19 TikTok Hashtag Challenges for Business Promotion

Hashtag challenges are one of the best ways to get your business’ content seen on TikTok. They are a great way to create engagement among the platform’s millennial and Gen Z audience.

Many big brands are jumping on the TikTok hype with hashtag challenges that have accumulated billions of views. Take Walmart’s #DealDropDance challenge, which encouraged people to share videos of themselves dancing to Black Friday deals they found at their local Walmart store.

1. Theme-based challenges

Hashtag challenges are one of the most popular types of TikTok content, and are a great way to increase brand awareness and engagement. Some of the most successful hashtag challenges have generated billions of views.

The first step in creating a TikTok challenge is to research which themes are trending on the platform. This will allow you to find relevant challenges that are a fit for your audience.

Authenticity is important on TikTok and content that promotes positivity tends to perform well. This is an effective strategy for brands looking to connect with a younger audience and create an image that they can relate to.

Another key component of a successful branded hashtag challenge is to work with influencers. These creators can help to boost your challenge’s visibility and drive engagement on day one. This can lead to significant increases in earned video views.

2. Trend-based challenges

Trends underpin TikTok culture, and they’re more common than you might think. Videos that are part of a trend can be easily found and shared by other TikTokers.

Some popular trends include dance choreography, hashtag challenges and music overlays. Users will take a song or theme and create their own video, usually putting their own spin on it.

Branded hashtag challenges are one of the easiest ways to get your brand in front of TikTokers. These are also great for building engagement and brand reputation.

Whether it’s a challenge tied to a viral question, a hot topic or a community-specific trend, trend-based challenges can help your business connect with the younger audience that TikTok attracts. In addition, they’re playful, fun and don’t feel like traditional promotions.

3. Hashtag-based challenges

TikTok has a wide range of hashtag-based challenges that can be used to promote your brand. They’re a great way to engage users and increase organic visibility for free.

For example, Nestle launched #TheSplashDance challenge which encourages users to dance to their favorite Splash Blast flavor. It quickly became a viral trend and currently has over 3.9 billion views.

Hashtag challenges are an excellent way to get your brand in front of TikTok’s younger audience. These challenges are often playful and fun, putting your brand in a new light that’s more relatable than traditional promotional strategies.

Moreover, TikTok has a Hashtag Challenge Plus ad feature that makes branded hashtags shoppable on the app. This makes it more convenient for consumers to find and buy products from a specific brand. This is particularly useful for brands that offer product bundles.

4. Contest-based challenges

Hashtags make it easier for TikTok users to discover video content related to a certain topic. These hashtags can also help users categorize their videos.

Branded hashtag challenges are a popular way for brands to boost their visibility on the platform. They are also an effective marketing strategy that can deliver significant results at all stages of the sales funnel.

Typically, a brand will partner with influencers to promote a branded hashtag challenge. They will then use paid ads to spread the challenge across TikTok quickly.

Hashtag challenges are a great way to increase brand awareness and generate engagement on TikTok. However, it’s important to consider a few factors before starting a challenge. These include the hashtag’s recent views and traction, as well as its relevance to your audience.

5. Influencer-based challenges

A hashtag challenge is a way to increase brand awareness and reach. Usually, companies have a clear goal for each challenge: they want to generate awareness for a new product or service, or increase general brand recognition.

TikTok hashtag challenges have become a popular promotional strategy for brands on the platform. Some of the most successful ones have generated billions of views.

Chipotle, for example, used a hashtag challenge to promote their Cinco de Mayo deal. The #LidFlip challenge asked people to record themselves attempting to flip a bowl of food without using their hands.

Hashtag challenges are free to create and can go viral quickly, which makes them a great way to boost your brand on TikTok. They can also be a fun way to build a following and connect with your audience.

6. Competition-based challenges

TikTok offers a wide range of competition-based challenges that can help your brand to stand out from the crowd. These challenges can be a great way to boost engagement, win more followers and build a positive image of your business.

When launching a branded hashtag challenge, it is crucial to work with established creators who can help you get a jumpstart on the platform. This will ensure that the challenge reaches the right audiences and achieves high engagement levels.

Branded Hashtag Challenges are one of the most effective ways to promote your business on TikTok. These challenges boost awareness, drive engagement and build an enormous fanbase.

7. Brand-based challenges

Whether organic (like the #OldTownRoadChallenge) or representing a brand promotion (like Chipotle’s #GuacDance), hashtag challenges are one of the most effective ways to build awareness and engage your audience. They also create a wealth of UGC content that can be used to promote your business.

A key element of a successful hashtag challenge is to make it easy for your audience to participate in. This means creating a challenge that’s repeatable and takes less than a minute to film and upload to TikTok.

It’s also worth remembering that branded challenges are shoppable on TikTok, making them a great way to connect with your audience and drive sales. In addition, collaborating with influencers is an excellent way to get your brand in front of a new audience on TikTok. These influencers will likely have large audiences that can help to quickly boost the popularity of your branded challenge.

8. Creative-based challenges

TikTok users love to be creative, and a great way to encourage this is by creating a branded hashtag challenge that inspires user-generated content. These challenges are a win-win for brands and creators alike because they’re engaging, authentic, and get people talking.

Branded hashtag challenges are a great way for brands to engage with TikTok users and grow their following on the platform. They can come in two forms: organic and sponsored.

Unlike other ad formats on TikTok, branded hashtag challenge ads appear as a “skip ad” in the user’s For You Page (home feed). The goal of these challenges is to encourage engagement and build brand reputation.

For example, Guess partnered with creators to run a 6-day #InMyDenim challenge that drove over 5,500 user-generated videos, 14.3% engagement rate and 10.5 million video views for their business account on TikTok. They also received more than 12,000 new followers for their brand on the platform.

9. Fun-based challenges

If your business is looking to drive brand awareness, engagement, and sales on TikTok, you’ll want to consider launching a branded hashtag challenge (HTC). A BHC is a paid advertisement that boosts brand awareness, drives engagement, and builds an audience.

In order to create a successful HTC, your campaign must be fun and relevant to the TikTok community. You can do this by creating a branded hashtag that’s easily associated with your brand and will help users to remember your business when they see it on the app.

For example, Chipotle’s #LidFlip challenge was an excellent fit for the platform and appealed to millennials and Gen Z. It was a fun way for the brand to promote their Cinco de Mayo deal with free delivery, and it helped build a connection with fans and get them excited about TikTok.

10. Competition-free challenges

Hashtag challenges are fun, creative ways to get the TikTok community involved. They can also boost awareness of your brand and create buzz for new products or services.

Challenges can also be a good way to collaborate with big TikTok influencers and make your brand known. These can help you reach a wider audience faster and cheaper than ads alone.

To launch a hashtag challenge, you need to have a strong concept and be prepared to follow it up with an effective promotion. You should also consider how to engage with the TikTok audience on a personal level and encourage them to interact with your brand.

A branded hashtag challenge is the most popular type of TikTok challenge and one that can go viral. These campaigns are run by brands and show a banner inviting users to join the challenge. When clicked, they are redirected to the challenge page with instructions on how to participate.