Say it quietly: The art of TikTok lip sync to drive brand awareness


Trappe Digital LLC may earn commission from product clicks and purchases. Rest assured, opinions are mine or of the article’s author.



With TikTok’s popularity continuing to rise, brands need to consider how they might try to reach their target audience on that social media platform. One way is by participating in TikTok lipsync videos. It’s a worthwhile strategy because the TikTok algorithm often favors these trending videos.

In this article, I discuss the following:

What’s TikTok lip sync?

Much of TikTok runs on trending videos. Some of those are scenes from popular movies or TV shows – like this Wendy’s phone call from “The Office.” So to make that work, the on-screen creator typically mouthes the words of the clip. The same can be done for songs.

To use a sound like this, click on the sound title at the bottom of the other creator’s video you’re watching. From there, you can click “use this sound” and now use that in your TikTok video. It’s similar on Instagram; depending on the sound, you can also download the video. Instagram seems to restrict the downloading of audio more and more, though.

Of course, the best videos that include lip-syncing are the ones where the mouthing of the words matches the audio being played. Of course, that can be easier said than done.

Read next: Post TikToks with Agorapulse

How to lip sync better on TikTok?

Let’s start with spoken words that are not part of a song. The difficulty can begin with even remembering what to say. So when my daughter and I record a TikTok, we write out the script in Google Docs in front of us and then read it at the right time. For a song, you could just google for the lyrics and pull those up.

The right timing can be a challenge, too, and I’ve created my fair share of videos where my timing is way off. My biggest tip is to be ready to speak without making that obvious on screen, and then once the audio starts, start mouthing the words. It might take a few tries as well. Then, simply the video and start again.

Read next: How to buy trending TikTok songs

Final thoughts

And while this is a strategy worth considering, it’s also okay to find your own direction that does not include lipsyncing at all. Some people upload videos of themselves talking or explaining something, for example. I’ve done that as well, and that’s okay to try if you have something to discuss.

Does every brand need to be on TikTok? No, but it’s a great way to get in front of more people when your audience is on that network, and you can also repurpose the videos on other channels – as I did here on LinkedIn.

Tik Tok lip sync repurpose

A big challenge for some brands might be determining who should be the on-screen creator. And while I often recommend that leaders or even executives take these opportunities for further company and personal branding, they might not be the best fit here. But they also could be. Consider who has the time and the ability to create content on their phone and get it out quickly. But, again, that might not be an executive, but whoever runs social media.

Either way. I see the value of an integrated TikTok creation strategy for many businesses, and any company that will move it forward certainly will have to consider and bring their top lipsyncing game.



Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


Listen to my podcast

Discover more from Christoph’s Content Corner

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.