The TikTok Trends Digest: Your guide to creating on-trend content

At TikTok, culture is shaped, influenced and created on the platform every single day. Tapping into trends is your shortcut to participating in these cultural moments and driving brand love and equity.

Welcome to the TikTok Trends Digest, a monthly series where we'll give you the tools you need to produce thumb-stopping content that will help you drive impact across the funnel, from brand-building all the way through to boosting your bottom line. Diving into visuals, narratives, sounds and examples from brands who are doing it right, this guide will help your brand unlock lasting impact. Let's get started!

How we talk about TikTok trends

When it comes to defining trends on TikTok, there's a difference between what's trending now and being on-trend: we refer to these as 'Trend Moments' versus 'Trend Signals' and 'Trend Forces'. Numerous small Trend Moments make up a larger Trend Signal, which in turn sit under a broader Trend Force. Focusing on Trend Moments can be a challenge as keeping up with trending content requires a high level of reactivity. On the other hand, Trend Signals represent a more accessible entry point for brands to stay on-trend by building a solid foundation and understanding of trending content.

TikTok trends are made up of four key elements: a trend message, associated hashtags, a sonic identity and a visual narrative. For a Trend Moment, these elements are more defined, which makes it more challenging for brands to get involved at speed, and for a Trend Signal they are broader, leaving room for brands to participate. You can read more about our methodology in our What's Next trends report.

To make TikTok trends work for your brand, we've identified the core elements of specific trends to help you find easy opportunities to integrate your brand. Use these key elements as a step-by-step guide for creating content. 

Trend Signal Spotlight: Delulu is the solulu

On TikTok, users are embracing a playful sense of delusion and narrating their stories with this creative and unique twist. Whether it's through carousel slides or conversational videos featuring two characters, the common thread of these videos is how they put powerfully optimistic spins on relatable everyday situations, allowing users to see themselves in the narratives.

Authenticity is key on TikTok, and by participating in this trend, brands can show a side of their personality that feels genuine and relatable, thereby creating a more intimate connection and fostering relevancy with TikTok audiences.

Here are some examples of Trend Moments that feature as part of the Delulu Trend Signal:

1. Maddie Knew

Based on a trending sound, this two-slide reveal Trend Moment enables users to showcase a specific facet of their personality.

2. Of Course

This Trend Moment follows two characters talking to camera as they poke fun at well-known tropes.

3. Comparison Slideshow

Often told through a carousel slideshow, this Trend Moment highlights diverse personalities and experiences by comparing the different objects a group of people own.

Brand Take: See how Elle NL leveraged TikTok trends

We love the above example of the comparisons Trend Moment from Elle Netherlands (@elle_nl). A quick way to contribute to a trending moment, the Elle team leveraged a carousel to showcase their office essentials. See below for a breakdown of the key elements of this Trend Moment.

Why it works: Behind-the-scenes content offers a window into your brand's world and highlights your brand's personality. This in turn enables users to feel more connected with your brand.

Make TikTok trends your own

Jump on the trend by putting your brand's spin on two key elements while keeping the other two the same so the trend stays recognisable. In this example, you can keep the trend message and visual narrative and change up the hashtags and sounds you use.

Game-changing creative tools are just a click away

You can utilise our Commercial Music Library for trending songs you can use in your videos. Tap into Delulu is the Solulu with Love Song (Hesitations) (Sped Up) - Lofuu & Shiloh Dynasty & dprk. For inspiration, see how @Fortnite used the sound.

Dive into our Creative Centre or the TikTok Creative Exchange to learn how to take your content further. And for more on how you can use TikTok trends to service full-funnel marketing objectives, sign up for our newsletter.

Our next Trends Digest is all about 'Storytelling Unhinged' – read it here!