As a musician, do you already use TikTok to market your music? TikTok has become one of the most popular and largest social media platforms in the world within a very short period of time. The hype surrounding this platform is enormous and TikTok can easily keep up with giants like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. The difference to the other platforms, however, is that the focus is not on images, but on videos and that they usually only work in conjunction with certain music that attracts more people to get a view. TikTok is actually very relevant for musicians and has already ensured that one or the other new song has landed in the charts or older songs have been revived. But how can you use TikTok marketing to increase your awareness? And can TikTok really be the springboard for musicians? We answer these questions in this article!
SO TIKTOK MARKETING CAN BE A GREAT SUPPORT FOR MUSICIANS
TikTok is based on countless short videos created by the users themselves and uploaded to the platform. Users on TikTok have various filters, functions, and music at their disposal that they can use to create these short videos. Music is very important on TikTok and is largely the focus of the social media giant. Each TikTok video shows which song was used and who it is.
For musicians, TikTok is therefore extremely interesting and becomes a significant opportunity to draw attention to themselves and their own music with the help of TikTok marketing. The music can simply run in the background, but also be the focus and the reason for the video.
TikTok requires a lot of creativity so that you can stand out from other artists and stand out from the crowd and appear on the “For You” page of the users. Users only watch a video for a few seconds, in which they have to convince. Meanwhile, many musicians are on TikTok to increase their reach and thus gain popularity.
THE TIKTOK ALGORITHM
TikTok’s algorithm is based on three different factors: user interactions, information such as hashtags and descriptions, and settings such as language, location, and device. Especially the user interactions and the general information are crucial for the algorithm, because only then can TikTok assign your video to the corresponding interests of the users and thus display it to the right users.
- User interactions: The number of likes, comments, and reactions is important for the algorithm.
- Information: The description, hashtags used, songs used, and other information contributed to the success of your videos.
- Settings: The language, location, and device have an impact on the algorithm and how your content is sorted for your target audience.
The more often your videos are liked, shared, and commented on, the more likely they are to be suggested to other users. In addition, it is also crucial how long videos are watched by users and whether they are watched to the end.
8 TIPS FOR MORE AWARENESS ON TIKTOK FOR MUSICIANS
TikTok can increase your popularity as a musician enormously. However, it is not so easy to be successful on TikTok and to get the attention of users. We have compiled 8 tips for more popularity on TikTok for musicians.
TIP 1: START TIKTOK CHALLENGES
One of the best ways to succeed and gain prominence on TikTok is through TikTok Challenges. Users love TikTok challenges, so you may be able to attract a lot of attention with your own TikTok challenge. To do this, you need a meaningful excerpt of 15 seconds from one of your songs and a suitable plot that can be easily copied.
Think of a good hashtag for your challenge and publish it. If your challenge is well received by users, it will become a self-runner and more and more users post their own videos. So the song used can become a real hit.
TIP 2: USE YOUR OWN AS WELL AS OTHER PEOPLE’S SONGS
If you shoot and publish your own TikTok to promote your music, make sure to use other people’s songs in addition to your own songs. The songs of other artists only serve to gain reach. If you use well-known songs, you will reach more people than with unknown songs and can generate your first followers and user interactions. As soon as you can see your first successes, you can also use your own songs.
TIP 3: CONSUME TIKTOK AND GET INSPIRED
Social media platforms are fast-paced and it is important to know the latest trends and developments. Therefore, you should also consume content on TikTok and see what other users are doing to stay up to date. Get inspired by other videos and come up with new ideas. Especially crazy, amazing videos work well on TikTok. But also lifehacks, funny or particularly aesthetic videos are always well received by users. There are no limits to your creativity. Let yourself be inspired by the TikTok account of Jokerz22.
TIP 4: INVOLVE FANS VIA DUET MODE
On TikTok, there is the possibility to involve users and fans in your own videos. This is not only possible with the previously mentioned challenges, but also with the so-called duet mode of TikTok. Users have the opportunity to react to your video on a split screen or to participate. Many musicians use this function to get fans to react to new songs or sing along to songs, for example. Your fans automatically advertise you. By the way, the duet mode also works the other way around and you can, for example, react to the covers of your song of users.
ALSO READ: 3 Tips to Create Catchy Music and Make It Stand Out From the Crowd
TIP 5: USE MATCHING HASHTAGS
Another way to generate more reach on TikTok is hashtags. By using the right hashtags, your video will spread better. Pay attention to the use of appropriate hashtags that also match the content of your video and make sense. Make sure your hashtags aren’t already being used too often by other users, or your video can get lost in the crowd. But you also shouldn’t use hashtags that aren’t even searched for and are irrelevant.
TIP 6: TRY OUT THE TRENDS
Try out current trends and bring in your own style. This allows you to quickly generate reach and followers. On the “For You” page you will find all the content that is currently trendy and used a lot. Simply build your videos on familiar formats.
TIP 7: PAY ATTENTION TO THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR SONGS
Music and sounds have a special place on YouTube and are often in the foreground of the videos. Therefore, the structure of your songs should not be underestimated. Especially simple songs with simple lyrics and a repetitive structure with catchy characters are promising here. For TikTok videos, only short excerpts of songs are needed, so a short excerpt of your song must work and catch.
It is also an advantage if the title or lyrics of your song invite puns or simply fit a special situation or pose. If your song is danceable or can be used creatively in a video, chances are good that it will get a lot of attention.
TIP 8: INTERACT WITH OTHER ACCOUNTS
In addition to publishing your own content and consuming other users’ videos, it is also important to interact with other users. Follow users from your niche, like, comment, and share other users’ videos and use duet mode. Thus, the algorithm automatically delivers relevant videos from your niche and places your videos better. You can also generate followers and draw attention to yourself by interacting with other users.
UPLOAD YOUR OWN MUSIC TO TIKTOK
To use your own music on TikTok, you need to upload it to TikTok. You can easily do this through your distributor/sales. Well-known distributors include Distrokid, Tunecore, and Recordjet. Through these, you can easily upload your music to any streaming platform and also TikTok. On your music revenues, the distributors charge a certain commission as well as monthly fees.
TIKTOK CAN BE THE SPRINGBOARD FOR MUSICIANS
Can TikTok really be THE springboard for musicians? Yes, definitely. TikTok can have an immense impact on your career as a musician and increase your popularity. The success of TikTok will also be evident in the numbers of Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, etc. In recent years, numerous artists have gone viral on TikTok, which has been particularly noticeable on other platforms such as Spotify or YouTube. TikTok is increasingly being used as an advertising and promotion platform for musicians for new songs – and with success.
TikTok is currently one of the most popular places for musicians to organically build reach and awareness and thus sustainably promote their careers. Especially for newcomers, TikTok is an excellent opportunity and should definitely be used.
