Although TikTok began as a lip-syncing app, the platform is now one of the most popular places to find viral videos of all kinds. Becoming famous on TikTok translates to real-life success—just look at Lil Nas X, Charlie D'Amelio, and Olivia Rodrigo! All it takes is one or two great videos to become TikTok famous—no long list of followers necessary.[1] Although there's no specific formula for going viral on TikTok, most TikTok-famous people combine their talents (or shortcomings) with the latest trends.

1

Make content you care about.

  1. It can be hard to stay motivated and dedicated if you're making videos about things you don't care for. You should also try to make sure this content is something there's an active audience for, although there's most likely a niche audience for anything you're into! Here's some examples:
    • Dancing
    • Singing
    • Acting
    • Swimming
    • Cleaning
    • Life Hacks
    • Chef/Cooking
    • News/Crime
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3

Bring out your unique skills and stories.

  1. Focus on what you know. What is something you know a lot about or can do well? Are you an avid record collector? A nurse working on a COVID-19 unit? A rapper? A mom who has nailed easy Instant Pot meals? Use the search field on the Discover page to check out what types of videos already exist for topics you know a lot about and think about how you could add value to those topics.[4]
    • Having a focus doesn’t mean that you must only make a certain kind of video, but it does help to build a following.
    • If you run a business, try promoting what you do. For instance, if you have a hair salon, you might post before-and-after transformations![5]
    • You could also try focusing on what you don't know, or things you're comedically bad at!
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5

Use trending and relevant hashtags.

  1. People click on hashtags to check out videos all the time. Look at popular TikToks to see how they use hashtags in their videos, and try to hop on a trend as early as possible.[7] Never skip this step—hashtags are crucial, especially when doing challenges.
    • Tap the Discover option at the bottom of the app to see the latest trending hashtags, sounds, and effects on TikTok. When you tap a trending hashtag, sound, or topic, you'll see popular videos that have used those features.
    • If you can incorporate any combination of trending topics into one or more videos, you're more likely to wind up on peoples' For You pages.
    • While you don't want to mirror someone's content exactly, you can gain inspiration from TikTokers who are already popular on the platform.
    • As long as you're using at least one or two popular hashtags, you can add some goofy or ironic ones. For example, if you’re singing a love song to your cat, you could use #TrueLove, #HeHatesMe, or #We’rePurfect, to add a funny element to your video.
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6

Use a popular song or sound.

  1. Add the same songs or sounds like the most popular videos on the platform. Music is a massive part of TikTok and videos with popular songs can get billions of views![8] Sometimes doing your cool, creative, or funny performance to a trending song is enough to make you go viral.
    • For example, #FakeTravel was a popular hashtag that used foreign-language songs and weird costumes to make it seem like the user was in a different part of the world.
    • Children’s songs like “Baby Shark” or "Castaways" from The Backyardigans are always trending and can make for some funny videos.
7

Participate in meme trends and make remixes.

  1. Use your editing skills to produce disruptive, exciting new content. From Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” to the surprising time traveler, there is no shortage of memes that originated on TikTok. TikTok also makes it easy to add your take to someone else's video by stitching or duetting your spin on someone else's video, which is essentially how viral memes are created—a video takes off, and other TikTokers "remix" the original song or punchline to add their jokes, hot takes, lyrics, dances, or stunts.[9]
    • Making people laugh is a great way to get views. Rather than telling straight-up jokes, most comedic TikTok creators tell funny or embarrassing anecdotes, record goofy missteps, and dig into the most hilarious aspects of day-to-day life.
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8

Jump in on a TikTok challenge.

  1. Challenges are more likely to be seen than your normal videos. Since they use the same hashtag for all videos in the challenge, they have a built-in audience! Challenges can be dances, lip-syncing, hilarious stitches, or even stunts. To make a challenge video, study a few examples and try to put your spin on the format.[10]
    • Take your time when crafting challenge videos, since they’re more likely to be seen than your normal videos.
    • Some popular challenges are the "Waking up in the morning" challenge, "Tell me (insert topic here) without tell me you (insert topic here)," #InMyFeelingsChallenge, and #UnMakeupChallenge.
9

Collaborate with friends and influencers who have larger fanbases.

  1. Get noticed by making videos with more popular users and having them tag you in the videos. Let your friends know that you’re trying to get more followers and politely ask to be in one of their videos. As long as you aren’t hurting anyone or damaging anyone’s property, pulling pranks on friends or family members can make for excellent TikTok content too!
    • Duets and stitches are great ways to collaborate with popular TikTokers.
    • If you’re focusing on comedic skits, come up with an idea together and act it out over a funny song.
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11

Make the kind of quality content you'd like to see.

  1. Put thought into filming, and try and boost your production quality. Yes, your videos don't always have to be giant productions, but setting up a video with good lighting, clean editing, and crisp audio can make a difference.[12] Consider things like:
    • Location: Consider filming in weird or funny locations or switching up the lighting in your room.
    • Lighting: Natural light is best, but if it's nighttime, you'll want to make sure people can see you. Consider investing in a good ring light if you don't have a location bright enough to film in.
    • Volume: If people can't hear you over the music, why would they want to see more of your videos? Listen to your video before sharing it to make sure it sounds the way you want.
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12

Get inspiration from your For You page.

  1. The For You page can give you ideas that resonate with what you already like. The For You page is the seemingly random assortment of videos that appear when you open TikTok. Winding up on peoples' For You pages is central to becoming famous on TikTok—this is why it's important to pay attention to what shows up on your For You page, as many of these videos have already been liked or shared a bunch.
    • TikTok tailors each user's For You page to their interests, which means that no two For You pages are alike.[13]
    • In general, people react to things they recognize. If you can capitalize on a popular trend, you can easily increase your number of followers.
14

Participate in dance challenges.

  1. Tons of TikTokers have gained fame creating and performing dances to new songs. Just think of the dance videos with audio from Megan Thee Stallion, Drake, The Weeknd, and other artists.[15] And many of the most popular dance videos are just funny takes on the originals—you don't even have to be a particularly good dancer to take part in a dance challenge!
    • If dancing isn’t your strongest quality, simply have fun and use goofy moves to draw your audience in.
    • Have you noticed more than one video that contains a particular dance routine? It's probably a challenge. Try learning it, or at least film yourself stumbling through the process.
20

Come from another platform.

  1. If you started doing social media on a different platform and you want to expand to TikTok too, keep the same content as before. This is so people will know you for what you do.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I go live on TikTok?
    Aasim
    Aasim
    Top Answerer
    Tap on the "+," choose the "Go Live" tab, then choose the red "Go Live" button. You need 1,000 fans to do this.
  • Question
    How do I know if my video is on the "For you" page?
    Aasim
    Aasim
    Top Answerer
    Some users comment "For you" when your video makes it on the for you page. Also, watch the view count; a video with several thousand views or tens of thousands of views might have made it on the for you page. The view count can be viewed on your profile page.
  • Question
    How do I become popular on TikTok in a few days?
    Aasim
    Aasim
    Top Answerer
    To become popular in a few days, you need to post excellent quality content. Note, however, that people popular for one thing are known as "one-hit wonders" and these people may not seek the same level of growth as people who post good content regularly.
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Warnings

  • Never start or encourage dangerous challenges that could seriously harm, injure, or even kill people. These include the skull breaker challenge, the crate challenge, the Benadryl challenge, and the cereal challenge.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Never give your personal information out online.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • There may be some unpleasant people out there commenting on videos. Don’t get upset if your video doesn’t go over well. Some people get a kick out of being mean, but you can’t let that ruin your goal!
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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About This Article

Brian Honigman
Co-authored by:
Marketing Consultant
This article was co-authored by Brian Honigman and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Brian Honigman is a Marketing Consultant and the Owner of Honigman Media LLC. With over a decade of marketing experience, he specializes in consulting with organizations about digital marketing, social media, and content marketing. Brian holds BA in Political Science and Journalism from The University of Pittsburgh. In addition to being a Consultant, Brian is an Adjunct Marketing Professor at New York University and Francisco Marroquín University. His work providing consulting services, training workshops, and coaching programs led to him being named “Digital Marketing Expert” by Entrepreneur and a “Top Social Media Pro” by Social Media Examiner. Brian’s notable clients include The United Nations Development Programme, Thomson Reuters, NATO, and People Magazine. This article has been viewed 927,203 times.
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Co-authors: 63
Updated: November 8, 2022
Views: 927,203
Categories: Tik Tok
Article SummaryX

1. Study trending videos to see what those users are doing.
2. Use trending hashtags and sounds in your own videos.
3. Combine your own skills or shortcomings with trending topics.
4. Do TikTok challenges and always use their hashtags.
5. Dance, dance, dance.
6. Post high-quality content, and do it often.
7. Be hilarious and relatable.

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