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14 TikTok trends every marketer should know about right now
Social media marketing is complex. With so many different apps and platforms to choose from, it can seem near impossible to know which one you should actually be putting your time and energy into.
But one thing is certain: you need to be spending time creating content for TikTok to grow your brand.
As one of the biggest social media platforms right now, TikTok is the best way to reach your target audience quickly and efficiently. The app’s clever design of short videos and in-app editing features make it ideal for anyone looking to broaden their marketing tactics to draw in a bigger audience.
TikTok can help drive your audience engagement through the roof if you know how to use it. And while there are many different ways to get involved on the TikTok train, one of the easiest ways is to participate in the “trends” that go viral on the app.
Trends can make or break a creator on TikTok. They can help bring an innocuous account to internet fame just with one video, and they can also cancel an account with another. But participating in TikTok trends is absolutely essential if you want to make your brand big on the app.
You should always try to keep your finger on the pulse of trending videos, but if you need a bit of help, here are three trends that are going viral right now that you should definitely be participating in. And if you’re wondering how we knew where to look for these trends, keep reading to find out!
1. The “History repeats itself” trend
This trend is one of the more endearing ones to grace the app. Users will pair an audio clip with a video of themselves “speaking” to a historical figure (who is usually just the user dressed in a different costume). The clip is then followed by a few photos of the historical figure to illustrate the similarities between the past and the present.
It’s a sweet trend that is hard to capture with words, so make sure to check out an example.
Like with all trends, the history repeats itself trend requires users to implement a specific audio clip and hashtag. The hashtag “#historyrepeats” is a great way to find the original audio clip that accompanies videos in this trend so that you can give it a go yourself.
One way you might implement this into your brand strategy is by comparing your brand from its founding year to the brand that you have now in 2023. You’ll be participating in this heartwarming trend while also showing off the growth and success of your brand.
Leaning into creating trending content can help you take your brand to the next level. Consumers are always looking for the next best thing, and you’ll want to make sure that your brand stays on top of what’s popular.
2. The “But that is not a crime” trend
“But that is not a crime” lets creators highlight an aspect of their life that might be a little bit embarrassing, but that isn’t really doing any harm to anyone. Check out a great example of this trend here.
With this trend, you’ll want to try and highlight something that might be frowned upon by the general public but won’t do any actual damage beyond making the viewer of the video cringe.
This might be well-suited to promote your product or brand from a self-care angle. Consider showing off a beautifully packaged chocolate bar or a new face cream saying that, while indulging in self-care all the time might be frowned upon, treating yourself every now and then isn’t a crime.
The beauty of this trend is that there are so many different ways that you can spin it to suit your brand’s needs, so definitely be sure to give this one a try.
3. The “Smash or Pass” trend
This trend might have a questionable name, but users engaging with it are keeping things G-rated.
The “Smash or “Pass” trend has creators listing things that they would pass on using TikTok’s text over video option while the audio says “pass, pass, pass.” Toward the end of the video, the audio will say “smash” where users will then use the text feature on TikTok to list something that they do like.
Creators who engage with this trend typically list foods they despise, clothing styles they dislike, or, in the case of this creator, pet names they hate.
What’s great about the “Smash or Pass” trend is that it gives users and brands the opportunity to showcase what they think is excellent. So in the case of a brand promoting its content or product, you could use the trend to highlight an element of the brand that you think is worth showcasing.
Think of something along the lines of listing off different ways to design a website for the “pass” part of the audio, then finish the video with how your brand can design a website for its clients during the “smash” part of the audio.
What you decide to highlight will obviously differ depending on what your brand’s goals are, but this trend is a great way to get involved with viral TikTok content and showcase what your brand has to offer.
4. The “You look so Dumb Right now,” Trend
From the song “Take a bow,” by Rhianna, the trend “You look so Dumb Right Now,” is taking TikTok by storm. The aim is to share something that will embarrass another person–like a bad take, or a strange habit.
5. “Makeba” Trend
With the song “Makeba” by Jain (a commentary on Africa), comes the Makeba trend. Generally, the poster displays some upgrades in their life from photo to photo. Makeba has also been used frequently as simply a bit of background music, on places like Instagram, where the trend has spread.
6. “Oh my Goodness, I love this question” Trend
The trend “Oh my Goodness, I love this question,” presents a situation or topic which you are knowledgeable in and eager to speak about. Generally, the text shows something that others have a misconception about, like for example, a dietician dispelling dieting myths. Audio plays over a person mouthing the words “oh my goodness, I love this question.” An explanation of their views is usually included in the description.
7. “Girl Dinner,” Trend
The internet is a hazardous place, as evidenced by the creation and eventual fall of the “Girl Dinner” trend. A song plays in the background of the video, reciting “girl dinner,” while the video features a generally haphazard plate that isn’t an actual dish. The trend “Girl Dinner” is a bit controversial, as it began as a mismatch of food but slowly spiraled into women showing how little they can eat as a “flex.” One can expect to see assorted cheeses, cereal, and a random assortment of food items that don’t go together. The trend was created with the intent of making fun of a certain kind of food ‘laziness’ that happens at the end of the day, when you can’t be bothered to make yourself a full dinner.
8. “Where’s my Dad?” Trend
Audio of the play Finding Nemo plays in the background of this TikTok, while the video itself shows a kid singing the following song lyrics: “where’s my dad, I’m alone–I’m too small to be here on my own.” This hilarious delivery is generally coupled with a video of a young person fumbling about with adult tasks. For example, one video shows a person filling out the FAFSA (which requires the participation of parents, so it’s particularly apt).
9. The “Miss Rabbit has Fainted” Trend
The audio for this Tiktok trend is as follows: “Miss rabbit has fainted.” (Beat) “Miss rabbit has fainted again.” It tends to show abrupt falling or fainting after a crazy situation or thing is revealed and makes general references to exhaustion or “being done with the world.”
10. “Canon Event” Trend
This trend is a reference to the recent Across the Spiderverse film. In it, an embarrassing event that is a rite of passage for a certain group of people is alluded to. Viewers make fun of the fact that they cannot interfere with certain rites of passage.
In Across the Spiderverse, if a spiderperson interrupts a “canon event,” aka an event that is crucial to the existence of the future and is supposed to happen, their entire world is put at risk of imploding on itself.
11. The “I am CG5” Trend
The “I am CG5” trend features audio that says “Everybody told me that I sound like CG5…Probably because I am CG5.” Lip-synch while text reveals a scenario in which someone commented that you resemble a person, only for you to realize that you are that same person. The entire focus of this trend is a hilarious misunderstanding involving a person’s identity.
12. “Do you feel Bonita?” Trend
In Episode 11, Season 16 of Family Guy, the quote for this trend can be found. It features a person either showing off how great they look, or how bad their outfit is. Either way, the trend is entirely aesthetic in nature, dealing with self image and confidence. It’s as though your more confident friend is egging you on to try on a new outfit, and you are reluctantly following.
13. “Can we Skip to the Good Part?” Trend
The audio for the “Can we Skip to the Good Part?” It shows a work in progress then, after the audio, the finished product. It showcases a work in progress, then, after the audio, the finished product. Generally, it is used to showcase a success, especially in academics. One example might be: a student hard at work studying, then the video skips to the good part–and they have suddenly graduated.
14. “He’s a ten but…He___” Trend
The final trend, “He’s a ten but he__” usually refers to a controversial or potentially deterring quality in a person. The ‘ten’ portion of the trend refers to the person’s appearance, while the ___ is usually the quality. This trend is all in an attempt to gauge whether or not a person is sensible or facile based on their answers. Sometimes, the thing is petty, which causes a lot of controversy in the comments. Other times, the thing is major, and the person turning the ten down shows self worth and strength of character. It is a great means of journalism, because it gets opinions out into the world and starts conversation surrounding what qualities are admirable in a person.
It can be difficult to find trends that will be suitable for your brand to participate in. TikTok Creative Center is a useful resource to help you find the perfect trend to participate in.
Where can you find what’s trending?
The best way to keep an eye on what content is doing well is to watch TikTok. But if you don’t want to spend hours upon hours of your time going through the app to watch out for what’s hot, there are a few ways you can quickly access what’s popular.
The first is to look at the TikTok Creative Center. This is a one-stop shop for brands looking to see what trends are getting views on the app.
TikTok’s Creative Center is so helpful to brands because it allows you to filter what you’re looking for. With TikTok Creative Center you can sort by hashtag, creator, song, or video to find the perfect inspiration for your brand’s content. You have everything you need right at your fingertips with this creator tool.
If you prefer to browse for content inspiration on your phone, the trending page of TikTok will of course have an enormous selection of content to scroll through. You can search for specific keywords on the trending page, but you don’t have the same control over what medium you see popular content in.
The downside of this is that you might be scrolling for a while before you come upon anything useful.
Another way to see what’s popular on TikTok is to go on Instagram Reels. Reels is a different iteration of TikTok in both appearance and content, but what is popular on TikTok typically finds its way over to Reels at some point.
Reels will usually have trends from TikTok that are at their most popular, so if you see it on Instagram, chances are that now is the time to hop on the bandwagon. Instagram Reels also has more polished content from bigger brands. If you want examples of ways to make trending videos with high-quality images, great audio, and concise copy, Instagram Reels is a great place to see that.
Whichever way you decide to find your content inspiration, it’s essential that you do. For your brand to thrive in the cutthroat world of social media marketing, having a strong idea of what’s trending at any given moment will help you stay on top of what’s happening so that you can put your best foot forward for your brand.
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