How to Go Viral on TikTok in 2023

It is no secret that TikTok has become a hotspot for content creators and influencers looking to build their brands and reach new audiences. But what does it take to stand out and create a viral sensation on TikTok? 
 

At some point, you might have felt like some accounts can post the most random things and suddenly start to walk the TikTok hall of fame while others struggle to get noticed for months. But there's a secret to going viral on this platform, and it's not just about luck. In this article, we explore what type of content TikTok is pushing for massive audiences to see in 2023. 

You might be someone new in the creator business looking for the easiest way to go viral on TikTok, a business owner who wants to learn how to make a product go viral on TikTok or someone who wants to rekindle their account to put their plans on how to earn money on TikTok to action with some fresh and viral content. No matter how far you are in your creative journey, our practical tips will guide you on how you can increase your chances of virality on the platform - so let’s jump in!

For every content creator, it is important to understand that just like any other social media platform, TikTok's algorithm is constantly evolving. What worked a year or even a few months ago may not work now, but trying to use shortcuts such as TikTok share bots or view bots will by no means better your chances of going viral.

TikTok is always changing its algorithm to keep up with our ever-changing interests and behaviors on the app. This is why getting the hang of the factors that determine your TikTok account authority will help you rank your content higher than ever before. 

When you sign up on TikTok for the first time, your account will be equal to any other new account in terms of account grading. However, things take a different turn the moment you post your first video, and how well you build up your account authority has a great influence on your chances of going viral. 

We will cover all you need to look out for in this matter later in this article, but for starters, here is a list of the factors you should keep in mind to optimize your account for viral ranking:
 

• Watch time
• Theme uniformity 
• Deleted videos
• Composition 
• Your first five videos

We can’t stress this enough: when it comes to hashtags, using hashtags relevant to your niche is way more important than worrying about how many hashtags you use on TikTok to go viral. 

Yes, it is true that a viral video will be seen by millions of people who share a different set of interests. Regardless, the TikTok account grading works in a way that gradually ranks your content higher before it can reach the virality milestone. 

The first step of going viral is making sure that 70% of your viewers don’t skip your video in the first 3-5 seconds so that it can be pushed out to new viewers outside your fanbase - and this is when using the right hashtags come to your aid.

For example, let’s say you share a mini study vlog and use the hashtag “healthy meal ideas” just because you included a short clip of the avocado sandwich you ate that day. By using this hashtag, you will tell the algorithm that your content is about healthy meal ideas, and when people who are actually looking for healthy meal ideas see your study vlog, they will probably scroll down for the next video. 

The problem is, by then, you will have already risked losing the 70% of your audience who will carry your content to become viral by engaging with your content, watching it until the end, or playing your video in a loop! 

So, the takeout is that the whole point of using hashtags is to make the algorithm understand to whom it needs to be showing your content. That is why you need to look for hashtags that are popular among your target audience and avoid using too many of them to make sure that your content is reaching the right people.

If you want to go viral on TikTok and make a living off your TikTok content, we have amazing news! As TikTok is incorporating more and more features to help creators get to know what kind of videos are performing well within their niche, going viral on TikTok has become easier than before if you are willing to dive into these resources and use them to your advantage.

If your main worry is about how to go viral on TikTok without followers, you will be relieved to find out that you don’t need a big follower base in the beginning to see the viral-tier like, comment, and share counts in your videos. 

Your account’s past performance has a great impact on virality, so there is no need to panic if you are starting with a blank page in your hands, as it will be to your advantage when avoiding as many mistakes as possible.
 

Let’s jump into the tips and tricks of how you can enhance your account performance and manage your account analytics to go viral on TikTok!

Our 11 effective tips will make going viral on TikTok less of a challenge for you!

As much as you want your videos to reach the people who are likely to enjoy your content, you should be aware that creating a video about a hot topic will not be enough on its own. 

To ensure that viewers can be hooked on your content without having the urge to skip it before they even complete watching half of your videos, you need to embellish your content with visual enhancements to captivate your audience. To do this, pay attention to the following:
 

• Where you place your captions: Adding captions to your videos provides a way for your viewers to have a visual representation of the story you are telling in your videos and helps you capture their attention. However, placing your captions too high or below will be no use - if the captions are not easily readable, they will degrade the visual and informative value of your content rather than elevate them.
• How you arrange your setup: By adjusting the lighting and your camera angle, you can present a more sincere atmosphere in your videos. Especially when you are telling a story, people will tend to be engaged with your content more if they feel like they are watching a friend talk so that they can be drawn more and more into the story.

Participating in trends can definitely increase your chances of going viral, but sometimes, not every trend seems suitable for all types of videos. If you are worried your account authority will be affected poorly when you participate in a trend that is outside of your niche, just remember that the global trending page is not the only address to visit! 

You can search for keywords within your niche and look for the top trending videos by filtering them based on the date posted (this week, this month, the last three months, etc.). This way, you can preserve your theme uniformity for account ranking and increase your chances of going viral faster with a higher level of TikTok account authority.

By now, you already know that using hashtags related to your niche or account theme is essential for reaching wider audiences. Additional points you need to look out for when optimizing your hashtags are:

• including them in the description box rather than posting them separately in the comments section,
• putting your hashtags at the end of your description rather than at the beginning or the middle of the description text,
• going over to the search bar and looking for high-volume hashtags within your niche, 
• making a list of the hashtags that are most frequently used in viral videos within your niche.

If you look at the videos of popular accounts that have millions of followers, or rather listen to them, you can easily notice that most creators and influencers have audio signatures like woosh transitions, popping sound effects, and so on. 
 

How well you blend these sound effects with other audio and visual elements is crucial for drawing audiences’ attention, as well as subtly exaggerating them in certain parts of your videos for seamless and captivating transitions. 
 

You can check out our guide on how to trim sound on TikTok or use external video editing software to add signature sound effects to your videos to increase your brand recognition and engagement rate.
 

Wondering where you can find high-quality and captivating sound effects? Look no further than Snapmuse! Browse our extensive sound effects and royalty-free music library to discover the perfect sound for your social media content today!
 

One of the key elements of TikTok account authority is avoiding deleting videos that you think have performed poorly, and here’s why:
 

• Unlike Instagram, TikTok’s algorithm redistributes your content over time, which gives your poorly performed videos another chance to reach wider audiences and go viral.l
• Constantly deleting videos on TikTok is not a good idea as it will rank your account as having poor performance. The only time you can consider deleting one of your videos should be if the watch count of your video is below 1% of the number of your followers.

You might be offering an outstanding amount of informative or entertaining value in your content. However, if you are taking too long to get to the point or talk about things that are unrelated to your topic, your chances of going viral can drop due to decreasing watch time and rewatch levels. 

If you are showing a step-by-step guide on how to record music video on TikTok, it is probably a good idea to jump right into the tutorial rather than starting with how you get ready for recording your music videos (as that might be the topic for another video).

One of the most trending viral TikTok methods is starting your hook with misconceptions within your niche rather than directly telling your audience what your video is about. 

For example, if you are creating content for language learning, you can inform your audience about the five language learning mistakes they should avoid at all costs and provide them with effective tips afterward. 

Or, if your content is about Minecraft, you can title your video as TikTok Minecraft hacks and hook your viewers by saying, “Stop making these Minecraft mistakes”. By breaking down the misconceptions within your niche and sharing useful and effective information, you can gain the trust of your audience, incentivize them to engage with your content more, and increase your chances of going viral on TikTok.

On TikTok, storytelling isn't just a way to capture attention. It is the key to capturing the hearts, minds, and views of millions of users. Whether you are telling a personal story, sharing a piece of news, or making a video about the world’s largest animal species, the way you are telling and supporting the storyline is what encourages your audience to be eager to see what will come next. 

For example, you can use visual descriptions to paint a vivid picture in the viewer's mind and transport them right into your story. Visual aids such as graphics, animations, and overlays are great ways to add value to your story as well. You can also implement personal anecdotes, humor, puns, cliffhangers, and witty comments into your story to spark your authentic voice. 
 

And last but not least: set the tone with music! Choosing a song that resonates with the story you are telling can greatly enhance the emotional impact of your video. Here at Snapmuse, you can discover the perfect song for your content by exploring our royalty-free music through various genres, moods, and usage areas and give life to the stories you’ve got to share with the world on TikTok!
 

Did you know that TikTok's algorithm tends to push content onto the For You Page that is similar to what people have shared previously? This means that if your video is being shared by your audience, your chances of appearing on other people's For You Pages will increase. 

You can use short and strong calls to action at the end of your videos to lead your viewers to watch the second part of your video. Or, you can encourage your viewers to check out your other social media channels, such as Instagram and YouTube, through a link in your bio. 

This way, when people click on your account to find you on Instagram or YouTube, you can receive account clicks through your video. The more you incorporate short and strong calls to action to your video and receive clicks, the chances of discoverability and virality can increase with boosting engagement rates.  

Furthermore, if you want to repurpose your TikTok videos on other social media platforms, you can use a third-party tool like SnapTik to download your content without the watermark. Don’t forget to check out our article on What is SnapTik? for more information.

Collaborating with other brands and users can be a win-win situation for everyone involved.  You get more exposure and expand your own reach by tapping into another user’s audience, while the other party gets to share their content with your followers. 

Did you know that each video you share on TikTok has its own special analytics page? You can follow the steps below to view the “Video analysis” page:

1. You can only see this feature if you have a Creator or Business account on TikTok, so make sure to turn that option on from your account settings first. 
2. Go to your profile and tap on the video you want to analyze.
3. Click “More Data” on the bottom right corner of your screen. 
4. Now that you have your “Video analysis” page opened up, you can dive deep into the details of how well your video performed. 
5. Here, you can view your video’s total play time, average watch time, the percentage of your audience who have watched the full video, whether your viewers found you on the For You Page, and, more importantly, the retention rate. 
6. By sliding your finger across the graph, you can see how your audience interacted with your content at specific times of the video and observe which parts of the video need improvement to rank viral. When you look at the graph, do you see a drop in the beginning, middle, or end of your video?