It’s the new kid on the block and it’s been making quite the wave – yup no surprise that TikTok has blown up this year and now everybody is trying to get in on the action… and rightly so!
Because, being one of the biggest downloaded apps of the year, it would crazy to think this platform isn’t going to get even bigger as the next few years crack on.
Which is exactly why it’s time to get on it now and start learning what does and doesn’t work for your brand, so that you can blow up on this platform before the craze blows over!
And here at Social Puffin, we’re delighted to announce that just this week we got a client’s video to over 1000 views in under 24 hours!
Yup, after trailing a lot of different strategies on this network, we think we’ve finally cracked the code for success and here are some of our top pointers…
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#1 Use a Trending Audio Clip
This is the most obvious and sure fire way to get your TikTok content in front of as many eyes as possible!
Using a trending Audio clip, which you can easily select by tapping the TikTok Viral icon in the creation process, under the Sounds > Discover section, is the best way to get your video in front of lots of eyes.
Using a trending sound will ensure more people have the chance to view your piece either through the For You page, as other content they’ve liked with the same audio will heighten the chances of your piece appearing before their eyes too.
In addition, you may well feature on the page of that trending sound clip, where all videos using the same audio are grouped.
If an audio clip is trending, there’s again more chance people will be looking at these pages and therefore are more likely to see your content!
If the viral sound also uses a hashtag, we suggest incorporating that into the caption of your piece to really enhance your reach as much as possible.
#2 Use a Max of 5 Hashtags
Which leads us onto the next pointer we have when helping your video to go viral.
In all our TikTok research we’ve found that more isn’t necessarily better when it comes to hashtags and limiting your use of them to around 3-5 seems to be the sweet spot.
Unlike with Instagram, TikTok doesn’t limit the number of hashtags you are allowed, but it does have a character limit on your caption in total, which means you may be limited to just a couple of hashtags if you have a wordy text section under your video anyway.
As discussed above, one of the hashtags you should definitely use are any that commonly appear with your viral audio.
We also recommending including the ubiquitous #fyp (which stands for For Your page) because in our research it does seem this helps elevate your video within that TikTok feature.
Other hashtags you may want to consider are location, theme or event tags that keep your content targeted and pinpointed.
#3 Quick, Quirky Caption
And of course, all hashtags you use should sit within the caption of your TikTok content.
As discussed, you’re limited to 100 characters here (including hashtags) but we highly suggest keeping your content quick and quirky anyway.
Something stand-out, which entices viewers to stay on your video that few seconds longer and view your content, is a great way to go here.
Often you’ll see TikTok users employing “what until the end” or “see what happens” tactics for exactly this purpose!
Otherwise, using witty quips and humorous emojis is also a great way to way bring traction to your TikTok content.
Essentially captions want to be catchy and grabbing rather than too explanatory or descriptive.
#4 Utilise Questions or CTA’s
Which leads us nicely onto our next point, which is another thing related to your TikTok content caption – namely it really helps if you can include a question in there, which might prompt your audience to leave a comment.
Although still not a whole lot is known about the TikTok algorithm, it seems pretty likely that users engaging with your post boosts its reach further and, as with Instagram, if a like on a piece of content is worth a point, a comment is worth 3!
So including a question in your caption to help prompt answers from viewers in the form of comments on your content is a great way to get those engagement points soaring!
And on this point, we absolutely suggest you respond to all comments on your content as soon as possible too.
If a question doesn’t really fit, then the next best option is probably a Call to Action aka a CTA.
This is when you instruct viewers to do something i.e. “comment below what you think happens next”, or “tell us your favourite”. This is another great way to build up those content comments.
Failing this, CTA’s instructing views to like, follow or view a profile for the second half of your video can also be effective although, we suggest using them in moderation.
#5 Tell a Story with your Content
But now back to the most important part of TikTok and that’s not the caption, believe it or not!
Nope it’s the actual content and how to create, craft and sculpt this.
One of the things TikTok is brilliant and pretty unique at in our opinion, is the emphasis it places on narrative.
Yes even if a video is just 15 seconds, it’s still able to tell a story and that’s a pretty powerful thing.
If you start critically watching TikTok, you’ll see many videos that perform well use narrative cleverly in their craftsmanship and we definitely suggest employing this strategy in your TikTok content too.
#6 Build in a Climax
And a key component in successfully building that narrative structure is the ending of your video, which we highly suggest should be a point of climax – a moment in which everything so far in the TikTok piece has been leading to.
This powerful narrative tool helps keep viewers engaged until the end of your piece, extending that all-important time until they swipe-up and on to the next video.
Again, it’s presumed this is another great indicator to the TikTok algorithm that your content needs to be shown to more people.
And inline with climatic endings, let’s not also forget that if we are effectively able to subvert this sense of narrative ending too, this can also be a very strong strategy as well!
Sometimes the anti-climax can be just as funny and gripping as the expected ending and with this in mind. cliff hangers also work incredibly well on TikTok.
As popularity of the app grows and content embodying its crescendo narrative form grows more popular, we expect to see a lot more subversive content creeping out too!
People love to keep it fresh after all and what better way than to play with form and expectations!
Why not start the trend today?
#7 Keep Your Transitions Short and Snappy
And finally, the last tip we have when it comes to getting your TikTok to go viral, is to keep the content snappy.
Building in several clips into your piece (each of which should last between 1-4 seconds) is a great way to keep the viewers attention.
After all, you’ve only got an average of 15-25 seconds to make your point, tell your story, show off your moves or bring your skills to world, so you want to cram in as much as you can into those precious seconds!
Transitions should also be quick, seamless and timed to the beat of your audio where at all possible.
Using TikTok’s pre-loaded transitions is a great way to do this and bearing in mind that you want the whole piece to be in constant motion is a great way to go.
Our advice is to never let your viewers get settled i.e. never allow for a moment’s boredom to creep in.
Instead keep moving them along, fast-paced and relentless, as you push them on through your video.
Don’t give them even a milli-second to think about swiping up and away from your content!
PIN IT TO PINTEREST!
So there you have it, our top 7 pointers to help your TikTok go viral!
Are you using these techniques yet?
Which is helping your content the most?
We’d love to hear more from the floor, so please let us know your feedback in the comments below…
