An Artist’s Guide to Posting on TikTok
It’s the app on everyone’s lips! Seemingly springing up out of nowhere, TikTok is a short form video sharing platform that has quickly risen to become one of the most used social media platforms of the last couple of years. So as an artist how do you jump on board and make the most of it?
Read on for our 5 top tips for building your TikTok account.
1. Keep Your Content Short, Snappy and Engaging
Tiktok gives you the ability to post videos up to 3 minutes long – however most videos on the platform are between 10 and 60 seconds. What’s most important is capturing attention in the first 3 seconds. You can do this in a few ways:
- Plan your shot and open with the most interesting visual.
- Get straight to the purpose of your video – no need to waste time introducing everything
- Make use of TikTok graphics and text to quickly identify the video’s purpose
- Use filters and effects to catch the eye
Bluethumb artist Andria Beighton has a following of over 13k on TikTok. We asked her about her experience on TikTok: “Initially I tried a few different styles of videos and paid attention to which ones people interacted with most. My TikToks are mainly tape peels and close up painting videos which people seem to love! This works for me as I’m an introvert and don’t really enjoy being in front of the camera but I see other artists having huge success with a variety of different approaches. Being authentic and doing what feels natural for you really shows!”
@andriabeightonWhat is it?🤔 ##tiktokart ##tiktokartist ##artsy ##oddlysatisfying ##peel ##artist ##peelvideo ##tapepeel ##tapeart ##fyp♬ I’m a Believer (2006 Remaster) – The Monkees
Her advice for those keen to get into the short form video game is to simply “have fun with it! Spend some time exploring the app first, then play around with different types of videos, trends and hashtags. Once you’ve figured out your direction, try to keep your style consistent and post regularly to keep engagement up. The fun thing about TikTok is that you never know whose ‘for you’ page you will show up on or which TikToks will go viral.”
2. Be Yourself
As Andria mentioned above, TikTok viewers respond best to your authentic self. So if you’re comfortable and enjoying what you’re doing – they will be too! Andria’s workaround for her camera-shy nature is perfect for her, as well as the quirky songs she picks for her videos. But if you come alive when a camera is on you, then why not experiment with face to camera videos, humour and more!
Independent Aboriginal artist Karen Lee Mungarrja struck gold with her video challenging assumptions about what contemporary Aboriginal art looks like. It’s hard to resist that kind of joy and pride!
@karen.lee.artIt’s my Passion 🎨🖌️❤️😊 ##artistontiktok ##aboriginalaustralia ##aboriginalart ##foryourpage ##blacktikok♬ When you dont get tagged by popular creators – Sus Avatar Kyoshi
3. Sound First
TikTok considers itself a sound first, visual second type of platform. Songs and sounds are one of the easiest ways to jump on trends and get seen! Uniquely, TikTok allows you to view all the videos made with a certain sound – so it’s a powerful tool to get your videos discovered.
Matching the sound to the flavour of the video is important. Sounds can trend within TikTok’s small communities – such as lots of baby talking videos for pets, pop music for viral dances and old school classics in retro-inspired aesthetics. Check out this super cute and perfectly paired example from Marnie McKnight below:
@marniemcknight.artist Dancing cavoodle #cavoodle #dancingdog #dogthinksheshuman #cavoodleaustralia #studiodog ♬ Hit It – Yung Skrrt
4. Use Appropriate Hashtags
Hashtags are familiar to any social media user, and TikTok is no different. It does have some unique hashtags you can use though – including #foryou #fyp which aim to increase reach by targeting a wide range of people. These don’t always work, so it’s important to tap into your community and use the popular tags within that set – so for artists and art collectors that might be #tiktokartist #tiktokart #arttok #bluethumbartist etc.
@lenikae“And I Will Bring You Roses” in the making… now on @bluethumbart 🌹❤ ##lenikae ##birdlovers ##birdart ##artoftiktok ##art ##artistsoftiktok ##bluethumbart♬ ROSES – THE CHAINSMOKERS
5. Get On Board with Trends
We’ve all heard of some of the wacky TikTok trends that have sprung up. They often make the news for good (or bad) reasons – such as the recent inspiring situation where a 16 year old girl in the US was able to access help in escaping a dangerous kidnap situation using hand signs she’d learnt from the app.
While not all trends are going to save lives, they’re another way to keep your content fresh, fun and discoverable. You can discover new trends by keep a close eye on your For You page. You can also use the Discover page to see the recommended trends from TikTok’s algorithm.
Here’s one we reckon you should jump on:
@bluethumbart Artist to art lover! 🥰 #passiton #passitonchallenge #melbourne #sydney #australia #artistsoftiktok #interiordesign ♬ original sound – Bluethumb Art Gallery
Find us on TikTok here – give us a follow and we’ll follow back!
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