What Hashtags To Use on TikTok: How To Go Viral

Hashtags are so ubiquitous on social media that they’re almost like “white noise.” For some people, they are meaningless and distracting clutter in captions. But TikTok hashtags can also serve an essential purpose and have meaning for the person using them, the viewer, or the platform’s algorithm. Knowing what hashtags to use on the TikTok app is a crucial step in a successful viral strategy. You can get more TikTok followers, build a strong TikTok community, and stay relevant in your industry or subculture(s).

Why It’s Important To Know Trending Hashtags To Use on TikTok

You don’t have to be on TikTok to see viral TikTok videos. Viral TikTok videos are inescapable, no matter what social media platform you’re on — this is a TikTok fact. Going viral on this hugely popular platform carries immense opportunities for brands.

It’s important to know popular hashtags to use on TikTok. You can have an entertaining or mind-blowing video, but without the right hashtags, it may not see the light of day on anybody’s For You feed or TikTok’s Discovery page.

Here are the top two reasons why knowing what hashtags to use on TikTok is critical to drawing as many eyes as possible to your videos:

1. Hashtags Are Essential to the TikTok Experience

TikTok’s For You page is unique to every user’s interests, chosen subcultures, and previous TikTok activities. The relevant hashtags associated with these preferences play a significant role in curating a user’s For You feed. With Tik Tok viral hashtags, your videos will frequently appear in the right people’s feeds.

2. Hashtags Connect Creators With Target Audiences

Using new hashtags will help the target audience you’ve identified for your brand discover your content. Like on Instagram or Facebook, top TikTok hashtags are clickable and searchable. TikTok users who want to find content using the same hashtags can simply click on or search for them. The most popular TikTok hashtags bring discoverability so it’s a good idea to optimize your content with strategic hashtags for a successful social media strategy.

Hashtags are essential for posting on TikTok and building a community on the platform. TikTok communities, or subcultures, revolve around shared interests, ideals, and expressions of identity. One of the ways that users find the subcultures they identify with is through specific hashtags. Knowing what hashtags to use on TikTok can help you build your dedicated community. Guide more people genuinely interested in what you’re sharing with your brand.

What Hashtags To Use on TikTok To Go Viral: 6 Best Practices

Learning how to choose TikTok-specific hashtags for your videos can help you obtain massive viewerships on the platform. Here are six tips and best practices to help you determine what hashtags to use on TikTok to go viral.

1. Get a Spot on the for You Page With Relevant Hashtags

Use the #fyp, #foryoupage, or #foryou hashtags. TikTok’s algorithm curates the For You feed according to user preferences. These For You hashtags are among the most popular hashtags on TikTok, so don’t get left behind and use them. There’s no guarantee that these hashtags will land you on people’s For You pages. However, you’ll have better odds when you use them than when you don’t.

2. Know What Hashtags To Use on TikTok and How Many

What’s just as important as knowing what hashtags to use on TikTok? Knowing how many hashtags on Tik Tok to use every time you post. Remember that your TikTok video should be the main focus of your post. A caption that’s too long or cluttered with the same hashtags can cancel out any impact you want to make with your content. The hashtags in your caption only serve the purpose of adequately categorizing your content. The TikTok algorithm defines its relevance so your targeted audience can quickly discover it.

Another question you might have about hashtags on Tik Tok: how many hashtags are too many? Remember: TikTok captions are limited to 100 characters, including hashtags. With Highsocial hashtag generator, you can keep your captions concise and appealing to leave room for custom hashtags. If you can incorporate your hashtags into the main body of your caption, even better!

Finally, ensure every hashtag you use is appropriate to your content, brand, and audience. If a new trending hashtag has little or nothing to do with your content or brand, don’t be a trending hashtag bandwagoner.

3. What Hashtags To Use on TikTok: Use the Right Combination of Broad and Niche Hashtags

When deciding what hashtags to use on TikTok, always combine broad and high-traffic ones with niche hashtags that are not widely popular but have a more dedicated following. This solid Tik Tok hashtag strategy will ensure that your content will have a wide enough reach and that the users you reach are the right people — those genuinely interested in what you’re sharing. 

Research trending TikTok hashtags to identify the ones your followers frequently use, along with your targeted audience and competitors. Broad hashtags for your industry, product, service or subculture will let you reach a wider audience with a general interest in your content. Niche hashtags will allow you to target users whose interests are more distinct. When in doubt, ask yourself, “What hashtags or keywords will your target audience search for?”

4. Hashtags To Go Viral on TikTok From Industry Leaders and Competitors

Leaders in your industry, TikTok influencers, your competitors and your target audiences are also excellent sources for ideas. Scope them out on TikTok and other social media platforms, and take note of the custom hashtags they use on their most popular TikTok posts. The most common ones are your best-vetted hashtags to go viral on TikTok.

Narrow down your list to only include hashtags that make sense for your TikTok content. Again, don’t throw popular TikTok hashtags willy-nilly into your captions just to join a trend. In addition to determining your content’s relevance and maximizing its discoverability, your hashtags should be accurately descriptive and appropriately complement your range.

Knowing the hashtags used on TikTok by your target audience can easily expand your reach. Tap into these pre-existing communities of actively engaged users. Joining their conversations with suitably hashtagged content will help you draw the right attention and followers to your brand.

5. Create a Branded Hashtag for Marketing Campaigns

Creating branded hashtags helps you increase brand awareness. Start a branded hashtag challenge or promote a marketing campaign or product. When used alongside other relevant hashtags, your target audience will pick up your branded hashtag more quickly. Plus, give it greater exposure through user-generated content.

With luck and a great content strategy, you can popularize the use of your branded hashtag so that it ultimately takes a life of its own — this is the ultimate branded hashtag dream. Need inspiration? Check out popular hashtag challenges in your industry or communities. And while you’re at it, participate in TikTok challenges, as well. Hashtag challenges encourage users to engage with your TikTok videos for more post engagement and TikTok success.

6. Discover What Hashtags To Use on TikTok Through the Search Tool

You can easily find the best hashtags to use on TikTok for your content using the app’s search tool. Research trending hashtags to narrow down your options. Alternatively, you can use a hashtag generator from a third-party app; or both!

Type your custom hashtag or keyword (without the hashtag symbol) into TikTok’s search bar. TikTok will give you a list of related keywords already being used on the platform. Each keyword result represents a subculture or community on TikTok. Participate in their conversations with the appropriate content and TikTok hashtags.

30 Trending TikTok Hashtags To Use Right Now

Trending TikTok hashtags for your video will depend on your subculture, niche or industry. Are you looking to jump on a viral TikTok hashtag to get started? Here’s a list of the top 30 hashtags to use on TikTok right now:

1. #fyp (35.9+ trillion views)
2. #viral (13.3+ trillion views)
3. #tiktok (4.4+ trillion views)
4. #trending (3.2+ trillion views)
5. #duet (3+ trillion views)
6. #funny (2.7+ trillion views)
7. #comedy (1.9+ trillion views)
8. #humor (1.6+ trillion views)
9. #greenscreen (1.3+ trillion views)
10. #viralvideo (1.1+ trillion views)
11. #love (1+ trillion views)
12. #stitch (968.6+ billion views)
13. #meme (777.5+ billion views)
14. #explore (631.3+ billion views)
15. #dance (530.9+ billion views)
16. #learnontiktok (491.4+ billion views)
17. #food (455.9+ billion views)
18. #funnyvideos (428.3+ billion views)
19. #video (408.1+ billion views)
20. #art (386.5+ billion views)
21. #gaming (382.5+ billion views)
22. #music (378.9+ billion views)
23. #prank (370.4+ billion views)
24. #makeup (362.7+ billion views)
25. #dog (361.8+ billion views)
26. #cute (364.6+ billion views)
27. #challenge (283.1+ billion views)
28. #fitness (274.3+ billion views)
29. #couplegoals (242.8+ billion views)
30. #fashion (224.8+ billion views)

Now you know which hashtags to go viral on TikTok. Many of these viral TikTok hashtags are generic, so it should be easy to create a video for any of them that’s still relevant to your target audience. You can use up to 33 hashtags for your video. So go ahead and add relevant words to the main TikTok hashtags to increase your discoverability!

Conclusion: Trending Hashtags Tip the Viral TikTok Odds in Your Favor

Hashtags bring numerous benefits to attract more users to your trending content. Using the best TikTok hashtags means knowing the right ones to use for your content, brand, and target audience. Trending TikTok hashtags offer great opportunities for participation and visibility. However, the fact that a hashtag is trending means that tons of TikTokers are already using it. This can easily bury your content. The same reasoning applies to broad and high-traffic hashtags. The critical factor you should always consider is relevance.

Your TikTok hashtag strategy should also focus on using a formula that effectively mixes and matches different but equally relevant hashtags. For example: mixing and matching generic and niche hashtags or combining a trending hashtag with your branded marketing hashtags. Figure out what hashtags to use on TikTok to optimize your content for maximum reach, discoverability and engagement. You’ll have a greater chance of landing a prime spot on TikTok users’ For You feeds with a successful TikTok marketing strategy.

Using viral TikTok hashtags is one way to effectively target the best audience for your content and encourage their engagement. But there are other free tools you can use to improve your engagement on TikTok. (And we’re not talking about using fishy TikTok booster apps and hacks.)

Teaming up with an expert in TikTok growth strategy, like High Social, can boost your social media presence with efficient organic content promotion. Are you a TikTok influencer or interested in viral TikTok challenges to increase your views? High Social can deliver accelerated and lasting TikTok growth with their advanced, proprietary AI targeting technology and in-house team of social media specialists. Start growing your TikTok today!