How to Use Trending Music in TikTok Videos

Using the right trending sound on TikTok can be the difference between five views and five million. The platform’s algorithm is built to push trends, and audio is one of its most powerful signals. This guide breaks down exactly how to find trending music, add it to your videos, and use it smartly to grow your account.

Why Trending Music Is a Game-Changer on TikTok

Think of trending sounds as a shortcut to discovery. When a song or audio clip starts gaining traction, TikTok’s algorithm actively shows more videos using that sound to more people. It’s a feedback loop: a sound gets popular, so the algorithm promotes it, making it even more popular.

By jumping on a trend early, you’re basically telling the algorithm, “Hey, my content is relevant and timely!” This gives your video an immediate advantage and a higher chance of landing on the For You Page (FYP). For brands and creators, this isn't just about going viral, it’s about consistently reaching new audiences who might be interested in what you have to say.

Here’s the simple breakdown of what trending sounds do for you:

• Increased Visibility: Your video gets lumped in with a popular trend, giving it a ticket to the FYP lottery.
• Higher Engagement: People often engage more with familiar sounds. They understand the format of the video before they even finish watching it.
• Creative Inspiration: Trends provide a ready-made format. It helps you get past creator's block by giving you a structure to work with.

How to Find Trending Sounds Before They Peak

The key to making trends work for you is finding them at the right time - ideally, as they are on the rise, not after they've become overused. Here are four effective methods to discover what’s hot right now.

1. Scroll Your For You Page (With Purpose)

This is the most organic way to find trends. But don't just mindlessly scroll. Pay attention to patterns. If you hear the same audio clip three or four times within a 10-minute scrolling session, you’ve likely found a rising trend.

Here’s what to look for:

• Repetition: The most obvious sign. Hearing the same sound repeatedly from different creators is a clear signal.
• The Music Icon: Look at the spinning record icon in the bottom right corner of the video. If the sound title is followed by an arrow pointing up (↗), it means that sound is officially trending on the platform.
• Video Count: Tap on the sound link at the bottom of the screen. This will take you to the audio's main page, where you can see how many videos have been made with it. A rising trend might have a few thousand to 100,000 videos. If it has millions, you might be at the tail end of the trend.

2. Check the "Add Sound" Library

TikTok is great at curating what's popular for you directly within the app's creator tools. This method puts official lists of trending sounds right at your fingertips.

1. Tap the “+” button at the bottom of the screen to start creating a new video.
2. At the very top of the screen, tap "Add sound."
3. You'll land on the main Sounds page. Look for playlists like "TikTok Viral," "Trending," or specially curated lists like "Summer Vibes." These are updated constantly and are a goldmine for what's currently popular.

This is a more direct way to find trending audio without having to rely solely on what the algorithm shows you on your FYP.

3. Use the TikTok Creative Center

For those who want to get a little more strategic, the TikTok Creative Center is a powerful, free tool offered by TikTok itself. It's designed for brands and advertisers but is accessible to everyone.

1. Go to the TikTok Creative Center website (you don’t need an ad account to access most of its features).
2. Navigate to the "Trends" or "Top Songs" section.
3. Here, you can filter songs by region and timeframe (e.g., "Last 7 Days"). The charts will show you songs that are breaking out, not just the ones that are already at their peak. It provides data on which songs are seeing the fastest growth, which can help you get ahead of the curve.

4. Follow Trend-Spotting Accounts

There are many TikTok accounts dedicated to finding and sharing trending sounds and video formats. Search for terms like "trend alert" or "TikTok trends" and follow a few that resonate with your style. These creators do the work for you, often highlighting sounds just as they begin to take off and even providing ideas on how to use them.

Step-by-Step: Adding Trending Music to Your Videos

Once you’ve found the perfect sound, using it is simple. Here’s how to do it.

Saving a Sound for Later

If you discover a sound on your FYP that you want to use later, you can save it to your Favorites.

1. While a video with the sound is playing, tap the spinning record icon in the bottom right corner.
2. This takes you to the audio’s page. At the top of the screen, tap "Add to Favorites."
3. The sound will be saved in your profile for easy access when you’re ready to film.

Using a Sound in a New Recording

1. Tap the sound’s page (either directly from a video or from your Favorites) and click the red "Use this sound" button at the bottom. The camera screen will open with the music pre-loaded.
2. Record your video as usual. The music will play as you film, making it easy to sync up your actions.

Adding Music After Recording

Sometimes you might record a video with its own original audio (like a voiceover) and want to add trending music softly in the background.

1. Record and edit your video first.
2. On the final editing screen (before you post), tap the "Add sound" icon at the top of the page.
3. Find your desired sound from the Trending lists or your Favorites.
4. After adding it, tap the "Volume" icon on the right-hand menu. Here you’ll see two sliders:
   • Original sound: The audio from your recorded video.
   • Added sound: The music you just picked.
5. Adjust the sliders to balance the two. For a voiceover with background music, you might turn the "Added sound" down to 5-15% and leave the "Original sound" at 100%.

Best Practices: How to Use Trending Sounds the Smart Way

Finding and adding a sound is only half the battle. Using it strategically is what brings results.

Make it Relevant to Your Niche

Don't just jump on a trend because it's popular, make sure it aligns with your brand or content. A dancing trend might not be the right fit for a serious financial advisor, but they could use a trending sound about "secrets I learned the hard way" to talk about common investing mistakes. The best trend usage feels authentic to your account. Ask yourself: “How can I use this sound format to teach, entertain, or inspire my specific audience?”

Add Your Unique Spin

The most successful videos don't just replicate a trend, they adapt it. While the audio stays the same, clever creators change the on-screen text or the visual context to make it their own. This is where you can inject your personality, expertise, or brand message. Instead of just doing the lip-sync, use the sound as a backdrop to share a helpful tip, tell a relatable story, or show a behind-the-scenes look at your business.

Understand the Trend's Lifecycle

A typical TikTok trend has a bell curve. It starts slow, has a massive peak, and then quickly dies off as people get tired of it. You want to jump in during the "rise," not the "fall."

• Rising Trend: Using a sound when it has 10,000 - 150,000 videos. It's popular enough for the algorithm to push, but not so saturated that your video gets lost.
• Peaking Trend: Millions of videos exist. It's still fine to use, but you have much more competition.
• Falling Trend: The trend feels old, and you might get comments like "omg this sound again." These videos tend to have lower engagement.

Important for Brands: Use the Commercial Music Library

This is one of the most important but overlooked rules for businesses on TikTok. Most pop songs and viral audio clips are not licensed for commercial or promotional use. If you have a Business Account on TikTok, trying to use a popular Taylor Swift song will often result in a "This sound isn't licensed for commercial use" message.

Using copyrighted music for marketing could lead to your video being muted or even legal trouble.

The Solution: The Commercial Music Library.

TikTok offers a pre-cleared library of over a million royalty-free songs and sounds for businesses to use in their content. You can find this library by tapping "Add Sound." TikTok automatically presents this library to Business Accounts. While it doesn't have the latest chart-toppers, it has a vast and growing collection of excellent, trend-worthy music that is 100% safe for promotional content.

Final Thoughts

Leveraging trending music is a powerful tactic for growing your TikTok presence. It all comes down to finding relevant sounds early, adapting them to your unique voice and niche, adding value beyond just copying the trend, and always being mindful of commercial licensing rules if you're a business.

Staying on top of trends is rewarding but can also be demanding. Keeping a content calendar helps you plan ahead and stay consistent, especially when you need to act fast on a new trend. Because we found that old-school scheduling tools just weren't built for the speed of short-form video, we created Postbase. Our visual calendar lets you map out your content for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, helping you see where a trending video can fit into your schedule without disrupting your flow. It's designed to make modern social media management feel less chaotic and much more intentional.