Essential TikTok Tips and Tricks for Musicians5 min read

By now, pretty much everyone knows about TikTok. And if you don’t, we can’t help but ask if you’ve been living under a rock?

TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create, share and watch short videos on any topic. The app thrives in short-form videos that have a maximum time limit of 60 seconds. Because it has such a short format, neither the video creation nor the process of watching videos takes time or effort which is why it has attracted so many users since its launch. Although TikTok has been trendy ever since it first came out, the global pandemic added on to its popularity thanks to people around the world being forced to suddenly sit at home.

TikTok can be used by people anywhere, anytime and with the whole pandemic situation, the app has birthed many stars that are virtual crowd favorites. Since more and more creators are posting new content every day, TikTok is definitely the place to be if you are someone looking to show off your skills. This is why TikTok is a great platform for both aspiring as well as professional musicians.

If you are a musician looking to grow your TikTok presence and capture the attention of people from around the globe with your incredible talent, we have a few tips and tricks that will help to not only boost your following but also increase your audience and post engagement.

Some tips and tricks to help musicians grow their audience on TikTok are:

• Use Hashtags
• Keep up with Trends
• Post Consistently
• Interact with your Audience
• Use Good Lighting
• Be Yourself

Let us see how you can go about this.

Use Hashtags

Hashtags (#) are very commonly used across various social media platforms. They help to group similar content and show it to people who are most interested in it. Using the right hashtags will help to bring your videos to the attention of relevant audiences.
Do your research and also pay attention to what’s trending on the app. This will give you an idea of what kind of hashtags you should use to get better traction for your posts. For a musician, hashtags such as #musician, #musiciansoftiktok, #band will help. You can also try to be more specific with what you do and put it into your hashtags. For instance, you can use #guitarist, #pianoplayer, #songwriter and so on.

Keep up with Trends

Social media trends are literally changing almost every day so it is crucial that you try to keep up if you want your content to reach large audiences. As a musician, participating in TikTok trends is one of the best ways to get involved within the app. Content that is trending usually has a much higher chance of showing up on people’s feeds. Thus, remember to make your content using popular sounds, filters and hashtags. However, have your own take on popular trends and put your own personal touch. TikTok trends are extremely versatile so they work very well with music-based content.

Post Consistently

Consistency is key when you want to achieve your goals, and TikTok is no different. People are more likely to follow creators who are consistent with their posts and content. Nobody wants to follow someone and see a new video only weeks later. Posting consistently will ensure that your followers stay happy and stick around.

Another advantage to posting regularly is that you never know what videos get surfaced on people’s feeds and consistency increases the chances of your content getting featured on the ‘for you page’ which is a space where people can find new creators they might like.

Just be consistent and you never know when one of your videos might unexpectedly go viral!

Interact with your Audience

It is important for you as a content creator to engage with your audience. It makes them feel valued and appreciated. You can ask your followers for suggestions, or videos of other creators that you should duet/cover and so on.
Interacting with your audience will help them to feel more connected to you even through a screen. Nobody wants to follow boring and feelingless bots especially on the internet.

Use Good Lighting

Even though you may be really talented with your musical skills and abilities, sometimes you need to put in some extra effort on social media. Good lighting is extremely important for any content. TikTok users expect to get both the visual as well as auditory experience when they scroll through their ‘for you page’ looking for new content. It is so much easier to attract viewers to your video when it has good lighting.

Natural lighting is the best thing you can use. Filming your videos outside the house or in front of the window gives a warm and welcoming feel to them. You could also use a ring light. Although this is artificial, it is used by a lot of content creators and fits in well with the social media setting.

Be Yourself

After all is said and done, just be yourself! People are honestly just looking for creators who are passionate about what they do and enjoy themselves as they do it. Users will simply scroll right past your video if it seems forced in any way just for the sake of views and likes. So, post content that best fits you and shows off your musical capabilities to the world. With millions of active TikTok users and even more joining every day, there are bound to be people who will love and cheer you on for just being you.
Growing your influence on a social media platform is not necessarily easy. But these tips and tricks will greatly help to push you in the right direction. Remember to focus on your music and how you can improve every day but most importantly, just be patient.