4 critical strategies to make your brand show up on TikTok

by Georgia Roberts, head of partnerships at Songtradr

With over a billion active users, TikTok is more than just a hub for entertainment; it's a digital universe that has completely transformed the way we interact online. For brands seeking to tap into the elusive Gen Z and Millennial market, TikTok presents a golden opportunity. However, there are also unique challenges that make standing out on the platform daunting if you don’t know how to approach TikTok correctly. Creating compelling content is a start, but it takes more than that to capture the attention of TikTok's savvy users.

TikTok culture is a powerful force, and to truly succeed, brands must learn to embrace it. At the core of this culture is music, which serves as a cultural currency and the key to unlocking user-generated content (UGC) and interaction at scale. But navigating the legal and creative challenges of music use on TikTok can be tricky without the right knowledge and advice. Here we unlock four critical music strategies that will help your brand rise above the noise and dominate on TikTok.

1. Listen to the music your audience associates with your brand on TikTok

When it comes to creating TikTok content, choosing the perfect song is everything. But have you ever wondered why certain creators pair specific songs with certain brands?

The psychology behind this phenomenon remains largely unexplored. However, look closely, and you will see that there are often commonalities in the music creators selected for each brand. This suggests that creators are not only shaping the way a brand sounds but also impacting how it is perceived by the audience.

Once a sound becomes associated with a brand, other creators often follow the trend, further amplifying the connection. A prime example is the 100K+ videos featuring Nike products and Kanye West's song, 'Father Stretch My Hands Pt.1'.

By listening to the music your audience already associates with your brand on TikTok, you can use this knowledge to guide your music choices and create a more authentic and relatable brand image that resonates natively with your TikTok audience.

2. Initiate creator engagement

To truly thrive on TikTok, brands must go beyond creating great content and actively engage with their audience. The engagement rate of creators can make or break a brand's campaign, so it's crucial to prioritize this aspect – it can be the key to going viral on the platform.

But why do we care about UGC so much? A 2021 study found that 93% of consumers agree that UGC is more trustworthy than brand content. Furthermore, campaigns using UGC have a 50% uplift in engagement.

To maximize creator engagement, work with influencers or artists who align with your brand's values and target audience. Integrate hashtag challenges into your strategy that will inspire their followers to create videos using your brand's music or content, and watch the magic happen.

Take a cue from Rimmel's Kind&Free Challenge campaign, where @makeupbytammi challenged her community to show how they embody kindness and freedom while lip-syncing to a custom composition by Charlotte Devaney.

The branded song (with the lyrics "Kind & Free") and the creative concept allowed the brand's values to seamlessly flow through the UGC, organically amplifying the brand's personality and resulting in an incredible 6.4 billion views for the campaign hashtag.

3. Explore creative re-records and remixes

TikTokers love hearing classic songs reimagined in fresh and exciting ways. The sped-up sound trend (the tempo increase of well-known songs) is a testament to this. Utilizing re-recorded or remixed tracks can be a cost-effective alternative to licensing commercial music, making them a compelling strategy for brands looking to make an impact on TikTok.

A great example is the "ChaCha Routine" remix, which took DJ Casper's popular Cha Cha dance song, a viral trend on TikTok in 2022, and transformed it into a captivating skincare routine for L'Oréal's new vitamin C and hyaluronic acid serums.

To achieve this, the brand collaborated with DJ Casper and Songtradr’s music agency Big Sync Music to rewrite the lyrics in a catchy, creative way. Within just two months of launching the campaign, creators had made 116 UGC videos, amassing an impressive total of 4.1 billion views.

This success can be attributed to the irresistible combination of a beloved tune with a fun twist, paired with a popular and relevant skincare routine. By reimagining existing tracks and infusing them with a new purpose or context, brands can tap into the nostalgia and familiarity that TikTok users already love, but in a fresh and captivating way that enhances brand recognition.

4. Leverage viral sounds

The allure of incorporating viral sounds into your TikTok content lies in its inherent ability to generate views and impressions. By leveraging popular sounds already circulating on the platform, you increase the likelihood of your video being discovered and shared by a wider audience. With just a simple integration, you can unlock a treasure trove of likes and engagement and gain a significant advantage in terms of exposure and reach.

Moreover, trending sounds are native to TikTok and when brands use them, they automatically familiarize themselves to the global TikTok community.

Navigating the realm of trending sounds is not without its challenges, however. As viral sounds can rise and fall quickly in popularity, failing to catch onto a trend at the right moment can result in your content appearing outdated and unoriginal, leading to a decline in relevance and diminished audience engagement. Complexities around cost and copyright also present significant obstacles.

To safeguard against these challenges, engaging a creative music agency becomes essential for a successful TikTok strategy. The agency will help you negotiate costs, build a music strategy and make you aware of any licensing requirements. Some sounds may be available for free use in TikTok’s Commercial Music Library, while others may involve licensing agreements or fees.

It is essential to understand the legal implications and copyright restrictions associated with using specific sounds to avoid potential legal issues. Just because a song is trending, it does not make it fair game for brands to use without first gaining proper permissions.

Sound and music are the beating heart that drives content creation, serving as the cultural currency to this vibrant platform. To truly succeed, brands need to embrace this. By adopting an audio-led approach, your brand will not only connect with the essence of TikTok culture but also become an integral part of it, enabling you to share your unique melodies and personality with the world. So go-on: be brave, have fun, and enjoy the results this audio-led platform can deliver.