🔥Hot🔥 on TikTok 2.4
Jan 28-Feb 4: This week's top trends, sounds, new features, and Gen Z expressions.
Welcome to the third edition of 🔥Hot🔥 on TikTok - a weekly analysis of trending topics and sounds on TikTok, new feature announcements, the latest in Gen Z lingo, and brand case studies. This week, we dive into TED talk memes, album cover nostalgia, and TikTok influencer strategy.
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Before we go start unpacking what went down on TikTok this week, I’d like to provide some context on my process and exactly how I harvest the trends listed below.
I understand that monitoring trends via my own FYP presents a bias problem since all the videos I encounter are catered to the specific interests of my personal account. Hence, I’ve created 10 accounts specializing in various industry verticals and age ranges in order to guarantee that I don’t miss anything big. Larger trends that go “mainstream” on TikTok travel through almost all niches and verticals, so if you see something on #PotterTikTok (Entertainment) you might see it on #VeganTikTok (Food). That’s why I don’t typically cover super niche TikTok trends, like what transpired on #StonksTikTok last week. Instead, I examine meme formats applicable to many different categories. I’ve also built a social listening and trends monitoring program to see how people discuss topics on TikTok. Through these methods, I hope to provide you with the most relevant and applicable trends of the week!
TOP TIKTOK TRENDS
🎸Album covers are IN again
Remember those “album cover” inspired photos circa 2013 on Tumblr? Well, they’re officially back and trending on TikTok. Users are creating artsy labels using snapshots from moody video scenes, or even funny ones, proving that any moment has the potential to become an “album cover.” (See example below).
This trend is similar to the “Vogue Cover” trend last year, which aimed to highlight the lack of diverse representation on magazine covers. Users from any TikTok vertical can easily recreate the trend by screenshotting part of a video, applying a heavy vintage film filter, and slapping a “Parental Advisory” image on top. We’ve already started to see niches like #FoodTikTok, #PetTikTok, and #HistoryTikTok riffing off this trend.
Application for brands: Have a brand mascot? Do a simple iPhone video shoot and turn your screenshots into album covers with funny song names relating to your products.
🎤Welcome to my Tod Talk
This may be a surprise to many, but the Tod Talk trend is possibly the first Instagram filter to go viral on TikTok. Typically, popular filters either spread from TikTok’s native app or trickle over from Snapchat. Tod Talk is a meme filter resembling the iconic TED talk stage and presentation screen. To set up the meme, users first deliver a controversial statement, followed by a “punchline” to the joke or a nuanced insight.
Currently, the Tod Talk trend is only used comedically - and we’ll likely see it stay this way due to the restrictive nature of the filter. However, based on the success of this filter, we’ll probably see more meme-able filters created by Spark AR designers and more Instagram filters being imported into TikTok.
TOP SOUNDS OF THE WEEK
This helpful tool tracks the top sounds on TikTok on a monthly basis. I recommend checking it out and using trending audio in order to boost your videos. Having a trending sound overlaid on your video can help your chances of getting on the FYP. (If you don’t want the sound to play over your own audio, simply drag the volume down to 0.)
Kali - Do a B*tch
This song by Kali recently started picking up in popularity. We usually see a surge in song usage after large accounts (especially dance accounts like Charli’s) use it in one of their videos. So far, this sound has been used for dance, fashion, and makeup videos, but we’ll likely see more variants to come.
Link to sound: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeJgHxU6/
NEW FEATURES AND EFFECTS
⌨️Typewriting Effect
TikTok recently added a typewriting effect where you can type out text on your video. Most creators are using it to reveal embarrassing thoughts or questions.
TRENDING LINGO
Top Expressions of the Week
Here are some of my favorite new expressions of the week. You can use them in your outbound comments for community management, or ✨add a little bit of spice✨ in the group chat with your niece and nephews.
1️⃣ Es hora de comer
Definition: In Spanish, this phrase literally means “It’s time to eat,” but TikTok has turned this innocent phrase from user @spanishforeveryday’s viral video (10.6m views) into a meme in itself.
2️⃣ That ___ looks like it’s bussin
Definition: When describing something amazing or something that looks really good. You can say “that fit looks like it’s bussin” or “that pizza be bussin.”
🔥 HOT 🔥 Brand Case Study: FlexiSpot
This week we’re focusing on influencer strategy — specifically, how to source and brief influencers to get the best content produced on TikTok.
What’s wonderful about the TikTok ads platform is that you can leverage the Creator Marketplace to get authenticated data about potential influencers, directly contact them without a middleman involved, and track and analyze all campaign results using their reporting tool. I’ve used Weibo’s and RED’s creator marketplaces in the past to source influencers, and can attest to the efficiency and time-saving advantages provided (no need for media kits or agency rep nonsense).
TikTok’s Creator Marketplace offers many filters for selection, like region, interest category, following, age, etc. Some main factors you want to consider include average views, engagement rate (likes + comments + shares / views), and following. Average views is generally more important than following — if an influencer has 700K followers, but only 10K average views, they may not provide you with the best return.
Some other equally important factors to consider are the quality of the creator’s content and their narrative abilities. Are they able to consistently produce high-performing and original content? Can they create short stories that engage their audience? Sure, partnering with a dance creator with 1M+ average views may look like a solid option, but would a sponsored video from them look like a forced product placement? A successful activation needs to produce ads that don’t look like ads, (that Instagram #sponsored #ad fake posting won’t get you anywhere on TikTok), but rather videos that blend seamlessly with the rest of the feed.
Just look at this FlexiSpot partnership:
For this cinematic masterpiece, @wilfredooooo used a trending TikTok sound and tapped into the dramatic silent film TikTok style, using an engaging storyline and interesting angles. Most users in the comments were in awe of the video actually being an ad and praised the creativity.
When sourcing creators, you should also inspect how engaged the creator is with their own community. Do they spend time responding to comments? Do they actively make video responses to top comments? Do they host engaging live stream sessions? This is a good indicator of how committed a creator is to growing and learning more about their audience. The more they know about their own audience, the more they’ll know what ad creative resonates well with them. This is especially important if you’re also looking to build a long term relationship with the creator, compared to a one-off activation.
Additionally, I’d recommend looking into interest categories beyond your brand’s specific industry. You may find an anime creator who can whip up imaginative outfits based on Naruto’s characters for your clothing line, or a music creator who can turn a children’s book into a “put this on Spotify!”-worthy rap song.
When briefing creators, approach the assignment as a live creative discussion, not a to-do list. Ask your creators what ideas they have in mind for your brand and product, what you think their audience would be into, and what trends they’ve seen that could be relevant to the creative. You may already have an idea in mind of what the campaign would look like, but it’s up to them to decide whether it would perform well on their own pages. Treat them like creatives, not makers.
Final notes on using the Creator Marketplace:
When looking at a creator’s audience demographics, make sure to check performance trends, which contain predictions about the trajectory of the creator’s audience, follower growth, and recent engagement rates.
When messaging a creator with campaign info, make sure to note that the talent fee is open for negotiation and not listed as final (if you had put in an initial suggested fee). Some creators may reject the offer outright if they feel like they aren’t able to negotiate a higher fee.
💩 NOT 💩 Brand Case Study
This week’s 💩 brand 💩 has been spared! Stay tuned for next week. I’m especially excited to see what will come out of this year’s Super Bowl campaigns.
That’s all for now, but…
Is there a topic you would be interested in reading about? Or a campaign you’d like me to cover? I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can respond to this email or comment below. 💕
Until next week,
Stephanie
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Written by Stephanie Jin, a creative strategist, art director, and copywriter based in NYC. Connect with me on Twitter or Instagram.
loved the distinction between creatives and makers :)