It’s a very common question that’s often asked on Google and the app’s own search engine: what’s trending on TikTok? Don’t expect an accurate answer, any more than you’ll get an accurate answer from this article.
Trends come and go so quickly on the social media platform that the “correct” search response is probably different today than it will be tomorrow. The answer we’d give you on this iDigic blog certainly won’t help you very much either; we guarantee the app’s trending topics when you read this article aren’t the same as they were when we wrote it.
Generally speaking, dance videos, GRWM (“get ready with me”) videos, and the latest popular songs are always guaranteed to be trending — but those genres of TikTok content cover a lot of ground.
A much more helpful question would be “How do I find out what’s trending on TikTok right now?” We just happen to have the answers right here.
Getting an Idea of Current TikTok Trends
The easiest first step to take is right in front of you when you open the app. The “Explore” or “Discover” tab (different app versions have different options available) at the top of the page is designed to showcase TikTok videos, hashtags, creators, and sponsored content that are trending. Scrolling through the feed will give you a pretty good feel for current TikTok trends.
You can also get an idea of the topics that are trending by staying on your For You page (FYP). Even though the TikTok algorithms use your browsing and viewing history to display videos you’d likely be interested in, the FYP feed intersperses other trending videos. The more you surf, the more you’ll be exposed to.
There are better sources to check, though.
Researching Current TikTok Trends
Some people use TikTok search to discover trends, although it’s not the easiest system to figure out. You can type “trending” into the search bar and hit “search” to get started; tap “Sounds,” “Users,” or “Videos” on the menu bar above the results and you’ll get a decent (but not great) idea of the hottest music, TikTok users, or videos on TikTok at the moment.
Those results aren’t always reliable, though, even if you refine your search to look for terms like “trending dances” or “trending challenges.” There’s a much better option, and it’s found in the TikTok Creative Center.
On the app, open your TikTok profile page, tap the “Menu” icon (three horizontal lines) at the top right of the screen, choose “TikTok Studio” from the popup menu (it may say “Creator Tools” on some app versions). Scroll down and you’ll see top trending posts on the platform; tap “View all” at the bottom and you can also view trending topics and creators.
Even better, log onto the TikTok website and visit the Creative Center there. Not only will you see trending charts with much more information than is available on the app, but you can find trending sounds (songs), ads, and hashtags, and all can be filtered by industry and by region. Trends becoming more popular are highlighted as well, letting you get ahead of the curve.
Many third-party tools let you dig even deeper into TikTok and other social apps, and they could be valuable to influencers or extremely popular content creators. The Creative Center, however, is a gold mine for those searching for ideas that will let them hop onto the latest trends, and it’s an ideal place for serious creators to start.
Just be sure to check back often. TikTok trends are often here today, gone tomorrow!
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.