How to Create Viral TikTok Ads: 7 Strategies for Success

TikTok isn’t just for viral dance moves (although that’s definitely one of the things we love the platform for). It has become a big deal for businesses looking to get their name out there. With millions of people scrolling through TikTok daily, it’s a great place to grab attention and connect with potential customers.

 

In one of our previous articles, we talked about why TikTok advertising is important for businesses and shared some tips on how create effective ads.

 

Now, let’s go a bit deeper. This time, we’re focusing on best practices that can make your TikTok ads truly stand out and go viral. We’ll explore some helpful AI-powered tools, talk about working with influencers, leveraging user-generated content and augmented reality, and more.

 

By the end of this article, you’ll have everything you need to create TikTok ads that not only catch people’s eyes but also get tangible results.

 

So, let’s start with the first strategy.

 

1. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC) 

User-generated content (UGC) is when your customers make content about your brand, products, or services, sharing their opinions about them, demonstrating how to use them, and so on.

 

This can give your business a significant boost. In a way, it works like word-of-mouth marketing: people share their experiences and recommend your products, which comes across as more authentic than regular ads.

 

So, there are two main benefits to including UGC in your advertising strategy:

1. Authenticity and trust: people trust other users online (especially those they look up to) more than they trust ads. When real customers share their stories or experiences with your brand, it feels way more genuine;
2. Engagement: UGC gets people talking and interacting. When they see real people having experiences with your product, they’re more likely to like, comment on, or share your content.

Now, how do you encourage people to make UGC? These are the main strategies you can use:

Create challenges and trends

You can start a fun challenge or trend that relates to your brand. TikTok users love jumping into viral challenges. If you come up with something exciting and relevant, people will want to join in and make their own content – it’s a great way to get lots of people involved.

 

Give an incentive

Another good strategy to motivate people to make UGC is to give them a little something in return for their content. It could be publicity (you can repost their content on your page or use it as an ad), a prize, a discount, etc. – depends on what your audience prefers.

 

When users have a reason to create and share content about your brand, they’re more likely to do it. Make it easy and rewarding for them to participate.

 

UGC is one of the best strategies you can use on TikTok, so figure out a way to incentivize people to make content with your products and stay on the lookout for the best TikToks made by your customers. 

2. Partner up with TikTok creators to influence their audience

Partnering with influencers on TikTok can be a game-changer for your brand. You’re not just getting access to the audiences of these influencers: you also get a huge boost to your brand’s reputation and the popularity of what you’re selling.

 

However, there’s a caveat: this will work only if you find the right influencers and collaborate with them in the right way.

 

Here’s how to identify suitable influencers to team up with:

Think about the criteria for selecting influencers

Not every influencer will be a perfect match for your brand, even if you think that their audience is likely to be interested in your offers.

 

If your brand values or personality doesn’t align with the public image and communication style of a particular influencer, you’re at risk of getting poor campaign results in the best case, and a reputation damage in the worst case.

 

So, look for creators who share your brand values and have an audience that fits your target market. Conducting proper research and understanding your own business will help you with that.

 

Checking the engagement rates of the influencers you’re looking to collaborate with is important as well: it’s not just about how many followers they have, but how actively their followers interact with their content. Even thousands of followers won’t do much for your business if they’re not engaging with the influencer’s content enough.

 

In this case, micro-influencers can be a better choice: the relationship they have with their audience is more close, which means that users will be more receptive to product recommendations from them.

 

Use tools to find influencers

If you’re consistently monitoring TikTok’s landscape, you might already have your potential candidates to collaborate with. But more often than not, it’s hard to find the right options because there are thousands of TikTok creators that can be a good match for your brand, and you probably know only a small portion of them.

 

That’s why there are tools like TikTok Creator Marketplace created specifically to help you find suitable creators, invite them to collaborate, and track the results of your campaigns. For example, you can find suitable creators based on their region (as well as the region of their audience), topic, reach, and views, and so on.

 

Once you’ve found the right influencer, you can work out the details. Discuss what you want from the partnership and what you can offer in return. Whether it's a payment, free products, or exclusive deals, make sure both sides are clear on expectations.

 

Make sure the influencer’s content aligns with your brand’s values

As we’ve said before, the values your brand stands for, it’s personality, tone of voice, etc., should align with the content a specific influencer makes. This is key to running successful influencer campaigns and finding new loyal customers for your business.

 

If you use TikTok Creator Marketplace to find influencers, you can create a brief to specify what kind of content you want, what your brand is all about, and other details. This can help you make everything crystal clear for people you’re reaching out to.

 

But even with a brief and a detailed description of what you want, miscommunication is still possible, and so are the expectations of both parties that don’t match. The good thing is that you can reject the content a Tiktok creator submits as a collaboration with you if you think that it doesn’t accurately represents your brand or products. In any case, you can be sure that your brand’s reputation is preserved.

 

Also, remember that the collaboration should feel natural: even though people will see that it’s a paid promotion (e.g. through the “creator earns commission” disclaimer under the video), it still should come across as authentic as possible.

 

The videos made by an influencer should be in line with the rest of their content, i.e. their usual communication style, humor, topics, and so on. Otherwise, it won’t be well received by their audience. So, the more genuine the content, the better it will resonate with the viewers.

 

Measure the campaign’s impact

Another crucial aspect of collaborating with TikTok creators is checking how well your campaign performs and whether it brings you significant results.

 

After the campaign kicks off, you’ll want to track its success by looking at metrics like engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversions, depending on your objectives. These numbers will tell you how well the partnership is going and whether it’s meeting your goals.

 

Pay attention to the return on investment (ROI) as well: compare the cost of the influencer campaign with the revenue or value it generated. This will help you understand if the partnership was worth it and guide your future collaborations.

 

3. Create viral challenges to boost engagement

Creating challenges on TikTok can help brands start new trends and invite their potential customers to join in. These challenges can take your brand engagement to the next level, getting more people to notice and interact with your content.

 

However, if it were easy to start such challenges, everyone would be doing it all the time. It can be hard because you need to correctly identify what can become a popular trend among not just your core audience but also the people outside of it – that’s what gives your challenges a viral status.

 

So, how do you start a successful TikTok challenge?

 

To make a challenge go viral, you need to make it fun, simple, and easy to do. Think of something that’s catchy, aligns with the current trends, and can be done quickly.

 

The best challenges are usually those that people can put their own spin on while still sticking to the original idea. It helps you combine people’s creativity with the expression of your brand’s personality, which makes you come across as authentic, fun, and open to interacting with your audience in new and imaginative ways.

 

You also have to make sure your challenge reflects what your brand is about. If you’re a fitness brand, create a workout challenge. If you’re in the fashion industry, think of a styling challenge. The goal is to make the challenge feel natural to your brand, so it resonates with your audience.

 

If you want to maximize user participation in your challenge, you need to promote it. For this, you can work with influencers who can kick off the challenge and show their followers how it’s done.

 

Using the right hashtags is crucial as well: this will make it easy for people to find and join the challenge. The more people see it, the more likely they are to join in.

 

Just like with influencer campaigns, you need to measure the engagement and reach you get. Look at the number of people joining in, the views, likes, shares, and comments. This will help you see what’s working and what’s not.

 

In short, it’s all about making something fun, easy, and true to your brand: that’s how you boost your engagement and spread the word about your business.

 

4. Tell a story to connect with people

As we’ve said before in our article about TikTok ads for businesses, storytelling is crucial for advertising success, especially on platforms like TikTok.

 

It’s more than just selling a product: it’s about sharing a story that resonates with your audience and shows them how to solve their problems or improve their lives.

 

Here are some tips for becoming a pro at using narratives in your TikTok advertising:

Use strong visuals

Start your ad with something that grabs people's attention right away. Remember: TikTok is all about the visuals, so your story should be heavy on those. 

 

So, show, don’t just tell. The videos and images you use to convey your message should be compelling, which means they should present a coherent story that makes sense to your audience and shows something that will be useful to them.

 

Give your story a structure

Every good story follows a specific structure, but in a way that allows to tell something new or show something from a new light. That’s exactly what you want to do with your TikTok ads: take the true and tried narrative form and tell it through the lens of your brand, your audience, and the value you can provide to them.

 

You can think about creating a series of ads instead of just one. A series allows you to tell a longer story, keeping viewers coming back for more. Using cliffhangers can add suspense and make people eager to see what happens next.

 

But you can also do it within a single ad as well, but make sure you don’t drag it for too long: otherwise, not a lot of people will stick to watch it till the end.

 

Capitalize on trends and challenges

Blending your story with what’s currently trending on the platform in general and among your potential customers can make your ad feel more relevant and fun.

 

You can tie your narrative to popular TikTok trends and challenges, but you have to make sure everything fits naturally with your brand and message. Adapting these trends creatively can keep your content fresh and engaging.

 

Show what your brand is about

No matter whether you’re just beginning your TikTok journey or you’ve already built a presence on the platform, attracting new customers and building brand awareness will be a major part of your strategy. And there’s nothing better than a story if you want to tell people about your brand.

 

For example, you can showcase your brand’s values, highlight what matters most to you, and the problems you want to solve through a compelling, and most importantly, people-centric narrative. There are people behind every brand, and they work to help other people like them solve specific problems or achieve specific outcomes.

 

Putting real people, their problems, and successes, at the forefront of your story helps you build a stronger connection with your audience and let them know that your business is there to help them.

 

Engage your viewers

Engaging with your audience directly helps you break the fourth wall, which is crucial if you want to establish close connections.

 

You can ask questions related to your story and interact with their responses. This can drive interaction, make your ads more memorable, and build community around your brand.

 

To check what works in terms of storytelling, look at brands that have nailed it in their TikTok ads. Some brands use real customer experiences, others craft fictional stories that still feel relatable and reflect the everyday experiences of regular customers. 

TikTok's current AI solutions are far from perfect, but with a bit of tweaking and the right prompts you can use them for brainstorming and ideation.

 

There are different ways to create a good story – you just have to find something that works for your brand and your audience. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas to work with, try TikTok’s Symphony Assistant: this AI tool can help you brainstorm ideas, get inspiration, and improve your scripts a lot faster and easier.

 

5. Use music and sound to add flavor

What makes TikTok videos so addicting to watch? Aside from visuals, it’s music and sounds that make a video trend and get on people’s for-you-pages.

 

Think about how a catchy tune or a cool sound effect can stick in your head – music and sound can do the same for your ads. They help set the mood and make your content more engaging. A great soundtrack can make people want to watch your ad all the way through and even share it with their friends. That’s how you can make your business go viral and get the attention of thousands of people.

 

Here’s how to use music and sounds in your TikTok ads effectively:

Pick the perfect tune

Selecting the right audio is crucial: you want music or sound effects that fit the vibe of your ad and resonate with your audience.

 

To choose the right music or sound, make sure it fits your brand’s style and your audience’s preferences. If you advertise a luxury brand, you can go for something classy. For a sports brand, you can pick something upbeat and energetic.

 

But don’t think that you can only choose a specific kind of music: sometimes, going with something unexpected can work better and allow you to show your business from a new side.

 

You can also create your own unique sound that captures the essence of your brand and makes it instantly recognizable and easy to remember. If you use it consistently across your TikTok ads and organic content, you’ll strengthen your brand’s identity by a lot.

 

Use trendy sounds

TikTok is all about trends, so check out what songs or sound effects are trending right now because using a popular song can help your ad get noticed more.

 

But remember to always make sure you have the right to use the music.

 

Sometimes, you can make a really good video that gains traction, but then the sound you’ve used for it gets removed. Your video goes radio silent, and you can either leave the video as it is (which isn’t going to make the same impression on users as with the sound on) or recreate it with a sound that won’t get removed (which means you lose all the likes, shares, and comments you’ve got).

 

Both situations are unpleasant, so don’t underestimate the importance of checking the availability of the tracks or sounds you use. TikTok has a Commercial Music library full of pre-cleared tracks you can use for your ads and content.

 

Blend audio seamlessly

If you want to create a smooth and engaging viewing experience, the music or sounds you use should blend well with the visual content of your videos.

 

First of all, pick music that fits the mood of your video. If your ad is more energetic, go for trending sounds that people dance to - this can help you . For a more serious vibe, choose something that matches that tone. The music should set the right mood without overpowering your message.

 

You should also make sure the sound supports your ad without being too loud: you want the music to complement your visuals and any talking or voiceover. Keep the volume balanced so everything is easy to hear.

 

Timing is also crucial, so match the audio to important moments in your video. For example, if there's a big reveal or a funny punch, make sure the music or sound highlights that moment. Syncing your audio with what’s happening on screen makes it more engaging and helps you support your storytelling.

 

Adding sound effects can also help. Little sounds like a swoosh or ding can draw attention to key parts of your ad, but don’t overdo it.

 

You can always use editing tools to tweak your audio with TikTok’s editing features or other apps: they can help you adjust the timing, add fades, or mix sounds.

 

The baseline is that if you choose the right sound for your TikTok ads, you can easily make your ads go viral and even encourage viewers to create their own content using your audio.

 

6. Add depth with Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented Reality (AR) on TikTok isn’t just a tool for entertainment: it’s a good way to make your ads stand out and show your products.

 

For example, if you’re selling new sunglasses, you could make a filter that lets people try them on virtually. This will make your ads more fun to interact with and give people an additional incentive to convert.

 

But don’t just stop at one idea: think of various ways AR can enhance your ads and regular videos. Try different things and see what people have better reactions to.

 

Once you come up with ideas to test, don’t just rely on users finding your AR effects by chance: promote them. Mention your effects in your other social media channels, collaborate with influencers to use and share your AR filters, use hashtags to spread the word, create challenges, and so on.

 

The more visibility your AR effects get, the more people will use them, broadening your ad’s reach even further.

 

Also, if you’re still hesitant about using AR for your TikTok ads, don’t be: TikTok’s AR tools are pretty user-friendly, so you don’t need a lot to get started. They let you add virtual elements to videos, like 3D effects or animated filters, which makes your ads more engaging and memorable. And TikTok’s Effect House allows you to easily create and test different options.

 

7. Be culturally sensitive and inclusive

When it comes to TikTok ads, cultural sensitivity an inclusivity are more important than ever. You want your brand to stand out in a positive way, not accidentally offend or alienate people.

 

Here’s how to get it right:

Understand both your audience and the platform’s userbase

TikTok is a global platform with users from different parts of the world, walks of life, opinions and values.

 

This means your ads need to be mindful of these differences: even if you directly address only certain groups of people in your ads, you should be sure you’re not accidentally alienating everyone else.

 

So, take the time to understand the backgrounds and perspectives not just of your target audience but of other people that use the platform as well (since they could also see your ads or content).

 

Create inclusive content

Your ads should reflect the diversity of your audience, which means it’s a great idea to show people from various backgrounds, abilities, and identities. This isn’t just about ticking boxes but rather about making sure everyone feels seen and valued.

 

Think of it this way: if you want to grow your business, you should be able to solve the problems of different groups of customers and communicate it through your ads. And what’s a better way to do this than to show people you care about them and acknowledge what makes them unique?

 

This also requires research on different social, cultural, ethnic, and other groups that could see your ads. If you’re not sure that your content is up to standards in terms of cultural sensitivity and social awareness, involve people who know about the topic (e.g. people from the cultures you’re depicting) to ensure accuracy and respect.

 

This will help you avoid unintentionally touching on issues that could be seen as disrespectful or offensive, using stereotypes or other insensitive remarks in your videos.

 

Recap

Creating viral TikTok ads isn't just about jumping on trends — it's about making real connections and adding value, which can take some effort and time to achieve.

 

Let’s recap the key strategies that will help you with that:

1. Leverage UGC: get your customers to create and share content about your brand. This will make your ads feel real and trustworthy;
2. Partner with TikTok creators: team up with influencers who match your brand's style and have an active following. They can help boost your brand’s reach and reputation;
3. Start fun challenges: create a simple and entertaining challenge related to your brand. Make it easy for people to join in and use popular hashtags to spread the word;
4. Tell a story: make your ads interesting by telling a story through visuals and sound to connect with viewers;
5. Choose the right music and sounds: pick music and sound effects that fit your brand and the mood of your ad to get noticed;
6. Add depth with AR: add fun AR effects to let people interact with your ads or products in a cool way;
7. Be culturally sensitive and inclusive: make sure your ads reflect the diversity of TikTok’s global audience and avoid stereotypes.

If you follow these strategies, there's a high chance your TikTok ads and videos will end up on the For-You pages of your potential customers. So, go out, experiment, have fun, and you'll see how TikTok can help you grow your business.