TikTok 101 for Artists : Collaborations

Collaborations on TikTok have become a driving force behind artistic exploration, cross - promotion and viral trends. Whether you're an emerging or established artist, understanding the power of collaborations will open the door to new audiences by introducing you to potential new fans and encourage a sense of community.

It’s crucial to recognise that as an artist, successful collaborations extend far beyond solely making videos with other artists. To leverage collaborations, you must be able to identify them first.  

Collaboration Types

• Artist-to-Artist Collaborations: Partnering with other musicians, visual artists, or dancers, to produce joint pieces of content. Examples include creating a split-screen music video, combining artistic styles, or co-writing songs.

• Fan Collaborations: Engaging with fans by reacting to fan art, inviting fans to participate in challenges or prompts, or even featuring fans in music videos or artwork.

• Influencer Collaborations: Partnering with popular TikTok influencers on sponsored content, joint challenges, or guest appearances on each other's channels.

• Brand Collaborations: Artists can organically showcase brands and products they genuinely appreciate, independent of paid partnerships. By highlighting items you personally enjoy or find value in, can lead to potential sponsored content opportunities or promotional campaigns with those brands

• Charity/Cause Collaborations: Team up with non-profit organisations or social causes to raise awareness, funds, or promote positive messages through collaborative content.

Identifying potential collaborators

When seeking potential collaborators you must make a concerted effort to explore creators, influencers, and/or artists whose work aligns seamlessly with your own artistic vision and target audience as this will serve as a solid foundation for an authentic collaboration.

• Start by looking for individuals whose creative styles, aesthetics, and artistic sensibilities complement your own.
• Then identify these shared values, whether it's a unified stance on social or environmental issues, or seeking features on your latest track.

Now, let’s discuss  how you can approach these collaborative opportunities.

Outreach strategies

1. Clearly outline what you hope to achieve via the collaboration

For example, is it to expand your audience, experiment with new creative styles, or promote a specific project to their fans.

2. Immerse yourself in their work

Pay attention to their content themes, aesthetics, and the way they interact with their followers and mention why you chose to reach out to them.

3. Craft a concise and engaging pitch that highlights the benefits of the collaboration for both of you

Say what your creative vision is, any specific ideas or concepts you have in mind and provide the value that the other person might get from it.

4. Be aware of your approach

Pitching to artists may be different to pitching to creators or influencers. Artists tend to be more selective with collaborations while creators and influencers may be more driven by audience engagement, brand partnerships, or monetisation opportunities.

Artists are often primarily motivated by artistic expression and creative fulfilment so your pitch should highlight the creative benefits and artistic growth potential rather than solely focusing on commercial aspects.

When it comes to famous creators, they tend to have teams managing their collaborations so be clear with what you are asking from them.

5. Consider the type of language you use

If you're pitching to someone with a significant following and established reputation, it's essential to use respectful and professional language. Consider that highly experienced and successful creators may expect a certain level of formality and attention to detail in pitches, such as industry-specific terminology.

By embracing the power of collaboration, exploring diverse partnership opportunities, and approaching potential collaborators with thoughtfulness and respect, artists can unlock new creative opportunities and cultivate a vibrant, engaged community on TikTok.

Written by Emily Heffernan