Musicians Guide to Growing Your Content On TikTok

As you may have guessed, TikTok is now the largest music discovery platform out there. With TikTok surpassing 1 million followers, it’s no wonder so many people are turning to the social media platform for new music. In fact, more than half the users say they discover new artists on the platform.

Yet with all these people using the app, you still struggle with organic growth. Well, dread no more as we go through a quick guide following tried and true methods of content growth on TikTok.

What’s The Secret Formula?

Below we have the Content Growth Formula, the key to creating captivating content.

Growth Content x Organic Growth Channel x Consistency

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Custom Brand Voice

So, what exactly does this mean? Let’s break it down. Growth content is content that is eye-catching and able to be promoted. This is the content that will drive your numbers up. Be advised that this is a long-term solution, you must be dedicated. Your organic growth channel (OGC) is your internal growth, your numbers. Tactics in expanding your business through your OGC include digital marketing, building relationships, and utilizing resources. These two pieces work alongside each other. The more content you create that has potential to grow, the more organic growth you’ll receive through your channel.

As you post your growth content and grow your channel, you have your custom brand voice (CBV) working right below you. In order to grow your business, you have to ensure your message matches your brand. However you wish to come across your fans is up to you, just be sure to carry the same voice across all platforms. CBV can also be displayed through behind-the-scenes content. Once you have an established voice across all platforms, this behind-the-scenes content will gather more attention as your fans become more involved in the story.

Lastly you have consistency. That one is pretty self-explanatory. Create a schedule that you can stick by and post consistently, bringing awareness to your brand. Don’t post any music clips until you have enough media to carry you through the months. The last thing you want to do is post a clip for your fans then disappear for 5 months and expect there to be an audience when you resurface.

What Is TikTok’s #1 Metric?

What does TikTok look at the most when posting videos? Statistics say the platform’s #1 metric they consider is watch time. Watch time is the average percentage of videos watched and replayed. Obviously, the more your video is replayed, the more the algorithm will favor you. Now, how do you get their attention? With TikTok, you should focus on the story. Tell you story; how you become a musician, why, or where you are in your career now. It’s all about telling the right story, having something to grab their attention for as long as possible.

5 Steps To Increase Growth on TikTok

Finally, here are 5 steps you can follow that will help you grow your content on TikTok.

Step 1: Create Your Goal

When creating your goal, you have to keep 4 things in mind. Ask yourself: is my goal achievable? Do I have an ultimate goal? Meaning, is there a dream goal? What is my time limit? When is my release date? With these 4 questions, you now have a goal in mind and a time frame set in motion. Here’s an example of how this would look:

Achievable Goal: 1,000 pre-saves
Ultimate Goal: 3,000 pre-saves
Time Limit: 14 days
Release date: July 17th

Step 2: Build Your Narrative

When releasing new music, you want to have a story that intrigues fans. This is where you can build on your narrative. Share parts of your story that are unique and significant to your music. This will engage your fans as they develop a personal connection to you and your music. With building your narrative, ask yourself these 5 questions to get to know your audience better:

Is my narrative benefiting my audience somehow? Does your audience get anything out of knowing your story?
Is it tapping into their personal needs or desires? Does your story connect to your fans on a personal or intimate level?
Are they supporting me? Do you have an audience that believes in you?
Will they help me achieve something new? Such as an increase in streams, follows, or purchases.
Is it creating curiosity? Do they want to know more about you?

Step 3: Combine To Create TikTok Captions

Now that you have your goal and narrative, you can combine the two to create a caption that points your audience in the direction of your campaign. When creating captions, ensure you save 2 days at the end for your release date and your dark date. When combining your goal with your narrative, you can set the prize for completing the goal as you wish. Some artists may say they won’t release any music unless they reach their goal. Others might say they’ll donate to a charity if they reach their goal. It all depends on the artist, but combining the two statements raises awareness and helps you achieve your goal much faster. Here’s an example using the goal from the previous example:

Achievable Goal: 1,000 pre-saves
Narrative: “Check out my latest single, inspired by the love I have for my grandmother”.
Time Limit: 14 days
Caption: “Check out my latest single, inspired by the love I have for my grandmother. 14 days until release date, pre-save link in bio! If I get 1,000 pre-saves I’ll donate 20% of my earnings to X charity”

Step 4: Launch

Launch day is here! This is where you see just how well your campaign did. You can sit back and watch the reviews trickle in, or you can remain active on social media throughout the day.

Step 5: Entertain and Repeat Message

This section is broken up into 2 parts: Instill emotion and drive your call to action (CTA). In order to instill emotion, you’ll want to continue to repeat your goal and CTA to your audience. This can be done through informing, connecting, and creating purpose in your content. Your fans will generate an initial curiosity and come back to re-view your content. You can drive your CTA by creating promotions around some of your content. Use direct CTA posts to drive your fans there. Provide a bit of scarcity in your videos. Don’t always give your fans what they want right away. Have them at the edge of their seats.

Want more tips and tricks on growing your social media content? Download the latest version of the Social Media Tuneup eBook. Order it today!