Artists are currently living in a very interesting time. Not only are they bombarded with an overflow of content and potential reach, but they’re also met with the pressure of trying to keep up with the demand of volume, (while also keeping up a level of creativity). We’re seeing this struggle for creators big and small. In an article by the Washington Post, Brandon Stosuy, a music manager and co-founder of Zone 6, discussed one of the main drivers of this pressure:

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“That’s the trend you see with major and independent labels over the years, where something works for one person so they want to re-create that success for another person. You can’t predict TikTok if something is going to go viral or not. It’s hard to re-create that.”

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It is hard to regularly come up with a plethora of creative ideas, and it’s even more difficult to predict vitality. But, there is a formulaic way to grow an audience without needing to rely on viral moments. Here’s a social media manager's artist survival guide to creating a schedule for yourself, staying organized, and growing your fanbase over time!

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Have a Consistent Idea

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One of the hardest things about posting content consistently is having ideas to fill up the days you want to post. We work with clients to find one consistent idea for their content to center around and then brainstorm ways to facilitate this idea on the app in engaging ways.

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For example, you can post you singing a verse/chorus, “duet” someone’s video with your song, and discuss how you wrote the song. There are many ideas you can use to center around one idea for content, you just have to be consistent with it! Consistency is key here.

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Set Aside Time Each Week to Film Content

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An issue we see many people running into in trying to stay consistent with their TikTok posting is actually taking the time to film videos. We all have lives outside of TikTok and it’s important to live them, so set aside one block of time every week to film your videos, instead of trying to film every single day. If you have an hour or two where you film a whole week’s worth of content, all you have to do is save those videos to your drafts and post them each day! The good thing about this too is that you can pre-plan all of your captions, hashtags, and use this time to find trends you want to participate in as well.

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Participate in Trends

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I know, this may seem like a no-brainer but it is still important to mention. Trends are the heartbeat of TikTok and are a great way to reach a new audience. Something important to note is that you of course do not have to participate in all trends; that would be impossible. And trends don’t need to be the bulk of your content, they are good to add to your posting one or two times a week.

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When looking at trends make sure you are focusing on the trends that you can tailor to your specific brand and voice and what you’re trying to present on the app. If you’re trying to bring awareness to your music on TikTok and find fans, you don’t necessarily want people to find you and decide to follow you based only on wanting funny content from you or interesting dances. People’s attention spans are fleeting, but they’ll stay around for content they want to see. Make sure this content reflects the brand you’re trying to grow!

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Utilize Music Videos and Visualizers

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You spend a lot of time planning and creating visual content like music videos and visualizers, so be sure to use them on TikTok! In between the videos you’re posting throughout the week, add snippets of music videos and visuals to the mix. Be sure to add text like lyrics and an intro hook to these videos to capture viewer’s attention too! Instead of just posting a snippet from the music video, add a 10-30 second talking clip discussing what the song is about and how the music video came to be (make sure to try and keep this as brief as possible).

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Be Yourself!

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Most importantly of all, be yourself! People on TikTok love to get to know YOU and your music. Try to keep your videos authentic to yourself and allow people on the app to learn more about you. This is what facilitates community. Happy creating!