1 - Do your research!

Often there is a pattern to videos going viral. I recommend following and studying content creators similar to your image, and see what videos seem to gain success. Keep up to date with the latest trends and sounds (while keeping your target audience in mind), and become familiar with the types of videos that go viral in your genre. This will help you have a better grasp on the type of videos you will want to record to have a higher chance of taking off.

 

2 - Follow the basic formula to a well-made Tiktok video

When creating a Tiktok, I would have these elements in mind!:

  • Grab the audience's attention from the very first second of the video. Stand out!
  • Record high-quality videos IN the app. Avoid filters that lower the video quality. Use natural light. Etc! Keep the video clean, simple, and aesthetically pleasing. Keep the audience’s attention throughout the whole video. This can be with expressions, cuts to different scenes, telling a story, having the audience anticipate the end, etc. Give the audience something to engage in (comment, share, like, etc). The more comments, shares, and likes, the more the video will be pushed! Even controversial statements can do well if it causes debates in the comment section.

 

3 - Know your Audience!

 Speaking of audience, you’ll want to make sure you have in mind the audience you are attempting to target. Is it men in their 20s? Older men? City people? Country people? You’ll want to target an audience with a wide range but also niche enough to help you stand out and get your audience interested.

Once you have a good idea of your target audience, when you continue to research trends, you’ll want to make sure that they are popular amongst your specific target audience.

 For example, there may be a trend that is popular amongst a female audience but not popular amongst the male audience. You can find out what audience a video has hit by looking at the comments and observing the average commenter.

 

4 - Persistence!

Perhaps one of the most important tips I have: you’ll need to have persistence with TikTok. For every viral video I have, I have had dozens (and sometimes more) that have flopped. I have had multiple accounts banned, suppressed, deleted, videos removed, and many more barriers. Many successful TikTokers will agree that they have had to have persistence and try multiple times before they have had a video take off.

 

5 - Being Familiar with Tiktok’s Terms of Service

This is probably one of the most frustrating barriers for a lot of creators. Although Tiktok’s moderation process is a bit of a mystery, creators have developed best practices for avoiding strikes against your account. Creators often take two routes when creating Tiktok content. They create careful content that follows Tiktok TOS OR they may play it a bit risky and farm as many customers as they can until they inevitably get banned. Unfortunately, in some cases, one may try to play it safe and STILL end up finding their account banned. (This is where persistence will become exceptionally important.)

 

Although I follow Tiktok’s guidelines, my main account has been permanently banned over ten times. I’ve had to use multiple avenues of contact to reach out to Tiktok to appeal and restore my account, which eventually has always been restored. Many verified creators have even had their accounts banned by what I assume is Tiktok’s automatic moderation system.

 

6 - Build a Support System!

Although having a support system doesn’t seem as important as the other advice, this could be perhaps one of the most valuable things you have while attempting to build a career using Tiktok as a tool. Getting banned from Tiktok or having videos removed, especially when you have been following guidelines, can be extremely discouraging. Having other like-minded creators to turn to who can empathize with these issues, can really make a difference. These creators can also help share best practices, tips, trends, and more. I would encourage all content creators to be a part of a community that has these things to offer as it can make a world of difference.