantage of this algorithm to get your content to a wider audience. By getting your content to a wider TikTok audience, increasing your number of views, and engaging in social partnerships with other popular creators, you can increase your likelihood of creating viral content.

How Can You Make a Viral Video?

Now that we know a bit about how the algorithm works, it’s time to get into the reason you clicked on this article. Here are some things you can do when creating TikToks to help your videos get in front of more people so you can go viral.

1. Embrace the Latest Trends

We might sound like a broken record, but that’s only because this is one of the biggest truths about the TikTok algorithm. The social platform rewards trends. This could look like using trending audio, filters, meme formats, duets, stitches, and more. If it’s trending, TikTok pushes it!

We all love seeing the different creative variations of the popular trends of the day. Hopping onto trends like these is a great way to get you a ton of views. People know what to expect in these videos, which can increase your watch time and engagement.

The main thing here is trending audio bites. Use trending audio as much as you can. Even if you make a video with your own audio, underscore it with a trending sound. You can turn down the trending song to keep it in the background, but this really helps with getting people to discover your content.

2. Define Your Hook

One of the algorithm’s favorite ingredients in TikTok content is watch time. It loves when people watch your videos all the way through and for long periods of time. The longer your video keeps people in the app, the happier the algorithm is.

With that in mind, the beginnings of your TikToks are everything. We’ve all seen a video on TikTok and immediately scrolled because it wasn’t interesting or engaging. However, if you want your videos to do well, they need to grab the viewer’s attention in the first couple of seconds. Give them a reason to watch your video.

Hook them in with a question or a provocative statement. Put the most exciting moment from your video at the beginning, and give the video a creative title at the start. All of these can help improve watch time and viral success.

And while we’re on the subject of average watch time, shorter content tends to do better on TikTok. In fact, short videos that are around 15 seconds long can see about 90 percent of people stick around till the end. That doesn’t mean all of your videos should be short, but it does mean that your feed should include a large number of TikToks with a shorter video length.

3. Engage With Your Audience

Engagement is one of the most important things in content creation. If your viewers are liking, following, commenting, sharing, dueting, or stitching, the algorithm goes crazy for it. And you can help to instigate some of that engagement yourself.

Get in the comment section of your own videos as much as you possibly can. Reply to some comments with videos. The algorithm loves it when you get a juicy discussion going. Engage with content that has the same hashtags as you. If you build a high-quality community around your content, that means more engagement, more watch time, and better performance with the algorithm.

4. Be Tactful With Hashtags

Hashtags are still very important with TikTok and other social media platforms because they help people find content they like. They can also help create groups and threads of content that are all similar to each other.

That’s why it’s important to make sure you use relevant hashtags on every video. Make sure you include some high-performing, trending hashtags, as well as some more niche hashtags that are less common. About three to five popular hashtags can do the job nicely.

Also, pro tip: you do not need to put “#foryoupage #foryou #fyp” on every single video. Generic hashtags like this generally don’t work. There’s no part of the algorithm that rewards these hashtags, so it’s best to focus your attention on the ones that will help your content the most.

5. Make Your Content Shareable

Video content that gets shared is far more likely to go viral, so you want to encourage your viewers as much as possible to share it with their fellow TikTok users.

Now, this doesn’t have to be as explicit as asking people to share at the end of every video. Instead, make content that people will want to share with their friends.

We all have a friend we send memes to. We also love to share fascinating tutorial content that teaches us something or emotional content that lifts our spirits. Content like this is much more likely to get shared in group chats and DMs, which will massively benefit you in your quest for virality. Plus, it can help you increase your follower count.

6. Include a Call to Action

There are lots of viewers out there who love your content but still don’t engage with it. It’s not because they don’t like it — maybe they just weren’t thinking about it, or they’re a little bit stingy with their likes.

Sometimes, all your viewers need to hit that like, comment, or follow button is a little push. A call to action (CTA) might feel a little cringey because it happens so often across the internet, but this marketing strategy works.

On TikTok, one of the most common CTAs influencers use is “like for part two.” You might also hear “follow for more tips” or “comment what you’d like to see next.” These are simple ways you can help your audience engage.

7. Find a Niche

In all likelihood, you’re not going to be able to become viral as a dancer and a gamer and a comic and a musician. Instead, you’ll need to pick a lane and develop a target audience of people who share that interest.

Maybe you’re a gamer who posts a ton of epic clips from your streams. Maybe you’re a musician who covers popular songs. Maybe you’re a small business owner who makes a cool, niche product.

Whatever the case may be, having a niche can be a really good thing. People love authenticity and passion more than anything, so make the type of quality content that you can be passionate about for years to come. That’s what is most likely to go viral.

“Mom, I Went Viral!”

We all want to be able to say that we went viral on TikTok, especially if you’re a content creator. And if you follow these tips, you’ll increase your videos’ chances of hitting the algorithm’s sweet spot and getting a million views. Who knows, maybe you’ll even be able to make it a living one day? So get out there, get creative, and enjoy the journey to going viral.

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