Key concepts:
What is TikTok and how does it function
8 tips to monetize your musical content on TikTok
TikTok is a social media platform that has as contents only videos, with the particularity that you can be shown to others without them being your subscribers (yet), but based on the tastes and recommendation the platform’s algorithm has. This is the platform where your content can be easily viralised.
So how to monetize your musical content on TikTok? Let’s see some tips:
Promoting songs - no video on this platform is without sound so as many videos there are with the same musical background, as more users will find it and listen to it fully. Create therefore various video versions of your songs to get viralised.
Promote other businesses - by establishing partnerships with different companies, you can place their products in your videos or talk about them, use them, present them somehow.
Live sessions - if you have 1.000 subscribers to your channel, you can monetize the live streaming sessions you have. Not only that you promote your contents, but you can also receive additional money for your products or others’. Answer your followers’ questions and interact with them. You can also receive donations through the stickers and diamond options of the platform.
Collaborations - make videos or music in collaborations with other artists with similar numbers of subscribers, so you can support each other. Tag them in the final content and promote both your contents for a greater reach and monetization.
Affiliation - you could use the Click Per Action networks to include promotions in your contents. We recommend here though to use affiliations to products connected to music (music instruments, equipment, studios etc), not just any random ones.
Use the #Challenge - search for the challenges big brands launch and if you find any suitable for your business, you can participate in it and get to be eventually paid.
Create tutorials of how-to - spread your knowledge with the rest and promote yourself as an expert in the field. It may not bring you direct monetization, but redirecting the people towards your services might.
Do covers, duets, video reactions to other videos - if you are in the beginning of your career, you can do covers of famous songs to attract viewers. This one as well will not bring you direct monetization but will allow you to grow further and obtain it further on.
Other tricks to increase your TikTok account are:
Know your trends and public you want to address;
Study your competition to see what works and is catchy to the public; adopt only if it’s in your style;
Decide on your style and public you want to reach and stick to it;
Be seen by being different than others;
Post at the right times, when your audience is present and scrolling through the platform;
Post constantly and frequently;
Improve your digital and video skills for an increase of quality in your productions;
Collaborate with others to support each other's' growth;
Use and give answer to challenges;
Use hashtags;
Interact with your followers and commenters;
Be careful with what’s allowed and what’s not on the platform (policies of contents);
Use the statistics and data analytics to evaluate each post and see what’s functioning.
TikTok is a tricky platform as you can easily derive from your initial purpose to following trends. Stick to your true purpose and don’t let yourself be influenced by trends, if it’s not in the vision and direction of your musical career.