If you’re an independent music artist seeking fame on TikTok, then you should read this article! We agree with
Business Insider’s position that TikTok is changing the music industry. Skim through the app, you’ll notice the presence of record labels, the biggest independent artists, and even music marketers.
More than
1.1 billion people use TikTok actively every month. This makes TikTok one of the most preferred social media by some of the biggest independent artists like Ananmay Sharan, Damoyee, Dev Lemons, etc., who make more than $200,000 from TikTok, the highest being
Michael Le, who earned more than $20 million in 2020.
TikTok is beyond being an entertainment platform, it’s a thriving business for anyone. It’s the home of not just the biggest independent artists, but every celebrity you can think of.
In this guide, we will be explaining how you can leverage TikTok to become one of the biggest independent artists.
Why You Should Use TikTok To Promote Yourself As An Independent Music Artist
TikTok has become the preferred Music Artist App that has brought several Independent music artists to stardom. A famous example is Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' used for memes; presently, it is one of the most-used songs for viral memes.
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TikTok is highly Interactive and easy to navigate
TikTok is one of the most interactive Music Artist apps where users can watch and make videos of their own. The app has a friendly user interface that makes usage and navigation easier for new users.
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Your content can go viral on TikTok
TikTok is where you can get the big break you need. It is programmed to show your video to a small user population and, subsequently, larger populations of TikTok users depending on the number of 'likes' your video gets. Therefore, you do not need a promoter to be famous.
How to get Famous on TikTok
1. Become a part of the TikTok community of users
If you want a ride to stardom, then get on the bandwagon of TikTok users. TikTok is available as a Music Artist App on Google PlayStore, and the Apple App store. After a successful download, you should sign up and become a TikTok user.
2. Get started with Content Creation.
Now that you're a part of the community of TikTok users, it's time to get started with uploading your content on TikTok. The tips below will guide you on how to get started on TikTok.
Accessories you need to get started as an independent Music Artist on TikTok; High-quality ring light, Phone tripod stand, Hands-free microphone, and a Premium video editing software
Tips on Getting started with content creation on TikTok
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Shoot your videos vertically
Since TikTok is a mobile app, you should film or edit your videos vertically. Most of the biggest independent artists on TikTok filmed their videos vertically; you should do the same too.
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Keep it real, short, and simple
TikTok users are attracted by short, simple, and authentic content; Therefore, your video length should be short, between 12- 30 seconds, simple, and real with no excessive editing, or expensive video production equipment.
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Produce Captivating content
Let your video be captivating enough to catch the attention of your would-be fans. Your outro should be memorable enough to make your audience want to watch your videos over and over again or use it to produce their content.
- Start a TikTok Challenge or a Trend
TikTok Challenge is a way you can show your creativity, get more fans, and connect with other users. Users on TikTok like what they can try out or copy; therefore, you can start a challenge or a trend interesting enough for others to participate in or copy. Popular challenges that have shot some of the biggest independent artists to stardom include 'Jimmy Fallon's #Tumbleweed challenge with over 38 million views and the
#Raindropchallenge, which had over a billion views in 2021. Therefore, starting a challenge can make you an overnight sensation on the famed TikTok Music Artist App. If you've uploaded music content used in popular trends or challenges, you should also join in such a trend or participate in the challenge to show support and solidarity towards fans using your content. A common example is Justin Bieber’s TikTok Video of 'Paradise,' which became famous and was used on other social media apps.
Creating Content for TikTok
‘Do you remember the cliché ‘Content is King?’ the same applies to TikTok. Your content is what holds your key to stardom; hence paying attention to the basics of content creation can help you create content that can go viral.
1. Be creative
If You want to capture the attention of TikTok users, you have to come up with exciting and original content without needing expensive equipment to showcase originality.
Independent Music Artists that have made it big on TikTok are original content creators; therefore, you should focus on creating unique content.
2. Show Consistency With Your Brand
Consistency is the key, so you must keep posting content on TikTok at least five times weekly. If you're so aggressive about posting content on TikTok, you shouldn’t exceed thrice daily content upload to prevent you from being banned by TikTok. You can take a hint from some of the biggest independent artists like
Young Thug, K Camp, Surfaces, Soulja Boy, etc., by spending some hours on weekends to produce content for the week that will be consistent with your niche and brand identity.
3. Set up a TikTok Pro account
Setting up a TikTok pro account is free and gives you access to professional features on the 'Music Artist App’ like TokTok Analytics. With TikTok Analytics, you can get valuable statistics that show when your followers are most active and how best they engage with your content. You can schedule your posts to coincide with your watchers' most active hours.
4. Never forget the 80/20 rule.
Your content should be between 12 to 30 seconds long; hence, you wouldn't want to spend the bulk of your time selling yourself on the Music Artist App. Instead, you should focus on producing captivating content like some Independent Music Artists who use the 80/20 rule to produce 80% compelling content and 20% marketing at the tail end of their post.
5. Follow the Trend
You’re a ‘would-be’ biggest independent artists clawing your way to stardom, so you should follow the trend of what works on TikTok to build your audience, without which you wouldn’t have followers for your trend. Everybody follows the trend; you should do so too; even the Biggest Music Artists do; it's a great way of getting ideas for your next video production.
Tips and Tricks to Market Yourself on TikTok
- Choose a video style and niche that bests markets your identity; techniques used by the biggest independent artists include: filming, talking about favorite apps, tips and success strategies that have worked for you, doing a duet and much more.
- Create unique dance moves and invite watchers to try your new dance moves.
- Invite watchers to a parody challenge to create fantastic video versions of your music. This can boost your popularity when their followers listen to your music.
- Invite your watchers to create a duet where they get to sing side-by-side with you by tapping on the 'Share' button and selecting the 'Duet' option.
- Add hashtags to your video before uploading it to help TikTok users discover you. If you're taking part in a challenge, you should add the corresponding hashtag. Popular hashtags you can add to help users find you include: #artchallenge, #artistsoftiktok, #arttiktok, #digitalart, etc.
- Use your sound and music. Using popular sound or theme for your content can increase your views on the Music Artist App and get you noticed. However, when you use your sound, others might want to use it too, thus giving you more credit.
- Add your website, Spotify, or a social media link to your profile bio to lead users to where they can buy your art and also boost your popularity on other social media handles.
- Interact with other TikTok users by making interesting comments or liking their posts. Doing so can grow your followership and increase your popularity by leading viewers to check out your profile.
- Use TikTok influencers to promote your content on TikTok.
- Don’t forget to follow TikTok rules to prevent TikTok from banning you. You should avoid posting harmful and offensive content, spamming, using banned hashtags, deleting multiple contents at once, and using copyrighted materials.
Final Thoughts
TikTok is unique for its higher population of young users, who comprise more than
65% of its users. It is a social media platform that has caught the attention of music industries, businesses, corporations, etc., and has brought many artists to fame.
Joining the TikTok community as an independent music artist can also bring you to the limelight by following the steps outlined in this guide to add your creativity to the TikTok pool like other big independent artists.
