TikTok has become a major force in music marketing, helping to propel videos (and artists) into the spotlight. Much of its success is due to its algorithm, which is helping independent artists everywhere get seen and heard more than ever. Read on to find out how the TikTok algorithm works and how it can benefit you as an independent artist.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a video-sharing app that lets users create and share 15 second videos on any topic. When you open the app, you’re greeted with a flood of videos on every topic under the sun - but how do they choose which ones to show? Like some other social apps, it uses an algorithm to prioritize content to show you what’s most popular at the moment based on trends.

Get Your Music on TikTok

How The TikTok Algorithm Works

Here’s how the TikTok algorithm works:

• TikTok starts off by showing your video to a small group of users sandwiched between two more popular videos to keep users interested.
• Then, the algorithm scores the content based on the number of likes, comments, and plays, as well as how much of the video was watched on average.
• One like for every ten views seems to be enough to trigger the algorithm to share your content to a greater number of views.
• Other factors like sounds in the video, hashtags, captions, and even the video’s language can also impact how it is shared.

The main takeaway is that the more people who view and interact with your content, the more the algorithm will share it with new viewers. Also, the more your content matches with a user’s profile and likes, the more likely it is to show up in their personalized “For You” feed (like if they’re in your country or often use the same tags). With over a billion users, the possibilities for reaching new listeners are endless.

How to Get Your Content Shared on TikTok

Getting your music on TikTok is easy, especially if you use a distributor like MusicDigi. Once you’ve got music on TikTok, you can start sharing it. Try these methods for getting your music out to more people on TikTok by taking advantage of how its algorithm works:

• Tag your posts with consistent and relevant tags.
• Write captions that are relevant to your video and contain keywords Keep your audience and their interests in mind.
• Make the first 5 seconds of your content as exciting as possible to keep viewers interested.
• Make promoting your music on TikTok an important part of your overall release strategy.

How TikTok’s Algorithm Benefits Musicians

Sure, it’s another social media platform to manage, but the benefits of getting your music on one of the biggest platforms in the world greatly outweigh any extra effort necessary. It’s currently the most likely place for a video to go viral (thanks to it’s algorithm!), which can provide some very helpful promotion if you’re an artist looking to grow your fanbase.

Ready to release music and get paid? Sign up to MusicDigi to upload your music to all major stores.