The Essential Guide to Making Viral Videos on TikTok: how do we do it again and again
The quest for creating content that resonates and goes viral is an ongoing challenge
November 28, 2025
For content creators and marketers, ensuring the success of their content is of the highest importance. The quest for creating content that resonates and goes viral is an ongoing challenge. As a forward-thinking agency, we've developed a strategic framework called "TikTok Content's Virality Triangle."
TikTok Content's Virality Triangle is a simple framework designed to evaluate and enhance the chances of content going viral on the platform. Comprising three key elements, this triangle provides a comprehensive approach to creating engaging and shareable content.
The TikTok Content's Virality Triangle delves into three key attributes
These are three, kick-off elements to empower content creators in predicting and achieving success on the platform.
Ground-breaking Factor of the TikTok viral video (it has more to society than to mere "surprise")
Ground-breaking content on TikTok is all about pushing boundaries and presenting something fresh to viewers. This could involve leveraging new trends, utilizing cutting-edge technology, or simply presenting a unique perspective on a familiar topic. The "wow" factor that ground-breaking content elicits is often a key driver in capturing the attention of the TikTok audience in the first seconds of a video.
Relevancy Factor of the TikTok viral video
Relevancy is the heartbeat of TikTok's success. There is always a social agenda, the top-of-mind topics most of us think about, something we as a "social mind" are interested in right now. That's where you have to tap in. Staying attuned to current trends, challenges, and community interests is essential for creating content that resonates with the diverse user base. The TikTok Content's Virality Triangle emphasizes the importance of aligning content with what's popular, what users are already interested in, and capturing the zeitgeist of the platform. Relevancy ensures that your content is not just seen but embraced by the TikTok community.
Relatability Factor of the TikTok viral video
The relatability of content measures the potential for the audience to identify with the message emotionally or experientially. Content that strikes a chord with viewers on a personal level has a higher chance of being shared and engaging a wider audience. In the case of the sugar addiction video, the creator's ability to share a personal journey makes the content relatable to viewers facing similar challenges.
Mind that with every content attempt, popping up on someone's TikTok or Instagram wall, you are "just another guest in the room" and you have to be either entertaining or helpful, or better both.
These tips will boost your TikTok video's viral factor even more:
Give enough context in the first 3 seconds to make leaving comments possible (commented videos are in favor of the algorithm)
Crafting ideas for TikTok in a way that will stimulate discussion in the comments section. TikTok algorithm boosts videos where the community starts to exchange ideas in comments.
The first three seconds are critical as a hook - that's a short attention window where users will judge (based on gut feeling and fast messaging analysis) if he or she will pay more attention.
Remember to make the cover of TikTok video attention-grabbing enough - it will trigger users scrolling through videos in TikTok search
Video should be presented in a way you don't know where it starts and where it ends - this stimulates viewer interest.
Simply talking directly, face-to-face to the viewer, without some special effects or over-editing, will also work great. This form of contact works well on TikTok because it is very sticky, direct, and primordial. It is also aligned to the basic high-attention state of TikTok users.
To stimulate viewing the video over and over again, you can place crucial information (like key ingredients for a presented recipe) super-compressed in a very short time window, like just for a second - this will pressure users to watch the video many times, and this will boost the algorithm.
Use trending sounds/music, users scroll through trending music to see what has been created with help of it
Use trending editing templates - search "Cap Cut trends" and watch accounts gathering Cap Cut trending editing templates - this will help you to just visually tap into trends
Search "trend alert" hashtags and accounts - there you will find inspirations
Search for the name of the niche you are interested in, like let's say "Cyber Truck" and scroll down the video results to reach text results presenting "other searches" - this is the place where TikTok informs you what others are searching for with "Cyber Truck". Go deeper for more other searches, and analyze many of them to grasp the idea of trending, searched keywords.
TikTok viral video case study: "How to get out of sugar addiction?"
Videos getting over 200,000 views are considered viral. Our recent TikTok viral video on "Getting out of sugar addiction" serves as an exemplary case study illustrating the success that can be understood through the TikTok Content Triangle.
The video went viral and got more than 650,000 views and 44,000 likes and foremost 12,700 saves, which are a clear indicator of the content's usefulness.
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Ground-breaking Factor
In the context of Christmas, at the end of the year, sugar is the "final boss"irresistibly seducing us to the table. The surprising aspect of the "How to get out of sugar addiction" video is that it presents the personal story of someone who has coped with sugar addiction and has some tips to share in this most relevant - Christmas context. While addressing the serious issue, the video introduces a ground-breaking and liberating element (now we know how to say no to sweets) by presenting the information engagingly, entertainingly, vulnerably, and openly.
Relevancy Factor
The content aligns seamlessly with the current, highly relevant health and wellness trend, tapping into the widespread concern about sugar consumption. By staying attuned to the platform's trends and the interests of the target audience, the video achieves a high level of relevancy.
Relatability Factor
TikTok thrives on connection, and relatability is the glue that binds creators and viewers. The ability of the audience to identify with the message on an emotional or experiential level is a powerful catalyst for engagement. The creator shares a personal journey, allowing viewers to connect with the content on a deeper level fostering a sense of community among viewers.
Navigating the Dichotomy of TikTok viral videos: Trashy or Super-aesthetic?
On Tik Tok content often falls into two broad categories: trashy and hyper-aesthetic.
It's important also to understand a distinctiveness concept in TikTok viral video marketing, a concept that could be imaginably placed above previous both.
The more distinctive content the better, never mind if it falls into the trashy category (pato-streams, weird videos) or the hyper-aesthetic category (beautiful influencers, astonishing cars, mesmerizing nature experiences, etc.)
Distinctiveness allows video content to transcend labels, offering something liberating, positive, and refreshingly unique whether it falls into the trashy or hyper-aesthetic spectrum.
Liquid Death is a pure distinctive non-sense brand made in the super-boring mineral water category. It is a huge success mostly to an astonishing level of distinctiveness.
What's also important there is not much differentiation to what the brand says to consumers, it just obviously addresses the thirst, but again, in super-distinctive way saying "Murder your thirst".
Image Source: The Internet
TikTok stars like rapping influencer Young Leosia who embraces intense distinctiveness, combined with Ground-breaking Factor (the only such successful, entertaining, and likable rapping girl in Poland, Relevancy Factor (girl power messages, referring to many actual cultural codes), and Relatability Factor (authentic and committed young woman performer that truly sticks with her fans) are designed for success.
Image Source: The Internet
As her content and appeal are super-aesthetic, there is also distinctiveness at play: pink hair? Quite distinctive, liberating, positive, and meaningless (or super-lightweight in terms of meaning).
This is what in marketing works great! Being overloaded with sense, multilayered meaning, or being a noble thought leader, from a purely marketing perspective will not pay off in the long term.
Boost TikTok video's virality with smart use of taboo
Image Source: The Internet
Taboo has some irresistible seducing power over people. First, note that TikTok's community guidelines prohibit explicit or harmful content, so any use of taboo should be within the platform's guidelines. That said, here are some reasons why content that pushes boundaries or incorporates taboos might gain traction:
Shock value of Tik Tok viral video
Taboo content often has a shock factor that grabs viewers' attention. When people are surprised or intrigued by what they see, they are more likely to engage with the content, like, comment, or share.
Curiosity
People may be drawn to content that challenges societal norms or addresses topics that are not commonly discussed.
Memorability
Users are more likely to remember and talk about videos that stand out, creating a ripple effect as they share and discuss the content with others.
Controversy and debate
When viewers have differing opinions on a particular topic, it can lead to more comments and discussions, boosting the virality of the video.
Algorithmic boost
If a video receives a high level of engagement (likes, comments, shares) in a short period, TikTok's algorithm may push the video to more users.
Niche Communities
Taboo content may resonate strongly with specific niche communities or subcultures. If your content aligns with the interests of a particular group on TikTok, it may be shared within that community, leading to increased content's virality.
Last words on TikTok viral video success factors
The TikTok Content's Virality Triangle provides content creators with a simple framework to navigate the complexities of TikTok and enhance their chances of creating viral content. By emphasizing ground-breakingness, relevancy, and relatability (plus being distinctive and helpful or entertaining), this strategic framework enables creators to tap into the essence of TikTok's viral videos' dynamic and diverse user base.
Most often, a great way to create a TikTok viral video is to show what is highly relatable and relevant to the audience in a ground breaking way.
If you are interested in this topic even more, get to know TikTok's human heaters - employees who boost content with a push of the button
