Want to go viral on TikTok? 

Or use it to boost your brand awareness and sales? 

Then it’s time to start using trending sounds.

But what are trending sounds, why are they important and where do you find them?

We’ve got you. Learn our top tips for finding trending sounds on TikTok below.

What are trending sounds on TikTok and why are they important? 

When a sound or song is “trending” on TikTok, it means that it’s growing in popularity and it will usually have a dedicated idea or dance associated with it. 

These sounds don’t necessarily have to be new and recent, they can also be songs from years ago that have gained traction suddenly for no apparent reason. 

It all depends on how much activity the sound is getting. For example, if a sound is getting many videos made suddenly, as well as a lot of likes, views and saves, then the likelihood is that it’s trending.

Using these trending sounds is important because it increases the chances of it reaching more people on the “For You” page and potentially going viral. So why wouldn’t you take some time to find them?

Can businesses use these sounds?

This is where it gets tricky for business. Due to commercial music limitations and copyright concerns, there are certain sounds that are off-limits for businesses to use.

If you have a personal profile on TikTok, then you’ll have access to a huge variety of trending sounds and songs. Whereas businesses will usually get a “This sound isn’t licensed for commercial use” warning when they come to use a song unless it is royalty-free. 

This means that you don’t have a license to use music from recording artists and therefore cannot make TikTok videos with that sound. Annoying, right? 

Luckily, not all trending sounds on TikTok are songs and some are stock music which is free to use. 

Some trending sounds will be someone talking, whether that be from a TV show, film or content creator. Some sounds will also be a mash-up or remake of a song which should be okay for you to use as a business, but be cautious when using these sounds if they sound very similar to the original. 

All in all – you will always know which sounds you can or cannot use as a business because TikTok will not allow you to make a video using a sound that is off-limits. 

4 ways to find trending sounds on TikTok

Here are our top four methods for finding trending songs and sounds on TikTok so you can drive reach and engagement: 

1. Use the search bar for your niche
2. Use TikTok’s “viral” tool
3. Scroll on your TikTok feed
4. Follow “Trending sounds” TikTok accounts

Read on to find out more about each method…

#1: Use the search bar for your niche

This is the tip that we use most of all as we find it works best not only to find trending sounds, but to find trending sounds that will appeal to your audience.

Yes, that’s right – different audiences will have different trends. So you first need to get in tune with your audience before finding out what is trending – this is something we do for all our clients before we begin any digital marketing work. 

Once you’ve found out who your audience is and their interests, you then need to do the following steps to find their trending sounds on TikTok…

1. Use the search bar on TikTok and search your niche or a specific interest for your audience

2.  Apply some filters to your search, we like to go for “This month” and “Most liked”

3. Click “apply” and boom! You have a selection of videos with sounds and content ideas that are trending for your business’ audience

#2: Use TikTok’s “viral” tool

This one is similar to our previous method, but it’s less specific to your audience. 

By clicking on the search bar on TikTok, it will first of all come up with a list of topics that they think you are interested in or would want to see. The topics with a flame icon (circled in the image below) are trending. 

Or if you want to go further, you can even type into the search bar “trending sounds” and it will come up with a list of trending sounds on TikTok and then videos that have used those sounds. 

Again, you can use the filters shown in the last tip to refine them to recent trends or most liked/most relevant. 

#3: Scroll on your TikTok feed

If you’re already spending time watching TikTok, keeping an eye out for trending sounds should be no problem. 

Open up TikTok and scroll the “For You” page until you spot trends yourself in the sounds that are being used often. 

Ready to film? Tap the audio at the bottom of the video and click the “Use this sound” button to start creating a video with the sound. 

Whilst this one might be more tedious and time-consuming, it’s definitely the easiest option if you’re already a keen TikTok user! 

TIP: If you want to use the sound but aren’t ready to film, save the audio so you can come back to it later by clicking “add to favourites”. You can then find the sound later on your profile by locating the same icon. 

#4: Follow “Trending sounds” TikTok accounts

Not into finding the sounds yourself? 

Good news: there are creators who find out the latest trends for you. 

Our favourite creator who does this is TrendBible. 

The Takeaway

Finding trending sounds on TikTok isn’t a hassle when you know the right tricks to use. 

By following these tips, you’re all set to easily discover them and use them to boost your reach and engagement! 

Or if you’d rather we do the heavy lifting for you, get in touch today.