Going viral on TikTok? That can happen to anyone with a public account! Any funny, entertaining or bizarre video with good picture quality can just be picked out by the algorithm. Still, there are some things you can do yourself that will make your TikTok videos more likely to appear on the For You page. Are you curious about what the secret is to going viral on TikTok? Then be sure to read on.
P.S. tip 7 is one that few popular TikTokkers reveal!
What is going viral?
Before we continue with the tips, it’s helpful to know exactly what going viral means. When a particular photo, video or other post is spread across the Internet at lightning speed, it is called going viral. Your content is then shared in the Netherlands (or worldwide) with more people than you are used to. This creates more likes, comments and followers. So actually you can compare going viral to becoming famous, but to a lesser degree and only online.
Yet there is also a downside to going viral. If you have an online store, and a product video goes viral, you may find that more orders are placed than your producer can handle. This creates a lot of hassle and angry e-mails afterwards.
Sometimes TikTok videos also go viral in the wrong way. Think of an embarrassing video that you post “for fun” but ends up with hundreds of thousands of people afterwards. Keep in mind that any video you post can go viral. And also consider the possible risks.
Go viral on TikTok with these 7 tips
Because of TikTok’s sophisticated algorithm, it is becoming increasingly difficult to create content of interest to a wide audience. This makes you a lot less likely to end up on the For You page than 1 year ago. Still want to get serious about your videos? Then there are certain things you can look out for, besides good picture and sound quality. These 7 handy tips will help you go viral on TikTok.
Tip 1. Launch the TikTok with a powerful hook
The first 3 seconds of your TikTok video determine whether a viewer sticks with your video or not. Check it out for yourself when you’re on TikTok! Within seconds, your brain has decided whether you want to keep watching a video, or move on to the next one.
So it is very important to make the first 3 seconds of your video as interesting, crazy or engaging as possible. For example, tell the viewer what to expect, show already the highlight of the video or come up with an impressive fact. Something else that also often works is telling the viewer that they have to watch to the end to see … (fill in something funny or impressive yourself).
Not only is a strong hook super important, how you end the video can also ensure more views on your channel. Try a cliffhanger, or create a part 2 of your storytime and refer users to it.
Tip 2. Viral TikTok songs
The most well-known way to go viral on TikTok is through popular sounds or viral TikTok songs. On TikTok, it’s all about sound; you won’t encounter a video without it. Therefore, always try to use popular sounds under your videos, which will give you a wider reach.
To find these sounds, you can go to the trending tab in the app. Here is an entire list of both viral TikTok songs and sounds that users often choose. Also, you often find out which sounds are trending by scrolling through your own For You page. If you come across a song more than 4 times in half an hour, you can assume it is trending.
There are also specific websites that share what is currently popular. If you can’t find anything yourself, you can always look there.
Tip 3. Preferably create short videos
The TikTok platform calls itself a Short Video Media Platform. Unlike an app like YouTube, this means that they mainly focus on extremely short videos and stories that are to-the-point. Because users are used to this, they are more likely to skip longer videos. Thus, they prefer to watch multiple 15-second videos, rather than 1.5-minute ones.
The shorter you make your videos, the less time viewers need to watch it all the way through. This is good for your viewing time; the percentage of the video that users watch. The higher your view time percentage is, the more often TikTok will push your video in the algorithm. So this makes you more likely to go viral.
Do you have a longer story to tell? Then choose to split the video into several parts. By now, viewers are used to this and no longer come across as annoying. Just be sure not to leave too much time between parts, or you will get impatient viewers on your roof.
Tip 4. Learn when it’s best to post
Did you know that the time (and day) you post your TikTok videos affects your reach? Influencer Marketing Hub conducted a survey in which they analyzed what the best time to post on TikTok is based on more than 100,000 videos. Although you can try these times, we have an even better tip for you.
The best time to post on TikTok and go viral depends on very many different factors. First, it’s useful to take a look at your TikTok Analytics (you can only do this with a Pro account) and see where your target audience comes from.
Do you have only Dutch followers? Then, of course, you don’t have to upload a video in the middle of the night. But are you dealing with other continents? Then you’d better invest in an online planner and also post videos in the middle of the night.
Make sure you only post videos when your audience is active to ensure that you achieve maximum views in the first fifteen minutes and therefore go viral.
Tip 5. Use relevant hashtags
Based on your used hashtags, TikTok determines in which category they should place your video and which audience best fits this. By researching your hashtags as carefully as possible, you will ensure that your TikTok videos are shown to the right audience, thus increasing your chances of longer view time, more likes and comments.
It is best to pick 4 to 6 hashtags per video. Mix some popular hashtags, such as #FYP and #Foryou in combination with specific hashtags for your niche and target audience. This way you have less competition from other popular accounts.
Also, don’t use hashtags that don’t fit your videos at all. If viewers are disappointed that the video is not about the topic they are looking for, they will quickly click away from your video. This provides a shorter viewing time.
Tip 6. Get people to respond
Another factor TikTok looks at to determine how often your video is shared with other users is comments. The more comments you receive under your videos, the better it works for the algorithm.
Invite viewers to share their opinions or ask them a specific question related to the topic. This question need not even be very difficult. Make sure you align these with your target audience, and you’ll be fine. You can also engage viewers in your videos by asking them what they would like to be shown next time, or give them 2 different choices to choose from.
On the first day when viewers have commented under your video, try to respond to them as much (and preferably as quickly) as possible. This is how TikTok sees that you are in the process of building a connection.
Tip 7. Stay active on the app for the following 15 minutes
Something not many users and TikTok creators know….
Absolutely stay ONLINE for the 15 minutes after uploading your video and be interactive with other creators within your niche. Find some creators in the search bar (or in your follow/followers list) that you know have the same target audience, and comment on their videos. No, not with just emoticons… Really try to choose interesting and fun responses as much as possible so that your responses stand out among the rest.
But after these 15 minutes, it doesn’t stop. Do you get many responses in the first hour? Then it is important that you respond to this as soon as possible. So be sure to turn on your notifications!
All in all, there are plenty of opportunities to still go viral on TikTok. Will you get started with these tips? Try our secret tools! Then check out this blog, where in we discuss how to grow in number of followers in an easy and FREE way.
