We all want to know how to make a viral TikTok, or any social media platform for that matter. And we wish it were as simple as following a couple of rules and BAM, you’re TikTok famous, but you can’t go into TikTok marketing with the expectation that you will go viral. That being said, there are some TikTok tips that will increase the likelihood of your videos going viral that everyone should be following.
1. Use Trends
If there’s one consistent thing between all social media platforms, it’s that you need to stay on top of trends if you hope to have anything go viral. Unlike most social media algorithms, TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t factor in follower count or prior engagement numbers to determine what shows up on your feed.
Instead of looking at followers, TikTok’s recommendation system looks at the videos users have watched, liked, shared, and commented on, and breaks down the attributes of those videos. These attributes include the video content, hashtags, text used in the video, and the audio being used. The algorithm then takes these attributes and serves the user similar content from other TikTok users they may not already follow on their For You Page. The more up-to-date you are with these attributes, the more likely it is that you will create a viral TikTok.
2. Use Those Hashtags
As we mentioned before, hashtags are one of the attributes that TikTok’s algorithm uses to determine what similar content will be served on users’ For You Pages. This means that including hashtags in your video description makes it easier for the algorithm to put it in front of the audience that will respond to it.
While it is tempting to only include generic hashtags like #FYP, that will only make it less likely for your video to go viral. When you have more targeted hashtags, you won’t have to compete with the millions of other videos catering to generic hashtags.
Try to keep the number of hashtags around three to five per post. This range is typically more than enough to get the recommendation system on the right track. Using too many hashtags is likely to lead to the algorithm not knowing who to show your video too. Think of it like a paralysis by analysis.
3. Keep Your Videos Short
Just because TikTok allows you to make a 3-minute video, doesn’t mean that you should. Remember, TikTok is not a byproduct of YouTube, it is the byproduct of Vine.
A short video doesn’t give your viewers enough time to lose interest. On top of that, it gives them more time to rewatch your video because of the loop that automatically happens on TikTok videos. Short videos tend to gain higher viewership numbers and engagement for this reason.
4. Encourage Interaction
What’s the biggest selling point of any social media platform? It’s the social interactions between creator and viewer. Just like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, TikTok isn’t just an empty vacuum to share your thoughts. It’s a place to engage with a community you’ve built, and TikTok does it better than most. With the Duet and Stitch features, TikTok encourages collaboration more than other social media platforms.
TikTok’s algorithm rewards your page for all kinds of community interaction. This means that you should encourage your users to reply in your comment section, give them something to reply to with a Stitch or Duet, or make it engaging enough that they want to share it with their friends. If you have these kinds of interactions, the algorithm will look at you more favorably.
5. Understand Your Audience
We mentioned before that you need to make sure you’re staying on top of trends. While this is true, you shouldn’t be following every trend you find, only the ones that make sense for your audience.
TikTok started out as a lip-syncing and dancing app, and those roots are still prevalent in today’s trends, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow those exact ones. There are so many trends happening at the same time, that you can pick-and-choose the right ones.