TikTok has taken off in the last year, giving marketers plenty of new things to learn and trends to discover. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just for Gen Z and Millennials trying to go viral. There’s also plenty of value here for brands if you’re up to snuff on the latest TikTok trends.
TikTok trends give TikTok the sense of community it’s known for. Rather than just doing your own thing, your short-form video content will gain more traction when it’s relatable and shareable. One way to know the type of content to create is simply to dig into what’s trending on TikTok.
Let’s look at some of the top TikTok trends for 2022 and how you can go about uncovering more trends to drive your strategy.
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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 collections of video content that share commonalities, themes, TikTok hashtags, 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.
Why Do TikTok Trends Matter?
Ever try to shoot a moving target? Not knowing where that target will land next makes it harder to make contact. You go left, they go right.
Marketers know that keeping up with trends and consumer preferences is kind of the same thing. You never know what people are going to do next or what the new hot trend will be. That is, unless you have a good strategy in place.
Following TikTok trends on an ongoing basis is essential for consistent growth. When you make a conscious effort to look for the fastest-growing trends you can keep your content relevant and topical.
Truthfully, monitoring social media trends is best practice and applies to all social channels, like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or LinkedIn. The influencer you partner with today might be old news next year. The cool split-screen effect on your last video might be replaced by an up-and-coming feature. People might start spending more or less time on the TikTok app, which may affect your strategy. Influencer marketing might lose its luster (though not likely to happen any time soon). 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. Tip: Take a look at the viral phrases of 2023.
14 Top TikTok Trends 2022
We’ve rounded up some of the new TikTok trends people love, based on data and research, of course. Let’s explore some of the top TikTok trends to spark your creativity.
1. Branded hashtag challenges
2. A powerful personal brand
3. Oddly satisfying videos
4. Dance challenges
5. Lip sync videos
6. A-day-in-the-life videos
7. Dark or edgy humor
8. Niche or subculture content
9. Pop culture references
10. Family TikToks
11. The Glow-Up
12. Vulnerable videos
13. Participation videos
14. Behind-the-scenes videos
1. Branded 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. A powerful personal brand
Content creators make TikTok thrive, so it’s no surprise that more people are focusing on their own personal brands. A personal brand helps you become more recognizable.
Creators who are trying to grow their own followings on TikTok benefit from consistent content so people know what to expect from them.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Lip sync videos
Lip sync videos may never go out of style on TikTok. In fact, the video platform originally served as a lip-syncing platform, letting users sing along to their favorite songs in a whimsical way.
They’re still just as popular as they ever were. They’re also super easy to create. Just start a new video, choose a song, go back to the recording screen and choose the part of the song you want to lip sync to. Then press record and voila!
6. A-day-in-the-life videos
During the pandemic, walls came down as Zoom calls let others enter places where most had never gone before — the homes of their coworkers and colleagues.
These video conference calls 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.
7. Dark or edgy humor
One of TikTok’s crowning jewels is the freedom of expression. Because the video content you see isn’t limited by who you’re friends with on TikTok, your Explore page will be chock full of random content you may have never otherwise seen.
Keeping in line with the anything-goes mindset, creating videos with dark or edgy humor has become one of the hottest new TikTok trends. The platform doesn’t mind a snarky sense of humor, and TikTokers aren’t shy about letting their sass fly.
8. Niche or subculture content
You truly never know what you’re going to find on TikTok.
That’s what makes it the perfect platform if you have a very niche audience. In fact, the platform has evolved several subcultures that make its users excited to explore, consume, and share.
Examples include #booktok, #cleantok, #gymtok, #dadtok, and even #swifttok (dedicated to the devout army of Taylor Swift fans).
9. Pop culture references
Pop culture references define many social media platforms, including TikTok.
Remember the planking craze from years ago, back when The Office was still churning out new episodes? It’s no surprise that pop culture plays a role here too. TikTok users will reference popular TV shows, movies, or other trends.
Case in point: Squid Games. The show dropped the jaws of viewers around the world when it was released in 2021. Nowadays, you can find music mashups, tutorials, and other content directly inspired by the show.
10. Family TikToks
The only thing more fun than making your own TikTok videos is including the whole family. Family TikToks are becoming more common, thanks to the sweet and genuine nature of the content. From family dance-offs to practical jokes, family TikTok videos really do create a “the more, the merrier” mindset.
If you're looking at this trend through the lens of TikTok marketing, there's always the option of showcasing your work family.
11. The Glow-Up
We’ve all gone through that Ugly Duckling phase of life. Some people are more willing to look back on those duckling days in the form of a glow-up video. 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.
These videos captivate TikTok users for many reasons. Not only are they super relatable, but they also give you that “wait for it” moment, keeping you hanging on to see the end result.
12. Vulnerable videos
The word ‘vulnerable’ has become a trend in its own right. After the pandemic, more people are expressing their need to be vulnerable and form real connections with others. They’re putting it all out there as a way to break down walls, and it works well on TikTok simply because it comes off as more genuine.
Common threads include talking about deaths of a loved one, crying on camera, or sharing secrets that they might catch flack for.
13. Participation videos
Engagement is a sure-fire way to go viral, especially when you ask for the help of fellow TikTok creators. You can create a simple video with a text overlay asking viewers to do something specific in the comments. It might be something like “Drop your favorite dance challenge” or “Caption this video” then show a wow-worthy video clip.
These videos are the breeding grounds for comedy gold, if nothing else.
14. 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.
