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

15 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.

Some creators or businesses may jump into TikTok with an idea of a certain type of content they want to make.

For instance, say you start out making educational videos that show how a certain product is made and these don’t perform very well. Then, you decide to put a comedic spin on it by making jokes throughout the process or a spoof on the original idea. This simple change can sometimes be all it takes for a video to really hook people and skyrocket it in views.

This is why it can be worth it to experiment with your content when first starting out, as it helps you to find your style and niche that performs.

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.

Hook Them

So try this. Make sure that your video grabs attention within the first three seconds. The initial attention grab in the beginning of the video is what’s called the “Hook.” 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. However, it doesn’t have to be text, as some creators will offer the hook through an initial statement of what’s to come.

Just make sure that there is some level of pay off for them sticking around. The last thing you want is to have a video that hooks them initially, just for them to fall off quickly because you take too long to get to the point.

Make Them Watch Longer

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. However, if you are able to keep your video interesting after initially hooking the viewer, a longer video can perform better. The main consideration is that staying longer to watch needs to pay off to the viewer.

Make Them Listen

Finally, the videos that go viral on TikTok almost always 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. When scrolling the “For You” page, pay attention to the sounds and songs being used throughout popular videos.

Using these sounds and soundtracks can be an excellent way to essentially “piggyback” off of other huge creators. This is because the algorithm tends to pick up on and recommend content using these various trending audio tracks. Some viewers may be really interested in a certain viral sound trend and simply scroll through videos with that sound. When you use it, it makes it more likely for those viewers to find your video.

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.

Stand Out

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. The right outfit or combination of colors can be an excellent way to grab a viewer’s attention initially and get them to stay to watch your video.

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.

Call to Action

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.

Take Chances

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.

How Often Should You Post on TikTok to Go Viral?

Another critical part of making a viral TikTok video happen is to pay attention to the performance of each of your videos. Meaning, consider all of the details of how your video performed when you posted it.

For instance, maybe you posted one video early in the day that didn’t do as well as you thought it would. However, when you posted later in the evening, your views seemed to spike faster. TikTok does have times of peak viewership, which can play a huge role in whether your video takes off. According to Sprout Social, the best times to post on TikTok are:

Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m.
Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m., noon, and 2 to 6 p.m.
Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.
Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m.

Of course, posting at these times by no means guarantees your video will go viral. But, posting at the times when more people are online watching gives you a better chance of your video taking off.

Best times to post on TikTok

Moreover, be sure to remain consistent with your posting. This really comes down to the more you post, the more likely it will be that one of your videos will go viral. Decide on a posting schedule and make sure to stick to it. This will give you more chances to go viral and give your followers something to look forward to.

Aside from posting time, you need to consider how your particular type of content has performed. If you have been experimenting with your brand of content or niche, make sure to pay attention to the performance of each. Maybe you started out doing dance videos, which seemed to receive lackluster attention. On the other hand, when you made a sketch video, more people stuck around to watch. If you find a particular type of content is generally performing better, it may be a good idea to gear more toward that.

Editing, Editing, Editing

One of the most vital parts of making a good video is editing. This doesn’t mean you must be a professional videographer and editor, but improving your skill can go a long way. Do some research into video editing, where to make cuts, and get better at adding transitions or additional visuals.

All of these things can help to make your videos just that much more interesting and inspire people to continue watching for longer.

A great place to start with improving editing is to pay attention to other large creator’s videos. Make notes on when they make cuts or the type of transitions they use. These creators have developed some level of success for a reason, so be sure to take advantage of any tips you can glean from them.

Go Forth and Go Viral

At the end of the day, there are quite a few factors that go into what makes a video go viral on TikTok. Realistically, there is no way to one answer to “how to go viral on TikTok overnight?” But, by following the above tips and adjusting your content as you go, it is certainly possible for you to find the right video that shoots to the stars.

So, to recap, here are some key takeaways to help your TikTok videos go viral:

Research: Pay attention to what is trending, what takes off, and how your brand of content performs.
Experiment: Make a lot of videos in the early stages and experiment with your particular brand of content. Don’t worry about specializing early on or you may pigeon hole yourself.
Understand what the algorithm wants: The TikTok algorithm loves when people stay to watch your videos. So, use hooks, appealing visuals, and more to keep people on your video longer. Moreover, using trending sounds to get your video in front of larger audiences.
Performance: Monitor your posting times and performance to see what you can improve.
Editing: Work on your editing skills to improve the quality of your videos.

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Aug 21, 2024

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.