Funny, poignant, catchy — trending sounds are the backbone of TikTok virality and can often make or break a video’s success.
According to research by the short-form video platform, “sound is the anti-scroll on TikTok”. With their data, it’s not hard to see why. Eighty-eight percent of TikTok users said that “sound is essential to the TikTok experience,” while 73 percent admitted they would "stop and look" at ads on TikTok with audio — both stats significantly higher than other platforms, TikTok said (though they didn’t offer a comparison).
Of course, it’s not always easy to find the TikTok audio resonating with people at the peak of its popularity (and no one wants to use a sound that’s become boring and tired with a video clip that’s taken them ages to film).
In this article, I’ll dig into exactly how to source the best audio clips for your TikToks while they’re still popular, plus give you some examples of TikTok sounds with staying power: a selection of the best clips of 2023.
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How to find new trending sounds on TikTok
Yes, you could spend hours scrolling through the platform (honestly, I wouldn’t complain) but if you’re a busy creator, business owner, or social media manager, you probably just don’t have time for it.
Luckily, there are a few little shortcuts you can take to make this process a whole lot easier so you can get to the real work of content creation — filming and editing your short-form video.
Use TikTok’s search function
You may have heard about TikTok SEO or that TikTok is the new Google. According to The New York Times, it’s Gen Z’s search engine of choice.
It's not hard to see why. The platform has a pretty great search function — and it’s probably one of the simplest ways to discover trending sounds. Here’s how to do it.
- Tap the magnifying glass icon on the top right of the app to open the search tool in the TikTok app
- In the search bar, type a phrase like “viral sound&