Week 1 Session 2 - TikTok Research
- eliesamouhi5
- Jan 22
- 5 min read
For today's blog post, I will be going back and summarizing the lessons that I may learn from the TikTok and Instagram posts I archived in the last blog post.
5 formats of content that consistently go viral.
Transition - start with a crazy situation filmed like a civilian on snapchat with snapchat text and then quickly cut to better quality content of you singing your music in the same setting. This captures the viewer's attention in the first three seconds and continues to hook them in once the musical content begins.
Visual Hook - start video with zoom or quick body movement. That tiny detail makes the biggest difference.
BTS vs. the Shot - Showing BTS first opens a question in the viewers mind that needs to be answered, and when you transition into the real shot, it relieves that question. This is content that people can not scroll past.
Reaction Videos - showing your song to family members, friends, or a group of people. Capture their reactions when hearing it for the first time. When viewers see others loving a song, they just want to jump on the bandwagon and love it themselves.
Double Down - if a post blows up, don't be quick to move on. Study what worked, tweak it/change the angle, and do it again.
This instagram post shares some setting changes that may increase one's online reach when posting a reel. They are listed below.
Turn "Translate reel" on. Translate to all four languages listed (Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, and English).
Under "Settings and activity", go to "Media quality" and turn on "Upload at highest quality".
Under "Settings and activity", go to "Follow and invite friends" and turn off "Flag for review".
"Under "Settings and activity", go to "Account privacy" and turn on "Allow public photos and videos to appear in search engine results".
"Under "Settings and activity", go to "Sharing and reuse" and under "Allow people to share your posts and reels", turn on "Posts and reels to stories" and "Reposts on posts and reels". Also, scroll down and turn Website embeds "on".
The first 72 hours after an artist releases are the most important. Here's what I learned from this video.
Plan the first 72 hours before you release
Line up multiple short-form videos, Stories, and reposts in advance—don’t rely on one announcement post.
Release = content campaign, not a single post
Post the song in different formats (performance clip, lyrics on screen, story, fan reaction, explanation) to reach different audiences.
Activate your core fans privately first
Use DMs, Close Friends, or Discord to ask your biggest supporters to stream, comment, and share immediately.
Reply to every comment early
Comment replies boost reach and make fans feel personally connected, increasing repeat engagement.
Repost fan reactions as social proof
Share Stories of people listening, reacting, or adding the song—this signals momentum to new viewers.
Use automated DMs to capture fans
Set up tools like ManyChat so viewers who comment or click get an automatic DM linking to the song or your fan list.
Turn ads into fan funnels, not just streams
Even small ad budgets should lead to follows, email signups, or DMs—not just passive listening.
If the song underperforms, post about it
Honest content about the struggle often performs better than polished promo and builds trust.
Another example of the "Visual Hook". The "Snapchat Hook". Including snapchat text over a crazy public moment lowers the viewer's guard because it looks like real life, not calculated content. Viewers will stay longer to watch the situation unfold. But if the moment doesn't escalate, people get bored and scroll before you have a chance to show your song. You need a holy crap oment so you build tension and then BANG, you transition into the music with a different filming style in the same setting.
In this post, the creator shares the following insights.
Most artists don’t struggle with creativity, they struggle with visibility.
But the reason marketing feels uncomfortable is because most creatives approach it like influencers:
Performing. Polishing. Pretending.
You don’t need to do any of that.
If you want to market your work without feeling like a lifestyle brand, remember this:
Artists don’t market their life. Artists market their perspective.
Your value isn’t in your morning routine, your outfit, your desk setup, or whatever the algorithm wants today.
Your value is in:
• why you make the choices you make • the way you see the world • the decisions behind your images • the patterns you notice • the perspective only you can teach
Marketing, when done right, is not performance, it’s translation.
Explain your thought process. Share your curiosity. Teach your audience how to see.
Influencers chase attention. Artists shape understanding.
And the artists who last, the artists who build real communities, real careers, real longevity, are the ones who show up not as characters, but as guides.
Your platform is not a stage. It’s an educational space.
Make your presence useful, not performative.
Market your work, not your lifestyle.
That’s how you stay an artist and get seen.
I appreciate his thoughts and insights on an artist's journey and how they should choose to authentically present themselves.
This post explains how to use an AI called "midjourney.com" to create engaging camera movement.
Record two angles and take a screenshot of the last frame of the first clip and the first frame of the second clip.
Go to "midjourney.com" and click "add image", set starting frame and ending frame. Then type in this prompt: “Transform first image to second image. Make it look like smooth camera motion, while keeping the subject and background unaltered. Use as little stylization as possible for a seamless, non-AI-generated look. The subject should maintain eye contact with the camera throughout the transition, with no extra movements like head turning or body movement.”
Download generated clip and place it between two clips.
This is an interesting/simple effect to use in content and I want to try it out!
This post displays a similar use of AI, this one called Kling 2.1, to create AI generated camera movements. The following caption explains the steps.
Tools: @higgsfield.ai @klingai_official @artlist.io Davinci Resolve
📕 3 STEP TUTORIAL
1️⃣: Select Your Clips 🎬
Start with intention. Pick clips that either flow seamlessly together AND/OR create striking contrast.
Color grade everything first for visual consistency
Export one frame from the beginning AND end of each clip (this becomes your transition anchor)
2️⃣: Generate AI Transitions 🌊
Navigate to higgsfield.ai and select Kling 2.1 (General mode).
Upload your start frame (end of clip 1) + end frame (start of clip 2)
Prompt for a “seamless cinematic transition between scenes”. You’ll need to iterate on your prompt until the result matches your vision. Be specific about motion, style, and mood.
3️⃣: Polish ✨
Import everything into your editor (I use DaVinci Resolve).
Add speed ramping, motion blur, and other VFX.
And most importantly, add sound design. Music and SFX sell the visuals.
Also, my friend Nik mentioned gathering popular funny instagram reels and memes, and maybe finding ones that include words that may be in my songs, and doing quick cuts from those memes to my music-promoting content. Going through reels and memes that my friends send me and creating edits that hook viewers into staying to watch my content would be great, similar to the "snapchat hook". Assuming virality by taking a viral funny meme and cutting it to my content.
Thankful for a beautiful day of research and reflection. I learned a lot today, and can't wait to implement these findings in my own content and artist journey. Thank you for reading and have a fantastic weekend!
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