Being Social on Social Media

Being Social on Social Media

How to use social media to promote your music

There have never been more opportunities for independent artists to build a following and get their music in front of an audience. Sam Ryder, who represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 and came second, became an internet sensation on TikTok, which led to his big break.

The internet means that you can have fans all around the world without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home. What’s more, when you use social media in the right way, you can get those fans to spread the word about your songs, gaining even more followers.

But what is the right way to use social media? How can you leverage this incredibly powerful tool to support your music career?

What’s your why?

You can’t just post anything on social media and hope for the best. You need a strategy that shapes your content and actively supports your music. You don’t want to be reaching out to people just because you want something from them, such as streams or purchases. Your social media content should create an emotional experience for your audience, just like your songs do.

So before you even begin to post on social media, ask yourself a few simple questions:

Once you understand exactly why you’re using social media, it becomes easier to create a strategy that supports your intentions.

Quality is better than quantity

Many people get caught up in how many followers they have, but the simple truth is that it’s better to have quality followers than a large quantity of followers. A thousand highly engaged followers is much better than ten thousand people who barely interact or care about what you do.

When someone follows you, think about how you’d like to be treated if you were in their position. What can you offer them? How much rapport have you built with them?

If you have the time and really want to build relationships, you could try following the 3x3x3 method – this is when you comment on someone’s stories and interact with them for weeks or even months. Give them 3 likes and make 3 comments on their posts for three days and then you can DM them to open up a dialogue. You could ask them what music they like or their favourite artists to learn more about why they’re following you.

Do what you enjoy

Pick the social media that works best for you and where you enjoy hanging out. It’s pointless being on TikTok if you hate making videos and find it a chore. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it’ll come through in your content, even if you try to hide it. What’s more, you’ll end up burning out and one of the most important things about social media is consistency. Posting on the same days 2-3 times a week is going to have more of an impact than posting every day for a week and then putting up nothing for a month.

If it makes things easier for you, you can always create a lot of content in one go and then schedule posts to release when you need. Theme days are a good way of creating expectations with your followers, so they know what you’re going to put up. For example, you could have Music Mondays where you talk about what you’re listening to and asking people what they’re currently loving. When someone recommends a son g to you, tag them and thank them for the suggestion. Then you could have Work With Me Wednesdays where you give an insight into their work schedule.

Optimise your social media profile

Your profile can do an awful lot of the heavy lifting for you. Make sure you’ve optimised it so visitors to your page know exactly who you are and what you do.

Make sure you’ve got a completed bio and headline that encapsulates you as an artist or songwriter. You want to create credibility and trust at first glance. List any awards you might have won or impressive streaming numbers. Describe the type of music you create. It’s not enough to say you’re a “songwriter”- be really specific about who you are as an artist or songwriter and paint a word picture to evoke a strong sense of your style. One way of doing this is to think of two artists who make similar music to you and then consider where these two might meet to have written your songs – “Like Halsey met Billie Eilish on a midnight beach.”

Every step of the way ask yourself, does your bio showcase your personality? What can you do to make your bio stand out? Do you tag other accounts? Include hashtags or emojis? Be clear with the information in your banners so people know exactly what you’re saying. Link to your website as well – even in these times of social media, you’ll still need your own site.

Have a great profile picture. Social media is very visual, and your photo will be worth a thousand words. Above all, have fun! Social media is meant to be social. Even if you don’t like being sociable, you can always let your music speak for you by giving people a glimpse into your writing process. By following the tips in this blog post, you’ll soon have a dedicated audience of raving fans who can’t wait to see what you’re going to do

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