Tiktok is a new social media platform, but it’s taken the world by storm, with many businesses turning to it to reach different customer bases. Aimed initially towards the younger generations, but it’s now used by people of all ages looking for short-form videos as entertainment, creating their own videos, and making their own sounds.

Tiktok was launched in 2017 and now has over 1 billion active monthly users, which doesn’t include some markets like China due to Asian markets having their version of the application called Douyin.

Compared to other social media platforms, it’s in the top tier of active monthly users:

  1. Facebook - 2.9 Billion
  2. Youtube - 2.2 Billion
  3. Instagram - 1.4 Billion
  4. Tiktok - 1.0 Billion
  5. Snapchat - 500 Million
  6. Twitter - 397 Million

Tiktok should be considered as an essential platform for any business looking to expand their customer base and make direct sales to targeted users. One of the most critical parts of Tiktok can be considered creating a sound to be used by yourself or shared for widespread use.

Follow along as I go over how to make a sound on Tiktok and why it’s worth your time to make the sound as a business.

How Do You Make a Sound on Tiktok?

Sounds in Tiktok can be anything, simply you talking, a song, or various noises. Whatever you want to record or create can be added as a sound to be used in your videos or shared with others.

How to Make a Sound in Tiktok

  1. Open Tiktok.
  2. Tap the + icon at the bottom of the screen to create a new video.
  3. Tap the red circle on the bottom of the screen to start recording.
  4. Record whatever audio you want.
  5. Tap the red circle again to end the recording.
  6. Tap the red checkmark on the bottom-right corner.
  7. Tiktok provides several audio editing features within the app, which you can find on the bottom and side panels. 
  8. Tap "post" to post your video to Tiktok.


How to “Add to Favorites” the audio you want on Tiktok

  1. Watch the video and tap the spinning record on the bottom-right side.
  2. Tap Add To Favorites to store the audio for later.

How to Record Voiceovers on Tiktok

  1. Open Tiktok.
  2. Tap the + icon at the bottom of the screen to create a new video.
  3. Tap the red circle on the bottom of the screen to start recording or you may upload a video.
  4. Tap Voiceover on the side menu.
  5. You can check or uncheck the “keep original audio” from your video, depending on if your voiceover will completely replace the original audio.
  6. Tap or hold the Voiceover icon to record your voiceover on the video.
  7. Tap save.

How to Use an Audio Editing App to Make Sounds on Tiktok

You will need to find your preferred audio editing or video editing app that will let you modify and update the audio outside of Tiktok. Some of the standard options for you to review are Quik, Adobe Rush, or InShot Video Editor.

  1. Open Tiktok.
  2. Tap the + icon at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Tap Upload.
  4. Tap the red checkmark on the bottom-right corner.
  5. Tap Post to post your video to Tiktok.

Why are Tiktok Sounds Important For Businesses?

Sound is an integral part of the Tiktok experience; research by Kantar for Tiktok has shown that ads and videos with sound do much better than those without or where you may just be talking over your video. 

Users will stop watching videos with catchy audio, whereas somebody talking or with no audio will just keep scrolling away from ads. 

So if you plan to advertise on Tiktok, then appropriate and catchy audio will be a requirement to get the best return on investment from your advertising dollars. Finding good songs to use or other interesting audio to incorporate will be essential to engage with potential customers.

How Does Your Sound Going Viral Help You?

Every video has a spinning record on the right side menu, which allows users to see other videos using the audio and the original video in the first position. This is a common way for people to explore other videos where they enjoy the audio.

If you can make a sound that goes viral with one of your videos, then you increase your reach by other people creating videos from your audio and then their audience finding you through the shared audio feature available.

Tips on Creating Sounds in Tiktok

●     Keep the quality high with professional recording or recorded tracks. Don’t let background noise distract potential listeners.

●     You control the volume, so keep it loud enough that people can hear your sound properly and clearly.

●     Keep your sound short and loop it if possible. Tiktok users prefer shorter videos and lose interest when they get too long, and if your sound loops, then they may end up watching your video multiple times.

●     Don’t use copyrighted sounds without permission. You can still be sued or have your Tiktok account banned.

Tips on Creating Engaging Ads in Tiktok

●     If you don’t create your own sounds, consider using trending sounds that people are interested in at the moment. This won’t make you go viral but may help your ads and engage potential customers.

●     Use hashtags; the Tiktok algorithm does keep track of hashtags to send your videos to people interested in those hashtags.

●     Pick a viral sound and perform the activity most people are doing with that sound if it matches your brand.

●     Collaborate with bigger Tiktokers who have already shown they can create viral sounds and videos.

Final Thoughts

Understanding and including sounds in your Tiktok videos is crucial, whether you’re just looking for a better return on your ads from the platform or trying to make a sound go viral to reach a wider audience.

People are moving away from some of the other platforms like Facebook and Instagram in favor of Tiktok. Tiktok can significantly impact your business if you can use it effectively. If you don’t add it as part of your social media strategy, you’ll be missing out on a large potential customer base you may not find on other platforms.