TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users as of 2021 (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lyvesocial_tiktok-insights-research-tool-learning-activity-7081795265224982528-dscu ). Users flock to the app to create and share short videos, typically involving lip syncing, comedy, dance trends, life hacks, and more. The app’s algorithm is designed to quickly determine a user’s interests based on the videos they like, comment on, and share, and then serve them highly-targeted content. This creates an addictive, personalized experience that keeps users scrolling for hours.
TikTok has proven itself as a place for creators of all kinds to reach a massive audience, far beyond what was possible on other platforms. It provides an opportunity for people to express creativity, build community, or even launch careers. All types of content – funny, informative, artistic, and more – have found success on TikTok. As it continues to shape internet culture and trends, marketing experts recommend businesses find ways to effectively use TikTok to connect with younger demographics (https://www.elevation10k.com/blog/reasons-tiktok-benefits-business/).
Comedy/Humor
Comedy and humor are some of the most popular types of content on TikTok. Accounts that create funny and entertaining short videos tend to gain huge followings. Some of the most popular trends within the comedy niche include skits, dances, lip-syncs, parodies, pranks, and general humorous observations about everyday life.
Some of the most popular comedy creators on TikTok include:
- Khaby Lame (@khaby.lame) – One of the most-followed accounts on TikTok known for his amusing and sarcastic facial expressions in response to overly complicated life hack videos. As of January 2023, he has over 150 million followers (https://neoreach.com/31-funny-tiktok-accounts/).
- Zach King (@zachking) – Famous for his “magic” style edited videos and optical illusions. He has over 73 million followers (https://blog.fanpagekarma.com/2021/06/24/top-10-funniest-tiktok-accounts-to-follow-in-2021/).
- Brittany Broski (@brittany_broski) – Brittany went viral for her humorous reaction to trying Kombucha for the first time. She posts comedy skits and relatable content.
Some popular trends in the comedy niche include poke fun at everyday fails and mishaps, using comedic facial expressions and reactions, and parodying popular culture or other TikTok trends. Sound effects, cuts, and zooms are often utilized for comedic timing. Overall, comedy and humor represent one of the strongest niches on TikTok with accounts racking up millions of engaged followers.
Dance Trends
Dance challenges and trends are extremely popular on TikTok, often going viral and attracting millions of users to recreate the dances. Some of the biggest recent viral dances include the Renegade, M to the B, and the Woah. Dance memes have also become very popular, where songs are paired with specific dances and often recreated with a comedic twist. Examples include the Git Up Challenge, the Savage Challenge, and the Leg Kick Dance. These viral dances and memes often spawn thousands of creative and humorous recreations and mashups. Dance challenges engage users creatively and foster a sense of community, while dance meme recreations showcase the funny side of TikTok.
Life Hacks/DIY
Creative tips and tricks, known as “life hacks,” have become extremely popular on TikTok. Many accounts are dedicated to sharing clever solutions for everyday problems using simple household items. According to this YouTube video, some of the most viral TikTok life hacks include making pancakes in a coffee mug, opening a banana from the bottom, and building furniture out of cardboard. Users demonstrate these hacks in short, captivating videos, often revealing the trick in a “shocking” or satisfying way.
TikTok is the perfect platform for life hacks because of the ability to pack a clever tip into a very short video. The life hack category also aligns well with TikTok users who skew younger and are often looking for fun DIY projects or money-saving tips for small living spaces like dorm rooms. While certain overly complicated or impractical life hacks have been criticized online, the genuine, useful ones have found enormous popularity on TikTok.
Animals/Pets
Cute and funny animal videos are hugely popular on TikTok. Pet owners love to upload funny or adorable videos of their furry friends. Everything from dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, to more exotic pets can gain a big following. According to https://www.xkuajing.com/ardetails/3000382.html, one of the most popular animal accounts is Maui the Dog who entertains over 3 million followers.
Pets behaving strangely or hilariously is a surefire way to gain views and laughs. Timing is everything when trying to capture a funny pet moment. Getting an animal to dance or react to a sound at just the right time takes patience. Pet owners often try various tricks to get their furry friends to cooperate. But sometimes it’s the spontaneous and candid moments that gain the most popularity.
Baby animal videos also tend to go viral, as they tap into our love of cuteness. Watching little puppies, kittens, bunnies and more find their footing in the world makes for engaging content. Slow motion videos that emphasize clumsy movements are very common. TikTok is a great platform for capturing an animal’s growth from birth to adulthood.
Overall, animals are universally appealing subjects that bring smiles and entertainment to TikTok. Pet owners have a big opportunity to gain an audience by sharing their pet’s antics, especially if they can get them to do silly or impressive things on camera.
Food
Food content is hugely popular on TikTok, with recipe tutorials, food reviews, and eating trends gaining tremendous engagement. Food creators like Tabitha Brown have amassed millions of followers from their fun and engaging cooking videos. Some of the most popular food trends on TikTok include recipe tutorials for viral foods like baked feta pasta (1), Dalgona coffee, and whipped lemonade.
Food reviews are also very popular, with creators taste-testing and reacting to new menu items from fast food chains and cult favorite snacks (2). Mukbang eating videos, where people film themselves eating large amounts of food, have a dedicated following as well. Overall, food is a great niche for TikTok because it has mass appeal, is easy to make entertaining video content around, and offers lots of opportunities for trends and challenges.
Fashion/Beauty
TikTok has become a hotspot for the latest fashion and beauty trends and advice. Fashion influencers like Alison Bornstein and Sarah Campz offer outfit ideas, styling tips, and reviews of new products. The short video format is perfect for quick makeup tutorials, hair styling how-tos, and showcasing new looks. Popular beauty content features creative makeup looks, skincare routines, and testing viral beauty hacks. Overall, fashion and beauty is one of the most popular TikTok categories, with influencers showing users how to recreate trends on a budget, offering wardrobe and styling advice, revealing insider tricks of the trade, and making getting dressed fun.
Gaming
Gaming is a hugely popular niche on TikTok, with gamers sharing everything from playthroughs and reaction videos to gaming tips and tricks. According to TikTok, the gaming niche and affiliate marketing gaming niche are both popular areas to create content in.
One of the biggest draws of gaming content on TikTok is streaming highlights and eSports clips. TikTok’s short video format is perfect for sharing short but engaging clips from popular streamers and eSports tournaments. Fans love seeing streamer reactions, pro gamer highlights, and funny gaming moments condensed down into easily digestible TikToks.
TikTok also allows gamers to showcase their skills and talents to a huge audience. Skilled gamers can build followings by posting gameplay clips, carrying out challenges, and showing off tricks and Easter eggs in popular games. The platform is a great place to establish yourself in the gaming community.
On the educational side, how-to gaming videos perform well on TikTok. Gamers enjoy creating tutorials, walkthroughs, guides, and tips/tricks content to share their knowledge with others. These help viewers learn new skills and improve their gaming techniques.
Overall, gaming is a diverse niche with many different styles and types of content. It continues to thrive on TikTok as the app provides a unique place for gamers to engage with each other and the gaming community at large.
Music
Music is hugely popular on TikTok, with many sounds and songs going viral and sparking dance trends or challenges. Short clips of catchy songs are everywhere on the platform. Pop, rap, hip hop, and EDM tend to be the most popular genres. According to TikTok’s own music discovery page, some of the top songs trending in 2023 so far include titkok user42069’s “Pop Song”, Lil Nas X’s “Star Walkin’”, and Doja Cat’s “Vegas” (tiktok music trends|TikTok Search).
Music performances are also popular on TikTok. Musicians will often post clips showing off their musical talents, whether singing, rapping, playing an instrument like guitar or piano, or beatboxing. Short instrumental clips or solo covers allow musicians to showcase their skills. According to an article on Medium, some of the top artists on TikTok in 2023 include Harry Styles, Lizzo, Steve Lacy, and other pop and hip hop acts (Music Trends on TikTok: Top Artists and Songs of 2023 Revealed).
Instruments like guitars, pianos, and drums are commonly seen in TikTok performances. Musicians will often try to show off their skills in a short, attention-grabbing clip, sometimes with high skill and production value like dancing and costumes. According to Yellowbrick, some of the top instruments seen in 2021 TikTok trends included ukuleles, guitars, pianos, and percussion (Top 10 Music Trends of TikTok in 2021 – Yellowbrick). Overall, music is a huge part of TikTok culture and trends.
Conclusion
In summary, the most viral topics on TikTok tend to be comedy/humor, dance trends, life hacks/DIY, animals/pets, food, fashion/beauty, gaming, and music. For new accounts looking to gain traction, focusing on comedy/humor or participating in latest dance trends are likely the best bets for going viral and gaining followers quickly. Comedy/humor has universal appeal and dance trends leverage the platform’s core strength. Top influencers also recommend being consistent, using relevant hashtags, engaging with your audience, and having fun. By carefully selecting a niche and consistently producing quality content, any creator can find success on TikTok.
