Lots of YouTubers have been making videos about TikTok. They react to TikToks submitted by viewers, try to learn TikTik dances, or recreate their favorite TikToks. However, many TikToks use copyrighted music, which can lead to a copyright strike if it appears on your channel.

Here’s how to use TikToks in your videos without getting a copyright strike.

Screen record the video from your phone.

You can’t download a TikTok video the same way you can download images from other social media sites. There are some apps and websites that enable you to download TikTok videos, but the safest way to capture them is to screen record them yourself.

You can screen record any TikTok from your smartphone. You can even make the screen recording while you’re filming your own video. Later, you can insert the footage into your YouTube video. 

Verbally credit the original creator.

You shouldn’t use anyone else’s content without giving credit to the original creator. Even if you don’t have to pay for the rights to use that content, you still need to give credit where credit is due. Imagine how you would feel if you saw a TikTok you made in someone else’s YouTube video, and that creator didn’t even say that you’d made the original TikTok.

So, whenever you use someone else’s TikTok in your video, be sure to verbally credit the original creator. Say their username as well as their display name. You might even show their username as text on the screen next to their video.

Take it a step further by crediting them in the description of your video as well. Write a section header such as “Original TikToks by” or “TikToks used in this video.” Then, list the usernames of the original creators. You might also include a link to their original video or profile.

Mute the original audio.

A lot of TikToks use copyrighted music. While the use of this music is licensed on TikTok itself, using it in a YouTube video you’re going to monetize can put your channel in jeopardy. Even a thirty-second song snippet used in a TikTok is enough to get your channel a copyright strike.

Therefore, you should mute the original audio of any TikTok you use in your video. To mute the original audio, simply delete the audio file under the screen recorded video in your editing timeline. You can tell your viewers what song was used and why you had to mute it.

The only exception would be videos without music or other copyrighted content, such as movie quotes. For example, if the TikTok is simply its creator talking, then you might be okay using the original audio.

Insert a royalty-free track.

Once you’ve muted a TikTok’s original audio, replace it with a royalty-free track. Paste the track under the TikTok video and trim it to fit. You can use different royalty-free tracks for every TikTok in your video, or you can use different parts of the same track.

Find tracks that won’t get you copyright strikes in YouTube’s own Audio Library. Use the playlists on the channel below to search by genre or mood. Then, you can download them directly from the audio library feature.

TikToks appeal to a wide audience, so using them in your YouTube videos can draw in a lot of viewers. Be sure to mute the original audio and credit the original creator to avoid a copyright strike.