Introduction
TikTok used to be just for teens, but now it’s a platform for everyone. There are now over 30 million users in the United States over the age of 35 who use TikTok every day. And if you’re an artist trying to promote your music, there’s no better way than TikTok to reach them. But how do you get your music on TikTok? And what should you do once it’s there?
Build a strategy
Before you can get started, you need to know how TikTok works. TikTok is a platform for short-form video: anything from one second to 60 seconds in length. It’s also a platform for music—and it’s as easy to share videos of your performance as it is memes or static images.
Why should you care about TikTok? Well, if you’re an artist who makes music and wants to reach new audiences while promoting yourself and your work, then TikTok could be the ideal platform for you! But there are some things that artists need to understand before they dive into the world of short-form video on this app:
Identify your target audience
To find your audience on TikTok, use the search feature to identify hashtags that are relevant and popular. You can also scan hashtags for content similar to yours. For example, if you’re a singer-songwriter, typing “#singer” into the search box will bring up many results related to singing and musicians. You could then click on one of those videos or creators and see what’s already being shared with them through comments or likes. If other people are interacting with their posts by commenting or liking it, there’s a good chance that those users will be interested in what you have to offer as well!
In addition to identifying the right audience for yourself using this method (i.e., finding out what kinds of people follow similar accounts), it’s helpful when promoting music because it allows you to reach more potential fans without having met them first (which is often difficult).
Choose the right track to promote
When promoting your music on TikTok, it’s important to choose the right track. To do this, you must consider what kind of music is popular on TikTok and how long a video should be in order to generate enough views. Here are some tips:
- Choose a track that is relevant to a TikTok audience. If you’re trying to promote songs about love or heartbreak, then don’t pick upbeat dance tracks because they won’t match the mood of your video.
- Choose a track that isn’t too long or short. Research shows that videos between 15 seconds and 45 seconds tend to perform best on social media platforms like TikTok because they capture viewers’ attention quickly while still giving them enough time to enjoy watching it through completion (and maybe even share with others).
- Choose an appropriate song for the target audience…If you’re targeting children under 12 years old, we recommend using kid-friendly content such as nursery rhymes; however if you’re targeting teenagers 13-17 years old then use pop/rock songs from artists like Drake/P!NK because these genres tend to appeal more towards this demographic than classical music would.”
Create a unique hashtag for your music or brand
You should create a unique hashtag for your music or brand. The hashtag is the searchable tag that people can use on social media to find your content, so it’s important to make sure it’s easy to remember, isn’t already in use by someone else, and relevant to both the music and brand. One way of doing this is by making sure the hashtag has something specific to do with what you’re posting about—for example, if you’re posting a video of an original song called “Summertime,” then you could use #summertime as your hashtag. It’s also worth thinking about whether there are any additional hashtags that might be relevant when promoting something on TikTok—you could include these in the description box when creating new posts so as not miss out on any extra reach!
Create a TikTok challenge to go with your song.
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms for sharing music, and a great place to promote your music. It’s also a great way to promote other things, like your brand and business.
Make your music accessible from TikTok’s search results.
To get the most out of your music on TikTok, make sure you’re promoting it on social media and other platforms. Your music should be accessible from all major streaming services and online stores.
- You can also promote your music through a website or social media account dedicated to your brand. This is especially helpful if you have a large following on Facebook or Instagram, as they’ll be able to see new content that isn’t shared with their friends’ feeds (although this can backfire if people are annoyed by self-promotion).
- If you want to get noticed by TikTok, use a catchy hashtag for each song in addition to its title and artist name.
TikTok has a surprising number of musician users, but you’ll have to think carefully about how to position yourself on the platform.
If you’re a musician, TikTok is a platform for you.
If you’re an artist, TikTok is a platform for you.
What? You don’t know about TikTok? What’s this “TikTok” I’m talking about? Well, in short: it can be thought of as an incredibly condensed version of YouTube. Instead of the hours-long videos that are typical on YouTube, TikTok limits users to 15 seconds at most (and there is no time limit on your first video), which means all of the content being posted falls under one category: short-form video. The platform can then be used by musicians and artists alike to post their own music videos and visual art—and yes! There are plenty of musicians who do just that on the app—including myself!
Conclusion
If you’re looking to promote your music on TikTok, our advice is to start with a strategy. Identify who your target audience is and what will appeal to them—and then choose the right track. Create a hashtag that’s unique but memorable, so people can find it easily when searching for new songs. And finally, don’t forget that TikTok hosts a number of challenges designed specifically for musicians (like the #MeOrThemChallenge). These can help get your music noticed by lots of other users!