One could say TikTok blew up overnight, considering it’s an app that was recently launched within the decade. It doesn’t take too long to find out why the platform garnered such a groundswell of TikTok users within a relatively short time.
That’s because users on the app discovered that it was easier for videos to have viral success than other social media platforms. So, the interesting fact is that TikTok blesses its users with the same X-factor it used to go viral.
In other words, users can attain viral success with their own videos as quickly as TikTok rose to prominence. Speaking of going viral, services like Influensly have understood TikTok’s magical algorithm, helping many brands and businesses scale fast using the app.
If you’ve been wondering how to get your TikTok content to go from zero to hundreds of thousands or even millions of views, then read along. You’re at the right place.
How to make your video go viral on TikTok: Learning how the TikTok algorithm works
TikTok algorithm is the tide that dictates what direction a video sails towards, and swimming with the tide is something you need to know. In fact, learning the algorithm is critical to your success because more and more internet users are now leaving Google and choosing TikTok content to search for answers.
TikTok gives every user a chance regardless of the existing TikTok audience you have or engagements on previous videos. Once a TikTok video gets uploaded to the platform, the algorithm categorizes the content and then pushes it to the ‘For You’ page of about 100 users.
If these first 100 users find the content, devote time to watch the video, and continue watching it, then the algorithm further pushes the video to 1,000 TikTok users, assessing if the reactions increase or decrease.
With the increase in video performance, the TikTok algorithm increases the number of viewers based on watch time and watch-through rates.
Other sources have also mentioned that users with a fresh TikTok account have a better chance of success on the platform because the algorithm gives a 90-day window to encourage newbies, push out content, and observe the overall content performance.
Nonetheless, whether or not you have a new or old TikTok account, there are surefire ways to ensure that your video trends are on TikTok.
8 steps on how to go viral on TikTok
1. Create a professional profile
Think of your profile as a professional website that attracts visitors, albeit on TikTok. When users view engaging content, they become enamored and want to see the brains behind the beauty. This means everyone who continually views your videos over time has a tendency to become a raving follower.
Hence, it’s imperative that you create a befitting profile to enthrall users who visit your page, inducing them to follow right away. Start by uploading a professionally edited photo representing your brand. If you really want to go the whole nine yards, swap your regular profile to a TikTok business account and add your bio, website, and other social media accounts.
2. Use trending music in your videos
If a particular song keeps coming up on the radio, eventually, you find yourself nodding and jibing or even singing along unconsciously. The same powerful unconscious effect happens to TikTok users when you use popular trending music in your TikTok video.
In order to know what’s trending, you could research the ‘For You’ page and see what popular music is sweeping the platform and then use such tunes in your own video. You can also visit the TikTok video editor, check the sounds section, and then click ‘Discover’ to scroll through popular music on the app.
Also, keep an eye on famous artists and creators who have lots of TikTok followers on the app to know the latest background tunes used in their videos. These guys have a way of setting trends, and you’d want to research what they are doing and ensure to get in on the action.
3. Use relevant hashtags
We talked about algorithms earlier and how they play a crucial role in your TikTok video success. Hashtags are one of the steps in the ladder to make your video go viral. With the right hashtag, you can get your video in front of interested users without any real marketing or promotion.
Research trending hashtags from the ‘Discover’ page and use them in your video description. Joining in on hashtag challenges is another great way to use trend waves to promote your videos for free.
4. Attract users from other social media platforms
If you have followers on other social media apps, you can leverage their influence to make your video attain viral success on TikTok. In fact, having followers on other apps, especially if your followership is massive, can give you an unfair advantage during your first 90 days of joining TikTok.
Simply post a snippet of your newly created video content on other platforms and then tell your followers to view the rest on TikTok and watch your views soar.
Keep in mind that you may need to slightly edit your videos to suit whatever platforms they’d be posted on. And if you are wondering how to avoid the stress of posting multiple videos on different platforms, there are apps that help to schedule uploads on different channels.
5. Get influencers’ endorsements
The power of influencers on social media has grown exponentially in present times, with revenues from influencer marketing totaling over $24b in 2024. Having a popular TikTok creator promote your video could be all the difference between obscurity and limelight.
Getting a TikTok star to publish your video isn’t as difficult as others think. While paying for promotions may be a condition to consider, some of these influencers don’t necessarily need your money. A few of them use their platform to promote social causes or trends they believe are beneficial to the TikTok community.
Start by researching three or four famous TikTok creators who know a lot about TikTok marketing. Then, share and engage with their posts frequently. Chances are, with consistent comments and likes, you’d start to get noticed by these people, increasing their familiarity with you.
Once it’s established you’ve made your mark, shoot them a message asking for apromotion. They’d be willing to oblige and return the favor you’ve earlier shown.
6. Post regularly
Consistency is key to everything in life. And even more so with TikTok. The algorithm favors creators who create enthralling content that keeps users hooked on the platform, video after video.
Consequently, posting regularly is one of the fastest ways to get on the algorithm’s good side, so to speak. The number of times to post varies for different persons, but a general rule of thumb is to upload content two to three times every day.
While this may seem difficult, keep in mind that achieving viral status could significantly boost your brand or business and is more than worth the effort.
7. Keep it short and simple
Since the advent of TikTok, the average watch time for users has shrunk dramatically. Who knows, maybe it’s because the users on the platform are predominantly Gen Z, who generally have a fleeting attention span. Whatever the case, it’s better to post videos between 15-60 seconds.
Truly, there might be times when you won’t be able to pass all the information in one single video. In such cases, you could break your story into parts and end each with a cliffhanger or deliver enough value inside the first video, inducing users to go watch the next part.
In fact, if you get really good at mastering the art of creating videos in parts, you could start a series on TikTok. And if one of the videos takes off, chances are a chain reaction of engagement ensues, causing all videos within that series to go viral.
8. Create engaging, unique content
TikTok is a highly visual video platform demanding fresh, unique content that captures users’ attention. With over a billion users and innumerable TikTok creators, you don’t just want to churn out videos without thought.
You need a comparative edge to make your content stand out; this requires you to study the art of creating superb content that will attain viral video success on the platform.
Here’s how to go viral on TikTok through unique content:
- Start with a hook
Since TikTok users have a relatively short attention span, including a hook in the first three seconds of your video is a powerful way to grab attention and engender curiosity in your target audience. A hook could be in three forms: a question, a how-to, or a story, bringing us to the next tip.
- Ask a question
When a user scrolls through videos, their brain enters a mindless autopilot mode. Asking a question forces them to pause and reason for an answer.
Most times, the question asked might be a riddle or one whose answer doesn’t come readily to mind, making the user want to watch your video, ultimately increasing engagement with your content. An example of a strong hook question could be, “Do you know this popular salty treat could harm your dog?”
- Record how-to videos
Owing to the astronomical consumption of online video content, DIY videos are among the most popular content on social media, obviously because information that wasn’t ordinarily available is now easily accessible.
Make sure you mention the ‘how to’ word immediately when you start the video. Also include the ‘how to’ phrase in the description or caption, preferably pasting and highlighting the text inside the video, too.
- Harness storytelling
Arguably the most powerful of all hooks, storytelling has been an irresistible form of audience engagement since the days of our ancestors. As long as you know how to harness emotions and wrap them up in tantalizing stories, you can rest assured your video will capture your target audience and attain viral success.
Most viral videos use storytelling to engage all five senses, so it’s imperative to get your captions on using highlighted texts, pleasant sounds, and scenarios that relate to touch and smell.
Try telling stories by creating videos about daily routines, how-to guides, live coverage, etc.
Wrapping up
One of the noteworthy things that make TikTok stand apart is the fact that anyone can get their video to go viral on the platform without having a massive followership or paying for ads. The simple application of tactics such as relevant hashtags, using hooks in videos, applying trending background sounds, creating a response video, etc., can take your video from obscurity to the limelight.
What’s more, the app is among the most preferred go-to sources for information on the internet, meaning there’s still an avenue to create viral TikTok videos for an information-hungry community.
