TikTok is everyone’s new favorite app, and we often find ourselves spending hours scrolling through the endless trends, skits, and memes. The majority of TikTok accounts are simply created to watch and observe.
But if you’re reading this article, chances are that you’re a creator who’s looking to pop up on people’s For You Page.
There are several tips and tricks that you can implement to increase your chances of going viral on TikTok. Keep reading to find out what they are…
1. Captivate Your Audience
It goes without saying that you need to captivate an audience to prevent them from scrolling away after three seconds. But how exactly do you do that?
Here are a few things you can do…
Identify Trends
Keep yourself updated on what’s trending. You don’t need to focus the entirety of your content on trends, but going viral as a result of a trend will attract viewers to your account, and give the rest of your content more exposure.
Keep in mind that trends might be subjective to your location. For example, if you’re in South Africa, then American trends might not be as familiar to your audience. Go to the Discover page to view the type of content that’s trending in your area.
Stand Out
Trends are temporary, and viewers will eventually get bored. So if you’re going to focus your content around what’s popular, you need to add your own spin to it. Find a way to set your version of a trend apart from all the other creators that have done the same thing.
This could be in the way you talk, dress, or edit your content. Make sure that your brand is catchy so that a viewer will feel more inclined to stick around and see what you’re all about. But don’t force it, people will sense if it’s not authentic.
Be Funny
One of the most defining aspects of Gen Z (the main consumers of TikTok content) is their love of memes. It’s like a unifying language that everyone just understands. So if you truly want to capture an audience, make a meme.
Act out a funny skit over a popular song, using the lyrics as the punchline. Or seek out popular audios with dialogue, and insert your own (relatable) story with captions. You can also put a funny twist on trends, which can result in a new trend: the comedic version of the original trend.
For those who are well-spoken and naturally entertaining, record TikToks of yourself doing everyday tasks, such as grocery shopping. Then record a TikTok voice-over to describe the events in a humorous manner.
The possibilities for memes are endless, and when people pick up on your sense of humor, they’re more likely to keep watching.
2. Stick to What You Know
One of the best ways to generate a long-term audience is to find a niche and stick to it. TikTok will push your content onto the For You Page of people who are interested in that specific thing. It will also decrease your competition by placing you in the algorithmic pool of other creators with similar content.
If you’re knowledgeable or well-versed on a particular topic, show it off. You’ll catch the attention of people who are looking to learn more about it, or who are simply curious. The same goes for artistic avenues such as dancing or playing the violin.
Create content that highlights your talents and build a brand around it. Viewers are comforted when they visit your profile knowing what to expect.
Hashtags are social media’s way to link content to specific topics or themes. Now, it’s not impossible to go viral without using tags, but they increase the chances of your content being shown to the audience that you want.
Avoid using generic tags such as #ForYouPage or #fyp. As discussed in the point above, your goal is to snatch up an audience who wants to view your TikToks—so use tags that pertain to your content. For example, if you’re a skateboarder who gives skating tips, use #skater and #skateboarding.
Sometimes there are hidden tags going around that make little sense, but for some reason they garner views. Not too long ago, this was the case with #xyzbca. These tags come and go, so keep an eye out for them on the Discover page.
Lastly, you need to use the right amount of tags. If you use too few, not much will happen. And if you use too many, it might confuse the algorithm. Try hitting a sweet spot of three to five tags, and make sure they all relate to each other. This makes it easier for the algorithm to sort.
4. Pick a Trending Sound
One of the key elements that make TikTok so popular is the involvement of audio, whether that be a song or a clip from a movie dialogue. It does allow you to upload a video with its own audio, but if you want to increase your chances of going viral, pick a trending sound from the app.
This doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice the audio from your original video, however.
You can adjust the volume of the trending audio you use so that you don’t completely override the audio of your own video. Here’s how:
- After creating your TikTok with its original audio, in the editing window, tap on Sounds. You’ll be directed to a page from where you can choose from trending audios in the Discover bar. Pick one and tap the red checkmark to add it to your video.
- From the editing window, expand the editing tools by tapping the little arrow on the right and select Volume.
- Turn down the volume of the Added Sound and tap the red checkmark.
This way you can still have the original sound of your video, while also having the benefit of appearing in trending collections compiled by TikTok. Just make sure to pick audio that suits the theme of your video.
5. Post Consistently
Social media platforms always favor content from creators who post consistently—it brings more traffic to the app. This doesn’t mean you should post every hour, though. Rather, find a sweet spot that ranges from a maximum of twice a day to a minimum of twice a week.
Posting consistently will give your followers something to look forward to, and it’ll also give new potential followers a sense of commitment when they scroll through your profile.
6. Encourage Interaction
Views are the most important thing when going viral, but it’s not all that matters. Engagement via likes, comments, and shares lets TikTok know that viewers are interested in you, and this will generate more views.
You can go old school and ask your viewers to like, follow, and share. But something that works far better, is posing a question in the caption of your post. It doesn’t necessarily have to relate to the content of your video, as long as it gets people to leave a comment.
For example, ask “Do you guys have any pets?” in the caption. People appreciate creators showing interest in them—watch the comments flood in. You should also like or reply to all your comments, or as many as you can. It will make your viewers feel connected to you, securing a long-term following.
7. Exit the App After Posting
One hack that doesn’t get mentioned often enough is getting off the app right after you’ve posted. TikTok wants you to use the app, and when it notices that you’re gone for a while, it’s going to try and get your attention by sending you notifications.
This can increase the chances of having your content pushed onto more people’s For You Page to generate traffic on the app as well as get you to come back and use it again.
So next time you post, don’t wait around and keep refreshing your notifications. Close the app and come back after a few hours.
Are You Ready to Go Viral on TikTok?
Going viral on TikTok all comes down to how well you can use the algorithm, and it won’t always work. Applying the abovementioned tips to all of your posts will, however, increase your chances of going viral.
Just stay consistent and committed, and you can end up on everyone’s For You Page before you know it!
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