TikTok has taken the world by storm, especially within the Music Industry. With over 1.1 billion active users, and being available in 160 countries, TikTok offers a vast audience for artists to reach.According to this year’s Music Impact Report, TikTok users are significantly more likely to discover AND share new music on social platforms than the average user of other social platforms.
TikTok offers a multitude of features and strategies for creators to effectively engage with their audience. So, whether you are just getting started, trying to grow your existing audience, or need some quick content tips to connect to your fanbase, we have you covered in this year’s 2023 tips, tricks and best practices!
Who Is on TikTok?
The bigger question is, who isn’t! This is an app for all ages with varying communities so users can always find audiences based on their own interests. The primary audience is 16-34 year olds and it is estimated to be about 60% female and 40% male. Creators range in age, gender, orientation, and beliefs – it’s all about the content you make.
Posting Tips
Experiment
You never know which types of content will resonate with your audience. Do some trial & error! TikTok encourages a variation of original concepts, trends, challenges & popular sounds.
How Much Content?
You can never have enough content! Aim for a few videos a week, or be a champ and post a video every day! Every piece of content is an additional opportunity to connect. Consistency is key in training the algorithm and keeping up with fans.
When To Post?
As with any platform, this depends on your audience as you begin to grow. Try different times and study your analytics to find the best times for you. Keep in mind, unlike other platforms TikTok’s algorithm could take an interest in your old content as well as the new so don’t be surprised if a post from ages ago begins to pick up traction!
Captions
Captions can be found at the bottom of the screen on posts, and are often just as important as visuals or sounds. Keep it short and catchy! Use hashtags to teach the algorithm what the video is about. You can also encourage fan engagement/Duets by calling it out in the comments!
What kind of content should you post?
TikTok is your oyster! There’s no rule as to what kind of content to make. Here are a few tips when making your content:
- Stay authentic to your interest as a creator
- Don’t be afraid to try something you don’t see anyone else doing – pave the way
- Join in on trends that resonate with you
- Share your hidden talents beyond music
- Show off your personality
- Don’t worry about perfection, have fun!
TikTok Features To Use:
Duet
Dueting a video on TikTok gives you the ability to record your own video alongside someone else’s, or even your own previously posted video.
Dueting fan videos or encouraging fans to duet your videos are both great strategies to increase overall engagement. Duets generally consist of:
- Side by side reactions
- Dialogue
- Differing perspectives
- Literal music duets
How To Duet:
Note: Duetting has to be enabled in the privacy section of both your and the user’s profile
- Choose the video you’d like to Duet
- Tap the sharing button on the bottom right of your screen (it looks like an arrow pointing to the right)
- Select the “Duet” option, as shown below – this option will be grayed out if the user has the duet option disabled
- Tap the red button at the bottom of the screen to start recording your video. Your video with show on the left, while the other on the right
- When you’re finished, tap the check mark to the right of the recording symbol
TikTok Reply
Beyond replying with your words, you can also reply to a comment by creating a new TikTok that highlights the comment. To create a TikTok reply, tap the comment to reply and then hit the red camera button.
Replying to comments with a TikTok not only encourages fans to engage with you more, but also provides you with even more content for your channel!
Stitch
The ‘Stitch’ feature allows you to take a clip from another user’s video and use it in your own video. This is great as a response tool!
Text-only posts are a great way to share your thoughts and ideas without having to create a video.
To access this feature, simply hit the + button at the bottom of your FYP and you’ll have the option to share video, photo or text content by scrolling left or right as soon as the camera is on.
You can then customize your text-only posts to include sounds, tagging a location, enabling comments, allowing Duets, changing the background color, etc.
Photo Mode is a feature that acts as a slideshow of your chosen photos. Users can swipe through the images or watch the slideshow automatically move to the next. Creators can choose up to 35 photos to include in one TikTok.
Tip: add text to the photo to make it more captivating for users to swipe through the images.
Sharing / Repost
TikTok now also has the “Repost” button that posts a TikTok you like onto your feed and the repost section on your profile.
Artist Account
TikTok has officially introduced the Artist Account to unlock even deeper discoverability on TikTok. These accounts unlock features and promotional tools for fans to learn more about an artist’s music.
An artist can activate this account via the mobile only link here. This will unlock the following features: Artist Tag, New Release, Music Tab, By Artist, & Behind the song.
Artist Tag
- This tag will sit underneath your account name and is the simplest way to identify yourself as an artist on TikTok!
- At least four songs need to be uploaded to be eligible for the tag.
New Release
- This allows artists to highlight a new track for up to 14 days before release, and for 30 days after release. This will also highlight a New Release on discovery pages of catalog sounds – boosting discovery!
Music Tab
- The music tab curates your release for fans to easily access and discover your music directly on your page. It will also encourage fans to seamlessly engage with your sounds!
By Artist
- The ‘By Artist’ feature allows artists to pin a preferred post to the top of their discovery page, driving awareness! This could be hyping a new release or trending clip.
Behind the Song
- This feature enables artists to share the stories behind their songs, creating that deeper connection within your fanbase.
Learn more about artist accounts via TikTok’s newsroom announcement here.
Series
For Creators looking to get paid for premium content, TikTok introduced “Series”, the ability for Creators to monetize episodic Collections behind a paywall so that fans can only access this content if they pay the premium
- One Series can have up to 80 videos, each up to 20 mins long
- Creators can set the pricing and adjust according to fan demand/engagement
- Fans can unlock the content by purchasing access to a Series through direct-in-video links or the creator’s profile.
See if you are eligible at the link here.
TikTok Live
TikTok Live is a real-time streaming feature. The user going live can access effects, multi-guest hosting, donations, LIVE Gifts, and more! Think about doing this for release parties, chatting to fans about the process of making a record, or while backstage at a show!
To go LIVE go to the + icon then swipe to LIVE at the bottom of the screen. You will then be asked to pick an image and write a title. Finally, press “Go LIVE”
LIVE Event
LIVEs can be planned ahead of time so that fans can register and be alerted when the time comes. Promote these via various TikTok videos, across other platforms, newsletters etc.
To create an event:
- Go to the LIVE Events icon from the top-right corner of your profile page
- Name your event, list the start time and give a captivating description
- Hit create – from here your Event will be reviewed before showing up on TikTok.
Multi-Guest
On LIVE, hosts can now go live with multiple guests and assign these guests with moderator roles and certain powers such as comment moderation, turning microphones on/off, etc
You can host up to 9 guests in your LIVE.
LIVE Gifts
Viewers can send Gifts when you go LIVE to show support and showcase their personalities! These gifts can be exchanged for currency.
Fans will purchase coins within the TikTok app, purchase stickers with those coins, and send chosen ones to you as a gift. When this happens, be sure to give the fan a shout-out and a thank you!
At the end of your LIVE, you will see a summary of your gifts, this will also be added to the Balance tab in your account.
Learn More!
Explore our comprehensive Best Practices guide for further details on getting started on TikTok, tips and tricks, guidance on getting verified, Effect House, and insight into TikTok’s Analytics.
