Whether you love it or despise it, social media thrives on popularity. It’s no surprise that TikTok’s trends have skyrocketed alongside its growth.
Trends on TikTok are essentially elements within videos that make them widely appealing. They often originate from viral videos using unique formats or catchy audio.
Following trends increases the likelihood of your TikTok videos gaining views and engagement, which is crucial for business growth on the platform. However, with over 625 million TikTok videos watched every minute, trends change rapidly.
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So how do you identify what’s trending? More importantly, how do you stay current with these trends? We’ll explore the answers with TikTok trend discovery tips and ideas designed to help you create relevant and unique videos for your business.
Table of contents
- TikTok trend examples
- TikTok trend discovery via the TikTok Creative Center and TikTok app
- More ways to do TikTok trend discovery
TikTok trend examples
Let’s start with some quick examples so you know what to watch for during your own TikTok trend discovery. Remember that TikTok trends typically last a few months, so these examples might not be currently trending but serve as useful reference points.
Bird’s eye view trend
This trend gained traction towards the end of 2023. Three primary aspects contributed to its popularity:
- The camera angle. The trend involved taping your phone to the ceiling for a distinctive and difficult camera perspective.
- The song. This trend featured a segment from rapper JID’s song, Surround Sound, which was popular then.
- The edits. The videos cut between serious and fun moments, synced to the song’s beat.
Watch an example TikTok that demonstrates this trend.
Bad idea trend
Popular during the summer of 2023, this trend used two consistent themes:
- The song. It featured a well-known clip from Olivia Rodrigo’s song bad idea right?.
- The plot. Videos showcased the creator engaging in an activity requiring a significant decision, aligning with Rodrigo’s contemplation in her lyrics “Seeing you tonight, it’s a bad idea right?”
Check out this an example of this TikTok trend _. _
I got married in Italy trend
This humorous trend cleverly utilizes an audio clip from one of Kim Kardashian’s confessional cam moments on the Hulu show The Kardashians. The trend pokes fun at imitation, mirroring Kim calling out her sister for copying her wedding in the clip.
Here’s Watch this TikTok trend example .
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How to do TikTok trend discovery using TikTok Creative Center and more
TikTok offers several in-app features and a dedicated library called the TikTok Creative Center, brimming with video ideas, tips, and inspiration, to help businesses and creators stay informed about current trends. Here are some effective methods for TikTok trend discovery using these resources:
1. Check out top creators
The Trends section of TikTok Creative Center allows you to explore videos from prominent TikTok creators and influencers by selecting the Creators tab. This helps you identify trends by observing patterns among top creators and uncover potential influencers for collaboration.

2. Look at the trending TikTok videos tab
Within the Videos tab of TikTok Creative Center Trends, you can view currently trending videos regardless of the creator’s follower count. This is an excellent source for identifying viral videos that your business can mimic, duet, or stitch.

3. Review popular hashtags
The Hashtags tab in TikTok Creative Center, under Trends, allows you to monitor trending hashtags related to your industry. You can also use the search function to find hashtags aligned with your target keywords.

4. Find popular songs
The Songs tab section of TikTok Creative Center Trends lets you discover trending audio clips and songs for your videos. It comprises two sections. The “popular” section highlights frequently used songs within your chosen timeframe, allowing you to filter for business-approved options. The “breakout” section showcases rising songs and user-generated audio clips, giving you a head start on emerging trends.

5. Use the TikTok Commercial Music Library
Besides the Trends section, the TikTok Commercial Music Library (within Creative Tools) is valuable for trend discovery. The Commercial Music Library contains pre-cleared music for organic content and TikTok Ads. Numerous filtering and sorting options help you find trending songs that resonate with your content. The Playlist tab offers viral TikTok music playlists and a vast selection categorized by new releases, gaming and meme popularity, business suitability, and more.

6. Read up on TikTok trend perspectives
To simplify trend discovery, TikTok Creative Center features a Trends section with Trend Perspectives. These perspectives educate TikTok marketers and advertisers on audience behaviors, enabling you to anticipate trends within your industry.

7. Research successful TikTok creative strategies
The Creative Strategies page within Creative Center’s Education tab provides insights into past successful trends. Here, you’ll find TikTok marketing case studies, creative guidance, and concise tutorials.

8. Use the TikTok Ads library and Top Ads Dashboard
The TikTok Ads library, similar to Facebook’s, offers transparency and inspiration by showcasing competitor ads.
Currently limited to European ads, it provides a broad understanding of trending ad formats within your industry.
For a global perspective, the Top Ads Dashboard within Creative Center’s Inspiration section displays top-performing ads based on your criteria for any region.

9. Find hot keywords with Keyword Insights
Located in the Inspiration section, the Keyword Insights tool helps you discover trending keywords to optimize your video scripts and captions for connect with your target market. This tool identifies keywords with significant popularity surges and showcases related videos for inspiration. Remember to pre-determine your core target keywords using other research tools.
Need assistance with TikTok Keyword Insights? Explore our Free Keyword Research Tool.
10. Discover trending TikTok products
For competitive analysis, the Top Products section within Creative Center’s Inspiration tab is essential. It offers insights into trending products within specific categories.
You can then compare your video performance against industry averages and examine trending content for those products.

11. Browse your own TikTok FYP
Your own TikTok FYP is a valuable resource for TikTok trend discovery. The TikTok For You Page (FYP) curates content based on your interactions, providing insights into your target audience’s preferred trends. Engage actively on your account, adopting the mindset of your ideal customer.

12. Use the TikTok trend discovery page
TikTok’s emphasis on trends has led to a dedicated TikTok trend discovery page within the app. This section allows users to explore videos related to the most popular trends.

6 more ways to do TikTok trend discovery (beyond the TikTok Creative Center)
While TikTok’s app and Creative Center are primary resources, a well-rounded approach considers other avenues for trend identification. Explore these ideas:
1. Look at YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts are YouTube’s short-form videos, similar to TikToks in length, style, and format. Many brands maintain a consistent presence on both platforms, making popular YouTube Shorts a valuable source for discovering new TikTok trends.

2. See what’s trending on Instagram Reels
Similar to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels offer another avenue for discovering trending short-form video content. Many trends overlap between Instagram Reels and TikTok, with viral TikToks frequently reposted as Reels!

3. Refer to your historical performance
Trial and error are essential for determining which trends work for your business. Continuously test and benchmark your progress, referring to your TikTok analytics for data-driven insights. Over time, historical performance analysis allows you to anticipate new trend evolution based on your past successes and failures.
4. Use your marketing planning calendar
Aligning your content with upcoming events and seasons using a marketing planning calendar helps you predict and capitalize on potential TikTok trends.

5. Try Google video search
Google video search ranks videos based on factors like popularity and relevance, making it useful for gathering trend ideas from platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and industry websites.

Using TikTok trend discovery to your advantage
Numerous methods exist for discovering TikTok trends relevant to your business. Dedicating even a small amount of time to understanding these trends can significantly streamline your content planning. If staying constantly updated feels overwhelming, consider how our solutions can help your business leverage social media trends across platforms, including TikTok.
Here’s a recap of TikTok trend discovery methods:
Using TikTok Creative Center:
- Explore top creators
- Monitor the trending videos tab
- Analyze popular hashtags
- Read TikTok trend perspectives
- Discover popular songs
- Utilize the TikTok Commercial Music Library
- Research successful creative strategies
- Analyze the TikTok Ads library
- Uncover hot keywords with Keyword Insights
- Identify trending products
- Browse your own FYP
- Utilize the TikTok trend discovery page
Beyond TikTok Creative Center:
- Explore YouTube Shorts
- Examine trending Instagram Reels
- Analyze your historical performance
- Leverage your marketing planning calendar
- Try Google video search