TikTok Musicians Guide: Tips & Tricks
Time to turn on your phone and get ‘TikTok’ing, because some of the most trendy TikTok Stars are being turned into musician icons.
We have put a guide together to share some tips & tricks on how to use TikTok as a musician. Whether you are new to the world of TikTok or are looking to improve your knowledge further, we have got you covered, this TikTok Musicians Guide is full of Tips and Tricks to get you on the path of TikTok success.
Within 8 weeks, TikTok turned Nathan Evans, an unknown singer-songwriter, into a viral icon that played in the 2021 BRITs. No one could have predicted that Nathan Evan’s cover of ‘Wellerman’ would have brought him an audience of 1 million views within four days of it going live.
But is this a one time deal? Or can musicians use TikTok to help launch their music career?
Well, good news to all of the independent artists that are looking to take their career from entry to executive. TikTok is made for musicians like you!
Launching a music career used to take a lot of knowledge & networking…
Now, this can be simplified and fast-tracked with a loyal fan base and a great producer.
As a budding musician, how can you take advantage of TikTok?
Just like other video platforms, TikTok is a place for musicians and artists to showcase their music, build their audience and earn revenue! Take a 15-60 second video of yourself and upload it to this platform with billions of users to increase your music awareness and develop your fan base.
Where to start on TikTok as a musician?
TikTok is a platform that is heavily influenced by trends. In order to widen your fan base and get discovered on TikTok, the first thing you can do is get involved in a trend. Before you start to panic, there are hundreds of trends on TikTok at any one time. You are likely to find something that you really want to get involved in.
Trends are ever-changing on TikTok, but they are known for making your profile trendy and relatable. There are five common types of trends on TikTok. 1. Dances 2. Challenges 3. Songs 4. Sounds 5. Features
Here are how to use some types of trends as a musician: (your options are far wider than most)
Dances
Create a catchy dance to a snippet of your track. Encourage others to copy this dance (or add their own spin on it) and get your song played across the TikTok app.
Here is an example of Olivia Duffin doing a Dance TikTok trend.
Songs & Sounds
(These might seem the same but they are slightly different)
A song would be a verse or chorus of your release being used in a video.
Here is an example of Brad Ryan’s new release in a TikTok.
Here is an example of AyseDeniz using TikTok to launch her promotion campaign and her new track.
Where as a sound might be short snippet of a song (it could be used as a punchline).
Here is an example of Barbi Afrika making a TikTok video using a trending sound.
Is TikTok’s audience right for me as a musician?
Almost 50% of TikTok’s active viewers are between 16 and 24 years old, this makes it the go-to video platform for the youth demographic. To compare, the average age of Instagram users is between 24 and 34 years old, and the average age of Facebook users is between 28 and 40 years old.
Accordingly, depending on your target audience, TikTok may or may not be important for you. However, as we’ve seen with the “older” demographic recently embracing Instagram, we may see older demographics getting into TikTok in the coming years, so it may be beneficial to familiarise yourself with it now.
Here are the top questions we receive from new TikTokers
How to Find TikTok Trends?
When you scroll through for “For You” page. You will hear the same songs again and again. This is because TikTok is built for music, and these trends provide a wealth of opportunities for users to create their own remixes and interpretations. When you see the same song repeated many times, this will highlight that it is a trend.
The more time you spend on TikTok the more you will notice the trends.
TikTok creators are quick to respond to events and culture around the world. For example, there is a large volume of TikTok’s about employers wanting staff to return to the office instead of working from home. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, countless TikTok trends emerged around handwashing and quarantine life. Now that we are in Pride Month (June) you will see a rise of LGBT and pride TikToks. These will also count as trends.
What are Duets on TikTok?
TikTok Duets are two videos by two different content creators that appear side by side in a combined video. This allows people to effectively reply to video content with their own videos (which then can be shared publicly). When this is done well it can lead to some incredible results, such as Duet Chains and viral trends which take over the whole platform.
You are able to duet with dances, reviews of other TikToks or singing along to someone else’s video.
As a musician, the best thing about TikTok duets is that when your tracks gain traction and other TikTokers start using it, you can duet to show your thanks. There could be other people covering your latest release, you can duet the video and give them your opinion of their version of your track. Each time that you duet someone else’s video (depending on their size) they are likely to share the content which provides additional exposure.
Furthermore, TikTok unleashed video replies about 12 months ago that allows you to respond via video. As a musician that is trying to increase exposure, this is the best news! Connecting with your fans has never been easier.
Additionally, to other platforms remember to post consistently to keep your fan base. If you have the time to, posting 3-5 times a day will help you garner a strong audience.
TikTok Marketing 101
“For You” TikTok Page
TikTok’s “For You” page is filled with videos, collated by TikTok’s algorithm, designed to present you with a collection of videos you should enjoy, based on your past behaviour on the app.
The For You page is TikTok’s recommendation feed, which is personalized to each user based on how they interact with videos on TikTok.
“Discover” TikTok Page
TikTok’s “Discover” page is somewhere that you will want to explore when you are working out what kind of video that you want to create and share with your loyal fans on TikTok.
You will find that there is a wide variety of content including trending videos, Hashtags, creators and sponsored content.
If you are looking for a high level of success from this app, then you are going to need to develop your posts to the algorithm.
As you already know, there is nothing magical to get visibility and followers on this social network, but knowing how its algorithm works will help you achieve your goals, below are a few of the most important factors of the TikTok algorithm:
User Interaction
Like most platforms, TikTok algorithm looks for user interaction and therefore, it shows users posts to interact with. That’s why if you have often interacted with a specific account and have seen all its videos, it is more likely that the content from that account will appear in the ForYou section more frequently.
Video Information for TikTok
This means, details such as video description, sounds, or hashtags.
Has it ever happened to you that after seeing or looking for a challenge, it keeps appearing in the recommendation section? This is because TikTok pulls the video information that you search for to know what will keep to engaged and on the platform.
When and Where to Share TikTok Posts?
Every time you make a post public it is pushed out to a handful of peoples For You Pages. (As long as your video complies with the TikTok standards: no re-posts of other peoples content, and follows content guidelines, no nudity drugs etc).
Consequently, how the handful of viewers reacts to your video will determine its future… If the audience retention time is high and the engagement is good your video will be sent to a wider audience. If people skip your video and don’t engage, it will not be shared with more peoples For You Pages.
Tips to gain visibility with the TikTok algorithm
Create short videos
On TikTok you can create videos from 15 to 60 seconds. If you adapt to short videos of only 15 seconds, your audience is more likely to see the videos all at once and until the end. Don’t include long outros, you could bore your audience into skipping. You can always loop your videos.
Create content that engages from the start
Work on the beginning of your video, the first seconds are crucial. In this way, you will engage the viewers from the start and encourage them to finish the video.
Use attractive video titles
The video title is the first thing users see when they land on your content. The few words that you can use are essential to grab the attention of users in seconds.
The Best Hashtags(#) On TikTok For Musicians Right Now:
#Musicians #vocals #playmusic #instanewmusic #instamusician #musicmaker #vocalists #singers #musiclove #musiclife #musician #band.
For every 3-4 music or content related hashtags you use, try to pull ONE trending hashtag that is relevant to your video. We recommend using 5 hashtags per post.
BE YOURSELF
& HAVE FUN
Remember to always be authentic, true to yourself and your music. You won’t get loyal loving fans that love you if you are not being you! Jump into the minds of your fans and think why are they on TikTok and why would they want to follow you? Everyone is on TikTok to have fun, see original content and follow some sort of passion.
Finally, whether your plan is to vlog, create skits or jump on trends, no one wants to watch someone doing something that seems forced. Don’t just do posts for views, make memories, have fun and learn on this ever-changing app. With over a billion active users worldwide, there is always going to be an audience for your content.
Music isn’t your only passion, if you have a side hobby let your fans see it.
Before you set off into the world of TikTok, here are a few final tips and tricks for TikTok Musicians to get you on your way:
Identity Music help artists/musicians get an artist account on TikTok and once you garner an audience, we can get you verified too!
At Identity Music we distribute, protect and promote your music worldwide. We offer innovative solutions for independent music artists and record labels to share their music with the world. Our industry-leading music services enable you to sell your music without all the hassle and daunting upfront fees.
Are You Ready To Launch Your Artist Account on TikTok
If you would like any assistance or further guidance, contact Identity Music for more information.
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