30760% of viral content on TikTok every day is linked to trending events, but 90% of brands are still making the same mistake.
That is, frantically shooting videos to follow the trend, but ending up missing out on traffic and having their accounts labeled as "copycats."
In fact, the underlying logic of the TikTok algorithm is "traffic sharing," and true experts are using other people's content to drive traffic to themselves.
This article will break down three "parasitic tactics" that have been validated by multiple brands, teaching you how to reap the benefits of trending topics at zero cost.
Image source: Internet
I. Three Core "Parasitic" Tactics for Riding Trends
1. Trending Comment Interaction: Replace Hard Ads with "Value Output"
The TikTok algorithm pushes highly interactive comments to users with similar interests. A high-quality comment's exposure ≈ 15 times that of an ordinary video.
Selection Principle: Prioritize participating in viral videos about knowledge sharing or social topics (such as "workplace skills" or "environmental issues").
Value-based Interaction: Provide supplementary information as an industry expert (e.g., "As a designer, let me add: this new Adobe feature can actually solve the problem in the video with one click").
Soft Guidance: Use neutral emojis + solution hints ("Pinned video on homepage has a detailed tutorial").
2. UGC Co-creation Plan: Stimulate User Creation with "Templates + Rewards"
Brand content spontaneously spread by users increases trust by 430%.
Trending Binding Formula: Holiday/sports event trend = "product usage scenario + user life snippet" (e.g., Mother's Day = "using XX kitchenware to make breakfast for mom").
Open Material Library: Provide editing templates and BGM collections without brand watermarks to lower the threshold for secondary creation.
Long-term Incentives: Select high-quality UGC creators weekly and reward them with product experience officer qualifications instead of short-term prize draws.
3. Rapid Trending Content: Use "Practical Guides" to Capture Traffic Peaks
72% of users hope to get solutions when searching for trending-related questions.
Trend Prediction: Monitor rising topics through TikTok Creative Center (e.g., "camping safety," "energy-saving tips").
Knowledge-based Content: Create practical graphics/simple animations (e.g., "Checklist of essentials for extreme weather," "3 steps to boost Wi-Fi signal").
Soft Traffic Guidance: At the end of the video, use "Click homepage for more emergency solutions" instead of hard ad links.
TikTok Trending Topics Image source: RecurPost
II. Three Real Brand Case Studies
Case 1: Adobe Skillfully Uses Knowledge-based Comments to Achieve Both Branding and Performance
In April 2023, a TikTok creator posted a "PS special effects fail" video, showing a photo flaw that couldn't be fixed after three hours of work. Adobe's official operations team quickly posted a solution in the video's hot comment section: "Actually, using the 'Generative Fill' feature in Photoshop Beta only takes 5 seconds. Click the avatar to see the full tutorial." The comment received 287,000 likes and directly drove 43,000 new followers to Adobe's official account that day.
Image source: TikTok
Case 2: Lululemon Reshapes the Sports Community Ecosystem Through UGC Challenges
During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Lululemon seized the "home fitness" traffic bonus and launched the #HydrationChallenge user co-creation campaign. The brand provided professional-level shooting templates: including storyboard scripts (15-second quick editing guide), lighting diagrams (mobile lighting transformation tips), and custom BGM "WaterFlow Beats." Participants had to use Lululemon sports water bottles with homemade healthy drinks to shoot creative videos, and high-quality content would be selected for the "Lululemon Annual Sports Guide." The campaign received a total of 14,000 UGC entries, with multiple videos surpassing one million views.
Image source: TikTok
Case 3: The Home Depot Binds Disaster Trends with Practical Content
On the eve of Hurricane Ian's landfall in September 2022, The Home Depot detected a 1,820% surge in searches for "emergency supplies preparation" in a single day and immediately activated a trending response mechanism. The brand's TikTok account continuously released a "10 Essential Emergency Tools" series of live-action videos: the electrical director demonstrated portable generator wiring techniques (4.1 million views), and a building materials expert showed how to quickly lay waterproof tarps (3.7 million views). All videos ended with "Click homepage for different disaster level preparation checklists," driving homepage visits up 58 times in a single week.
Image source: TikTok
Final Words
In this era of scarce attention, smart businesses have long since broken out of the traditional "shoot video - wait for traffic" model.
Just like a surfing master doesn't need to create waves themselves, they just need to stand on the right board to ride the momentum to the traffic peak.
When your competitors are still worrying about shooting costs, this set of "Invisible Hand" tactics may be the key to unlocking TikTok's traffic treasure trove.
