TikTok made me do it – or how to plan content for TikTok with audio first?

‍At the end of 2022, we wrote about the copyright of audio in commercial and branded content created on TikTok. We wondered how even marketing professionals often seem to forget these rights when getting excited about creating native content for the channel and thinking about its effectiveness with the target audience.

‍How can a brand then practically create short video content that not only respects copyright but is also creative? Troot's creative Erik Rauhala provides guidance to get you started, read Erik's tips below. ‍

Use TikTok's own music library designed for brands or TikTok's own audio features

→ Audio is an extremely important feature on TikTok. Start creative planning by familiarizing yourself with TikTok's own audio features. Design audio first → create your own trends 

→ Check out TikTok's commercial audio bank. If a trending trend is based on a certain style of music, you might find similar music clips designed for commercial use in the bank

→ Commercial audio tracks don't necessarily have to be any less interesting – the library simply naturally doesn't contain hit songs 

Don't underestimate speech – spoken content and voice over work well in content

→ Could voice over include native channel expressions ("xx made me do it") → this way you show that you speak TikTok natively

→ Become part of the culture, don't just upload content created on other channels to the channel as-is

→ Here's a good example of clearly TikTok-made, effective content

Participate in trends where commercial music isn't the main focus or create trends yourself

→ There are MANY trends on TikTok and the algorithm does its job for every piece of content proposed to you. Do you see content about relationships, horoscopes, customer service, new ice cream flavors, or outfit combinations? All thanks to the algorithm! 

→ You need to have your finger on the pulse of TikTok, don't participate in old trends! It's important to act reactively and produce timely content instead of polished generic beautiful content

→ Would similar style music achieve the same thing? Is it necessary to have that exact hit song if the video otherwise follows the trend? 

Make your own music and upload it to TikTok 

→ Create TikTok versions of your brand's own jingle as background for different planned content types. Recognizable soundscape! 

Are you looking for a creative partner for TikTok? Contact our team at https://www.troot.fi/yhteys