Think about your favorite place to see content from your top artists. Is it through gorgeously curated photos on Instagram? Real-time quips on Twitter? Creative content on TikTok? Maybe it's something else entirely. Either way, we all have artists that we love to follow on these platforms and as a musician it’s important to pay attention to where you can stand out and reach the most people on them.
Many musicians with labels have full teams of trained marketers helping them to create impeccable personas online, with songs featured on playlists from Spotify to Soundcloud and everything in between. Matching this on your own can seem really daunting, but knowing your strengths, your audience and your platforms can make all the difference.
Looking at audience interaction, Instagram is a great place to start. Unlike Twitter, you don’t have to be constantly active to stay relevant, and a little work can go a long way. Having high quality content that gets your fans excited about what you’re doing, shares a little bit about who you are and invites interactions, like sharing and comments, can go a long way. On top of all of that, labeling your account as ‘professional’ on the app gives you access to insights about who’s paying attention. Knowing those things can be helpful in so many ways.
TikTok
The next important one is, of course, TikTok. Not only is this a platform that you can post your own content and promote your music on, it is also a place where your audio clip, namely your music, has the potential to reach instant success through trends. TikTok is full of artists who have gone from singing in their bedroom to walking the red carpet, and that is not something to ignore.
YouTube
Another important platform would be TikTok’s predecessor in the realm of videography, YouTube. This is another platform that doesn’t require constant interaction. A few well-done pieces can take you a long way. The goal of YouTube is to rack up views on your videos, whether they are songs, interviews, or anything else you deem important to share with your fanbase. And one of the best things about YouTube is that all of your content can be easily transferable to the previous platforms, without having a copied or re-purposed feel to it. This makes it easy to justify putting the work into, and even easier to get interactions with.
Spotify
Moving on from YouTube, we get into the really important parts of an independent musician’s guide to social media, the streaming platforms. There are a variety of platforms out there that you can get your music onto, but having it there means nothing if people aren’t searching for it. Getting your latest single onto the right Spotify playlist can take you from 1,000 listens to a million, and similar things can be said for Apple Music, Soundcloud or Tidal.
Paying attention to who’s playlists are getting the most traction and how you can get the most visibility is really the main goal. And it doesn’t hurt to make sure your own landing page is personalized and full of life. Have a bio that feels like you and an ‘Artist’s Pick’ that really shows your skills.
Need Help Getting Started?
All in all, navigating social media can be a crazy experience for anyone. It’s important to pay attention to where you and your audience feel the most at home and run with that. Make the most of the time and resources you have, share like crazy and don’t forget that in the end, it's all about the music.
If you’re serious about taking your music career to the next level and really want to maximize your efforts with social media, then check out Starlight PR’s Social X campaigns. They’re tailor-made to really drive new fans to your social media channels in engaging ways.
