How to find viral videos in your niche
The short answer
Don't look for the most viewed videos. Look for the ones that got far more views than their creator usually gets. Search your niche's own words on TikTok, Reels and Shorts, keep recent videos, compare each one with its creator's other posts, and note what the winners share: the opening line, the format and the sound. Then make your own version.
Finding viral videos in your niche, step by step
- 1
Write down your niche's words
List the words people in your niche search for and the hashtags they use, plus the problems your viewers have. “Home workout”, “meal prep”, “small business tips”. These are what you will search with on every platform.
- 2
Search each platform for recent videos
Search those words on TikTok, Reels and Shorts and look at what was posted recently. What worked a year ago may be over; a video from the last few weeks shows what viewers want now.
- 3
Judge each video against its own creator
Open the creator's profile and compare the video with their other recent posts. A big account's ordinary video tells you little. A video that got far more views than its creator usually gets is a real signal: the idea did the work, not the follower count. That is what “viral” means for an idea you can copy.
- 4
Look for the pattern, not the one video
When several creators get the same result with the same opening line, format or sound, it is a trend, not luck. Note what they share: how the first second hooks you, how the video is shot, the sound under it, and how long it is.
- 5
Make your own version
Keep the pattern and change everything else: your subject, your setting, your voice. Post while the trend is still growing. Copying the pattern is how creators learn from each other; copying the video is not.
This week's examples
The biggest breakout on each platform this week, as of 3 November 2026. See all of this week's viral videos
Where to look on each platform
On TikTok
- Search your niche's words, then use the search filters to show recent videos only.
- Open the sound under a video you like: its page shows every video using it and how many there are.
- TikTok's own Creative Center lists popular hashtags, songs and creators by country.
On Instagram Reels
- Search a word, then open the Reels results, or open a hashtag's page.
- Tap the audio name on a Reel to see how many Reels use it and the top ones.
- Look at the Reels tab of creators in your niche and compare each Reel with their usual views.
On YouTube Shorts
- Search your niche's words and filter the results to Shorts and a recent upload date.
- Open a channel's Shorts tab and sort by popular to see which ideas worked best for them.
- Watch the Shorts feed with a fresh account or a private window to see what YouTube pushes to new viewers.
Doing it with an AI agent
Every step above is searching, opening profiles and comparing numbers, and it has to be done again every week. A trenmo agent does it for you: you describe your niche once, it finds the videos blowing up in it on TikTok, Reels and Shorts, explains why each worked (the hook, the format, the sound) and writes hooks, scripts and post ideas from them. Start free.
Questions
- How many views is viral on TikTok?
- There is no fixed number. A video with a few thousand views is a hit for an account that usually gets a few hundred, and a quiet day for one that usually gets a million. A video has gone viral for its creator when it gets far more views than they usually get, which is why a small account can be the one to copy.
- What is an outlier video?
- A video that got far more views than its creator's other recent videos. Outliers are the best place to look for ideas, because the idea, not the size of the account, did the work.
- How do I see trending sounds on TikTok?
- Tap the sound under any video to open its page, which shows how many videos use it. For the ones spreading fastest right now, see this week's trending TikTok sounds, refreshed every day.
- Is copying a viral video allowed?
- Copy the pattern, not the video. Hooks, formats and sounds are shared by everyone on these platforms; re-uploading someone else's video is not. Make your own version with your own footage and your own words.
- Is there a free tool to find viral videos?
- trenmo is free to start, no card. Describe your niche in one sentence and your AI agent searches TikTok, Reels and Shorts for it, keeps the videos that blew up, tells you why each one worked, and writes hooks and ideas from them. The pages under “More this week” below are free for anyone.
Let an agent do the searching
By hand, all of this has to be done again every week. Describe your niche once and your trenmo agent searches TikTok, Reels and Shorts on your schedule, keeps what blew up, explains why, and sends it to your Telegram. Free to start, no card.
Start free