Guide
How to make a lyric video for TikTok
A good TikTok lyric video is short, vertical and easy to read on a phone: 1080×1920, the hook of the song, and each word on screen as it's sung. You can make one by hand in a video editor, typing and timing every line, or let a lyric video maker sync the words for you. Here's the process either way.
Step by step
- 1
Pick the hook
Choose the part people will remember: usually the chorus, or its first line. A short clip that people watch to the end, or watch twice, does better than a long one they skip.
- 2
Get the timing of every word
By hand, you mark in a video editor when each line starts and ends. With Soundcave, you upload the song and it listens to the vocals and syncs every word for you. Paste your lyrics too for better accuracy on fast verses.
- 3
Make the words easy to read
Use a big, bold font, show one or two lines at a time, and keep a strong contrast with the background. Keep the lyrics away from the bottom and right edges of the screen, where TikTok shows the caption and the buttons.
- 4
Choose a background that fits the song
Your own footage, your cover art, or atmospheric clips. In Soundcave you can pick from a library of cinematic template clips, upload your own video, or use your cover.
- 5
Export vertical and post
Export a vertical MP4 (1080 × 1920 MP4, 30 fps) and post it with its own audio. Put your smart link in your bio so people who like it can find the full song.
How long should it be?
Long enough for the hook and short enough to watch more than once: most lyric videos are somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds. In Soundcave you can pick any 5–90 second section of the song.
Post more than one version
Post the same chorus over different backgrounds, or different parts of the song, and see which one people respond to. Then make more like that one.
Send viewers somewhere
A lyric video makes people want the full song. Put one link in your bio that opens it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and every other platform, so nobody has to search for it.
Questions
What size should a TikTok lyric video be?
Vertical 9:16, 1080×1920 pixels, as an MP4. That's what Soundcave exports.
Can I make a lyric video on my phone?
Yes. Soundcave runs in the browser on phones and computers, with no app to install.
Do I have to type and time the lyrics myself?
Not with Soundcave: it transcribes the vocals and syncs every word. You can paste your lyrics to make it more accurate and fix any word by hand.
Is it free?
You can try it free: 1 trial song and 3 exports with the Soundcave watermark. Pro ($14.99/month or $149/year) includes 5 songs and 100 exports a month with no watermark.