The Entrepreneur’s Guide For How to Go Viral on TikTok

9 min read

TikTok has become the social media platform of the moment. From dance videos to experts sharing the secrets of their success, “TikTok Creators” have become celebrities. Every week you’ll see a few videos from TikTok make it on the evening news or stories about singers being discovered by record labels. With over a billion video views per day, the competition to be noticed on this hyped-up can be rough. But there are some tips for how to go viral on TikTok that will set you off on the right foot to video success.

Do Your Research

If you want to go viral on TikTok you should watch videos every day and look for the common things popular video creators do. And since it won’t cost you anything, you should make lots of videos because, over time, you’ll get more and more comfortable with the tools and your own subject matter. But don’t try to specialize or sell your products too quickly.

The unique combination of your video style, your personality, and your content will teach you about what your audience really wants. Content creators have started talking about relationship advice, for example, have switched their topic to trying on outfits because of the huge number of comments their clothing got. Cooks have switched to talking about kitchen utensils. Animal trainers have switched to animals being united with new forever homes. You get the picture.

Understand the Algorithm

When you first start creating videos, there are a few rules that can help you go viral. First off, you should understand that the TikTok algorithm promotes videos based on a few criteria. The most important ones are video completions and watch time as a percentage of the video length. TikTok will start out by delivering your video to the “For You Page” of viewers and will track responses from them to determine how relevant and engaging you are.

So try this. Make sure that your video grabs attention within the first three seconds. One way to do this is to put text on the opening screen so viewers spend some time reading it. Many viral TikTok videos put text on every screen, in fact, for this reason.

Also, keep your videos short. Though you may have a lot to say on a subject, remember that getting someone to commit six seconds to a thirty-second video will give you a better chance of going viral than six seconds on a minute-long video. Finally, the videos that go viral on TikTok almost ALL have a great soundtrack — some trending music in the background that you speak over. Luckily for you, TikTok makes all of these parts of the video creation process easy.

Put it in Context

No discussion of how to go viral on TikTok would be valuable without guidance on the content of your videos. This is where TikTok can be a bit different from other social media platforms. The best strategy for creating videos is to put your own spin on a widely relevant topic. People are first engaged by something they want to know more about, and then by the person relaying the information. It helps to be a supermodel, but if you’re not, there are a few tips for standing out like one.

First, dress for the occasion. You’d be amazed how many comments under your video will say something about what you’re wearing. Find a unique outfit, or a t-shirt with a cool saying on it, or a groovy set of sunglasses.

Next, be yourself. You may not find yourself interesting, but others find those who are authentic and unashamed to be so inspiring. Your viewers will put themselves in your shoes and admire you for having the bravery to go on camera. Third, say a few things people can enthusiastically agree with. They want to identify with you and feel like their views and opinions are supported.

And finally, plant a few surprises in your video. Do you have a cute dog who crawls on you while you talk? Bring them with you. Do you have a rare comic book collection or a particularly nice view out your window? Give people multiple reasons to want to watch your videos to the end, comment on them, and share them with others.

Hooking people with your personality, your own spin on a topic, and the way you display your content are not the only ways to make your TikTok video viral. Many content creators forget to inspire their viewers with a strong call to action. The best TikTok creators will end with something like “be sure to like this video and follow me for more.” Others will poke fun at themselves, their audience, or other creators to evoke that last smile before their video ends. This alone can cause people to like your video.

But there are also more traditional methods to encourage liking and following. Many videos will end at a cliffhanger or right in the middle of a long, interesting piece of advice. The creator will say something like “I’m sorry, I’m almost out of time, be sure to like this video and follow me for part two.”

Multipart video series like this gives your audience a reason to follow you so that your next videos will show up in their feed. Because if they don’t engage with you in some way, there’s no guarantee they will see your content again.

There are countless more small things you will discover about how to go viral on TikTok as you start watching videos. Be sure to follow the content creators you think are most like your style. Check their numbers of views and followers, and go through all their past content to see how their journey to go viral has evolved. Don’t be afraid to take chances.

As long as you post more, follow more, comment on others, and stay interesting, your small following will grow. Before you know it, the evening news could be posting your videos too.

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Jul 21, 2021

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.