TikTok is the refreshing app that delivers non stop content to our screens. Some love it and some hate it. But, as far as interactive and fun goes, TikTok really does trump the competition (we’re looking at you, Instagram).

But just like any other mainstream platform, it is hard to get noticed. TikTok’s algorithm is the queen at delivering top quality content to its users, but it’s not so kind to music artists who don’t know how to use it to their advantage. Their algorithm creates a unique experience for everyone on their FOR YOU page. The more interaction a user gives, the more tailored to their taste the content they receive becomes.

But, how do we get picked up by the algorithm in the first place?

That’s where we come in. We’re giving you some friendly advice on what to do that will help you be successful.

Before we carry on, we should mention SoundOn. SoundOn is TikTok’s latest service that dedicates itself to independent artists so they promote themselves with ease. TikTok has stated it’s a pathway directly to the stage.

However, success on the TikTok platform itself is possible. Now mainstream artists such as Doja Cat and Lil Nas X actually got their come up on TikTok!

How Do TikTok Videos Work?

• Videos are usually vertical and around 15 seconds
• Audio snippets, usually music, always back videos
• You can record videos in parts & edit them together in fragments
• TikTok pushes popular videos to a wider audience
• Authenticity & group participation is more important than getting the perfect shot

If a user features a 15-minute snippet of your track in their video and that video shows on another users’ For You page. Should that second user enjoy the first user’s video so much, they may want to do their own version of the video – using your track. TikTok provides a very easy way for user 2 to use the same clip of your track they’ve heard in user 1’s video.

How Do I Get My Song in TikTok Videos?

The algorithm sees users featuring your song twice, three times, four times, etc. and determines that your song is popular it’ll feed your song to new viewers!

But not just any song is eligible for use – it needs to be Tiktok friendly. This means the audio clips can be no more than 15 seconds long. The clip needs to be catchy and possibly relatable enough for TikTok’s users, who are people, to create their own video content around.

If your song has no lyrics but is catchy, it may still succeed. If people can dance to it then there’s every chance it will feature in a TikTok trend.

If you don’t use hashtags… start using them!

Hashtags/tags are almost always at the centre of viral TikTok content. Hashtags make a search engines job easier to identify content, so make strong use of hashtags that identify your song.

For example, should you be a hip hop artist, you could use hashtags like #beat #freeverse #flstudio, and so on.

How to Start a TikTok Trend

It’s all well and good uploading your track to TikTok, sitting back and waiting for somebody to use it in their video. But what if you created a video with it and started your own trend?

TikTok has proven itself as the number one place where challenges thrive and turn into trends. Why not encourage your existing fans and followers to take part in your own challenges? You can make the challenges specific to your track with a specific hashtag! 

Challenges become most popular when they’re fun and interpretable in different ways. This gives people a chance to add their own twist to them, and people love adding their own twist to things.

This is why it’s important to choose a track that is “TikTok friendly”!

Here are a couple of examples of trends that often explode:

• Dance routines
• Comedy memes
• Lip syncing
• Costumes

Just like sitting back and waiting for somebody else to make a video with your audio isn’t proactive, so is just uploading your own video and waiting for it to blow up. It’s highly unlikely that doing this will turn your song into a viral sensation.

Some suggestions could be running your challenge as content that offers a price to the winner that you determine. Got some merch you want to shift? What about free tickets to your next gig or exclusive music?

Or, rather than starting your own trend, you could look into existing influencers. People who have already done the hard work for themselves may well help you achieve your goals… for a fee.

Start Following Users and Influencers

If you’ve not yet created an account, dive in and start following people as soon as you have! Start following musicians and influencers that create content in the same field as you, and it is a good idea to follow back anyone who follows you.

Following gives you the chance to scope out other creators on the platform and see what works for them, as well as what’s trending. You never know, it may well help you come up with some ideas for your own content!

Collaborate with Other Tik Tok Users

Duets are an easy way to engage with other TikTokers, as well as get in front of new audiences.

The Duet feature, as you have probably seen, allows you to put two simultaneously playing videos together side-by-side. If you’ve seen content with two people lip-syncing the same song, that was the Duet feature!

Collaborating with another musician could be mutually beneficial for both of you. You wouldn’t have a hard time trying to find someone to collaborate with if you found a user with a similar following to you.

It’s also very common to react to popular influencers’ videos. Sometimes this reals more people to your profile and increases your following!

What’s important to remember, for both collaboration videos and solo content, is that TikTok is all about authenticity. Be real.

Ultimately, TikTok is a bunch of people creating improvised content only to entertain other people. It’s not about being a professional cinematographer or having the perfect lighting and editing. Take things such as lighting into consideration… but don’t worry about getting it “perfect”.

If you want people to follow your own trend, just make it fun!

Final Thoughts

Engaging visuals that can be easily recreated by other users is also a big factor as to why TikTok has become the platform that it is. No single piece of successful content is overly complicated, and it’s always fun.

On the topic of fun, generally funny or inspiring content is also another huge factor as to why TikTok is becoming one of the most used apps ever.

Your videos don’t have to be perfectly shot. But they do need to be engaging. They need to entice people in and make them feel their 15 seconds ahs been well spent. This seems like a trivial justification, but it’s actually what determines whether someone will share any content with their friends!

Content that is interesting, hilarious, and relatable etc drives all social media platforms. So, if a snippet of your song is turned into 15-second video that is either hilarious, inspirational or interesting in another way… then your song may well blow up on TikTok and you can join the likes of Doja Cat and Lil Nas X in their TikTok hall of fame.

As we’ve mentioned, these factors drive all social media content. Sharing your TikTok content on your other platforms, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and any others you’re on, will allow your content to reach even more people! Instagram Stories, for example, are an easy way to get your content seen by more of an audience. Instagram makes it easy for you to share your videos on their Story feature!

A feature of TikTok that is incredibly helpful for those of us trying to create an audience is providing localised content. When you’ve used the app for long enough and TikTok’s algorithm has had a chance to get to know you, why not work with creators in your area and find new fans local to you?

TikTok users love true, authentic, content that they can personally get behind. Whether it’s funny, interesting or inspirational.

So, why not find fans around you and create organic relationships? Better yet, when you land your first tour dates why not create a video at each location and tag the location?

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What’s the foundation of good quality music? Good quality samples!

Promoting music that features poor quality samples won’t get you very far, and we understand that. That’s why Mixxed has thousands of loops, one-shots and sound effects to tailor for countless genres of music.

We want your audience to grow as your sample library expands, and that’s why we give you access to thousands of samples that you can download and keep forever – for less than $3 a month.

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