Staying on top of TikTok trends is a massive part of finding viral social media trends. You must keep pace with the latest trends to create content that resonates with your target audience. But this isn't always easy. You need to learn how to find Social Media Trends on TikTok.

One day, it's all about the "Hampster Dance" or some obscure cartoon from the 90s, and the next day, something completely different has captured the collective attention of TikTok users. If you want your TikTok account to go viral, you must act fast and produce content that aligns with current trends, or you'll miss your chance. In this blog, we'll cover how to keep up with TikTok trends so you can create relevant content that boosts your visibility on the platform.

To help you with this task, we'll introduce you to Virlo AI's virality analysis tool. This nifty tool enables you to identify, analyze, and track social media trends to create relevant content that aligns with your goals.

Table of Contents

• Benefits of Using TikTok Trends

• How To Leverage TikTok Trends

• How To Keep Up With TikTok Trends In 6 Ways

• 10 Interesting TikTok Content Ideas

• Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Benefits of Using TikTok Trends

Why Are TikTok Trends So Important for Businesses?

TikTok trends can help businesses get discovered by new audiences and go viral. When you create content that aligns with a current trend, your videos can get pushed to the “For You” page, allowing you to reach a wider audience beyond your followers. This can help boost brand recognition and credibility and make your business seem more relatable to users.  The more you can humanize your business, the better. Capitalizing on TikTok trends can help you connect with a new audience and find potential customers looking for your products or services.

How Do TikTok Trends Work?

A TikTok trend is viral content that can help your business gain visibility on the platform. Trends typically start with a specific audio clip, video, or hashtag. Users create their videos to get involved with the trend, resulting in thousands (or millions) of variations of the same theme. Trends can change quickly, so it’s essential to capitalize on one before it’s over.  In contrast, TikTok challenges are similar but involve a specific task or goal. 

For example, the “Renegade Challenge” began with a popular audio clip but quickly transformed into a dance challenge where users attempted to master the same intricate moves. While not every trend or challenge perfectly fits your business, they can help you create engaging content that resonates with your target audience. 

How to Find TikTok Trends

To find TikTok trends, start by looking at the app itself. Spend time scrolling through your “For You” page and look for videos with many likes and shares.  Check the Discover page for the latest trending sounds and hashtags. Another great way to see trends is to look at what other businesses and brands are doing on TikTok. Take note of any viral trends they are using to create content, and consider how you might be able to use them as well. Also, keep an eye on popular TikTok creators and look for what types of trends they are currently using in their videos.

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How To Leverage TikTok Trends

1. Utilize TikTok Trends Related to Current Events

The first category of trend on TikTok is hot topics. These are trends based on popular current events. The day after the Super Bowl, there was a flood of posts of people reenacting the performance by the artist The Weeknd. When there was inclement weather in Texas this winter, many videos about that went viral. 

To incorporate a hot topic into your TikTok marketing, you must tie it to your brand, mission, or values. For example, on Inauguration Day, there were a lot of posts about celebrating the historic moment of the first female and person of color vice president. If your business is about allowing women or has a target audience of women, you could easily take that hot topic and share some commentary on it.   

2. Use the Discover Page to Find TikTok Trends  

Another type of TikTok trend is what you see on the Discover page. These are the curated trends that TikTok updates daily. They include trending hashtags, sounds, effects, and brand trends businesses pay to have featured. For each of those trends, you can see how many videos have been made using that trend. 

To access the Discover page, tap on the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen. Remember that once a trend hits the Discover page, it's already so popular and saturated that it won't last longer than 3-4 more days. People are tired of watching videos based on the trends on this page, especially if they know the punchline or how the video will end.  

3. Find Up-and-Coming TikTok Trends  

The third type of TikTok trend is up-and-coming trends. They might have only a few thousand videos based on them, but they have the potential to be popular. These trends are trickier but have the most considerable growth potential. One of the challenges with trends on TikTok is that they don't last long. They used to last about 7-10 days, but now it's more like 3-5 days before people get tired of seeing them on their For You page and just scroll past them. So, you want to jump on these trends early before they hit the Discover page and become too saturated. How do you spot an early trend? Here's the secret.

Everyone's For You page is curated based on the type of content they watch and engage with. So, if you engage mainly with small business TikTok, your feed will reflect that. You must see more content than your niche to spot early trends. The solution is to create a second empty TikTok account where you don't engage with anything, follow anyone, or post anything. Just use it to scroll on the For You page. You'll see different music, dances, and content creators that you wouldn't see on your main account. Scroll quickly through the feed and look for any repeating patterns with music, actions, or text in the video. 

If you hear a sound you haven't heard before or see someone lip-syncing something with a theme, tap on the sound at the bottom of the video. This takes you to a page that lists the number of videos using that sound. You can see the original date and other videos using that sound ranked by popularity. When Wave is looking for trends, she'll use the data on this page to determine whether something might become popular. She's looking for something less than a week old and has been used in many videos. If the original video date is over a week or two ago, that's too old. 

If the sound has been used in 100,000+ videos, it's probably past its sell-by date. But if it has 2,000 or 3,000 videos, it has the potential to get more popular in the next day or so. If Wave sees a sound with potential, she'll take a screenshot of the page and start tracking it. Sometimes, a particular sound will grow overnight by 3,000 videos, which tells her that people like it and it has the potential to go bigger. Once you find a trend that could work for your account, the next step is to create your own TikTok video for that trend.  

4. Create Your TikTok Videos for Trends  

To get the best results from a trending video, you need to make it fit into your niche and brand and put your stamp on it. Don't create trends where you copy something, like a dance or lip sync to audio, because those trends rarely hit the Discover page. Nobody wants to watch you copy something, especially if they've seen it numerous times and know how it ends. You have to make it unique to you to find success. For instance, one recent trend was “everything you ever want,” which used a song from The Greatest Showman. You'd lip-sync the lyrics, but in the text, you'd share something I struggled with and overcame and leave it inspirational. 

That was a perfect trend to make your own because you shared my story. Another recent trend was the “I'm Bad” TikTok challenge with the Michael Jackson song “I'm Bad.” You'd do a bit of a dance, freeze the video, and transition to a black and white photo of you doing the typical Michael Jackson move where I stand on my toes.

Rather than simply mimicking the dance, you want to make it something unique to you. How long it will take to create a trend video depends on what's involved. I can do it in 5 minutes if it's a point-of-view joke. But other trends require more time. I want to create a video based on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air trend. To participate in this trend, I need to show a day in my life in 14 seconds, the length of the sound (the theme song). Creating a video wouldn't take long if I had many photos on hand that I could stitch together. 

But if I need to collect more videos and pictures, it might take me a day to make it. Remember, no rule says I can only do a trend once. If my first video doesn't perform as well as I'd hoped, I can try another version. I can brainstorm other ideas and make multiple versions. Some people do a trend 10 times, and one may hit and go viral. Generally, trend videos flop if you jump on the trend too late, don't put your spin on it, or don't do it well. Some trends require clean transitions, or if they require the using an effect, you must be good at using it.  

The Power of Virality on TikTok

Virlo offers short-form content creators a way to understand and leverage virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today’s fast-moving social landscape. 

Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you’re just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo enables you to navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo’s virality analysis tool.

How To Keep Up With TikTok Trends In 6 Ways

1. Grow Your TikTok Game With Virlo

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social landscape. 

Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo enables you to navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool. 

2. Don’t Just Scroll—Explore TikTok’s “Explore” Page

TikTok’s Explore page is an excellent tool for spotting trends and staying up-to-date with the latest viral content. Here are a few tips for navigating the Explore page expertly: 

• Keep your eyes peeled for the “Explore” tab. This is where you’ll find the most popular videos and hashtags. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking for inspiration. 

• Explore the different categories. Trend discovery is divided into various categories, such as “Fashion,” “Beauty,” and “Food & Drink.” Click on each category to see the trends currently making waves in that area. 

• Look for patterns. As you scroll through the Explore page, you might notice specific themes or styles popping up repeatedly. These are likely trends that you can incorporate into your content. 

• TikTok trends can come and go in blinks, so staying alert and keeping your finger on the pulse is essential. 

3. Get Trendy With TikTok’s Creative Center

The Trend Discovery Feature in TikTok’s Creative Center is an excellent resource for identifying trends and keeping up with the latest developments. Here are some suggestions for making the most of this tool:

• Select the country your target audience resides in. This is where you’ll find the viral content on TikTok for that particular location. Click on it to see a list of TikTok’s latest and hottest trends. 

• Follow the trail of hashtags. Look at the creator's hashtags if you see a video that catches your eye. Those hashtags are part of a more significant trend that you can tap into. 

• Filter out creators by their follower count and likes. Creators with a big following are often at the forefront of new trends and can give you a good sense of what’s popular on the platform. This can give you a sense of how much traction a particular trend or piece of content gets. 

• Get creative. Once you’ve found a trend that catches your eye, look at it and set aside some budget for video production for social media. This will give you a better idea of how people interpret the trend and what content resonates with audiences. 

• Remember, TikTok is about having fun and being creative, so don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. 

4. Look Beyond Your Interests 

TikTok’s algorithm gives users precisely the kind of video content they want, so it can quickly funnel you into a very narrow content lane. “Part of why TikTok is so popular is because it very quickly gets you, and it will put you into a lane of content on things that you love and engage with,” Horowitz says. You can discover viral TikTok trends outside your feed by doing the following: 

• Use someone else’s TikTok app to stumble on videos you’d never encountered. 

• Explore the Discover page often. 

• Click on a sound and see what people are doing with it. 

• Use the search box to find topics and hashtags relevant to your brand, products, and customers. 

5. Pay Attention to Music 

Scroll through your For You page on TikTok, and you’ll likely hear the same song repeatedly. This is because TikTok is built for music, and these audio trends provide a wealth of opportunities for users to create their remixes and interpretations. While individual users can integrate songs and sounds into their videos without much concern for copyright issues, Horowitz cautions brands to refer to their legal teams before publishing. Brands may have to acquire a license in some instances. “When it’s just on your organic page, it’s definitely a legal gray zone,” he says. 

6. See How Pop Culture and Current Events Play a Role 

TikTok creators quickly respond to what’s happening worldwide, so brands that want to remain relevant should do the same when applicable. For example, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, countless TikTok trends emerged around handwashing and quarantine life. Exploring current events certainly won’t apply to every brand, but it’s a natural fit for some. For example, the Washington Post does an impressive job of exploring breaking news and implementing humor and unique TikTok features to tell stories.

10 Interesting TikTok Content Ideas

1. Teach 'Em a Lesson: Create a Tutorial

Tutorials are all the rage on TikTok. According to Hootsuite’s 2022 Social Media Trends Survey, 43% of those surveyed said they like TikTok because it teaches them new things. So why not give the people what they want and create a tutorial for your TikTok video? You can make a straightforward demo (here’s how to wash our sneakers), something hyper-specific (here’s how to style our sneakers for Pride), or even a product hack a user might not know about (here’s how to recycle our sneakers into flower pots for a mother’s day gift). 

2. Demos Are for Chefs: Put a Recipe on TikTok

There’s a whole world of cooks in the TikTokaverse: connect with them by sharing a recipe. Even if your brand isn’t specifically a food product or kitchen-related company, everyone’s gotta eat, right? If you’re a fashion brand, maybe someone can wear a sweatshirt from your newest line while they prep some ceviche — it’s all about offering followers value, baby. 

3. Test a Viral TikTok Hack

Let other people think creatively for you: on TikTok, there’s absolutely no shame in piggybacking. Share your experience or reaction to a viral hack — people love to see honest reviews and tests before they try, like microwaving a hat full of popcorn. Here are @Recipes trying out a viral Starbucks drink. 

4. Team Up with Other TikTokers

Teamwork makes the dream work! Partner up with an influencer, one of your superfans, or another complementary business to half your workload and double your reach (if they’re sharing with their audience, you’re reaching a whole new set of eyeballs, hubba hubba). 

5. Lip Sync to a Song or Dialog Clip

TikTok was born from the ashes of a lip-synching and dancing app, so these activities are still super common on social media. Why not get in on the fun? While song lip-synching is the classic move, lip-synching dialog is also a fun option: pairing a catchphrase from a movie with a new context — for instance, shooting a clip of you admiring someone using your product. At the same time, I mouth along to the famous “I’ll have what she’s having!” line from When Harry Met Sally. Iconic! Hilarious! Applicable to almost all types of businesses! 

6. Make a Wacky Machine

This guy created an elaborate Rube-Goldberg device to serve him lunch, and we could not look away. You should also do that. 

7. Create a Branded Hashtag Challenge

Challenges are hot-hot-hot on TikTok. Sure, you can follow the most recent trend (e.g., chugging a cup of dry nutmeg), but why not take it to the next level by creating your own with a branded hashtag, like Levi’s #buybetterwearlonger campaign? 

8. Do a Non-Branded TikTok Challenge

Maybe you don’t have time to create a new challenge from scratch. No problem! There are dozens of challenges circulating the platform at any given time. Just tap over the Discover page to see what’s trending that you can join this week — like the #winteroutfit hashtag that even Rod Stewart is getting in on. 

9. Show Your Process in Fast-Motion

Whether you’re painting a mural, latch-hooking a rug, packing up an order for shipping, or using a chainsaw to carve a statue of a bear, it’s fun to see how something comes together, especially if it’s fast-motion. We don’t have to linger too long on the boring bits. Record yourself making your thing or practicing my activity, speed it up, and set it to peppy music. The effect is hypnotic and impressive. 

10. Host a Livestream

For better or worse, anything can happen on a live stream, so live on the edge for once; why don’t you? A live stream is a great chance to announce a new product drop, share some exciting brand news, host a Q&A, or interview a special guest while viewers chime in in the comments with insights and maybe a crude emoji.

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Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

First, talk about why going viral on TikTok is so rewarding. Creating a viral post can dramatically increase your reach and help you gain followers quickly. This is especially true if you can leverage an existing trend instead of starting from scratch. Viral content can also help you get noticed by brands and earn lucrative partnership opportunities. In short, going viral can take your TikTok account from obscurity to fame overnight. With the right tools, you can improve your chances of going viral, and that’s where Virlo comes in.   

How Can Virlo Help Me Go Viral on TikTok?  

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today’s fast-moving social landscape. Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. 

We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you’re just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo enables you to navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo’s virality analysis tool.

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