Everyone knows that TikTok is today’s go-to video app. But the secret behind every great TikTok video is its audio. In fact, one of the features unique to this platform is that you can create a video using sound taken from another video. So, the more shareable your audio, the more likely your original video is to be discovered.
This article covers the basics of creating and adding sound to your TikToks, as well as some tips to make your audio more shareable.
How to add your own sound to TikTok
Your primary concern with creating TikTok videos should be their uniqueness. The last thing people want to see is a copy of something they’ve already watched. Keeping that in mind, you’ll probably have different audio needs for each of your videos. Here are a couple of the basics to have in your arsenal.
How to do a voiceover on TikTok
After you shoot or upload your video, you might feel like it could benefit from a bit of narration. Fortunately, this is a default feature of the app. Here’s how to do a voiceover on TikTok:
- In the TikTok app, tap + to create a new video.
- Either record your video or upload one, then tap Next.
- On the editor page, tap the Voiceover button.
- Tap or long-press the Record button and speak into your phone’s microphone.
- Hit Save to finish editing your video.
- After you’re done editing, tap Next to give your post a caption.
- Tap Post. You’ve just posted your first TikTok with a voiceover!
How to add your own music to TikTok
If you’re not a fan of the popular TikTok songs and want to shoot a video with a unique sound, adding your own music or sound effects to TikTok videos requires a separate video editing app. For the sake of this article, we’re going to use Apple’s iMovie to show you how to add your own sound to TikTok. If you don’t already have the app on your phone, you can download iMovie from the App Store. Once you have it installed, follow these steps:
- Open iMovie.
- Tap + and select Movie.
- Select your video and tap Create Movie.
- Tap +.
- Find the sound you want to add. If it’s in your music library, tap Audio, then My Music. Or if you have it stored as a file, tap Files.
- After you’ve added the sound to your video, tap Done.
- Tap the Share icon at the bottom of the screen and select Save Video.
The video will be saved in your Photos app, and you can upload it to the TikTok app from there. But you’ll quickly notice that you have black bars on the left and right of the video. Luckily, you can use the Photos app to get rid of those bars. Here’s how:
- Open your Photos app and select the video.
- Select Edit and tap the Crop icon.
- At the top, there’s a Crop Preset icon next to the three dots. Tap it.
- Select 16:9 and choose the vertical square icon.
- Tap Done to save your changes. Now your video is ready for TikTok with sound — and without any bars.
How to create your own sound on TikTok to use later
Maybe you want to make a couple of different sounds for your videos to store and save for later. Instead of leaving them all on your phone, there’s actually a way to do that on TikTok.
Once you have your sound attached to a video using the steps from the last section, this is how you upload it to TikTok and save it for later:
- Open TikTok and press +.
- Select your video and tap Next three times. You can then give your video a description.
- Tap “Who can watch this video.”
- Select Private.
- Finally, tap Post.
Your video is now posted, but only you can see it. When you’re ready to use the sound from the video, follow these steps:
- In TikTok, tap Me in the bottom-right corner.
- Go to the private tab (it looks like a lock icon).
- Select your video.
- Tap the record icon in the bottom right.
- Press “Use this sound.” All that’s left is to record or upload your video.
How to make your own TikTok sound go viral
While there’s no magic method to guarantee there your audio will go viral on TikTok, there are some strategies that can help give it a boost.
1. Make it inconspicuous
If you’ve ever edited a video using different clips from your iPhone, you’re well aware that the best audio is the kind you don’t even notice. The same goes for your TikToks. You want people to pay attention to your video’s content — not the inconsistency of your audio. So make sure you record clean sound with minimal background noise. And trust us, that doesn’t mean spending a bunch of money on expensive recording equipment. Simply paying attention to getting crystal clear audio with no reverb will go a long way.
2. Keep it short and loopable
TikTok’s algorithm works, so if someone watches your videos multiple times, they’re more likely to be shown your next video. And a great way to get multiple views is by keeping your videos short. But if you can make your videos loop seamlessly, people may not even realize that the video has started over again, and they’ll keep watching.
The same goes for your sound. If you create a sound that loops, when people add it to their own videos, it will get their followers to watch those videos multiple times. And in turn, it will show their followers your new videos when you post them.
3. Turn it up
You never know how people will be listening to your videos. Will they have headphones? Will they be in public? Is one of the speakers broken on their phone? There are many variables when it comes to how users may be listening, so you’ll need to make sure your video is audible — to everyone. And the best way to do that is to turn up the volume.
4. Be unique
The internet is full of the same old ideas being rehashed over and over again. People want to watch something new. As mentioned earlier, your primary approach to TikTok should be to focus on uniqueness. When you’re creating sounds for TikTok, think about what only you can bring. That’s what people will want to share.
TikTok videos require a bit more production than those that are typically shared on platforms like Instagram or Snapchat, yet it’s also a step beneath what’s expected on YouTube. That said, TikTok is still very much a social media platform, so the name of the game is shareability. And anything you can do to make your videos shine, such as featuring a one-of-a-kind sound, will go a long way toward getting you more views.
