TikTok trends are the beating heart and soul of TikTok. They often form organically and develop a life of their own through the TikTok community. Creating content on TikTok that relates to current and topical trends gains more traction as it's relatable and shareable. So, let's look at what’s trending on TikTok?
Contents
What Are TikTok Trends?
Why Do TikTok Trends Matter?
14 Ways for Brands to Participate in TikTok Trends
Tip: Make sure you're aware of all the basics you need to leverage TikTok as a channel. These resources will help you: What Is TikTok And How Did It Become So Successful?, TikTok Stats You Need To Know, How To Use TikTok For Business
What Are TikTok Trends?
TikTok trends are made up of user generated video content that all share commonalities and themes. They frequently use the same songs or sounds. These trends encourage others to engage on TikTok, either with their own contributions or by engaging with similar content.
Learning about the videos trending on TikTok can inspire your own content strategy. It can also give your content more visibility by appearing alongside similar content.
TikTok trends change all the time, so it’s important for marketers to keep up to date on current TikTok trends to maximize their presence.
Common types of TikTok trends
- GRWM (Get Ready With Me): Involves choosing outfits, hair-stying, or makeup routines for events or regular activities. A classic video format that has many different variations.
- POV (Point of View): Videos from a certain perspective commonly illustrating points of frustration or interest. Despite the often fast-and-lose interpretation of what "POV" means, this trend has remained strong on TikTok for years.
- ASMR: Close up shots and crystal clear sounds in high-quality mics. Typically made for the relaxation effect, but you definitely need to find noises that appeal to you. Luckily there's no shortage to choose from.
- TikTok Shop reviews: Users share their opinions on popular TikTok Shop items, often sharing whether or not they think it's worth the hype. These videos are commonly tagged with #tiktokmademebuy it.
- Reaction videos: There are many types of reaction video, but one of the more popular involves first-time viewings of shows or movies.
- Dances: One of the original types of TikTok trends that took off during Covid are bite-size dance videos to popular audios and songs.
These trends are largely evergreen, but there are many more niche and viral trends that have had major cultural impacts before fading away. You keep track of what's trending, and how users are responding, using social listening tools (and be sure to keep up with the Meltwater blog for topical trend analysis!)
Why Do TikTok Trends Matter?
Keeping up with trends and consumer preferences as a marketer is a bit like trying to hit a moving target. It's difficult but it you get it right, the rewards are many. Being able to jump on TikTok trends in an authentic way humanizes your brand. You can develop a rapport with your customers, and attract new fans. This kind of brand equity goes a long way toward inspiring sales and loyalty.
Make sure you get the most out of hopping on a trend and don't create problems. Learn how in our Ultimate Guide to Trendjacking.
Widening the lens out a bit, understanding what's trending allows you to follow consumer behavior, to learn how their communicating. When you deeply understand how they interact with each other it can inform marketing campaigns, bring to light certain preferences, offer clarity on likes and dislikes, and more. This helps you keep your social media content relevant and topical.
Monitoring social media trends is best practice and applies to all social channels, like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The influencer you partner with today might be old news next year. The cool split-screen effect on your last video might be viewed as cliche. An unlikely viral TikTok might just inspire your next piece of content.
Whether you're building a small business marketing strategy or managing brand awareness for a global brand, TikTok trend discovery can help you feel right at home on the app.
14 Ways for Brands to Participate in TikTok Trends
If you're looking for some inspiration, we’ve rounded up some of the most popular types of TikTok videos and TikTok themes that will help you participate in trends:
1) Hashtag challenges
2) Oddly satisfying videos
3) Dance challenges
4) Lip sync videos
5) Day-in-the-life videos
6) TikTok subcultures
7) Pop culture references and memes
8) The glow-up
9) Vulnerable videos
10) Participation videos
11) Behind-the-scenes videos
12) Stitched videos
13) "Watch my" videos
14) Responding to comments
1) Hashtag challenges
One of the OG TikTok trends, a hashtag challenge (HTC) uses a hashtag of your choice, then requests followers to create their own spin based on the challenge.
Participants will include the branded hashtag in their content, helping your hashtag and brand to travel farther.
Peloton’s #TogetherWeGoFar comes to mind. Not only does the hashtag evoke images of connectivity and group empowerment, but it also created a whole slew of user-generated content around the brand’s core products.
Tip: Learn more about The Principles of Wildly Successful Social Media Challenges and learn more about how to use hashtags.
2) Oddly satisfying videos
Satisfying videos have emerged in their own category of sorts.
These are the videos that you just can’t look away from because they’re so, well, satisfying.
Think of someone masterfully painting a room or decorating a cake with picture-perfect precision. Smooth-gliding calligraphy pens drawing perfect circles, or even hands laying bricks in a creative way. Bonus points if the video comes with soothing music.
3) Dance challenges
Another original TikTok trend, dance challenges (especially those with an original sound) helped to skyrocket the platform to global fame.
TikTokers will do a dance, then issue a challenge for others to copy the dance (and use the dance challenge hashtag, of course). It’s another example of how TikTok builds community and engagement.
There are some successful examples of brands using dance challenges for promotion, such as Prime Video using this dance to generate buzz for a new season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel:
The video is tagged with #maiseldance and posed as a challenge (#pslchallenge) inspiring a slew of creators to get in on the fun:
Users will also often take it upon themselves to create a dance craze based on popular media. Look no further than the Wednesday phenomenon.
This type of UGC is hugely valuable for creating interest that turns into eyeballs, viewers, and purchases.
4) Lip sync videos
Lip sync videos will likely never go out of style on TikTok. Like dance videos, lip sync is one of the oldest styles of video, letting users sing along to their favorite songs or audio clips in a whimsical way.
They’re also super easy to create, which is part of their appeal. Just start a new video, choose a song or a soundbite, go back to the recording screen and you're ready to go!
5) Day-in-the-life videos
During the pandemic, walls came down as Zoom calls let our coworkers, teachers, and long-distance friends enter our the homes.
This distinct societal moment may have something to do with the popularity of a-day-in-the-life TikTok videos, where users showcase a small slice of what their day-to-day lives look like.
Brands can easily use these kinds of video to highlight different offices and inspire potential applicants with the office culture.
6) TikTok subcultures
TikToks power to cultivate community is one of its greatest gifts. Over the years, several prominent subcultures have emerged and they continue to grow and evolve.
Examples include #booktok, #cleantok, #gymtok, #dadtok, #momtok, and #witchtok.
Brands should tread carefully when trying to ingratiate themselves with a TikTok subculture, but if it can be done tastefully and offers something of value to the community, then there are plenty of positive dividends.
7) Pop culture references and memes
Pop culture references and memes are defining features of many social media platforms, including TikTok.
TikTok users will often reference popular TV shows and movies in their content to respond to certain topics, news stories, or comments on videos. Brands can easily get in on the action as well, just make sure you know your meme!
8) The glow-up
We’ve all gone through that Ugly Duckling phase of life. Some people are more willing to look back on those days than others, however, and their bravery gives us the wonderful and humanizing glow-up video trend. These videos show a before-and-after look at a person, showing that beauty is subjective and knows no age.
Tip: Take a look at the top beauty influencers to inspire your brand.
Not only are glow-ups super relatable, but they also give you that “wait for it” moment, keeping you hanging on to see the end result.
Brands can use the glow-up trend to humanize their corporate image, or adapt it when celebrating a milestone (i.e. we started with three people in a room and dream and now we're opening our 3rd office!)
9) Vulnerable videos
The word ‘vulnerable’ has become a trend in its own right. After the pandemic, more people are expressing their need form real connections with others. There's also a growing dissatisfaction with a lack of in-person connection, so many people share their frustration about this and post videos trying to establish a less digital-heavy life. They’re putting it all out there as a way to break down walls. What brands can learn from this is that genuine and vulnerable communication works.
10) Participation videos
Engagement is key to going viral, and one of the easiest ways to inspire engagement is to make participation easy and fun. You can create a simple video that asks viewers to comment something specific in response. It might be something like “Drop your favorite dance challenge” or “Caption this video”. The TikTok comments are often a place of hilarious takes and fun conversations are regularly sparked, so you never want to discount the power of the comment section.
11) Behind-the-scenes videos
Going behind the scenes has always enthralled social media users, and this TikTok trend is no different. Given TikTok’s inherently authentic nature, behind-the-scenes videos are extremely popular.
They’re fun, educational, captivating, and make users feel like they’re getting in on a secret.
12) "Watch my" videos
A simply delightful trend that has remained popular on TikTok is the "watch my" trend, in which a creator asks the viewer to watch their pet or kid for a few minutes, while they leave the frame. Viewers are treated to adorable puppies looking confused as their mom leaves the room, rambunctious kids, or even curious cockatoos. The comments are also delightful, often filled with "he tried to eat me, but same time next week?" type responses to vicious puppy attacks as they attempt to destroy the videoing device.
This trend has been adopted by brands with the "Can you watch my boss" trend, another excellent way to humanize and highlight the faces behind a company.
13) Stitched videos
Stitching videos is an excellent tactic for brands to provide uniquely qualified advice, answer questions, or offer responses to critiques. If you are tagged in a video that has Stitches turned on, creating a response of some kind demonstrates that you care about your consumers and what they think.
14) Responding to comments
The comment section of TikTok is its own universe, not to be ignored. Brands often join the conversation, chiming in on videos as though their merely a viewer enjoying the content. This can be met with mixed responses though, so choose videos carefully and comment sparingly at first to test the waters.
And there you have it! Tapping into TikTok trends is a wonderful way to connect with communities and showcase a different side to your brand. Good luck!
