Going viral on TikTok is not as hard as you might think it is!
In this article we'll take you through the top 5 tried and tested strategies for going viral on TikTok.
1. Trend hopping
Chance of virality: 5%
Trend hopping is the one of the best, but also one of the most common ways creators try to attempt to go viral. The challenge with this strategy is that if the trend is very saturated and has 10,000s of videos competing for viewership then only the most stand out content would ever see the light of day when it comes to going viral. That's not to say that this is not possible, it just takes a little extra time and attention to leave less to luck and more to strategic planning. Here are 3 ways to improve your chances of a successful trend hop:
1) Target a less saturated trend. This method may require a little more planning and research than the other but is crucial to getting the "I got there first" effect. Even if your content isn't considered perfect, a large majority of people may still tune in simply because your video is one of the few that's available to watch.
2) Target the newest trends. Targeting older trends is not a good idea due to the large oversaturation of legacy videos some of which will likely have 10s of millions of views already. Besides that the traction of the trend could be slow or even dead meaning even if your video is really good not many will be interested in watching it anymore.
3) Do something that hasn't been done before. Even if your idea is simple, doing something slightly different or putting your own twist on the genre effectively branches out your very own sub-trend within that trend. This could potentially bring millions of eyes on to a single video that is available within that sub-trend!
2. Spontaneity
Chance of virality: 15%
Some of the most viral videos dating back as far as 20 years are actually small clips or segments snipped from longer videos. Vine is a fantastic example of a platform that pioneered and rewarded short and spontaneous videos, a lot of elements that made Vine as popular as it was back before its foreclosure were incorporated in to TikTok. This means that what worked very well on Vine can still work very well on TikTok. If you see an opportunity, don't hesitate, pick up that camera and record!
Here are a few examples of spontaneous viral worthy opportunities:
1) If your pet is doing something exceptionally adorable and unique that you might not have seen before? Grab the camera!
2) Are your friends acting a little goofy and are making everyone around them laugh by their acting? Grab the camera!
3) Out on a vacation with gorgeous surroundings and food presentation that makes your jaw drop? Grab the camera!
3. Careful planning
Chance of virality: 30%
Despite this point entirely contradicting point 2, it should not be confused as being part of the same category since both are not mutually exclusive. As with anything in life careful planning and assessing your content strategy can be your friend if going viral is something you are trying to achieve. This method requires a lot more effort and work put in than the others and carries the risk of being only valuable in terms of data collection.
Here are some examples of what you can achieve with careful planning:
1) Carefully analysing your niche as well as successful competing videos could give you an edge. Keeping in mind the majority of creators on TikTok are likely uploading random content from dancing videos to computer tutorials and everything in between. It's not tough to see how doing this puts you in the top 5% in the running for making a viral success.
2) You will have greater control over the time spent on the content that you create and provide you with a more controlled environment. This delivers a more professional and organised approach to content creation.
3) Improve the quality of the brand that you are trying to build. A great side effect of careful planning is perceivably higher quality. Even if you don't have the correct equipment, proper planning around your set and script will give you a lot of brownie points with the audience.
4. Video quality
Chance of virality: 40%
Ensuring your video quality is the best that it can be might sound like a given but you would be surprised just how overlooked this point is. Video quality isn't exclusively limited to high end cinema cameras, gimbals and external microphones, whilst this a big part of it there is so much more that you can do to improve the quality of your content and here is how:
1) Ensure that your footage is highly stable. Practice smooth motion techniques to give your footage a more smooth and cinematic feel. You do not need fancy equipment for this, sometimes just your phone and your hands are enough.
2) Ensure that your footage is clear. On top of the fact that you need to make sure the footage is stable, you need to also make sure that it is clear. Good lighting, controlled exposure and a great setting are just some of the elements that go in to outputting a good clear image without the need of editing or filters.
3) Get better equipment. Lastly, there is only so much that you can do until you have taken your equipment to its maximum potential. Once you have hit the ceiling it is time to upgrade. We suggest starting with first getting a good continuous lighting set before upgrading your camera and its optics.
6. Data Analysis
Chance of virality: 75%
The data that you generate from uploading just 3 carefully planned videos is already called as gold and even more so with additional videos. The more videos you upload the more data you generate, this data can be used to figure out exactly what it is that makes the viral aspects of your content tick. The problem with this is that the majority of data is nonsense, a string of numbers and text. Data means nothing unless you can compile it in to a tangible system. Here are the top systems that you can apply to your data:
1) Monitor your watch time + completion rate. Your TikTok video analytics have greatly improved since the app's founding. One of the newer additions within the individual video analytics is "watch time" and "completion rate". Your watch time needs to be at least 65% of your full video duration in order to produce relatively positive results. Your completion rate needs to generally be higher than 50% in order to deliver relatively positive results.
2) Monitor your engagement. This one is a big one! You need to monitor how your fans engaging with your content across all of your uploads. In order of priority we would say that likes and then comments and then shares are in order of importance. The like to view ratio is even more important but we will touch on this in another topic!
3) Keep a list. Lastly, it is crucial to keep a list of all your analysed data. This is what will allow you to find trends within your videos and pin point what works and what doesn't. Once you have nailed down a rough formula, simply recycle the content that works with an added twist until you perfect the system!
7. Joining 15Talent
Chance of virality: 99%
15Talent has many more strategies and a huge in depth analysis in what makes TikTok tick. We have grown accounts to as many as 40M followers using our strategies. You heard that right! So whether you are a brand looking to explode your presence in the world of Gen Z or an Influencer looking to supercharge your presence and make some money doing it then we have got the opportunities for you. Click below to find out more: