How to Find Trending Topics on TikTok

Jumping on a TikTok trend at the right moment can feel like catching lightning in a bottle, transforming your content from another video into a viral sensation that brings in waves of new followers. But how do you find these trends before they fizzle out? This guide breaks down the actionable methods you can use, both inside and outside the app, to consistently find trending topics on TikTok and use them to grow your account.

Why Bother with TikTok Trends Anyway?

In short, the TikTok algorithm rewards accounts that participate in current trends. When you use a trending sound, format, or hashtag, you’re essentially telling the algorithm, “Hey, I’m creating relevant content that people are engaging with right now.” The platform is more likely to push your video to a wider audience on the For You Page (FYP), exposing your brand to thousands - or even millions - of potential new fans. Following trends is less about blindly copying others and more about joining a massive, ongoing conversation in a way that’s authentic to you.

Your Go-To Toolkit: Finding Trends Inside the TikTok App

Your best trend-spotting tool is the TikTok app itself. The platform is designed to show you what’s popular, but you need to know where to look and how to interpret the signals. Here’s how to do it.

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

The For You Page isn't just for passive scrolling, it's a powerful research tool curated specifically for you. The key is to shift from a consumer mindset to a creator mindset.

Here’s what to look for:

• Recurring Sounds: Do you hear the same short song clip or audio snippet over and over again? If you notice a sound three or more times within a single scrolling session, it’s a strong indicator that you've found a trend.
• Consistent Video Formats: A trend isn't always tied to a sound. It might be a specific type of transition, a "point-of-view" storyline, an answer to a common question, or a certain style of lip-sync video. Notice recurring plot structures or editing styles.
• Common Effects or Filters: Sometimes, a new effect from TikTok, like a green screen variation or a unique filter, becomes the trend itself. Pay attention to visuals that stand out.
• Repeated Challenges or Hashtags: Look for videos centered around accomplishing a certain task or talking about a specific topic followed by a unique hashtag.

Actionable Tip: As you scroll, actively save videos and sounds that you think might be trending. Tap the “Share” button and “Add to Favorites” for videos. For sounds, tap the spinning record in the bottom-right corner and hit “Add to Favorites.” This creates a library of ideas you can draw from later.

Searching Smartly: Using the Discover Page and Search Bar

What if you want to find trends relevant to your specific niche? That’s where the search function comes in. Tapping the search icon at the top right of your FYP opens up a world of possibilities.

1. Start with Broad Keywords: Type in a keyword related to your industry, like "small business marketing," "easy recipes," or "skincare tips."
2. Analyze the Results Tabs: Don’t just look at the “Top” results. Switch through the different tabs - Users, Videos, Sounds, and Hashtags - to see what’s popular specifically within that topic. You might find a sound that creators in your niche are consistently using.
3. Look for Auto-Suggestions: When you start typing in the search bar, TikTok will suggest trending searches. This is a direct signal from the platform about what other users are actively looking for. For example, typing "makeup" might auto-suggest "makeup trend 2024" or a specific viral filter name.

The Official Playbook: TikTok’s Creative Center

Many creators don’t realize that TikTok provides its own dedicated platform for trend analysis, and it's completely free. The TikTok Creative Center is an absolute goldmine for finding confirmed trending content.

To use it, simply search for "TikTok Creative Center" on your browser. Once on the site, go to the “Trend Intelligence” section. Here’s what you can find:

• Trending Hashtags: See a list of the fastest-growing hashtags in the past week or 30 days. You can see how many videos have been created and the total views.
• Trending Songs: Get a real-time list of popular and breakout songs on the platform. The "breakout" list is especially valuable because it highlights music that is quickly gaining momentum.
• Popular Videos: Here you can see top-performing videos, which is an excellent way to study formats, hooks, and editing styles that are currently working well.

Pro Tip: Use the filters to narrow results by your country and industry. This gives you hyper-relevant data instead of just showing you global mega-trends that might not fit your specific audience.

Sound Pages: The Heartbeat of Trends

Sounds are arguably the core component of most TikTok trends. You can get a ton of information just by visiting a sound’s main page.

• How to get there: When you’re watching a video, tap on the spinning circular text at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.
• What to look for: The most obvious sign is the small red “Popular” label or an arrow trending upwards (📈) next to the sound name, which TikTok adds to rapidly growing audios.
• Check the video count: At the top of the page, you’ll see how many videos have been made using that sound. A brand-new sound with a few thousand videos and a trend arrow is a signal to get on it early. A sound with millions of videos is well-established and a safer bet, but it might be nearing its saturation point.

The best part about a sound page is that it compiles many of the best videos using that specific audio. Watch the top 5-10 videos to understand the common narrative or joke structure associated with the sound. This context is essential for properly adapting the trend to your own content.

Beyond the App: Spying on Trends in the Wild

You can also collect valuable intel from outside the platform to get ahead of the curve.

Monitor Creators In Your Niche

Don't just watch big-name macro-influencers. Find 5-10 successful creators who operate in your specific niche and have an engaged audience. Make a habit of checking their pages daily.

• What sounds are they favoring this week?
• Are they experimenting with new video formats?
• Which of their recent videos has gotten unusually high engagement? Pay close attention to these and try to understand what made them work.

This isn’t about copying them. It’s about using their content as a signal for what your niche’s shared audience cares about at this moment.

Check Your Comments Section

Seriously, your own audience is giving you trends for free. Pay attention to recurring questions or comments on your videos. If multiple people ask how you manage your content schedule or your budgeting process, that’s not just a question - it’s a content trend tailored perfectly for your audience. Create a "Reply with video" response answering one of those questions. This style of content performs exceptionally well because it’s a direct response to a demonstrated need.

The Golden Rule: Make Every Trend Your Own

The biggest mistake creators make is participating in a trend without connecting it to their brand or niche. Simply lip-syncing a popular sound won’t build you a loyal audience. The goal is to use the trend as a Trojan horse to introduce viewers to your world.

Use this simple formula: Trending Format/Sound + Your Niche/Value = A Winning TikTok

Let's look at some examples:

• The Trend: A popular sound that uses the line, "and I was like... what am I supposed to do now?"
• Bad Version (Not Niche-Specific): A person simply looking confused and shrugging at the camera.
• Good Version (Niche-Specific):
  • For a financial advisor: The caption reads "When my client maxes out their retirement account before age 30" with the advisor smiling and the sound playing.
  • For a dog groomer: Showing a perfectly coiffed poodle next to a pile of shed fur on the floor, using that sound.
  • For a freelance writer: Showing a message box asking for "just a few small edits" followed by a 10-page document full of red lines.

See the difference? The trending sound is a vehicle for communicating a relatable experience within your specific field. This attracts viewers who are not just entertained but are also genuinely interested in what you do.

Act Fast, but Don’t Panic

TikTok trends move incredibly fast, often peaking and dying within a matter of days. You do want to act quickly when you spot one, but you also shouldn't feel pressured to join every single trend. If a trend doesn't align with your brand messaging or feels forced, it’s better to sit it out. Authenticity will always win over desperately chasing viral moments. The goal is consistency, not being first every time.

Final Thoughts

Finding trending topics on TikTok is a skill, not a secret. By actively researching on your For You Page, masterfully using the search tools and Creative Center, and learning to adapt trends to your unique voice, you can consistently create content that connects with a wider audience and helps the algorithm work for you.

Quickly acting on a trend requires a workflow that won't slow you down. After identifying the next big sound, the last thing you want is to struggle with uploading, planning, and scheduling. At Postbase, we designed our platform with short-form video as the priority, so you can upload your content once and schedule it flawlessly across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts from a single visual calendar. It saves you valuable time, allowing you to focus on creating great content instead of fighting with your software.

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