The music industry has witnessed significant changes in how musicians promote songs in recent years. Today, if you ask any music artist how to make your song go viral, they suggest sharing your music on TikTok since the platform provides excellent exposure.
But the question is, how do you get more TikTok video views? While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, specific strategies can help you attract other users to your new TikTok account and increase your video views.
In this article, you will discover why TikTok is essential for the music industry and learn ways to boost your own music videos to increase your songs’ reach.
You’ll also learn more about SoundCampaign, a TikTok music promotion platform connecting indie artists with content creators, helping them gain exposure and reach new audiences.
Let’s get started.
Brief Overview of TikTok’s Impact on the Music Industry
Image source: TikTok Newsroom
TikTok has become the go-to platform for music promotion, transforming the music industry for labels and artists. Many famous musicians like Olivia Rodrigo and Shakira use it to share new music and interact with fans.
The key to success lies in the TikTok algorithm, which favors engaging and shareable content. Artists create short videos featuring their music, usually dancing and encouraging fans to do the same.
TikTok also connects artists with viral content creators, allowing them to team up and reach new audiences. This strategy has proven successful for many artists promoting their music on TikTok, including their classic hits.
For example, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s song “Murder on the Dancefloor” went viral on the platform in January 2023, taking its place amongst TikTok trends.
Recent TikTok reports show that the app fuels music discovery. US users are twice as likely to find and share music on TikTok, and they also spend more money on music streaming services such as Apple music.
These findings indicate that independent artists should invest in promoting their music on TikTok. Nowadays, real people dancing to your music attract the most attention.
The Importance of TikTok Views for Music Artists
Getting more TikTok video views can change your life overnight. Despite it being younger than some other social media platforms, TikTok has launched musicians such as Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Nas X into stardom thanks to various trends.
Receiving views on their viral videos from other TikTok users made it possible. TikTok views are necessary because of:
- Viral potential: Many views can help your music go viral on TikTok as the algorithm promotes engaging content.
- Exposure to a new audience: TikTok has over a billion users worldwide, so accessing a huge audience is now possible, especially for those who have yet to discover your music.
- Increased streams: TikTok users are active consumers who spend money on streaming services. Thus, increasing TikTok views can improve Spotify streams.
- Fanbase engagement: The TikTok app lets you interact with your target audience in real time. You can encourage greater participation from your audience, who may engage with your content using the Stitch feature.
TikTok is a powerful marketing tool for artists. One viral video can turn you into a star and expose your music globally.
If you’re already using TikTok and not getting any results, let’s see what might be causing that issue.
Reasons You’re Not Getting Views on Tiktok Music Videos
Don’t lose hope if your music on TikTok isn’t getting enough social media engagement. TikTok is highly competitive, and you must experiment with different strategies before seeing an increase in video views.
Here are some of the reasons why you’re not getting TikTok views:
- Poor video quality: Audience might like your audio clip but not the video itself. If the video is of poor quality, users will likely scroll past it.
- Missing out on TikTok trends: Unlike other platforms, the TikTok audience gets hyped on what’s trending and what’s viral. If you want your music videos to get attention, use trending TikTok’s music content from other artists.
- Ignoring keywords and hashtags: Don’t forget to include relevant keywords and hashtags in your TikTok video descriptions to increase visibility in search results and the “For You” page.
- Bad posting schedule: Musicians often post videos at random times. Establishing a regular posting schedule to target the audience during their most active hours on the platform is crucial.
- No influencer collaboration: If you’re wondering how to promote music on TikTok, team up with influencers. Content creators with existing audiences can draw attention to your account and music.
Finding the best approach for TikTok takes time. You should experiment as much as possible and learn from your mistakes. Analyze the videos that didn’t receive many views and determine the issues.
Use your findings to adapt and improve the next TikTok video.
Best Tips to Boost Your TikTok Video Views
Image source: Unsplash
The popularity of music on TikTok is heavily influenced by the view count. To assist you in improving this metric, we have compiled a list of 20 tips you can implement today.
Optimize your video length for maximum engagement
Users prefer shorter videos. Keep your music video content under 30 seconds to maximize engagement and increase views. Try to incorporate the most captivating parts of your song in the initial seconds of the video to grab viewers’ attention.
Infuse originality in your music clips
To go viral on TikTok, be creative and original. Brainstorm unique concepts, add a personal touch, use creative visuals, and showcase your talent. You will stand out and attract the target audience by delivering something innovative.
For example, Tinashe became a #1 trend in the UK by inviting users to match her freak with her song Nasty. Over 5 million fan videos used this song.
Use high-quality sound recordings
When adding music to your TikTok video, use professional audio equipment to ensure clear sound. If you don’t have fancy tech for professional recording, just make sure your music sounds clear without much background noise.
Network with influencers for increased visibility
Collaborating with influencers on TikTok can immensely help you expand your reach to a broader audience. It should be an essential part of your content strategy.
You can ask them to create dance videos or a TikTok challenge around your music. Moreover, ask them to tag you in their videos, which makes it easier for their audience to discover your profile.
Enhance your TikTok video quality and aesthetics
Social media users want high-quality content. It’s essential to meet their expectations.
Make sure your TikTok videos include:
- Good lighting
- Excellent sound quality
- Fun filters (there are many on the platform)
- Strong colors
The algorithm favors high-quality videos. Refrain from posting unedited content, as this will result in lower views.
Launch TikTok campaigns with SoundCampaign
You might wonder how to get your music on TikTok, reach influencers and convert TikTok views to Spotify streams. All of this can be challenging to do alone, but luckily, there is a music promotion service that can do all the work for you.
We’re talking about SoundCampaign.
What is SoundCampaign?
SoundCampaign is a music promotion platform for independent artists. It connects them with relevant Spotify playlist curators and content creators to help them grow the popularity of their tracks and increase their fanbase.
SoundCampaign maintains a network of over 5,700 verified TikTok content creators to help you enhance your music promotion efforts. These people are ready to hear your music, provide honest feedback and include your track in their videos, helping you gain more exposure.
Besides TikTok, SoundCampaign also provides Spotify promotion services. The platform collaborates with over 1,000 manually approved playlist curators who manage over 11,000 authentic playlists across 1,200 genres.
You can use the platform to create a TikTok campaign that matches your music with these influencers based on genre, language, and budget.
Create your first campaign now.
How to create a TikTok campaign with SoundCampaign
You can create a TikTok campaign in a few simple steps.
Click to create your campaign here and then choose “TikTok” campaign. Add your track to SoundCampaign. If your song is approved, you will receive an email and can proceed to the next step.
Submit song details like genres and languages.
Set the campaign budget to see how many potential videos content creators can make with your song.
Leave comments for content creators and specify your expectations so they can create content that aligns with your ideas.
Click continue and select the payment method. We accept PayPal, credit and debit cards.
That’s it! SoundCampaign ensures you receive timely notifications on your campaign’s status.
Get your song in TikTok influencer videos.
Why launch TikTok campaigns with SoundCampaign
You might wonder why you should use SoundCampaign instead of promoting your music alone. Here are clear reasons:
- Manual moderation of TikTok content creators: SoundCampaign ensures TikTok content creators have real followers and engagement.
- Straightforward campaign setup process: Thanks to the intuitive interface, you can set up a TikTok campaign in minutes.
- Live support: Customer support is available 24/7 to resolve issues and answer your questions. SoundCampaign has a 4.3 rating on Trustpilot, with many customers praising its personalized support.
- Affordable pricing: On average, you pay $200 per TikTok campaign, making SoundCampaign a cost-effective solution.
- Artist protection program: You will receive a credit if you don’t like the video you got, so you can spend your credit on other content creators.
Craft loops and beats for TikTok challenges
To engage with users on TikTok, participate in challenges and create unique loops and beats. Research current trends and make sure your loops have catchy melodies and hooks. Keep in mind that TikTok videos are short, so prioritize the most memorable parts of your loop.
For example, Jawsh 685’s instrumental track “Laxed (Siren Beat)” became the essence of one of TikTok’s most viral trends, the “Culture Dance” challenge.
The success of “Laxed (Siren Beat)” was largely due to its infectious, upbeat rhythm, crafted perfectly to loop. This looping quality made it ideal for TikTok’s short video format.
@jazlynebaybee got 8.5 million likes on this dance video with Jawsh 685’s song using choreography and transition effects to attract new viewers:
@jazlynebaybee
Craft compelling captions
TikTok allows long captions with over 2,000 characters. Use storytelling to engage viewers and motivate them to comment. Also, include keywords and hashtags to rank videos higher in search results. Create compelling captions to pitch your video to the audience.
Here are some examples you can use to get inspired:
#1 The story of the song
Gracie Abrams (@tehegracietehe) lets her top fans hear a heartwarming story about how a song was created and its journey. Her pure, honest, open insight into her deepest emotions keeps her fans close to her.
#2 The caption about a caption
Raye (@raye) shared how her video caption Whoever said Jazz is dead came up on the video. She gave a memorable story about the caption itself while sharing her gratitude to the spontaneous caption-writer from the plane.
Establish branded hashtags for your content
Promoting music with your own video is only half of the puzzle. To get viral success, TikTok creators inspire wider audience to use their music to creatively express themselves.
User generated content with branded hashtag of your song or a challenge can help new music fans find you easily.
Over time, your branded hashtag will become synonymous with your music.
Use Duets and Features
A practical way to produce content is to duet or feature an existing video. Search for popular videos to use their success and enhance your views. These two features let you merge another user’s video with your own. You can sing along to your favorite song, dance, or create a humorous conversation.
Before her rise to fame, Zoe Wees encouraged users to duet her acoustic versions of the song “Control”, leading to a wave of emotional and powerful duets from TikTok creators. These duets showcased her raw talent and resonated with people who connected deeply with the song’s theme about overcoming struggles with mental health.
@emily.singer70
Develop themed content series for consistency
TikTok offers the option to center your content around a specific theme. You can create a series of related content and post each part under the same tab.
It makes it easy for users to watch the entire series and boost your views.
By creating a themed content series, you can establish a branded identity on TikTok, and people interested in your genre will easily find you online.
A good example is JVKE and his “How I Made” series, that explains the music creation process in detail .
Share TikTok-exclusive snippets
Create short snippets of your TikTok-exclusive content. Then, share these snippets across social media platforms to increase video views. Other social media platform such as Instagram, Facebook, or X will motivate a specific audience to watch the full video on TikTok.
Showcase live performance clips
Avoid relying solely on pre-recorded music when using TikTok. Instead, consider showcasing your talent by going live. TikTok users appreciate authentic content, and there’s nothing more genuine than an artist singing live for their audience.
A great example is Sam Ryder with millions of views on his live videos, creating content while streaming his raw, energetic voice.
Offer acoustic versions of popular tracks
Create acoustic versions of TikTok’s most popular tracks to leverage their virality. Look for tracks of various genres and moods to appeal to different audiences on the platform.
This is how some of the emerging artists gained their million-views with their own unique twist:
- Boyce Avenue – “Shape of You” (Ed Sheeran acoustic cover)
- Clinton Kane – “Fix It to Break It” (acoustic)
- Lennon Stella – “Stan” (Eminem acoustic cover)
Create multiple interpretations and decide when to post them. Ensure you leave sufficient time between the videos to give users enough time to discover the previous ones.
Exploit Stitch and Reply features for interaction
The Stitch and Reply features are essential for improving TikTok’s interaction. It is vital to use them to engage with your fans effectively.
A stitch allows you to take a part of an existing video and follow it with your own. You can use it to provide context or add commentary to someone else’s content.
If a fan comments on your video, you can reply with a TikTok video. This way, you can link the new video to the old one, giving people more chances to discover your content.
Create a compelling narrative in your videos
One effective strategy for increasing the number of views on your TikTok videos is to tell engaging stories. Even with short videos, you can grab your audience’s attention by weaving a compelling narrative.
For instance, you can narrate a short story with an unexpected twist. The story can be about an experience you had while performing or interacting with your fans.
Cian Ducroit created a series of TikTok shorts around the story of his song “I’ll be waiting”. Using his trending audio, he built up on the original video by posting clips from different places and situations where a person can be waiting (in a bus, a mall, a post office, etc).
In some of the videos he was joined by other musicians, cross-promoting with their channels.
Connect your music to personal stories
Every day, TikTok users upload an endless stream of videos. To promote your music, you can browse through the most popular videos and try to find a way to connect your music to them.
For instance, if someone posts a short video of their wedding and you have a tune that would fit such an occasion, you can stitch it together with their video.
This will allow you to capitalize on the popularity of their video and increase your own views.
Target specific TikTok communities
Identify your target audience on this social media platform. In your case, that could be a community of people who love to listen to a specific genre of music.
Once you have found the most popular accounts in that community, you should analyze them.
It will help you determine which topics, hashtags, and formats are popular in the community. You can use this information to create content that appeals to and inspires your audience.
Use TikTok’s in-app effects creatively
TikTok offers a range of visual effects that can enhance your videos. You can use text overlays to highlight important aspects of your content. Additionally, you can leverage filters to make your videos more visually appealing.
Here are some TikTok in-app effects you can use creatively:
- Green Screen: Replace your background with scenery from where your song takes place to perfect vivid storytelling.
- Text Overlays: Add song captions or lyrics overlays to help new listeners understand what your track is about.
- Slow Motion: Highlight moments by slowing down the action to draw attention. Highlight the catchy lyrics and keep the audience actively involved.
- Reverse: Play your video backward when it makes sense – in a song about the time passing by or when bringing back childhood memories.
Split Screen: Show multiple perspectives or actions simultaneously for a more engaging experience. This effect can help you showcase your ambiance when playing an instrument and singing simultaneously – all with minimal effort.
Analyze peak times for your audience
Timing is vital to increase TikTok video views and release trending music. That’s why you should analyze peak times for your audience. Use TikTok analytics to discover when they are the most active to increase engagement.
Conclusion on How to Increase TikTok Music Video Views
Increasing the number of views and launching your music to the stars on TikTok videos requires much effort.
You must analyze trending content, engage with potential fans, and post consistently. Additionally, you will have to interact with influencers who have the power to boost your views.
If this seems like too much work, you can try using SoundCampaign, a music promotion service that can help you improve your music career.
SoundCampaign pitches your songs to content creators, ensures your music reaches real listeners, provides cost-effective solutions with personalized support, and has an Artist Protection Program in place.
Get your music viral on TikTok videos.
