TikTok is one of the most powerful platforms for musicians looking to grow their audience, build a brand, and engage with a global community.
Below is an interview with Mike Taghian and Nima Nasseri from Compound, a TikTok marketing agency for major artists, labels, and brands.
They share their TikTok journey, growth strategies, and lessons learned.
Mike and Nima are passionate about helping dogs in LA find homes. They’re using their TikTok skills to house dogs in shelters. Check out their TikTok, Save the Dogs.
🟠 Key Takeaways
- UGC is King: Driving user-generated content (UGC) is more valuable than getting views. The focus should be on increasing the number of TikTok "creates" daily, as organic engagement boosts a song’s success more than passive viewership.
- Test, Iterate, and Adapt: TikTok's algorithm and trends change frequently. Successful creators and marketers constantly test content strategies, from funny and fast-paced clips to serious and text-heavy formats, refining their approach based on what resonates.
- Budget Smartly: For emerging artists, a strategic ad spend on TikTok is more effective than spreading resources across Meta or YouTube. Investing in a mix of organic growth and paid promotion helps maximize reach and engagement. Organic comes first, then paid ads to amplify.
- Consistency Drives Growth: Posting regularly, leveraging trends, and engaging with the community help build momentum. Creators should continuously refine their content approach while adapting to TikTok’s evolving algorithm.
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🟢 TikTok Growth Strategies
Building a TikTok presence isn’t about going viral but sustaining momentum.
Here are some of the strategies that help Compound grow and scale artists.
- Understanding the Algorithm: TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes engagement, watch time, and user interaction. They adjust their content style by analyzing which videos perform well every month.
- UGC: "90% of the time, we’re trying to drive user-generated content (UGC). When someone shares on TikTok using a song, that’s a better metric than views. We aim to increase a song’s “creates” in every campaign. We aim for 1,000 creates per day to 10,000 per day. This is a better measure of impact. Views matter less."
- Before the Record Even Drops: "We suggest content ideas before the release. We devised a strategy to activate the song, such as working with TV/movie edit pages, tutorial accounts, etc. Any way we can test a song’s impact before it even comes out with user-generated content accounts.”
- Engagement Matters: Responding to comments and creating videos based on audience feedback helped build a loyal following. People want to feel like they’re on the journey with you.
🔵 TikTok Promotion Budgets
How much does it cost to promote a song on TikTok?
- Starting Budget: "A safe place to start is around $2,500 to test some stuff on TikTok. It's no longer as predictable as it once was, so testing is essential. We split that budget between ads, content creation, strategy, and encouraging creators to use the songs we’re promoting.”
- Planting Seeds: "Now, we have to plant a crop of seeds, nurture and build them to ensure they survive. Ads come later after organic growth has proven which videos and styles work best. Ads are gasoline on the fire. Not the spark that lights the flame."
- Typical Campaign Budgets: "A healthy budget for a campaign is around $5,000 to $10,000. Depending on the artist and goal, some go as high as $50,000. Indie artists spread their budget across testing different content types, paying creators to use their audio, TikTok ads, and producing and editing videos.”
- Ad Spend Strategy: "For developing artists, if you have a limited budget, you should focus on TikTok ads rather than spending on Meta or YouTube. Ads should be part of your strategy to learn what’s working and what’s not. Ultimately, TikTok ads shouldn’t be the central plan, though. Ads train the TikTok algorithm only to promote your content if you pay. Focus on organic above all else.”
- Creative vs. Ads: "If someone doesn’t have a big profile, we spend more on ads than creative, focusing on brand-building and content ideas."
🔴 Content Creation Tips
One of the biggest challenges for TikTok creators is balancing creativity with strategy.
- Hooking Viewers Quickly: "We think of songs in 9 to 15-second sections. We analyze entire songs to pick sections that work well for trends, transitions, or lyric-driven content. Then, we pick our favorite moments to make content around.”
- Testing & Iteration: "TikTok is no longer as predictable as when we started. Now, we test a bunch of different content strategies. It could be funny, serious, authentic, fast-paced, text-heavy, wacky, you-name-it.”
- UGC and Authenticity: "TikTok is not precious like Instagram. People want authenticity—no camera rigs or filters. User-generated iPhone content works better than a big production shoot. That’s also why much of our budget goes to marketing, ads, and UGC, not producing content."
- 90 Different 9-Second Clips: "Keep trying different ideas—don’t be afraid to iterate multiple versions of content. Throw all the ideas out there for different song sections and clip ideas. Then, review what worked and what didn’t. Post and review. Post and review.”
🟣 TikTok Growth Challenges
Growing on TikTok is not without its hurdles.
- Algorithm Changes: "What worked a few months ago might not work today. The strategy has to adapt constantly. Don’t be afraid to experiment and adjust the types of videos you’re posting. You must test constantly because we don’t always know what will work."
- TikTok Live & Shop: "TikTok favors live content and shop integrations. This keeps users on the platform. And as a result, it makes TikTok more money. We started a TikTok Live agency to take advantage of the algorithm boost. We think about building audiences that engage with TikTok Live and Shop. TikTok rewards our creators for driving traffic to those important features.”
🟡 TikTok Promotion Tips
For those looking to break into TikTok, Nima and Mike offer this advice:
- Start Now – Don’t wait for the perfect idea; post and refine your content as you go.
- Be Consistent – Keep going even if your early videos don’t perform well. Success often comes with persistence.
- Engage with Your Community – Reply to comments, stitch or duet with others, and make content based on your audience's wants.
- Experiment & Adapt – TikTok trends evolve quickly, so be willing to pivot and try new ideas.
- Have Fun with It – The best content often comes from creators who enjoy their work.
🧠 Final Thoughts
TikTok offers incredible opportunities for creators, but success requires strategy, adaptability, and persistence. There are no shortcuts, understanding the platform, staying consistent, and connecting with your audience can lead to sustainable growth.
- If TikTok Disappears in the US: "TikTok isn’t going anywhere globally. Many of our biggest campaigns come from outside the US, and those streams still come back."
- Familiarity Resonates: "Labels want to work new records, but we’ve found that working familiar sounds often brings better results."
- Creators Want to Be Part of the Story: "It’s not just about streams; it’s about getting the algorithm on your side, planting seeds for long-term growth."
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