So I went viral on TikTok over the weekend. I know you’re probably tired of me writing about TikTok, but going up 900 followers over the course of a weekend ain’t nothing to sneeze at. So I wanted to break down for you some of how I did that and what I learned in the process.
Ultimately – from what I can tell a lot of TikTok success is making content that reflects your brand but makes sense with the trends. You also want to make a point of doubling down on and repeating content that worked before. Finally – understanding the right times to post is super important and you don’t want to screw that up.
Understanding The Trends
So I know a lot of people seem to think that doing stuff according to the trends is just conformity. But it isn’t. TikTok is simply picking up super fast on what’s fun in the culture and then serving it to people. This is how it’s always been – think about how many bands have gone viral because they caught up on the right trend at the right time?
To find the trends on TikTok you need to go under the discover page. From there I sit down and try to identify which trends I can do easily. Then I adapt them for me. So for instance to go viral I did a video with the #nonuancenovember trend since it was just hot takes about your field of expertise. When I dropped mine,people loved them and I got viral traction!
Double Down On What Works
Once I saw my first #nonuancenovember video was working, I immediately made a second in the exact same style, using the same hashtag. Again – if something works once, you should just keep doing it until it stops working. I know that sounds dumb but it works – look at how many famous musicians just have one really good schtick and then keep doing it?
You want to identify what content has worked for you on TikTok and then grind it out again and again with variations each time. It’s the same thing on other social media by the way. If a post you made did good, if you just replicate that post, odds are people will connect. Not everyone sees all your posts!
Posting At The Right Time
You also want to make sure you are hitting the right time with TikTok. TikTok really judges your content based on the reaction of people in your immediate area. What this means is you need to be posting at appropriate times so people are actually looking at TikTok and your clip can go viral.
The best times to post are typically viewed as: 6 am to 7 am, and 7 pm to 11 pm. While the days with the highest engagement are Tuesday by 9 am, Thursday by 12 pm, and Friday by 5 am. You want to take advantage of this if you want to grow on the platform.
I know that there was a lot we just went over in this article, but it’s important as TikTok is increasingly basically taking over the world. Figure out the platform NOW because this is how you are going to be able to keep eyes on your band while the pandemic rages on!
MATT BACON
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Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from Glam Rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard, to post Black Metal titans Alcest, by way of legendary thrashers Exhorder as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music, he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as ‘a hobby that got out of hand’. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
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