(Hypebot) — It’s no secret that TikTok has completely revolutionised the music industry. Despite its current battle with UNG, from viral dance challenges to breakout stars like Lil Nas X and Raye, TikTok has become the number-one music discovery platform.
by Janelle Borg of Amplify You
Choose TikTok-friendly tracks
Picking the right track can go a long way towards increasing your chances of going viral. Simply put, if you’re putting all your bets on TikTok, promote the song that’s the most TikTok-friendly. But what does “TikTok-friendly” mean?
TikTok-friendly tracks usually have catchy melodies, memorable and relatable lyrics, and a hook that compels users to create their own content with it. In addition, tracks with lyrics that TikTokers can relate with, or have cultural references, tend to resonate the most strongly with TikTok’s diverse global audience.
Dig through your catalogue and see which song meets those criteria. Don’t be afraid to revive an older track – after all, there were tonnes of older tracks that were given a new lease of life thanks to TikTok! In this way, you can promote music on TikTok, knowing that you have a great chance of success.
Switch to an artist account
Switching to an artist account allows you to access certain artist-friendly features that can help you on your journey to TikTok virality. Simply open the TikTok app, go to “Creator Tools,” and open “Artist Hub.” When you open it, click “Apply.”
Next, search for your artist name in the TikTok music library, and once you see your name pop up, tap “Claim.” You are then asked to verify your identity.
There are various ways to do this, including a screenshot of your music distributor’s backend or the Spotify for Artist/Apple Music for Artists backend. Make sure the screenshots clearly show that you are the artist you claim to be. After submitting everything, it usually takes a few days for TikTok to review it.
Once you’re accepted, you get an artist tag that sits underneath your account name. You also get a music tab that shows all the music you’ve released so far. In addition, you can highlight a track up to 14 days before release and 30 days after release, which also appears on discovery pages of catalogue sounds.
There’s also a “By Artist” feature that allows you to pin your preferred post to the top of the discovery page, further helping you promote music on TikTok. Last but not least, behind the song helps artists and songwriters like you share the stories behind your songs and albums. Simply use #BehindTheSong to get involved.
Use both niche and general hashtags
Now that you’re fully set up with an artist account, promote music on TikTok using a mix of niche and general hashtags. As the name suggests, general hashtags cater to a broad audience. Popular hashtags such as #music, #fyp, and #pop serve as overarching categories that help classify your content on a broader and more general level.
If you want to reach a specific audience, use niche hashtags that are more specific keywords used by a particular subgenre or demographic. #postrock, #poppunksnotdead and #musicproducersoftiktok are good examples of niche hashtags with a dedicated following.
Create challenges with your song
Even if you’re a complete TikTok newbie, you’ve probably still heard of TikTok dance challenges. However, it’s not the only kind of challenge you can create. There are a myriad of challenges that work well on TikTok, with the most popular being lip syncing, costumes, memes and dance moves.
Challenges tend to go viral when they are fun and relatable and have the potential to be interpreted in different ways, with users adding their own twist to the trend. It’s highly unlikely that challenges will go viral on their own. Therefore, it’s important to encourage your fans to participate in the trend. Alternatively, if you have some money to spare, you can also contact influencer agencies or independent influencers to further amplify your challenge.
Boost key videos with TikTok Ads
If you decide that TikTok should be an important part of a release’s marketing strategy, investing money in TikTok Ads is a good idea. As a popular social media platform, TikTok boasts a massive pool of over 18% of adult Internet users, making it an effective advertising tool to reach a wider audience and potentially increase your following on the app.
Collaborate with other TikTokers
Teamwork makes the dream work. Collaborating with other TikTokers is a good way to expand your reach and promote music on TikTok. TikTok Duets are an easy way to collaborate with other TikTokers and engage with their audience. They let you put two videos next to each other while they play simultaneously.
You could collaborate with a famous musician or influencer, react to their videos, and sing or perform alongside them. This way, you can potentially attract their fans’ attention, and, who knows, maybe even get a response from your favourite musician!
Use TikTok Analytics
Analytics are a good way to analyse what you are doing and track progress or regress. TikTok also has an analytics section, which you can use to access important information about engagement, views and followership.
To view the analytics dashboard, go to your settings and tap on “Creator tools.” Then, go to the analytics section and tap on “View all.” There, you can view key metrics such as video views, profile views, likes and comments over the last 7, 28 or 60 days. Seeing the actual numbers helps you to see what content piqued interest and what flopped, monitor your audience growth, and promote music on TikTok with content that works for the platform.
Final thoughts
The road to virality can be a long one. However, while you promote music on TikTok, keep in mind that your goal should ultimately be to convert likes and followers into genuine fans.
Therefore, make sure you focus your energy on directing your TikTok followers to platforms where you own your fan data. Whether it’s email marketing or fan subscription platforms, building your superfan community will reap the rewards in the long run.
