How to Use TikTok as a Musician
Regardless of your genre and ideal audience, TikTok can be a powerful tool for promoting your music. Many artists have found their success on the platform, and it’s one of the bigger platforms nowadays. It’s actually hard to break through without TikTok. It also has some powerful analytics, so you can really see what’s working on the platform and what isn’t. So, it makes sense to take advantage of it, but it can be a bit of a tricky platform if you’re not used to it. So, let’s talk about it.
Tips for Using TikTok
There are a lot of nuances to TikTok, which means there are best practices when it comes to engaging with the platform. The main thing to understand is that TikTok, more than any other platform, relies on the algorithm. The whole point of TikTok is for the algorithm to learn what you like so it can deliver content that it thinks you’ll enjoy. Unfortunately, that means your TikTok strategy ultimately revolves around getting the algorithm to like you.
Post consistently
This is the number #1 most important thing when it comes to using TikTok. You have to be consistent with your posting. Regular videos are essential because they help boost you with the algorithm. It tells TikTok that you’re a consistent creator, making it more likely it’ll deliver your content to your ideal audience.
This also means that you’ll want to come up with a posting schedule that works for you. When it comes to TikTok, posting one to four times a day is best. However, the best schedule is the one you can actually maintain. If you can only post three days a week, make sure you’re doing that. It’s better to be consistent than it is to post daily for a week and then give up.
Make sure your videos work for the platform
At its core, TikTok is all about short-form video. So, you shouldn’t post your entire music video at once. You want to keep it relatively short, under a minute for the most part, unless you’re doing a deeper dive like showing your listeners behind-the-scenes. You may want to go even shorter, too, like under thirty seconds for single snippets.
Additionally, make sure you’re using vertical video. This may seem basic, but horizontal video won’t get you very far and goes against the conventions of the platform. Vertical video all the way.
Mix up your content
This goes for your actual content and your visuals. You can get away with posting the same clip of music over and over, but you need relatively different visuals for each video. TikTok doesn’t like duplicate content, so you’ll want to make sure you don’t get flagged for that. But I also recommend mixing up the type of content you’re doing.
Rather than only posting the same verse repeatedly, you’ll want to add in videos that go behind the scenes or show your personalities. There are so many ways to do this, from showing your songwriting process to your current favorite music to replying to comments in video form. But if you’re posting basically the same video over and over, you’re not going to be able to gain any traction.
This includes a mix of trends and your own content as well. It’s good to use a trending sound every once in a while if you have a good idea of how to use one. But it’s also important to create your own evergreen content and not rely on trends all the time. Also, if you can’t think of a way to use a trend effectively, don’t stress about it.
Make sure you’re engaging with your comments
TikTok loves it when you reply or at least engage with your comments. This means that when someone comments on your videos, someone (you or your social media manager) should be responding. It doesn’t need to be intensive. It can be as simple as a thank you or a like, but you’ll want to show TikTok that you’re responding to your engagement.
Worry more about quantity than quality
This might seem wild, but with TikTok, there’s a lot more throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. You don’t actually know what will take off. Producing content that is guaranteed to go viral is a myth, and anyone who tells you they can make you go viral on TikTok is either scamming you or doesn’t know enough about the platform.
This doesn’t mean you throw quality out the window, but it does mean that you want to focus more on volume. Don’t spend time stressing about getting every video perfect, especially since people on TikTok tend to prefer authentic videos. If you’re curating every single detail, you’re actually less likely to do well on TikTok. With TikTok, the goal is just good enough rather than perfect.
Make sure your profile is ready for traffic
As I said, you have no idea what’s actually going to go viral. It’s impossible to know. So, you want to be set up for traffic in case you get it. That way, you can truly take advantage of anything that comes your way. So, make sure you have a profile that gears toward your ideal audience. Connect it to your Instagram, and make sure you have a TikTok dedicated link going to your website if you’re able to add a link. You want to be able to capture followers if something does go viral.
Overall, TikTok is all about showing up and engaging with the platform authentically on a consistent basis. Start by getting to know the platform if you haven’t already. Then, you’ll be able to better know what you should be doing. If you’re unsure what you personally should be doing on the platform, I’ve got you. As a strategist and creative director for musicians, I can help you build a social media content calendar that works for you and your fans. Check out the services and reach out.
