How to Find Trending Content on TikTok

Jumping on a TikTok trend at the right time can feel like catching lightning in a bottle, transforming your content from a drop in the ocean into a viral wave. But finding those trends before they peak isn't about luck, it's about knowing where to look and what to look for. This guide breaks down the exact, actionable methods you can use to discover trending content, so you can stop scrolling aimlessly and start creating with a purpose.

Using TikTok's Built-in Tools for Trendspotting

The best place to find TikTok trends is, unsurprisingly, on TikTok itself. The platform is designed to show you what’s popular, and its native features are a goldmine of real-time data waiting to be tapped. You just need to learn how to read the signals.

The For You Page (FYP): Your Personal Trend Radar

Your For You Page is more than just mindless entertainment, it's a personalized, algorithm-driven trend report. If you use TikTok regularly, the algorithm is already pretty good at knowing what you (and people like you) want to see. Your job is to switch from being a passive consumer to an active analyst.

Here’s how to do it:

• Scroll with Intent: Instead of endlessly flicking, slow down and look for patterns. Do you see the same audio clip three times in ten minutes? Is a specific filter or effect popping up over and over? Are creators using a particular video format or storytelling structure? These repetitions are the early signs of a budding trend.
• Investigate Trending Sounds: Audio is the backbone of most TikTok trends. When you hear a sound multiple times, tap on the spinning record icon at the bottom right of the screen. This will take you to the audio's main page, where you can see how many other videos have used it. If the number is climbing fast, you've found a trend on the rise.
• Follow the Format: Trends aren't just about sounds. Pay attention to meme formats, video styles, and challenges. For example, a "point-of-view" (POV) storytelling style or a "Day in the Life" video format can be just as much of a trend as a popular song.

Relatable Example: Remember the "Wes Anderson" trend? It started with a distinct, recurring audio clip and a uniform aesthetic (symmetrical shots, specific color palettes). Users who noticed this pattern and adapted it to their own niche - like showing a day in the life of a baker "in the style of Wes Anderson" - were able to ride a massive wave of engagement.

The Search and Discover Pages: Where TikTok Lists the Trends

The For You Page shows you what the algorithm thinks you should see, the Search page tells you what the entire platform is buzzing about. This is a powerful, yet often overlooked, feature for market research.

Here’s a step-by-step process:

1. Tap the magnifying glass icon in the top right to go to the search page.
2. Look at the trending hashtags and keywords that TikTok suggests under the search bar. These are often related to current events or large-scale viral moments.
3. Type in a broad keyword relevant to your niche (e.g., "social media marketing," "easy recipes," or "skincare tips").
4. Hit search and then tap the filter icon on the right. You can filter the results by "This week" or "This month" and sort them by "Most liked." This is a killer technique for instantly seeing the most popular, recent content within your industry, revealing which formats and topics are resonating right now.

The TikTok Creative Center: The Official Trend Database

If the FYP is your intuition, the TikTok Creative Center is your data. This is TikTok's official website where they package and present trend information for creators and advertisers. It’s free to use and provides incredible insights.

What to look for:

• Trending Songs: Navigate to the "Trend Discovery" section to see a chart of trending songs, complete with analytics showing their growth over the last 7 or 30 days. You can even filter by region. This helps you validate the sounds you've been seeing on your FYP and identify breakout audio early.
• Viral Hashtags: The same section shows you trending hashtags. This is great for spotting challenges, broader conversations, and community-specific trends.
• Viral Videos: The Creative Center showcases some of the top-performing TikToks, allowing you to see what’s working at the highest level and deconstruct why these videos went viral.

Looking Beyond TikTok to Get Ahead of the Curve

TikTok doesn't exist in a vacuum. Culture flows onto the platform from countless sources. By paying attention to what's happening outside the app, you can often predict what the next big trend will be.

Monitor Other Pop Culture Hotspots

Many TikTok trends are reactions to or remixes of broader pop culture moments. Being aware of these can give you a head start in creating relevant content.

• Major Media Releases: Think movie premieres (the Barbie frenzy), album drops from major artists (like Taylor Swift or Drake), or enormously popular TV shows (think Wednesday or Squid Game). These shared cultural events generate millions of memes, discussions, and video ideas. Think about how your brand or niche can join the conversation authentically.
• News and Current Events: A major news story or a global event can spark widespread conversation. While you should handle sensitive topics with care, lighter events like the Super Bowl or the Met Gala are ripe for commentary, memes, and trend piggybacking.
• Other Social Platforms: A hilarious tweetstorm on X or a viral meme on Threads can easily be adapted into a short-form video. These platforms are often where the source material for TikTok soundbites and jokes originates. Pay attention to what's going viral elsewhere, it's often a preview of what's coming to TikTok.

Follow Trend Curators and Analysts

You don't have to do all the research yourself. There are brilliant creators and platforms whose entire job is to spot, analyze, and report on trends. Following them is like having your own dedicated research team.

• Trendspotting Creators on TikTok: Follow creators like @jtcasey or @marketingbyrob who specialize in breaking down emerging trends, sounds, and strategies. Their content is designed to help you stay ahead.
• Industry Blogs and Newsletters: Reputable social media marketing blogs (like Later, Social Media Today) often publish regular articles on TikTok trends. Subscribing to their newsletters can deliver trend reports straight to your inbox.

How to Actually Use a Trend (Without Being Cringey)

Finding a trend is only half the battle. Using it effectively requires a creative spin that connects the trend back to your brand, niche, or audience. Simply copying a trend without adapting it is a recipe for low engagement.

Adapt, Don't Just Copy

The golden rule of trend participation is making it your own. For every trend you find, ask yourself this one question: "How can I translate this into the language of my niche?"

Here’s how it works in practice:

• The Trend: A popular audio clip where someone whispers, "I don't know, I just think about it all the time."
• Bad Approach (Copying): A life coach just lip-syncs the audio with no context.
• Good Approach (Adapting): The life coach puts on-screen text that says, "My clients' goals after our first session," while lip-syncing the audio. It’s funny, relatable to her audience, and positions her service brilliantly.

The goal is to use the trend as a familiar framework to deliver your unique message. It lets you join a popular conversation while still providing value specific to your followers.

Distinguish Between a Flash-in-the-Pan and an Evergreen Format

Not all trends are created equal. You need to know what you’re working with to plan your content effectively.

• Fleeting Trends: These are usually tied to a specific meme, sound bite, or moment in time. They burn bright and die out quickly, sometimes within 48 hours. Hop on these fast if they fit your brand, but don't spend days conceptualizing the perfect video. Speed is what matters.
• Evergreen Formats: These are longer-lasting content structures that you can use over and over. Think of formats like "GRWM" (Get Ready With Me), tutorials, "Top 5" lists, or storytimes. Identifying these within your niche gives you a reliable set of content pillars that you can return to time and again.

Do Some Benign Competitor Research

Look at what others in your space are doing - not to steal their ideas, but to gather market data. Identify 5-10 successful creators or brands in your niche.

Scroll through their recent videos and ask:

• Which of their videos from the last 30 days got the most views?
• Are there any common formats, sounds, or topics they're using?
• How are they adapting mainstream trends to fit the industry?

This will give you a clear picture of what's already proven to work with your target audience, reducing the guesswork in your own strategy.

Final Thoughts

Finding trending content on TikTok is an ongoing skill, blending active observation on the platform with an awareness of the world around you. By using TikTok's own tools to see what’s buzzing and then applying your unique creative lens, you can turn trends from a confusing distraction into a powerful tool for growth and connection.

Once you’ve identified the perfect trend, speed and timing are everything. That's precisely why we built Postbase - to create a seamless workflow for creating, planning, and scheduling your video content. With our visual calendar, you can map out and schedule your trend-based posts for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts all at once, ensuring your amazing idea goes live at the perfect moment without the stress of last-minute posting.