So You Want to Go Viral? Na This Method Creators Dey Use

Since 2020, TikTok has quietly moved from “that fine app for dance and cruise” to a serious attention machine.

Creators all over the world are using it to:

• Launch careers
• Sell products
• Grow apps
• Close brand deals

And the wild part is?

On TikTok, you don’t need followers for your video to take off. The algorithm decides who sees you, not your contact list.

That’s why some people now talk like they “know” the secret to going viral. Truth is, if there was one fixed secret, those people would be drowning in dollars by now.

The game is different.

As Nigerian creators, marketers and founders, we don’t have to “know” the magic.

We just need to treat the algorithm like a science lab and bend it in our favour with testing.

• You post content → the algorithm reacts.
• The algorithm sends you feedback → you adjust and post again.
• Repeat this loop enough times and something will catch fire.

Whether you’re hustling from a room in Yaba, in a hostel in UNILAG, or running a funded startup in Lekki, the process is the same.

In practice, going viral comes down to three steps:

1. Study your niche algorithm
2. Practice like a mad scientist
3. Scale with systems, not vibes

Let’s break it down for context.

Step 1: Study Your Niche Algorithm for 30 Days

Research is the part most people skip – then they wonder why nothing is working.

If you take 30 days to properly study your niche, you unlock two things:

1. Viral templates – formats, hooks and styles that already work

2. Pattern recognition – what makes Nigerians pause, comment, share or insult

a. Fine-tune a Research Account

Create a separate account just for research in your niche:

• “Naija food”
• “Lagos lifestyle”
• “Naija tech reviews”
• “Skin care for dark skin”
• “Money & hustle tips for Nigerians”

Then:

1. Spend 15–30 minutes a day searching and scrolling only in that niche.
2. Like, save and comment on videos you’d want to emulate.
3. After a few days, your For You Page will become a free “Niche University” – almost every video will be relevant.

But here’s the key rule: Ignore the huge pages. Study the mid-sized ones.

Look for accounts with 5k–100k followers that sometimes spike to 500k+ views on a video. That’s a signal that their format is doing the heavy lifting, not just fame.

Here are some Nigerian creators who used similar formats and are now consistently blowing up:

Before you save a video, quickly tap the profile and check:

• How many followers do they have?
• Is this one viral video an outlier?
• What did they do differently on it?

b. Find Competitors and UGC Pages in Your Niche

Next, look for accounts that are already doing what you want to do:

• If you’re promoting an app, look at other fintech, savings, betting or productivity apps.
• If you’re selling physical products, study fashion, hair, skincare, food pages.
• If you’re a creator, study other creators in your lane.

Save:

• Their top-performing videos

Ask Yourself:

• What format did they use?
• What hook did they start with?
• Was it faceless? talking head? slideshow? wall of text?

You’re not doing this to copy topics. You’re building a library of viral structures.

3. Look for “Side Accounts”

This is where magic happens. Cross-niche exploration leads to innovation and those massive “this has never been done before” viral moments.

If you combine a viral format from one niche with content from another, you create something fresh. And fresh always wins on the algorithm.

Examples of cross-niche wins in Nigeria:

• Comedy skits + fintech education (explaining banking in funny, relatable scenarios)
• Fashion reviews + street interviews (“let’s rate your outfit”)
• Tech unboxing + pure Pidgin commentary (makes tech accessible)

The goal here isn’t to copy. It’s to understand the patterns, then adapt them to your unique voice and angle. Here is an example

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dafe (@daferichards)

Step 2: Practicing the Algorithm

Research without posting is just vibes.

Every upload you make is a message to the algorithm.

You post → it responds with views, watch time and comments → you iterate.

This is the beauty of content creation in 2025: there’s very little difference between having millions of naira in budget and having nothing (except when it comes to high-production entertainment, which most of us can’t afford anyway).

So just start posting. Use free tools like CapCut and TikTok’s built-in editor to recreate the formats you’ve researched.

Post daily.

Here’s a hard truth: Post 1,000 videos, and the results will come.

I know that sounds insane. But think about it – if you post once a day, that’s less than 3 years. If you post 3 times a day, it’s under a year. Most successful Nigerian creators hit their breakthrough somewhere between video 200 and video 500.

If you get shadow-banned, create a new account.

If your views stay low across multiple accounts and hundreds of videos, the problem isn’t the algorithm – it’s your content. Go back to Step 1.

Think of it like product iteration, except at a much higher velocity. You’re not building for months and launching once. You’re launching every single day and getting instant market feedback.

Step 3: Scaling on the Algorithm

Once you’ve figured out what works – once you’ve found your formats that consistently get pushed by the algorithm, the final step is building systems that generate hundreds of millions of views.

These systems will be tailored to your specific niche and business, so don’t treat this as a one-size-fits-all tutorial. Instead, let me show you three proven approaches that are working in Nigeria right now.

Approach 1: Faceless Carousels: Perfect for Shy or Busy Nigerians

This is probably the lowest-cost, most scalable approach. And Nigerian accounts have absolutely mastered it. Faceless content is anything where your face is not the focus:

• POV shots of Lagos traffic, campus life, your desk, your phone
• Clips of product unboxings, skincare routines, making food
• Screenshots + text slideshows

It works well because:

• People can binge without feeling they are “stalking” you
• You can talk about anything, money, work, relationships or even “office gist” without exposing yourself
• It’s easy to batch inside your normal day

Simple faceless script template:

1. Hook text on screen (1 line): “Nobody told Nigerian students this about TikTok…”

   Visual:

• • Typing on laptop
  • Campus walkway
  • Scrolling on phone

1. Body (3–6 short sentences):

• • Explain the mistake
  • Share 2–3 tips or a quick story

1. Soft CTA: “If you want to get paid when you post videos on tiktok, check the content rewards on OwoDaily.”

You create 10-15 image slideshows with text overlays, add trending Afrobeats or viral sounds, and post them across multiple accounts. No face. No voice. No fancy production. Just valuable or entertaining content in slide format.

examples to study:

• @instablog9ja / @gossipmillnaija – not your niche, but masters of clips + headlines that pull comments.
• TikTok search: “Naija storytime faceless” – you’ll find anonymous gist accounts that use B-roll + text or AI voice.

Content themes that consistently go viral:

• “10 things only Lagosians understand”
• “Nigerian men vs Nigerian women” relationship debates
• “Signs you’re dating a [Lagos big boy / Yoruba demon / etc.]”
• Money and hustle motivation
• Nigerian celebrity drama breakdowns

These pages show you how much can happen with no personal branding, just strong hooks and simple visuals.

To create content like this is Basically free. You just need Canva (free version works), time, and good content ideas. Where most people have problem is consistency and this often happens due to lack of passion in the niche or lack of profit when operating the pages i.e. (time wasted).

You can learn how to make money posting content like this by reading this article
HOW TO MAKE MONEY POSTING ON TIKTOK

Approach 2: Talking Head Videos: Face + Story + Strong Hook

Why it works in Nigeria:

• People relate faster when they can see your face
• Trust is built through eye contact, Pidgin, and body language
• Perfect for education, ranting, advice, or “big sister/brother” vibes

 

Approach 3: Using Rage-Bait Storytelling Without Getting Cancelled

Rage-bait works because Nigeria is full of pressure: money, government, relationships, work. But there is a smart way and a stupid way to use it.

Smart rage-bait:

• Attack problems & systems, not tribes or individuals
• Say the thing everyone is thinking but won’t say publicly
• Always land on a lesson or solution, not just chaos

Structure:

1. Trigger line (something spicy but true)
2. Short story that backs it up
3. Reframe – show the better way
4. Call to action – what they should do next (follow you, check bio, join a campaign, etc.)

Used well, rage-bait gives you:

• Comments
• Duets/stitches
• Shares in WhatsApp groups (“see this thing, he’s speaking facts”)

Just keep it about behaviour and systems, not tribes, religion or hate.

Finally, Always Implement The 80/20 Value Method

use this simple rule when batch creating content:

80% Value Content:

• Educational tips
• Entertainment and relatable stories
• Helpful information
• Inspiration and motivation

20% Promotional Content:

• Product mentions
• Call-to-actions
• Direct sales pitches
• Affiliate links

This builds trust. Your audience follows for value, then naturally converts when you recommend something because they already trust you. This is exactly how a lot of trusted creators operate: they give, give, give, then occasionally point to a product, course or brand partnership at the end.

How to start making money posting on TikTok from Day 1

Once you’re getting consistent views (10K+ per video regularly), it’s time to start monetizing. One platform that’s working well for Nigerian creators right now is Owodaily. As a beginner or mid level creator, access to opportunities to get paid will not be so easy when starting out. However you can always use this strategy with affiliate offers to start earning commission and bounty rewards on owodaily.com

Here’s how to connect all your experiments have cash at the end:

1. Join as a Member

Membership gives you:

• Content reward campaigns – get paid for hitting view or engagement goals
• Affiliate offers – earn commission for selling digital products, courses, tools
• Creator & social media marketing campaigns – brands and artists that need real Nigerian attention

2. Pick One Niche + One Offer

Examples:

• If you love money & hustle content → pick an affiliate marketing or finance-related campaign.
• If you love music & lifestyle → pick music promo or entertainment offers.
• If you love business & creators → pick tools/courses for creators and SMMs.

This way, all your viral attempts are pointing somewhere specific.

3. Map a 30–90 Day Plan

Days 1–30 → Study

• Train your research account
• Save templates and hooks
• Note what Nigerian audiences rant about and what they celebrate

Days 31–60 → Practice

• Run experiments with:

  • Faceless videos
  • Talking heads
  • AI voice + carousels

• Apply rage-bait (smartly) and the 80/20 value rule

• Attach one OwoDaily affiliate url to your bio, with a CTA on your post comments

Days 61–90 → Scale

• Double down on formats that gave you:

  • Higher watch time
  • More comments/saves
  • More clicks or sign-ups

What makes this format powerful:

It’s the “rage bait” and authentic storytelling approach. You give creators freedom to tell stories that provoke reactions – whether it’s controversial opinions, personal testimonials, or hot takes related to your niche.

Common Mistakes Nigerian Creators Make (And How to Avoid Them)

1. Perfectionism paralysis: Stop waiting for perfect lighting, perfect script, perfect everything. Done is better than perfect. Post and improve along the way.

2. Ignoring the data: Your analytics are telling you everything. If a format consistently gets low views, stop doing it. If something hits 100K views, make 10 more versions of it.

3. Inconsistency: Posting once a week won’t work. The algorithm rewards consistency. Daily is minimum. 2-3x daily is better.

4. Exact copying without adaptation: Don’t just copy international creators word-for-word. Adapt to Nigerian context, language, cultural references. Make it yours.

5. Giving up too early: Most creators quit before video 50. Your breakthrough might be video 237. Keep going.

6. Not engaging with your audience: Reply to comments. Ask questions. Build community. The algorithm sees engagement and rewards it.

7. Wrong platform focus: For young Nigerians (18-35), focus on TikTok and Instagram Reels first. That’s where the attention is.

Start Today. Post Tomorrow. Scale Next Month.

Going viral in Nigeria isn’t about luck.

It’s not about being naturally talented or having expensive equipment.

It’s not even about being first or having some secret insider knowledge.

It’s about three things:

1. Understanding the algorithm (which you now do after reading this)
2. Consistent posting (daily minimum, no excuses)
3. Quick iteration (testing, learning, adapting fast)

The opportunity is MASSIVE right now. Nigeria’s creator economy is still young. Competition is growing but nowhere near saturation in most niches. The tools are free or cheap. The audience is huge and engaged.

What separates those who make it from those who don’t?

They start. They post. They persist.

Your first video won’t go viral. Your 10th probably won’t either. But somewhere between video 50 and video 500, you’ll crack the code for your specific niche and audience.

The creators who are making millions of naira monthly from content right now – they’re not smarter than you. They’re not more talented. They’re not better connected.

They just started earlier, and they didn’t stop.

The question isn’t whether you can go viral. The question is: when will you start?

Because every day you delay is another day someone else in your niche is posting, learning, growing, and getting closer to owning that space.