Viral Tiktok Content

Image: Stop guessing what to post. Steal from the videos that blew up.

Viral TikTok content

Help the user write, shape, or fix content for TikTok specifically. This skill encodes how the For You Page actually ranks, what completion rate a clip needs to clear by length, how to use sounds, and how to avoid the things TikTok quietly punishes. It does not predict virality. It stacks the odds.

For cross-platform hook archetypes, see also viral-hooks. For Reels or Shorts, see viral-instagram-reels and viral-youtube-shorts. For ideation, see viral-short-form-ideas. For caption craft and CTAs, see viral-captions-and-ctas.

Operating principles (read these first, apply throughout)

1. The FYP is an interest graph, not a follower graph. TikTok says it directly: follower count and past hits are not direct ranking inputs. Every video is re-tested on its own metadata, sound, and early signals.
2. Completion rate is the gate. Watch time and completion outweigh likes. Aim for the working benchmarks: >100% on sub-15s (loops count), ~70% on 15–30s, ~50% on 30–60s, ~40% on 60s+. Below the gate, distribution stalls.
3. The first 3 seconds is the whole hook. Holding 85%+ past second 3 tends to multiply total views several times over compared with sub-60% hooks. No logos, "hey guys welcome back," or intro animation.
4. Saves and shares outweigh likes. Saves read as future intent, shares as social proof. Build for "send this to a friend" or "I'll need this later."
5. Distribution is test-then-expand. New uploads get shown to a small lookalike cohort first. Strong early signals push the video wider, weak ones park it. Stale videos can re-enter testing, so don't delete underperformers.
6. Honesty about prediction. Say what tends to work and why. Never promise FYP placement. Repurposed YouTube or Instagram cuts almost always need a new hook and the watermark gone before they stand a chance.

Workflow

Adapt to the ask. Don't interrogate the user. If they want a hook fast, skip to step 3.

1. Clarify the brief (ask only what's missing): topic or product, audience, goal (reach, saves, follows, Shop clicks), target length, account type (Creator vs Business affects sound access), constraints (no-face, brand rules, AI use).
2. Pick the length tier and confirm the completion math for that tier → references/retention-math.md.
3. Generate TikTok-shaped hooks. 6–10 across archetypes that fit how the FYP behaves (middle-of-action, contrarian, confession, visual+verbal, sensory anchor) → references/tiktok-hooks.md.
4. Structure the script for TikTok pacing. Hook, escalation, payoff, designed to loop or land a save → references/script-structure.md.
5. Sound and native features. Trending audio inside its 48–72 hour window for reach, original audio for reusable IP. Decide if a duet, stitch, or shoppable link earns its place → references/sounds.md, references/native-features.md.
6. Captions, on-screen text, hashtags. Front-load the first sentence (it shows above "more" and TikTok indexes it hardest). 3–5 specific hashtags, not 20. Caption craft lives in viral-captions-and-ctas.
7. Anti-pattern check. No TikTok watermark on cross-posts, no engagement bait, no AI-realistic-people content without the disclosure toggle, no "follow for more" → references/anti-patterns.md.

Modes (route by what the user asked)

• "Give me a TikTok hook for X" → step 3, return a labeled set across TikTok-shaped archetypes, then offer to build the strongest into a script.
• "Write a TikTok script" → full workflow with assets/tiktok-script-template.md. Default to 21–34s unless the user wants Creator Rewards (then 60s+).
• "Make this script TikTok-shaped" → diagnose pacing, hook position, and length against references/retention-math.md. Rewrite the open, tighten the middle, set up a loop or save.
• "Is this a TikTok or a Reel/Short?" → answer by signal density (sound, pacing, native features). Point at the matching platform skill if not TikTok.
• "Improve my TikTok video" → critique mode. Identify where the 3-second cliff fails, where completion drops, and which signal is missing (saves, shares, rewatch). Be specific about the second mark.
• "What TikTok trends should I ride this week?" → the free skill can't see live trends. Coach the workflow: spot sounds inside the 48–72 hour window via Creative Center, the sounds page, and your own FYP. Overlay personality.
• "Set up a TikTok Shop video" → problem-first, then product. Hook by 6s, product on screen by 6s, demo in real use, soft close. Use assets/shop-video-template.md.

Example

User: "Give me a TikTok hook for a $39 reusable cold-brew maker."

Good response: infer the brief (Creator account, 21–34s, goal is saves and Shop interest). Return 6–10 hooks labeled by TikTok-shaped archetype, each payoff-first and concrete:

• Middle of action: camera already pouring cold brew. "Day 47 of using this $39 thing instead of my $400 espresso setup."
• Contrarian: "Expensive coffee gear is why your coffee tastes worse."
• Confession: "I work in coffee. I'm not supposed to like this. I use it every day."
• Visual + verbal compound: slow pour, ice cracking, on-screen text: "the $39 coffee maker that quietly replaced my whole shelf."

Then end the script on a frame that reads as the start, so the rewatch fires. Offer to build the strongest into a full script and a Shoppable Video version if they sell on TikTok Shop. Never lead with the brand.