How to Upload Original Audio to TikTok

Using a trending sound on TikTok can get you views, but creating your own original audio is how you build a real brand and become a trendsetter. Getting your unique soundbite, music clip, or brand jingle onto the platform gives you a powerful asset that other creators can use, directly linking their content back to your profile. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from prepping your audio file to uploading it and setting it up for discoverability.

Why Original Audio is a Game-Changer on TikTok

Before getting into the "how," it's worth understanding the "why." Uploading an original audio isn't just a technical task, it's a strategic move. When people use your sound, your profile is credited on every single video, creating a discoverability loop that can explode your account's visibility.

• Build Your Brand Identity: An original sound - whether it's a catchy jingle, a recurring quote, or a piece of custom music - acts like a sonic logo. When users hear it, they immediately associate it with your brand.
• Become the Source of a Trend: Every massive TikTok trend starts somewhere. By creating a user-friendly, relatable, or funny sound, you give yourself the chance to be the one who kicks off the next big thing.
• Avoid Copyright Issues: Are you tired of videos being muted or taken down due to copyright claims on commercial music? Using cleared, original audio completely removes this headache, giving you full control over your content.
• Drive Traffic to Your Profile: When someone creates a video with your audio, the sound is credited at the bottom of the screen with a link. Anyone who taps that link is taken to a dedicated page for your sound, with your original video featured at the top - a massive driver of profile visits.

Step 1: Get Your Audio File Ready

You can't just upload any audio file directly from your computer without a little prep work. TikTok's creative tools are powerful, but they work best when you provide them with a clean, well-formatted file. A little effort here makes the rest of the process much smoother.

Choosing the Right Format and Length

Your audio needs to be in a standard format that video editors can easily recognize. The two most common and reliable formats are:

• .MP3: This is the most popular audio format. It's compressed, so the file sizes are smaller, which is great for quick uploads.
• .WAV: This format is uncompressed, meaning it offers higher quality audio. If your sound has a lot of nuance or is high-fidelity music, a WAV file might be the better choice, but keep in mind the file will be larger.

For length, remember the TikTok canvas. Shorter is almost always better. Aim for a sound that is between 5 and 15 seconds. This is the sweet spot for maximum replayability and user adoption. People are more likely to use a sound if it's a tight, catchy clip that can easily loop or fit into a short video format. If you have a longer piece of audio, identify the most impactful or memorable section and trim it down.

Editing and Trimming Your Sound

You don't need a professional recording studio to edit your audio. Free and user-friendly software can get the job done perfectly. Audacity is a fantastic free option available for both Mac and PC. It lets you easily import your audio, trim out unwanted parts, add a fade in or fade out, and export it as an MP3 or WAV.

When editing, focus on these three things:

1. Clean Start and End Points: Make sure there's no dead air at the beginning or an abrupt cut-off at the end (unless it's for comedic effect). A clean loop is more pleasing to the ear.
2. Normalize the Volume: You don't want your audio to be too quiet or blaringly loud compared to other TikTok sounds. Most editing software has a "Normalize" function that brings the audio to a standard, consistent level.
3. Give it a Clear File Name: Once you're done, save your file with a descriptive name like "CatchyBrandJingle.mp3" instead of "Audio_Final_v2_edit.mp3." This will make it easier to find in the next step.

Step 2: Attach Your Audio to a Video File

This is the most important part of the process, and where many people get stuck. You cannot upload a plain audio file to TikTok. The only way to get your sound onto the platform is to embed it within a video file. From TikTok's perspective, you are uploading a video, and the audio attached to it just so happens to be your original sound.

Don't worry, the visual component of this video doesn't need to be fancy. It can be a simple black screen, a static image of your logo, or a throwaway clip of your cat sleeping. The video is simply the vehicle for your audio.

How to Combine Your Audio and a Visual

You’ll need a basic video editing application for this. Most phones and computers have free ones pre-installed, or you can download a popular free app.

• On Your Phone: Apps like CapCut (made by ByteDance, the same company as TikTok) and VN Video Editor are free, powerful, and very easy to use.
• On Your Computer: iMovie (on Mac), Windows Video Editor (on PC), or a web-based tool like Canva all work perfectly for this.

Here’s the step-by-step process, which is nearly identical across all these editors:

1. Start a New Project: Open your video editor and create a new project.
2. Import Your Visual: Add a simple image or a short video clip to the project. This can be literally anything - a picture of a plant, your company’s logo, or a 10-second clip of the sky.
3. Import Your Audio: Now, import the .MP3 or .WAV file you prepared earlier.
4. Add Both to the Timeline: Drag both the visual and the audio file onto your project's timeline.
5. Match the Lengths: This is the key. Drag the edge of your visual clip to extend its duration so that it is the exact same length as your audio clip. If your audio is 12 seconds long, make the video 12 seconds long.
6. Mute Other Sounds: If you used a video clip as your visual, make sure to mute its original audio so only your custom sound can be heard.
7. Export Your Video: Export the final project as a video file (usually an .MP4). Save it to your phone’s camera roll or your computer's desktop.

You now have a video file that holds your original sound. The hard part is over!

Step 3: Upload to TikTok and Name Your Sound

With your new video file in hand, the final steps happen inside the TikTok app. This is where you upload the video and officially turn its audio track into a reusable sound that others can discover.

1. Open TikTok and Start an Upload: Tap the + icon at the bottom of the screen to open the creation camera. Instead of recording, tap the ‘Upload’ button on the bottom right.
2. Select Your Video: Choose the .MP4 file you just created from your camera roll.
3. Proceed to the Post Screen: Tap ‘Next.’ You can add effects or text if you want, but you don't have to for this video since its main purpose is to upload the sound. Tap ‘Next’ again to land on the final posting screen where you write your caption.
4. Name Your Sound (The Most Important Step!): At the very top of the post screen, you’ll see the icon for the sound. It will probably say something like “Original Sound - [Your Username].” Tap on this name.
5. Rename the Sound: A little text field will pop up, allowing you to edit the sound’s name. Change it from "Original Sound" to something catchy, descriptive, and searchable. If it’s for a specific trend, name it accordingly (e.g., "Get Ready With Me Morning Mix" or "My Dog's Funny Sneeze"). A good name is your audio’s #1 discovery tool. Once you're done, tap ‘Save’.
6. Write Your Caption and Post: Finish writing your caption. It's a good idea to mention the sound in your caption and encourage others to use it (e.g., "Use this sound to show off your morning routine!"). Add relevant hashtags and tap ‘Post.’

That's it! Once your video is live, the audio is officially available in the TikTok sound library. People can now tap the spinning record icon on your video, see your newly named sound, and use it in their own creations.

Final Thoughts

Creating and uploading your own original audio to TikTok is a fantastic way to carve out a unique space for yourself on the platform. By attaching your audio to a simple video file and giving it a memorable name, you transform a soundbite into a powerful piece of intellectual property that can drive awareness and engagement for your brand.

Turning custom content like this into a consistent strategy requires discipline and planning. We built Postbase for creators and marketers who need a visual way to organize their content across all platforms. By using our simple content calendar, you can schedule the video with your new original sound for TikTok, and simultaneously plan out the Reels and Shorts you'll use to promote it across other channels, all from one clean dashboard. It helps you focus on creating great stuff, not getting lost in the chaos of platform juggling.