The Art of the TikTok Challenge

Many people do everything possible to avoid challenges. After all, they do have a reputation for making life harder, more difficult, and, well, more challenging. It’s no wonder that it can be tempting to run in the opposite direction the minute a challenge decides to show up! But there’s another kind of challenge picking up steam these days: the TikTok challenge. Rather than avoiding these challenges, many content creators are seeking them out, staging their own versions to share with their followers. 

Still new to the world of TikTok challenges—or to the wider world of TikTok? Let’s bring you up to speed! Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about how to do TikTok challenges. 

What is a TikTok Challenge?

Often inspired by videos from popular influencers, a TikTok challenge encourages users to take some kind of specific action, record it, and share it via the viral social media platform. Some TikTok challenges are paired with specific songs. All of them come with a relevant hashtag so that users all over the world can track who else is participating in the challenges they’re trying. 

How TikTok Challenges Started

TikTok is well known for perpetuating dance moves and routines, so it should hardly come as a surprise that the TikTok challenge as an institution is rooted in dance. Popular TikTokkers trotted out challenging choreography in their short clips, prompting followers to try it themselves. The “Renegade” dance was one of the earliest dance challenges to gain popularity on the app, and influencers Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio were among the first to get the ball rolling with it. 

TikTok challenges also have origins in YouTube. Years before TikTok became the mainstream craze it is today, YouTubers were filming themselves completing a wide range of funny, silly, or athletic challenges for longer-form videos that they would then post for their audiences. Some of the most popular YouTube challenges include the Ghost Pepper Challenge, the Baby Food Challenge, the Blindfolded Makeup Challenge, and the Cinnamon Challenge (don’t try it at home). TikTok creators make shorter versions of these challenge videos.  

How to Find TikTok Challenges 

The trick to finding TikTok challenges is spending lots of time on TikTok. The more engaged you are with the app, the more likely you’ll be to stumble upon the challenges that are going viral. The algorithm will also direct you on your Discover page to the kinds of TikTok challenges that you might be most interested in trying yourself. If you’ve been looking for a good excuse to do more TikTok scrolling, you just found it! 

You can also find TikTok challenges using hashtags. When you see a video that appeals to you, check the hashtags to see if there are any listed with the word “challenge” in them. If so, you’ve got yourself a challenge! 

How to Participate in TikTok Challenges 

Once you’ve found a challenge that you want to try, all you have to do is set up the challenge for yourself or gather any necessary photos for it, record it, and post it to your feed using the appropriate hashtags. 

Get Started With TikTok

Mastering TikTok: Stop Scrolling & Post Your 1st TikTok

Take the Class

5 Fun (Safe) Challenges 

1. The Egg Challenge 

Offer your dog an egg and see how they respond! Capture it on video.

2. The Me Versus Challenge 

This challenge is all about poking fun at the small things in daily life that annoy you… and probably everyone else too. Record footage of the seemingly harmless things that you find most frustrating in your routine. It’s you versus the nagging mother, the small parking spot, the lid on a jar, or the dog who’s refusing to go outside, for example. 

3. The Stop Challenge 

You can get a friend involved with this one! Ask the other person to run around in a public place with their eyes closed until you say “stop.” In one popular variation of this challenge, the person runs around in a clothing store and then has to wear whatever their hand is on when they’re told to stop. 

4. The Haribo Challenge 

Put together a video of big groups of gummy bears and set it to Adele’s “Someone Like You.” It sounds ridiculous—and it kind of is—but it’s caught on! 

5. The Crush Challenge 

Sit or stand in a circle with a small group of friends. Point to each other around the circle and record it on video. The person on the receiving end of the point when the first beat of the song lands has to call their crush. 

5 Dangerous Challenges 

For every fun TikTok challenge floating around the Internet, there are a few more that should be avoided at all costs. Here are some dangerous—and somehow still popular—TikTok challenges to steer clear of.

1. The Outlet Challenge

In this challenge, TikTokkers attempt to slide a penny behind a phone charger that’s partially plugged in. The trend became popular because it often generates a spark, but it can also kick off a fire. 

2. The Cereal Challenge

In these videos, creators use another person’s mouth as a cereal bowl. It’s not only kind of gross, it also may lead to choking.

3. The Throw It in the Air Challenge

Participants in the Throw It in the Air Challenge (also known as the Concussion Challenge) stand in a circle with their heads huddled inward. Someone throws an object in the air, and no one is allowed to move until that object lands on one of the people in the huddle.

4. The Eye Challenge

This challenge—in which TikTokkers put a small bag of jelly, hand sanitizer, bleach, or shaving cream near their eyes to attempt to change their color—can be harmless. If, however, the bag is open, it can cause eye damage. 

5. The Stand-Up Challenge

Here, one person stands on a partner’s back as that partner lays flat on the ground. The person on the ground attempts to slowly stand up while their partner climbs onto their shoulders.

How to Create a TikTok Challenge 

Maybe you’d prefer to create your own TikTok challenge instead of imitating what’s already out there! Here’s how to go about it:

• Brainstorm the challenge you’d like to create and come up with a catchy hashtag that goes with it. 
• Capture the challenge on video! 
• If you really want to inspire others to join in on the TikTok challenge fun, consider adding text that explains what you’re trying to accomplish and how you’re doing it. 
• Post your video with the hashtag.

Take the Challenge!

It’s your turn to step up to the plate with the TikTok challenge. Don’t be afraid to take on your favorite TikTok challenges—or to make one of your very own. It just might catch on!

Grow Your TikTok Following

How to Grow on TikTok—A Practical Masterclass

Take the Class