How to Link Your Music to TikTok

Getting your original song into TikTok’s official library is one of the most powerful moves you can make to drive plays, find new fans, and maybe even kickstart a viral trend. This guide breaks down the entire process from start to finish. We’ll cover how to get your music uploaded as an official TikTok sound, link it to your profile, and share proven strategies for helping your track find an online audience.

Getting Your Song into TikTok's Official Sound Library

First things first: you can’t just upload your song file directly to TikTok and call it a day. To have your music appear as a legitimate, clickable "sound" with your name and album art, you need to go through an official channel. This is the only way other creators can easily use your track in their videos, which is exactly what you want.

But Can't I Just Upload a Video With My Music?

You can, but it’s a huge mistake. When you upload a video with your audio playing in the background, TikTok registers it as an "Original Sound" attributed to your specific profile. That means:

• It won’t be officially listed under your artist name.
• It won’t display your album art.
• It won't be linked to a central page for your song, making it harder for a trend to catch on.
• TikTok’s algorithm may even remove it due to copyright violation, even if it's your own song.

When you release your track officially, it becomes its own entity in the TikTok audio library. Anyone who taps on the sound in a video will be taken to a dedicated page showing every video that uses it, with a handy link to your artist profile. This legitimacy is everything.

How to Upload: The Role of Music Distributors

The secret is using a digital music distributor. These are companies that act as the middleman between independent artists and major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and - you guessed it - TikTok. They handle the technical side of uploading and ensure your metadata (artist name, song title) is correct across all platforms.

Most modern distributors include TikTok delivery as a standard part of their service. Here are some of the most popular and trusted options for artists:

• DistroKid: Known for its simple interface and an annual flat-fee model that lets you upload unlimited tracks. It’s a favorite among indie artists for its speed and straightforward process.
• TuneCore: Another industry giant, TuneCore operates on a per-release fee model. It offers powerful analytics and has been a trusted service for years.
• CD Baby: One of the original indie distributors, CD Baby uses a one-time fee per release and offers both digital distribution and physical options like CDs and vinyl.

While the specifics vary slightly between services, the process is generally the same:

1. Sign Up: Create an account with the distributor of your choice.
2. Upload Your Assets: You’ll need a high-quality audio file (usually a .WAV file is required) and your album artwork (a JPG or PNG file, typically 3000x3000 pixels).
3. Enter Song Details (Metadata): This is important! Accurately enter your artist name, song title, featured artists (if any), and genre. Double-check your spelling, as this is how users will find you on TikTok.
4. Select Your Stores: During the submission process, you'll see a checklist of platforms. Make sure you select TikTok (it's often checked by default).
5. Submit and Wait: After paying the distribution fee, you’ll submit your release for review. It typically takes a few days to a couple of weeks for your song to appear in TikTok's sound library. Be patient!

How to Find Your Sound and Use It on TikTok

Once your distributor gives you the green light that your music has been delivered, it's time to find your track in the app. This is the moment you confirm it’s officially there and ready for the world to use.

Searching for Your Official Track

Don't be surprised if it doesn't show up in a search the very day of your official release, it can sometimes take a little extra time for storefronts like TikTok to index new music. Here’s how to check:

1. Open the TikTok app and tap the "+" icon to go to the camera/creation screen.
2. At the top of the screen, tap "Add Sound."
3. In the search bar, type your artist name and the song title.
4. Your official release should appear in the results, complete with your album art. If you see it, tap on it to select it for your video.

Found it? Awesome! The next step is to make it easy for everyone who visits your profile to find and use it, which you'll do by "pinning" it.

Pin Your Sound to Your Profile

Pinning a video puts it at the very top of your profile grid, making it the first thing visitors see. This is your chance to create a flagship video for your song - maybe the one that introduces a potential trend or simply showcases the best part of the track.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create and post a video using your new, official sound.
2. Once it's live, navigate to your profile and find the video.
3. Tap on the video to open it.
4. Tap the three dots icon (‧‧‧) on the right side of the screen.
5. From the menu that appears, select "Pin."

Just like that, your video becomes the unofficial "hub" for your new song. Anyone curious about your music will see it immediately.

The *Other* 'Link': Driving Traffic from Your TikTok Bio

Now that your music is on TikTok, you need to give your new followers a way to find it off TikTok - on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. This is accomplished with a clickable link in your bio, but there's a small catch: you need a TikTok Business Account to access this feature.

Step 1: Switch to a Business Account (It's Free!)

Switching is easy and free, and it unlocks priceless tools like analytics and the coveted website link. To make the switch:

1. Go to your profile and tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open "Settings and privacy."
2. Tap "Account."
3. Tap "Switch to Business Account" and follow the prompts.

The one minor downside for artists used to be restricted access to the full commercial music library for their videos. But since you’ll be focused on promoting your own music, this is rarely an issue.

Step 2: Use a "Link in Bio" Tool

Instead of just pasting a Spotify link in your bio and alienating Apple Music users, you should use a simple, free service to create one link that rules them all. These tools, often called "smart link" services, generate a simple landing page that lets users choose their preferred streaming service.

Great options for musicians include:

• Linktree: The most popular choice, offering a simple and customizable landing page for all your important links.
• Songwhip: Designed specifically for music, it automatically finds your song on all major platforms and creates a clean page with one simple link.
• ToneDen: Offers more advanced marketing tools alongside smart links, perfect for artists ready to dig into analytics.

Sign up for one of these services, create a link for your new release, and copy your unique URL.

Step 3: Add the Link to Your Profile

With your Business Account active and your smart link copied, the final step is a breeze:

1. On your TikTok profile, tap "Edit Profile."
2. Find the "Website" field (it will only be visible on a Business Account).
3. Paste your smart link URL and tap "Save."

Now, you have a professional-looking, clickable link that sends fans directly to your music, no matter how they listen.

Now, Make It Happen: Strategies to Promote Your Music

Your song is on TikTok and linked in your bio. The foundation is set. Now it’s time for the fun part: giving your sound the best chance to take off.

Identify the Most "TikTokable" Moment

Scrolling is fast. You only have a few seconds to grab someone's attention. Don't start your videos at the beginning of your song just because it's the beginning. Find the 15 seconds that are the most compelling: the stickiest melody, the biggest drum hit, the cleverest lyric, or a strange sound that makes people say, "What was that?" Clip *this* part of your song for most of your videos. This is your sonic hook.

Create a Simple, Replicable Trend

Virality happens when other people can easily replicate your idea. Come up with a simple concept connected to your sound. It shouldn’t require special effects or complicated edits. Good ideas include:

• A POV (Point of View) trend: Use text on screen to tell a short, relatable story that syncs with the lyrics or mood of your song. (Example: "POV: you're telling your friend about your crush for the 10th time.")
• A "before and after" format: Can your sound be the background for a transformation? A makeover, a room cleaning, a workout progression.
• A simple dance or gesture: It doesn’t have to be complex! Some of the biggest dance trends are just a few simple hand movements. Make it easy and accessible.

Your pinned video is the perfect place to establish this trend. Show people exactly what to do.

Engage With Every Single Video Using Your Sound

This is non-negotiable. When someone else uses your sound, they are doing free marketing for you. Reward that behavior immediately! Here's how to keep tabs:

1. Go to any video that uses your sound (like your own pinned video).
2. Tap on the spinning record icon in the bottom right corner.
3. This will take you to your song's official sound page, showing every video made with your track.

Now, go watch their videos. Leave a genuine comment. Like it. Follow them. When people see the original artist interacting with them, they feel seen, and that positive reinforcement encourages others to try it, too. This is how you build a community around your song, one fan-made video at a time.

Final Thoughts

Combining all these steps - getting your music officially distributed, making it accessible through your bio link and a pinned video, then actively promoting it with a clear strategy - gives your song the best possible shot at finding an audience on TikTok. All it takes is that one right sound getting in front of the one right creator, and everything can change.

Creating consistent content to support your new music can feel like a full-time job on its own. After spending all that time in the studio, a lot of artists - understandably - feel overwhelmed by the thought of planning dozens of videos. Our goal with Postbase was to simplify that process. We designed our visual calendar so you can plan out an entire promotion schedule at a glance, scheduling your TikToks, Reels, and Shorts to post automatically during peak hours without any of the last-minute stress. Because we built Postbase for the age of short-form video, you can manage everything - including comments and DMs - from one screen while trusting that your content will actually publish when you tell it to.