For emerging artists, social media – when done right – offers HUGE potential for getting your music discovered, in more ways than one (10 in this case). With the majority of the world’s population now avid users of at least one social media channel, the importance of social media as a tool for promoting your music and you as an artist, is more crucial now than ever.
How to Promote Music on Social Media in 2022
With the number of social media platforms on the rise, there’s never been a better time to educate yourself on all things social promo!
And although each platform comes with its own ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’, there’s still a few general rules of thumb which can be applied to ALL platforms, just to ease you in.
So we’ve broken down 10 of the most important things you can do as a musician on social media, to grow your audience, get your music discovered and boost your online presence.
1. Be Authentic
The whole point of social media is to connect with others. And when it comes to your fans, making ‘real’ connections are what matter.
By establishing an authentic sense of yourself on social media, your followers can build a deeper connection with you and your music, making them more likely to become loyal fans.
The key to being authentic online? Posting genuine content that your fans will love!
2. Know Your Audience
BUT – there are things you can do to tap into the audience you wanna attract and the types of people who engage with your music and online profiles. So find out what your audience wants and DO IT! You could even look at other pages your fans are following to see how you could apply a similar strategy.
Remember, there’s so many users on social media, so targeting the right ones is essential
3. Optimise Your Profiles
All of your social profiles should include:
- A bio with a link to your most recent promo or release, be that a track, album, tour dates, merch drop or music video.
- An up-to-date profile picture, that’s sized correctly (check out our complete guide to social media image sizes) for that specific social page, preferably a press shot.
Think of these two elements as the intro to you - you want people finding your page to immediately know who you are and what you have to offer.
How you do this exactly, is up to you!
You could also think about getting verified Instagram or applying for a blue tick on Twitter, if you've received enough press coverage to warrant verification.
4. Interact With Fans
This next one’s all about making sure you’re putting the ‘social’ in your social media marketing strategy.
And to be social, means having regular, back and forth interaction and engagement with your fans. Whether that’s replying to a comment, ‘liking’ a post they’ve tagged you in, or ‘resharing’ a post they’ve mentioned you in - it all adds up.
We all wanna be seen, fans too. So these small acts of acknowledgement can go a long way - especially if they’re a die-hard superfan!
5. Short Form Content Is KING
Video virality is on the rise, which means you should be incorporating it into your social media strategy.
People love to see video content, and fans especially love to see it from their favourite artists. You can clearly see this trend in the rise of music marketing on TikTok over recent years.
So your socials should be a place where you post short-form videos of you in action – whether that be footage from a recent show, backstage content or a vid of you practicing a new hook in your bedroom.
6. Drive Awareness Across All Platforms
Now that there’s such an array of social media platforms to play with, you can use your exposure on one platform to aid your following on another.
The way to do this is through syncing up all your social media channels to each other.
Say you know how to promote music on Instagram effectively, following but not so much when it comes to promoting music on Twitter, you can divert fans from your Instagram page over to your Twitter by creating easy access routes for Instagram users.
The best ways to do this are including links of course, but also, using content on one platform to drive viewers to another. And even the biggest names in music are using this trick.
7. Smart Tagging
Collaborating with another artist, brand or event? Tagging will be your best friend.
When you tag other accounts in your social media posts, it’s like sending a direct line to the followers of those accounts. More often than not, those followers can end up becoming your followers. And vice versa – meaning you get more visibility and so do they! So when it comes to tagging, don’t miss out on opportunities for smart tagging. You can use it to;
- Boast brands (e.g. instruments and clothes) you’re working with or just sporting
- Give a shoutout to a venue you’re performing at – bonus points for independent venues!
- Tag fellow musicians you’re gigging, touring or collaborating with.
8. Consistency Is Key
Another really important tip for making sure your socials and music appear professional, is maintaining a sense of consistency throughout.
This means there should be consistency in the content you’re sharing across all your profiles.
For example, if you’re shouting out about your latest tour dates on your Twitter, it’s a good idea to also post the tour dates on your Instagram and Facebook. Not only does this make your profiles look well put together and related, it gets across any big news to the widest possible audience!
9. All Hail The Hashtag
Ah, the Hashtag. The true OG of social media marketing. And whilst bigger more established artists tend to veer away from hashtagging, it can actually have a lot of value for emerging artists who are still finding their audiences. This is because hashtags help users find you and your music, even when they aren’t already following you.
The trickiest part is choosing which hashtags to use. And there’s a couple of things to think about when you’re doing this…
- Keep it relevant: Only use hashtags that describe or say something about you or your music.
- Be specific: Don’t use hashtags that already have millions of posts or you’ll never been seen, try and narrow it down via perhaps genre, or type of artist.
- Think about location: Try using geo-tagging to target local audiences and potential listeners. Location-based search is HUGE right now! And if you’re feeling creative, why not use a hashtag-based campaign to really drive engagement with your followers?
10. Go LIVE
Finally, live streaming is another HUGE social media trend you need to be jumping on!
Artists who utilise tools like Instagram Live, Facebook Livestreams or even live streaming music on Twitch often have a more tangible and transparent relationship with their fans.
Think of it like a free virtual concert for your fans and followers! You could even host exclusive, private live streaming sessions by giving fans the invite link via your socials.
During the pandemic, live streaming to fans was the only way to somewhat mimic the absence of live music performances. And A LOT of artists hopped on the wagon!
And there you have it – 10 tips to get your social media marketing strategy EXACTLY where it needs to be. Good luck with your own social media campaigns!