The Ultimate TikTok Guide: How to Make Your TikTok Videos Go Viral

If you’re not making TikTok videos for your business yet…you should!

In 2022, TikTok counted around 1.7 billion users worldwide, and this number is projected to increase until 2027! 🤯

As TikTok videos continue to dominate the social media landscape, understanding how to leverage this platform can significantly boost your visibility and influence.

In short, TikTok can get you more exposure and more sales opportunities!

But first, who the heck am I?!

Hi, I’m Annie Nguyen—TikTok creator and Outsourcing Angel Marketing Manager!

As a TikTok creator, I’ve experienced going viral and engaging with a large audience.
Some of my TikTok videos have hit millions in views too—these videos could range from featuring a cool destination to buying $1.50 ice cream on the street 😆

@anniesbucketlist

Aside from that, I also:

• have been to TikTok’s Creator Camp & Awards, where I met other top TikTok creators in Australia
• create freelance content for some of Australia’s largest food & news networks
• have a TikTok Manager who sends me updates, tips, and event details
• receive merchandise and gifts from TikTok Australia for being an emerging creator
• receive advice and insights from a TikTok Strategist on how to improve my TikTok videos
• have creator friends with much bigger channels than me, like @biteswithlily and @pasha

So, that’s me 🤗 Now, let me share with you what I know about creating viral TikTok videos!

Before you start making TikTok videos…

Like everything in social media, preparation is key!

So before you make your mark on TikTok, you have to make these three preparations first:

1. Know Your Niche: You can’t just make random videos and assume everyone will like and understand them! You have to be intentional instead.

So first, understand:

• who your audience is and why
• what content do they prefer
• and how you want them to feel after watching your videos.

This clarity on your “who, what and how” will guide your content strategy and ensure more consistent relevance and engagement! 📈

2. Consistently Provide Value: Ensure every piece of your TikTok content aligns with your “who, what and how” niche.

This is how you build a strong brand and a loyal community that will return to your page again and again, because of the consistent value you’re providing.

If you’re about to post a video, and it answers your “who” but not your “what” or your “how”, then it doesn’t tick all three boxes. It’s probably not worth uploading because you have to make sure that EVERYTHING you share is consistent and provides a lot of value.

So if the video serves no purpose other than just you personally liking it…it’s best to leave it out of your TikTok! 👀

3. Learn to Compartmentalise: You have to place different types of content in the appropriate channels.

For example, if you’re an entrepreneur inspiring other business owners on your TikTok, your casual weekend food videos might fit better on Instagram stories! 📸 If you REALLY want to share it on TikTok, then make a separate channel for it!

Now, you might be thinking: how do I know what type of content I should post on TikTok? 🤔

It all depends on your content mix 😉

How to create your own TikTok content mix

A TikTok content mix refers to the topics and themes you use on the platform to engage with your audience. This mix is crucial because it helps maintain viewer interest, expands reach, and supports your brand identity! 💪

To create your own content mix, let’s take a look at how other creators did theirs:

Example 1: @nickandhelmi

So obviously it’s food-related 😋 When you look a little bit deeper into their content, there are things about cheap and convenient eats.

Without even reading their profile, we can tell that the core content for this creator is around places to eat in Sydney. That’s what their niche wants to see. And their topics in the content mix are food reviews and cheap eats!

TikTok Content Mix

Example 2: @johnsfinancetips

And then we’ve got this guy here. When you look at his content what do you see? You see things about money, how to save money. So his niche wants to know about financial advice. He shares money tips, sales, stocks and investments and money scams to be aware of 💸

TikTok Content Mix

Now, for the last example let’s have something a bit more complex!

Example 3: @mariawilkes

So when you look at this page, you can see that a recurring topic is small business owners. This creator inspires small business owners to start their businesses, talks about work-life balance, financial freedom, and building a positive team, shares a day in the life of a business owner and some marketing tips as well.

Based on this overview, we can say that this is her content mix on TikTok:

TikTok Content Mix

Now I want to show you how this differs from her Instagram 😉

This creator’s Instagram is VERY different from her TikTok. It’s much more aesthetic and aspirational content, rather than giving business advice. And that’s because her content mix on Instagram is different.

Instagram: @mariawilkes

Instagram Content Mix

Her mix on Instagram is life as a model and a business owner. Yep, she’s a model as well! And on her Instagram platform, you can see her different types of interests.

She’s interested in travel, fitness, fashion, beauty, and skincare. All this content she has on Instagram is NOT what she’s sharing on TikTok. This is what it means to compartmentalise different topics for different channels, and that’s what you should learn to do when implementing your content mix as well 👌

12 TikTok video tips to craft compelling content

Now that you know what a content mix is all about, let’s dive into 12 tips to help your TikTok videos go viral!

Tip #1: Hook Your Viewers Immediately

Your video’s FIRST second is crucial. Most people on TikTok have a very, very short attention span. And when you’re scrolling through your TikTok, you can scroll for ages 😆 So if a video doesn’t catch your attention within the first second, then you’ve failed!

With that in mind, always start with your hero shot (which may be 1 second or less). Your TikTok videos do NOT have to be chronological, even if it’s a vlog!

For example, this TikTok video I made was about a dish that was literally on fire 🔥

Chronologically, I filmed the person making it first, and then the last shot is me eating it. But I used my hero shot as the teaser in the first second of the video to get the viewers’ attention.

And if your video visually hooks people in, you have to put in text that also hooks them in!

TikTok: @iamnicorojas

Clickbait text should appear instantly to keep people watching

Shocked? Amazed? BE ANIMATED! Capture attention with your expression in the opening scene.

For example, this creator always has a hero shot of him doing something very animated. You could also try a very shocked or amazed expression! So that is his hero shot, and then the text does all the talking about the content viewers can expect. That’s why you need to have clickbait text that appears instantly.

Here’s a list of some popular hooks you can use:

My secret hack for __________
I wish I knew about __________ sooner
I tried __________so you don’t have to
Why __________ broke the internet
This is your sign to try __________
TikTok made me try this
If you’re like me and  __________, then this is for you
This is your reminder to __________
This __________ is a game changer
Here’s my go-to [solution] for [problem]
The BEST __________I’ve ever done for [problem]
This __________ will blow your mind!
3 things I wish I knew earlier about __________
If you struggle with __________, you need to hear this!
I bet you didn’t know this
I don’t know who needs to hear this but __________

You can also use suggested searches in TikTok to come up with ideas!

Tip #2: Keep It Short and Sweet

The optimal video length on TikTok is about 30-45 seconds. Get straight to the point, use fast cuts, and keep the pacing brisk to maintain viewer engagement.

Unlike YouTube videos, you never want to start your TikTok videos with, “Hey guys, so today…” People WILL skip the video! 😅 TikTok audiences like it quick, short and snappy so no need to introduce yourself. Just say something that’s going to get their attention.

You want to give yourself two chances to hook them in (visually and through clickbait text) and keep it fast and short. If you know you’ve got a long video because you really can’t cut it down, then just preface that at the start.

So say something like, “Everything you need to know about this topic in 60 seconds.” And that way, you can lay it out right away and people know what they’re getting themselves into and they’re invested in watching the video.

If you’ve already got a topic people are interested in, the next thing is to keep your videos fast and short. People on TikTok always want their eyes and brains to be stimulated and engaged. You can do this by:

• doing fast cuts
• creating faster scenes
• or just adding a little bit of speed to your videos.

Tip #3: Create Content for Search

Did you know one of TikTok’s biggest competitors is Google? 😲 More people are using TikTok as a search engine to solve their problems instead of Google. So if you can cover a topic that is commonly searched in Google, TikTok loves that!

You might even show up in a preview section like this. This is great Google real estate for evergreen content!

So think of TikTok captions as a search engine. The platform allows 150 characters for captions, but people don’t often read them so instead, use it as an SEO opportunity! 💡

By using keywords and search phrases in your captions, you’ll dramatically increase your content’s chances of being found. You can also focus on topics that users are actively searching for 🧑‍💻

Tip #4: Authenticity Over Aesthetics

TikTok values your authenticity. Your videos don’t need to be polished, you can even just film videos in your car! 😆 Like this creator:

TikTok: @staygoldenhi

So just focus on genuine storytelling and sharing real, relatable content 👌 How pretty your feed is doesn’t matter that much either. What matters more is how easy it is to navigate! Take this creator’s feed, for example:

TikTok: @thatbudgetbabe

Her cover videos are key to helping viewers navigate her content. So always have a cover image that is different from the next video so people can distinguish the difference. Even if you film all of your videos in the same place, in the same room, try and wear a different outfit or make it look different because you don’t want all your videos to be the same 👀

Or if you’re filming multiple videos in one go, space them out so that they don’t look like it’s all the same video in one go—and be VERY clear in your caption!

Tip #5: Experiment with Formats

Explore different video formats like:

• voiceovers
• green screens
• voice effects
• duets
• acting a skit
• direct-to-camera talks, and more.

This variety can help you find what resonates best with your personal style and your audience!

Tip #6: Use of Trends

Trends can be sprinkled into your content for a little bit of fun 🥳 But don’t rely on it as your core content, because trends will hardly get you followers. Why would someone follow you if all you’re doing is just copying every single other video out there? 🤔

So remember to engage with trending sounds and topics but adapt them to fit your niche to keep your content fresh and personalised.

For example, this makeup artist and creator saw an opportunity in a trending audio to make it her own and make it makeup-related. And as soon as she did that, other people started copying her as well!

TikTok: @lenie_aycardo

So how do you find out which songs or audios are trending? 🤔

You’ll notice the same songs as you scroll through your feed. When you do, save that sound. You can also check the trends list when you’re adding sounds to your video or follow TikTok Business on X, because they share trending music and tips!

Tip #7: Immerse Yourself in Your Niche

Now, another idea to get yourself constantly thinking of new content that your niche would really love is to immerse yourself in your TikTok feed.

You have to show TikTok what you like and what you DON’T like. So how do you do this?

• Scroll through your feed, show TikTok what you like and don’t like (use the ‘Not Interested’ function)
• Follow the creators in your niche and fill your feed with content you like
• This exposes you to all the trends and different types of content that your niche uses that you could test for yourself
• If you become good friends with someone in your niche you could eventually collaborate with them too! 🤩

Tip #8: Make Your Videos Look Native to TikTok

Here are some ways you can do this:

• Use simple text: Don’t use fancy fonts or GIFs/stickers. People on TikTok make fun of people who do that!
• Subtitles & captions are great: But don’t put them too low! Otherwise, it gets covered by location tags.
• Plan a series and create playlists: People will look for more of your episodes, and you can even mention at the end of the video “Part 2 coming soon!” or something similar to keep them invested!

Tip #9: Post 1-4 Videos Everyday

TikTok recommends posting between 1-4 times per day as long as every piece of content is created thoughtfully and intentionally. In other words, don’t post 4 times just for the sake of having 4 posts!

Why? 🤔 Would you subscribe to a singer who releases BANGERS once a day or subscribe to someone who releases 4 not-so-great songs per day? Who is most likely to annoy you?

You can start with 1 per day, to test different video styles and to find out what works for your niche. Once you have that magic formula, you can then upload up to 4 per day as long as you STILL don’t sacrifice your quality ✨

Tip #10: Film in the Safe Zone

TikTok recommends posting between 1-4 times per day as long as every piece of content is created thoughtfully and intentionally. In other words, don’t post 4 times just for the sake of having 4 posts!

Why? 🤔 Would you subscribe to a singer who releases BANGERS once a day or subscribe to someone who releases 4 not-so-great songs per day? Who is most likely to annoy you?

You can start with 1 per day, to test different video styles and to find out what works for your niche. Once you have that magic formula, you can then upload up to 4 per day as long as you STILL don’t sacrifice your quality ✨

Ensure that your filming setup doesn’t cut off important parts of the frame. You don’t want your key content to get cut off at the top or the bottom or the sides, where the buttons and the text are 😅

Above is an example from an old video here where our CEO & Founder Linh Podetti has filmed a little bit too close, so her head’s going to get cut off in the top and at the side. And that’s definitely NOT what you want when you’re filming a TikTok video! You have to make sure you’re a bit further away from the camera.

A good tip is to use the 0.5 zoom on your camera and then switch it around to film yourself, to get a wider shot and get a bit of your background as well 💯

Some people like editing and uploading to TikTok directly, and if you can do that, then sure, go ahead!

But if you prefer to do it all through an app because you want to multi-purpose it for other channels, then you can do that using these three popular video editing tools:

• CapCut: If you want to edit on your phone, then Capcut is the way to go.
• InShot: This one works well too, if you’re used to editing videos on your phone!
• ClipChamp: You can use this on your desktop, and they have existing TikTok templates 👍

Tip #11: Don’t Delete Videos with Low Views

Don’t give up hope on your videos with low views, because you can get a delayed explosion! 🎆

Delayed explosion is a confirmed TikTok theory. It’s when a video that doesn’t have many views suddenly gets a LOT more views out of the blue months later. TikTok believes in second chances, and your video might be organically working well over time because a lot of people are searching for that topic and your video has covered that topic really well. So don’t delete old videos with low views, because they can get delayed explosion later.

Tip #12: Maximise Heated Periods

Forbes has confirmed that some TikTok employees have the ability to boost videos in order to “introduce celebrities and emerging creators to the TikTok community.” This is done through a “Heating” button.

So this means your videos could get inflated views for a period of time before it cools down again. If you notice you’re in a heated period, try posting up to 4 TikTok videos per day to maximise your reach 📈

More businesses are turning to TikTok. What’s your plan?

Remember: at the end of the day, it’s consistency, authenticity, and strategic content planning that will be keys to your success on this fun platform! 💯

By following this guide I’ve put together, you can craft engaging, valuable content that resonates with your audience and grows your TikTok presence!