Written by: Poppy Malise, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever thought about the sensation of going viral on TikTok overnight but then realize that dancing isn’t your thing?
Yes, me too. It seems that everyone is jumping on the TikTok train these days. I went from, “'Nah, I'll never open TikTok” in early 2019, to now writing an article about how to go viral on TikTok. I think we all know the drill: keep creating, share your videos and you might go viral one day. Lucky for you, as the COO of a creative social media agency, I’m here to share some TikTok tips to make it a little bit easier (and faster) for you to go viral on TikTok. Maybe you're not too motivated to create fun videos at the moment, but remember this: TikTok at its current state is like Instagram in 2016. This social media platform will give every video you upload a chance by showing it to a small audience on the For You Page (FYP), so you can still go viral on TikTok with no followers. The current TikTok FYP algorithm sees that if your video performs well in the first one hour, it should continue to push your video out. You might become viral before you even know it. So, take a deep breath and read these 9 easy steps to make your TikTok account go viral!
Use Trending Music in Your TikTok Videos
Yes, there is a way to make the TikTok algorithm push your video to FYP: use music from artists who are currently buzzing on the platform. You can find trending music by clicking the + button in the center and selecting 'Add sound.' Under 'Playlist' you will see 'TikTok Viral' where you can find the current trending music. Don't make the mistake of choosing a random song here because you will not go viral on TikTok overnight. Avoid using songs by artists who are still starting out or underground musicians because your video won't be shown to many people on the FYP. Be sure that 100% of your TikTok videos have trending music attached to them.
Kick Off Your Video with an Energetic Hook
First things first, you will need an awesome intro to kick off your video. If you want to utilize TikTok marketing strategy to promote yourself or your business, use an enticing hook that will make the viewer want to watch your whole video. After that, make sure to keep the viewers interested by giving them something awesome in return.
Here are some TikTok video hooks you could use to start your video:
x (tooltips) I wish I knew earlier
x reason why your (industry reasoning) is not working
how to get (industry reasoning) in (x amount of time)
I am (profession) and here's what you don't know about the (industry)
Nobody is talking about (niche), but...
I will show you how I make (niche)
Keep Your Video As Short As Possible
Unless you’re telling an important story, I suggest you keep your videos short. With a longer video, your viewer might lose interest and quickly scroll away. It’s usually a rookie mistake from people who want to go viral on TikTok with no followers—they don’t understand that the timing, music pace and opening hook are really important. I understand that some people like long videos (myself included), but TikTok is probably not the right social media platform if you want to create long-form videos. The shorter your video is, the more likely it will perform well in the first hour. This is because the more viewers watch your video until the very end, the more chances your video has to go viral. It’s simple math: your audience is more likely to watch 7 seconds of your 10 seconds video than 53 seconds of your 1 minute video. However, once you go viral, you can transform your long-form video into short episodes and put the link for the next video on the description. By doing this, you’ll be able to engage your audience across a video series. P.S. This is one of the most powerful TikTok marketing strategies out there!
Record Your Voice and Talk Directly to Your Audience
The next TikTok strategy is to talk directly to your audience. It is one of the most important factors in making your TikTok videos go viral.
Speak so that your viewers feel like you are talking to them in person. They want to feel connected with you, so make sure you speak as if you’re speaking with friends. Even if you’re running a TikTok business account, talking directly to your audience will create a rather friendly feeling compared to uploading a text-based video. Also, record your voice in a quiet place without background noises. If there’s too much noise around you, use a video editor to cancel out any background noise.
Add Catchy Floating Subtitles
Use an external video editor to add catchy, floating subtitles. Subtitles like this keep the audience engaged and create curiosity. It is another surefire way to make your TikTok go viral. However, if you want to keep things simple, you can add subtitles directly from your TikTok video editor. Make sure that your subtitles are free from spelling or grammatical mistakes and don't forget about punctuation to make it more effective.
Share Industry Insight, Tips and Advice
I love learning new things from TikTok and I'm sure you do, too. So if you have expertise in a certain industry, offer your audience relevant insights or advice. People also love shopping for new products that their favorite TikTokers use. If you have products that you love dearly at home, make a video about them. It's a surprisingly easy way to gain traction on the FYP page. You can also contact the brand and make a deal with them by providing UGC (User-Generated Content). If you want to go viral on TikTok, this is definitely one of the most important factors that you should look into.
Show Strong Emotion
There are many TikTok strategies out there, but when you show strong emotionality to the point of overreacting, your video is much more likely to attract viewers. People love watching videos that make them feel alive. I personally like overreaction videos, especially when it comes to funny topics. Just make sure that you don't go over the top and look fake because your audience will soon forget about you and move on to someone they think is more genuine.
Be Controversial
Another TikTok tip to go viral overnight? Be controversial! People love controversy, especially on social media. If you can stir up a debate or ignite some sort of emotion, your video will have more chances to go viral. Don’t exaggerate just for the sake of going viral. Be yourself and talk about what's on your mind. You can even use TikTok to rant about something that you’ve always wanted to rant about. But make sure that your rant is relevant so it becomes an insight for your audience.
Always Have a Strong CTA at the End of the Video
Even if you’re not working in a creative social media agency, you should always end your videos with a strong call to action (CTA). These should be the last words your audience hears before they move on to the next video.
Your CTA can be as simple as, "like this if you like what I'm saying" or "share this with your friends if you think that this would help them too." Anything goes.
The goal of your CTA is to make it simple, catchy and easy for your audience to take action whether that’s to follow, like, comment or share.
Not sure how to manage your TikTok account? Let our creative social media agency work our magic!
Poppy Malise, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Originally born and raised in a small Indonesian city on Sumatra, Poppy is now the Founder and COO of LIVID creative digital marketing agency based in California and providing industry-leading content solutions to SaaS brands.
Through written SEO content, LIVID is able to create powerful brand experiences that drive first page rankings in Google and ROI. These catered content experiences also shorten sales cycles, lower customer acquisition costs and increase customer retention to further aid companies in achieving their marketing and revenue goals. In addition to written content, LIVID is also pushing the boundaries of short-form video content for Social Media that taps into the psychology of high-value audiences to drive engagement.
As a leader of a 15 person Remote First agency split in the middle between the US content team and Indonesian design and support team, Poppy is empowering other females and creative professionals in Indonesia to tap into the global economy while achieving work/life harmony.
When she takes a break from being a badass, boss female, you can find her chilling on the beach or relaxing in a cafe diving in on her latest Quantum Manifestation book.
