How to create a TikTok challenge that actually works?
A successful TikTok challenge is built on a brand-aligned concept, a strong sonic identity and a memorable hashtag, amplified by creators and rigorous performance tracking.
The concept should be easy to replicate, tell something meaningful about the brand, and resonate with the target audience.
Leverage a trending or original sound that is consistent with the brand’s visual and sonic identity.
Keep it short, memorable, and brand-linked, and verify it is available before launch (much like Guess’s #InMyDenim).
Select profiles with a strong affinity for your brand to co-create authentic, higher-performing content.
Combine organic, paid, and cross-platform levers, then track views, participation, and mentions.
A challenge that peaks too quickly loses its impact: it is better to ride an emerging trend than to wait until it has been widely adopted.
What is a TikTok challenge and why should you care?
A TikTok challenge is a participatory mechanic: a brand or creator launches a concept, typically driven by a hashtag, which the community then makes its own and reinterprets in its own way. From the earliest viral dances to today’s narrative formats, the exercise has grown increasingly creative. For Midnight, this format remains central in 2026 because it drives organic engagement, user-generated content (UGC), and a rare sense of closeness with communities.
The 7 trending TikTok challenges
Midnight Agency continuously monitors and analyses the trends shaping TikTok. Here are the 7 challenges to watch in 2026, each detailed below with an overview of what they offer brands.
1. Who is most likely to?
This challenge works wonderfully in a team setting — among colleagues, but also with family or as a couple. The concept: ask questions like “Who is most likely to…?” and point to the person in question, either by literally pointing or by letting everyone answer spontaneously. Adapted for a company context, it reveals unexpected group dynamics and offers an authentic, lighthearted way to show the human side of your organisation.
2. Guess that voice
We think we know our colleagues well… but recognising them by voice alone, without seeing them, is a different story altogether. This challenge is all about identifying a team member using only the sound of their voice. Managers and executives would do well to give it a go this year: it’s an excellent way to bring a team together while producing fun, engaging content for your employer brand.
3. The random object
This is arguably one of the most absurd team challenges trending right now. The concept: each participant brings a completely unusual object and reveals it one by one, while the others hold a mouthful of water. The result is guaranteed: everyone ends up soaked. This format is ideal for humanising a brand, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse, and creating a unifying moment that stands in sharp contrast to the typical video call meeting.
4. Food trends and recipe challenges
Culinary challenges continue to dominate TikTok: quick recipes, unexpected ingredient combinations, and show-stopping presentations. “Cloud bread” and “pasta chips,” for example, each racked up millions of views within just a few weeks. For food brands and restaurants, these formats are a golden opportunity to showcase their products, inspire new consumption ideas, and ride a wave of near-guaranteed virality.
5. Educational content and infotainment
The “edutainment” format — learning through entertainment — is increasingly appealing to creators and brands alike. A typical challenge might involve explaining a complex concept in 30 seconds flat, with humour and pace. This type of content strengthens a brand’s perceived credibility and expertise, while making it more accessible and closer to its community.
6. Words and phrases to ban
Lists of words or phrases “to ban” regularly go viral, with everyone chiming in with their own punchline about the linguistic habits that annoy them. A challenge might, for example, ask participants to name the workplace expressions that need to go — immediately. Brands can jump on the trend with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, poking fun at their own quirks or those of their industry, for content that is both entertaining and community-building.
7. Crash tests and product stress tests
The crash test format involves putting a product through extreme trials to prove its durability or quality. Some luggage and smartphone brands have used it to demonstrate how their products hold up against drops and impacts. This type of challenge provides genuine social proof — far more convincing than any traditional sales pitch.
How to identify trending TikTok challenges?
Monitoring starts above all with daily observation of the For You Page, rising hashtags, and the Discover tab. Midnight Agency combines this manual monitoring with social listening tools to detect weak signals before a trend explodes. Reactivity is key here: a challenge that becomes oversaturated quickly loses its impact. The agency’s practical advice: identify an emerging trend in its early days of growth, rather than waiting for it to be widely adopted, in order to maximise visibility and the novelty effect with your community.
How to create a TikTok challenge for your brand?
Launching a successful branded challenge relies on several key steps, from concept to amplification. Here are the essential points to work through before getting started.
Finding an original challenge idea that aligns with your brand
The concept must above all reflect the brand’s identity and values, without forcing a trend. To assess its relevance, ask yourself whether the challenge is easy to replicate, whether it says something about the brand, and whether it will appeal to the intended audience. A sports brand, for example, could launch a fun physical challenge that is consistent with its world.
Choosing the right music and creative codes
Sound is an essential pillar on TikTok: it sets the pace and identity of the challenge. It is recommended to build on already-trending music or to create a memorable original sound. The key is to remain consistent with the brand’s visual and sonic universe, so that the challenge is immediately recognisable.
Creating a unique and memorable hashtag
A good challenge hashtag should be short, easy to remember, and directly linked to the brand or concept. Guess’s famous #InMyDenim perfectly illustrates this success. Before launching it, it is best to check its availability on the platform and ensure it is not already being used elsewhere, particularly through TikTok hashtag strategies to boost your visibility.
Collaborating with TikTok creators and influencers
Creators play a decisive role in launching and amplifying a challenge, thanks to their credibility and engaged communities. They should be selected based on brand affinity, audience quality, and creative style. Co-creating with these profiles ensures more authentic content and, as a result, stronger performance.
Promoting and amplifying the challenge
Once launched, the challenge must be supported by a combination of organic, paid, and cross-platform levers. Sharing the challenge on Instagram or in a newsletter can multiply its reach significantly. Regularly monitoring performance metrics — views, entries, and mentions — is essential for adjusting strategy in real time.
Working with an expert agency to succeed
Midnight Agency supports brands in designing and deploying high-performing TikTok challenges, drawing on a deep expertise in trends, sharp creative thinking, and a carefully selected network of creators. Partnering with a specialist agency means greater agility, fewer creative missteps, and precise measurement of every campaign’s results. It also guarantees a strategy that is fully aligned with your brand’s identity and values, from concept through to amplification.
Ready to launch a TikTok challenge that leaves a lasting impression and puts your brand in the spotlight? The Midnight Agency team is ready to work with you on your next viral campaign.