Using trends without being cringe

Trends are TikTok's biggest distribution multiplier. A perfectly executed trend can take a new account from 200 views to 200K views overnight. But trends are also where most local businesses look the most out of place — the owner gracelessly attempting a dance trend, or using a trending audio that has nothing to do with their content. Today we cover how to use trends well.

The 3 types of TikTok trends:

Type 1: Audio trends.

A specific sound or song that's being used in millions of videos. The audio carries the trend; the visual is whatever you make it.

Examples (these come and go in weeks): - A snippet of a song someone uses for "things that are underrated" - A specific voice clip used for storytelling - A trending remix that's now in 500K videos

How to find: scroll your TikTok For You page. When you see the same audio in 3+ videos, click it, see how many videos use it. If 100K+, it's trending.

Type 2: Format trends.

A specific video structure that everyone uses.

Examples: - "POV: you're a [thing] and you walk into [scenario]" - "Three things I do every day that changed my [outcome]" - The split-screen "before vs. after" with a specific transition - "Tell me you're a [type] without telling me you're a [type]"

How to find: scroll For You page. When you see the same structure used by 5+ creators, it's a format trend.

Type 3: Niche trends.

Trends specific to your industry — food, beauty, retail.

Examples: - "What I make in a day at my [type of restaurant]" - "Get ready with me at my salon" - "What I packed in a [holiday] gift bag"

These trends are smaller (1K-10K videos) but more targeted and have longer lifespans.

The rule for picking a trend:

The trend should fit naturally into your content. If you have to twist your business to fit the trend, skip it. Your video will feel forced and viewers will scroll. If the trend fits without modification, run with it.

Examples of natural fits:

Coffee shop + audio trend about "small joys" → 15-second video of a perfect latte being made, with text overlay "small joys I make every day."

Bakery + format trend "things I do that the algorithm hates" → "Things my bakery does that the algorithm hates: making everything from scratch (no shortcuts to film), opening at 6 AM (no good light), small batches (no time for filming)."

Salon + niche trend "I tried [popular technique] for the first time" → owner trying a new hair color technique on a client, documenting in real-time.

Examples of forced fits to avoid:

- A 55-year-old restaurant owner attempting a teen dance trend - A fine-dining restaurant using an audio about "fast food problems" - A serene yoga studio using a chaotic-energy trend

When you see a trend and your gut says "that's not really us" — trust it.

The trend velocity rule. The best window to jump on a trend is days 2-5 after it starts taking off. Earlier, the algorithm hasn't decided to push it widely. Later, the trend is saturated and your video competes against thousands of similar attempts. About 7-10 days after a trend hits peak, it dies.

How to track velocity: when you click a trending audio, you see how many videos use it. If a sound has 5K videos today and you check tomorrow and it has 12K, that's accelerating. Use it now.

The remix advantage. Instead of using a trending audio exactly as everyone else does, twist it. The original trend video is some action with the audio playing. You: same audio, but applied to your specific niche. The twist makes your version distinct and rewarded by the algorithm.

Example: audio is a popular song where the trend is "things I bought that changed my life." You: same audio, "things I bought for my coffee shop that changed it." Tailored to your niche, still trend-bonus-eligible.

Three trends that always work for local businesses:

Evergreen Trend 1: The day-in-the-life montage. Quick cuts of your morning routine in your business, set to upbeat music. 15-30 seconds. Add text overlays explaining each cut.

Evergreen Trend 2: The "how it's made" sequence. 30-60 seconds showing the start-to-finish creation of your signature product or service. Time-lapse the slow parts. Use trending audio or no audio with strong visual rhythm.

Evergreen Trend 3: The customer reveal. Capture genuine customer reactions when they see/taste/experience your signature thing. Authentic, vulnerable, real. Highest emotional pull.

These three never go out of style and consistently outperform trend-specific content for local businesses.

What to never do with trends:

- Don't recreate a celebrity-specific trend (it requires their charisma or a giant production budget) - Don't use audio with explicit lyrics (limits your distribution to age-gated audiences) - Don't use audio from a sensitive news event (e.g., an audio that became famous because of a tragedy) - Don't use audio that's tied to a political or polarizing context

The hybrid approach. Mix evergreen content (60%) with trends (40%). The evergreen content is your steady output that keeps the account active. The trend content is your distribution multiplier — the videos that occasionally go viral and pull new followers.

Tomorrow: the local algorithm. We cover how TikTok decides who in your city sees your content, and the 3 levers you can pull to maximize your reach within a 5-mile radius of your business.