Really interested to share ideas and strategies for building an audience. I guess in these rona times we can’t go out perform at open mic nights etc and build a fanbase that way so I guess online is the only way at the moment. So any ideas and tips when it comes to building and growing on social media platforms would be useful.
Please share any links, videos or anything you feel could be of use. I’m trying to get good quality content and I’m looking at advertising on Instagram. Feel free to share any ideas and advice!
We have a couple of blog posts which I think would be useful/interesting reads. Not specifically on growing an audience but about how to get on spotify playlists, applying for gigs post covid and finding a music manager. The “applying for gigs” post has some tips on staying visible, so that could help!
I do Pirate’s socials and talent/community liaison - and I think the key to an artist’s social media presence is consistency, along with creating and cementing a difference between a “personal” and “artist” account. When building your artist account/transforming your personal account - it has to have a strong aesthetic. Brush up your photoshop skills and create personal, “on-brand” assets for yourself when releasing info/upcoming singles (alternatively ask around to see if anyone can help you). Also consider how the layout will look on the first visit to your profile page - there are loads of apps to help you figure out what layout to go with. Also alternate posts between promotion and images of yourself/lifestyle.
When finding artists to takeover/onboard as ambassadors - their social media accounts are essential and the one’s that catch my eye are balanced, considered and have a consistent and engaging look. Whether this is a set colour story, a text - image - text layout, a x3 image posting schedule, or only 9 instagram posts - make sure to create something that from the initial page visit is impressive and intriguing.
Make some own-brand guidelines for yourself and try to stick to them in order to cement a social presence and image. (That isn’t to say don’t be personal - strike a balance between personal connection and professional display).
We also have an article on structuring an EP release which gives insight into how to build hype/interest which I think could be a good read.
I hope this provided some kind of advice/insight - let me know your thoughts!
Thanks for the in-depth reply. this thread was inspired by the single release ‘Tips for promoting a single’ thread in the feedback room which I found really useful.
Yh the branding is definitely something I’m looking at, I guess one needs to grab the viewers imagination and keep them interested in the page - whether it be design, layout, them etc. So a nice mix between professional and personal.
I’ve been looking at pages I follow and noticed that I follow (people I don’t know) for one particular thing - whether it be looks (big bum, nice feet etc) or an interior page posting nice decor etc so defining one’s USP and emphasising that sounds like a good thing to consider too.
My hot tip to achieve @Cal_Pirate’s Instagram goals is using a social media scheduling tool. I really like later.com - it’s free and has a visual planner so you can see what you’re doing!
I’ve suggested it on threads previously but Reddit PAN (public access network) is a great streaming platform - I had a few thousand people watching my cat once with something like that, always cross promote to your other channels to recruit real fans.
Not from a music point of view but as a brand marketer, yes! The number one question for you to ask before getting involved with paid is what is your goal? Awareness of your music, purchases, followers (I wouldn’t recommend that as an aim). Can you tell us a little bit more about why you are looking at paid IG?
I’ve been doing some research - the aim for me is tangible gains in specific areas so more streams, more engagements, more views and more plays across my social media platforms. As a new artist nobody knows I exist so I think sponsored IG posts will help in terms of awareness and exposure. Say the sponsored post has a reach of 5k and I get 2% of those people visiting my page, resulting in half of them following - that’s still decent. I’m not expecting results overnight or a quick fix though.
Speaking to other artists, bloggers, influencers etc, a key challenge is getting the content, music etc into the right areas.
I think also to add, is have a website. not everyone is on social media. not everyone has an Instagram or Facebook account (privacy anyone?). so if your only socials are Facebook and Instagram then you are severely limiting yourself. but spend the time and resources on a WordPress site with a good domain name. then anyone can access your content. social media or not. I don’t look at the number of follows or “engagement”. it’s about the quality and most importantly, the music. if someone does awesome music, but doesn’t have a high social media following, then that doesn’t mean they are bad, it just means they focus more on the music.
for social media, just make sure you have the same usernames across all platforms (trademarks can help, except Facebook which has a bug in the trademarking process). also, buffer and IFTTT can help automate posting and sharing content.
A little off the beaten track here, but one thing we’ve chosen to do is to release all of our music CC-BY-SA, meaning that online creators can use our music for free as long as they credit us and release their work under the same license. This has got us some pretty good exposure, being used in a number of short films, and animations on newgrounds.com
I’m not saying it’s going to make you an overnight sensation, but sometimes a bit of lateral thinking can do you good. The path less traveled is less congested, and whist it may be less direct and less direct, it can quite often be much more interesting.
Yes. This for sure. Getting other people to use your content is a great driving force. I’ll definitely have to check out that newgrounds.com- thanks for the tip! I’ve just written up a section about DIY Releasing with some great tips on my NAMM post on this board as well.
Something else I also picked up from going to NAMM was that creating videos from a merchant standpoint have a formula these days:
Hook > Body > Bridge > Body > End
Hook: has to be the thesis “I’m going to tell you what I’m going to tell you” with the promise of what you’ll get out of watching the video
Body 1: “Tell / Show audience announcement or product”
Bridge: “Showcase the item / break up the video”
Body 2: “Recap or compare the announcement or product”
End: “Button or lasting image”
We have 3 seconds to grab the attention before they scroll. I might go more in depth on this because it was pretty helpful, even though it was geared more for product/brand sales.
with something like that, always cross promote to your other channels to recruit real fans.