TikTok is one of the most powerful tools for music promotion and discovery today. Whether you’re just starting out or already a few releases in, leveraging TikTok can help you grow your audience, build your brand, and increase streaming numbers. We can imagine that starting out or managing a few platforms at once can be overwhelming and intimidating, so we are here to help!
To grow your audience and promote your own music, we recommend starting with a personal or creator account, not a business account.
Why?
- Business accounts can’t use the full TikTok sound library.
- Your distributed music (via Make Waves or any other distributor) is available in TikTok’s main library, not in the Commercial Music Library (CML).
- Creator/personal accounts can access Promote tools, letting you boost posts without needing a Business account.
Note: If you switch to a Business account, you’ll only be allowed to use royalty-free music from TikTok’s CML, not your own tracks. That is unless you manually upload them without sound attribution.
Your TikTok profile is your first impression — make it count.
Make sure to:
- Use a clear, high-quality profile picture (a press-style shot or something visually striking).
- Write a concise, compelling bio, mention your genre, latest release, or a personal hook.
- Link your music (use the link-in-bio feature to direct to streaming platforms or Linktree).
- Pin top-performing videos or the ones featuring your music.
Before you start creating content, make sure your music is accessible in the TikTok Sounds library. This is also possible before release date. Read more about how to do this here.
If you're distributing with Make Waves:
- Confirm that TikTok is selected as a delivery platform in the Release Editor.
- Wait for it to go live.
Tip: To make sure your business runs smoothly, we also recommend verifying your account as soon as possible. For information on how to make your account verified, refer to this Make Waves guide!
TikTok rewards consistency and authenticity. Don’t stress about going viral immediately. The key is repetition, relatability, and storytelling. Remember that people connect with emotions, vulnerability, humor, and realness more than polished perfect images. Align your choice of aesthetic and communication style with your music and the audience you want to attract.
Types of videos to try:
- Behind the scenes: Songwriting, production, or daily artist life.
- Song stories: Share the emotional backstory or inspiration behind a track.
- Performance-style: Lip-sync, sing live, or play the instrumental part.
- Visual loops: Create aesthetically satisfying video loops with your track.
Tip: Don’t delete videos that “flop” — some TikTok's blow up days or weeks later.
For your track to gain momentum, your video should use your own song as the official sound.
Best practices:
- Post videos directly using your song from the TikTok sound library.
- Choose the most catchy or relatable 15 seconds as the featured moment.
- Repeat that moment across several posts; create variations to help it catch.
- Use on-screen text, a storytelling caption, or a question to hook viewers.
Tip: Use the "CapCut + TikTok" combo to edit dynamic videos and overlay your sound.
Trends give your content a chance to be discovered by new users, but don’t follow blindly.
To use trends effectively:
- Browse the Discover or For You page to spot rising trends.
- Only join in if the trend fits your vibe, lyrics, or personality.
- Add your own twist or humor to stand out from the crowd.
- Combine your track with trending sounds through storytelling or visual juxtapositions.
- Consult TikTok Creative Center for free platform analytics of the latest top performers. There you can find the most popular Hashtags, Songs, Creators and Videos. You can access Keyword- and Creative Insights, as well as creative tools. Just explore and see what resonates with you!
Pro tip: Instead of chasing trends, become a micro-trend. Do one type of content repeatedly until people associate that format with you.
When others use your sound, it signals the algorithm to amplify it.
Ways to encourage UGC:
- Ask a question or start a challenge that invites responses using your sound.
- Post a call-to-action in your caption (e.g. “show us your version,” “duet this!”).
- Duet and stitch fans' videos — this makes them feel valued and builds a community.
Tip: Offer a story that others can step into, e.g., “Use this song to soundtrack your hottest take” etc.
TikTok scroll behavior is brutal. You have a 3-second window to catch attention.
Hooks to try:
- Start mid-sentence: "And then I realized..."
- Use bold text: "POV: You just broke up and this song hits way too hard"
- Ask a question: "Ever been in love with someone who didn’t love you back?"
Bonus: Use facial expressions, props, or cuts right at the start to disrupt the scroll.
Check your analytics under Creator Tools > Analytics to see which videos are driving the most plays or profile visits, what time of day your followers are online, how your sound is being used etc.
Once you spot a pattern — a video format, caption style, or sound snippet that’s resonating — do it again, with a slight twist.
Tip: It’s okay to reuse ideas that work. TikTok favors repeatable formats.
Source: Introducing TikTok analytics by TikTok Creator Academy
- Cross-post to Reels and Shorts: Reuse your TikTok content for Instagram and YouTube.
- Respond to every comment: Boosts engagement and encourages more comments.
- Batch content: Film multiple videos in one sitting to stay consistent.
- Be patient: Growth can take time. Your 30th video might be the one that hits.
Growing on TikTok takes patience, creativity, and experimentation. Start small, be consistent, and make content that feels fun and true to you.
Don’t overthink it — some of the most viral videos were filmed in one take. The most important thing is showing up, letting your music speak, and inviting people into your world!
Good luck on your journey! :)