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Navigate Social Media as a Musician: Tips, Tricks, and Tools for 2024

If you’re a musician struggling with social media, here is your guide on getting started and perfecting your social media game.

Posted 1 month ago
social media for musicians

Written by

Mackenzie Taylor
Posted 1 month ago
Being a professional musician trying to break it is tough. Add in social media and marketing yourself? It seems like an impossibility. With millions of musicians trying to go viral online, how do you make a name for yourself and stand out in the noise? Thatā€™s where we come in to help. In this blog, we are going to teach you everything you need to know about social media for musicians.
Hereā€™s everything you need to know about promoting yourself and your new songs, connecting with your fans, going viral on social, and so much more.

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  1. Why does social media matter so much for musicians?
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • SoundCloud

Why does social media matter so much for musicians?

It seems nowadays if you want to make it in the music industry, you need to go viral on social media first. While that is a sad thing to say as music should be the main focus, if you want to get noticed at all in the music industry, you need to build up a small following for yourself online and get people interested in your music.

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Over 3.6 billion people worldwide use social media and by utilizing social media in the right way, you could start building up your fanbase all over the world and do what you really loveā€”play music to adoring fans! And in case youā€™re a musician wondering why in the world social media even matters for your music, itā€™s the primary source of music discovery for 63% of listeners.
Thatā€™s a lot of people discovering new music onlineā€”and hopefully discovering your music online too.
Ready to start getting new listeners? Itā€™s time to start using social media to your advantage. Letā€™s get started.

What social media platforms should musicians use to promote their music?

Want to connect with your audience on a more one-on-one level? Parasocial relationships are all the rage these days! Kiddingā€”kind of. If you want to boost your streams and get on the road in front of thousands of adoring fans, youā€™re going to need to use social media to promote yourself. There are tons of social media platforms you can use to promote your music and engage your audience, here are the best ones to use:

TikTok

Every musician knows that if your song goes viral on TikTok, youā€™ve got it made. Well, for a while at least. TikTok provides a pretty creative space for musicians to share their music in interesting and engaging ways. As a musician, you can create catch music clips people can add to their own videos, create your own challenge with your lyrics, explain the process of writing a song (re: Noah Kahan with Stick Season), have others stitch your song, and so much more. TikTokā€™s algorithm makes discovery easier for musicians to reach a wider audience with the potential to go viral. The features that TikTok provides make it easier for musicians to respond and connect with their audience in real time and get immediate feedback on if something is working vs. not working for their fans.

YouTube

YouTube still continues to be the ultimate platform for musicians. The platform lets musicians share their music videos, live performances, Shorts, vlogs, and more to entice their audience. And the more you use YouTube and start getting viewers coming in, the more you can monetize your videos and make some cash-cash-money. A lot of musicians use YouTube as the place to direct fans to listen to more of their content (outside of streaming services, that is!). The features YouTube provides make it easy for musicians to connect with their audience and also know exactly what songs and videos work best for their fans.

Instagram

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In this day and age, having an Instagram presence and followers is important to get your foot in the music industry. Being able to utilize all key areas of Instagram will be important to get new followers through your door. Share behind-the-scenes of you in the studio. Show off your everyday life so your fans feel more connected to you. Explain the process of writing a song in a Reel or on your Instagram Story. Instagram is a perfect place for musicians to share all aspects of their lives ā€” something a lot of fans want to see.

SoundCloud

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While not typically a social media platform thought of in the traditional sense, SoundCloud is a great place for musicians to upload and share their music, create playlists, and engage with their listeners through comments and likes. SoundCloud is a great place for musicians to discover and connect with other artists as well. One of the best features of SoundCloud is that it is incredibly user-friendly and its focus on audio content makes it the best place for musicians to show off their new music and build a dedicated fan base.

How can musicians build a strong online presence through social media?

Now that you know which platforms you should be on, itā€™s time to make those platforms work for you. But, what should you be posting? How can you make people interested or care about you? Letā€™s dive into it:

Optimize your accounts

First, you need to take a look at your accounts overall and figure out if they are optimized in the best way. What the heck does that mean?
  • Are all of your profile images and cover images sized correctly for that specific platform? Every platform has a different sizing guide, so be sure they are correct. Click here to learn the social media sizing guidelines.
  • Make sure your account name is yours or makes sense with who you are. How are people going to find you if your account name doesnā€™t make sense?
  • Be sure your profile and bio link back to either your website, tour, a new song, or whatever you want people to view.
  • Go through your profile and ensure that everything on there is accurate and up-to-date.
Going through your profile to make sure that it is optimized correctly is an important first step when it comes to social media. It will help guarantee your audience is being pointed to the information you want them to see, plus make you look more professional overall.

Share behind-the-scenes content

A big reason why people love following musicians is to feel connected to them and to see their process. Think back to why you follow your favorite musicianā€”is it to see their take on touring? Their process of writing a new song? Sneak peeks into the studio? By showing off these little teaser moments, you get your audience excited about your music even more. This can lead to more ticket sales, sharing your music on social media, pre-saving your album or songs, and so much more.

Share user-generated content

When your fans tag you in videos or photos, share them with your audience! People love to know that their favorite musician saw their Story or liked one of their postsā€”but their favorite musician sharing that content? Thatā€™s even better! Plus, it makes people want to tag you in more for the chance of being seen and shared. This helps you with building a better relationship with your audience, but it can also help new people discover you. When your fans share your music and photos to their own profiles, their friends see it (and hopefully discover you for the first time) which increases your reach online.

Collaborate with other musicians or influencers

We know itā€™s easier said than done, but find a musician that you love and see if they are open to collaborating with you. Perhaps you can stitch one of their TikTok videos with your own lyrics. Maybe you cover one of their songs online. Reach out to the musician and ask if you can do a video together. By collaborating with other musicians, you both benefit from each otherā€™s separate audiences. Collaborations are a great way for you to reach new audiences but also provide an opportunity for cross-promo and (hopefully!) mutual support.

Interact with your fans

You need to engage and talk to your fans online to really build a sense of community. Yes, it seems like an obvious thing, but interacting with your fans is so important for your social media strategy. By responding to their DMs, heart-ing their comments or messages, or reposting their content, youā€™re showing them that you see, recognize, and are listening to them. And that definitely leads to a more loyal fanbase.

Be consistent

We shout about consistency a lot over here at Flick but itā€™s because itā€™s so important. Regularly posting content and engaging with your audience helps you build a more loyal following and keeps your music at the top of their minds. We recommend creating a content calendar and scheduling all of your posts in advance so you can remain consistent.
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Instagram scheduler

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Check your analytics

When you go through your analytics, youā€™ll get a quick overview of what your audience likes and wants from you. Start paying attention to the videos and posts that get a lot of engagement. What are people sharing with their friends more? What are people commenting on more? From there, you can start to build out a social media strategy that is tailored to your exact audience and what they want from you.
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Instagram Analytics

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Tool to use to help musicians with social media creation

Flick

To help you spend less time on social media and more time on creating music, Flick is the ultimate tool you need. Flickā€™s AI Social Media Assistant can help you with social media creation from start to finish. Utilize the tool to brainstorm content and caption ideas, generate the best hashtags, repurpose past content, see what posts have done well for you previously, and so much more.
With Flick, you can streamline your social media workflow in seconds. By using our analytics, AI Assistant, and scheduling tools, youā€™ll remain consistent on social media and get the growth you want (and need!).

Why use Flick?

  • Analyzes all of your content in seconds and lets you know exactly how you stack up against your competition
  • Schedule out all of your content in a single click
  • Create captions inside the Scheduler with the AI Caption Generator tool
  • Writes in your brand voice based on your Brand Info
  • Get access to endless post ideas in a single click
  • Repurposes all long-form content into bite-size social media posts
  • Integrates into Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
  • Get auto-generated hashtags based completely on your captions that are best fit for your content
  • Caption templates that sound more human and completely like a post youā€™d actually write
  • Available in multiple languages
  • AI-generated images and access to our Stock Image Media Library
Pricing: Free trial for 7 days. Plans start at $~14/month

Frequently Asked Questions

How can musicians effectively use Instagram Stories and Reels to engage with their audience?

Instagram Stories and Reels are powerful tools for musicians to connect with their audience more authentically and engagingly. Use Stories to share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your creative process, teasers of upcoming releases, or personal moments to humanize your brand. Reels offer an opportunity to showcase your music in short, attention-grabbing videos, whether itā€™s a snippet of a new track, a fun cover, or a creative music video. Incorporate interactive features like polls, questions, or quizzes to encourage audience participation and foster a sense of community.
Streamline your social media management with scheduling tools like Flick, which allows you to plan and schedule your posts in advance across multiple platforms. The tool offers features such as content calendar views, post scheduling, AI Social Media Assistant, and analytics tracking to help you stay organized and maintain a consistent posting schedule. By planning your content ahead of time, you can focus on creating engaging content while ensuring a steady flow of updates for your audience.

What are some effective ways for musicians to collaborate with other artists or influencers on social media?

Collaborating with other artists or influencers can broaden your reach and introduce your music to new audiences. Start by identifying potential collaborators whose audience aligns with yours and reach out to them to propose collaboration ideas. Consider partnering on co-written songs, cross-promotional campaigns, or joint livestream events to leverage each otherā€™s fan bases and create mutually beneficial partnerships. By collaborating with others, you can expand your reach and foster meaningful connections within the music community.

How can musicians navigate the challenges of promoting their music on social media without coming across as overly promotional or spammy?

Balancing self-promotion with engaging content is key to maintaining a positive presence on social media. Instead of solely focusing on promoting your music, aim to provide value to your audience by sharing behind-the-scenes insights, personal stories, or meaningful messages that resonate with them. Mix in promotional posts with a variety of content types, such as live performances, cover songs, or collaborations, to keep your feed diverse and interesting. By authentically engaging with your audience and offering them something of value, you can build trust and loyalty over time.
Protecting your music rights and avoiding copyright infringement is crucial when sharing your music on social media. Ensure that you have the necessary rights and permissions to use any copyrighted material, such as samples or cover songs, in your posts. Familiarize yourself with the content policies of each platform to understand what is allowed and what may result in takedown notices or penalties. Consider registering your original music with a performing rights organization (PRO) and exploring licensing options to protect your intellectual property and ensure fair compensation for your work.

How can musicians measure the effectiveness of their social media efforts and track their growth and engagement over time?

Monitoring the performance of your social media efforts is essential for evaluating your success and refining your strategy over time. Track key metrics such as follower growth, engagement rate, reach, and impressions using built-in analytics tools or third-party platforms. Analyze which types of content resonate most with your audience, what times of day are most effective for posting, and which platforms drive the most traffic to your music. Use these insights to optimize your content strategy, experiment with new approaches, and continually improve your social media presence.

What are some alternative social media platforms musicians can explore to connect with fans and fellow artists outside of mainstream platforms?

In addition to mainstream platforms like Instagram and Facebook, musicians can explore niche communities and specialized platforms tailored specifically for music promotion and networking. Platforms like SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and ReverbNation offer opportunities to showcase your music, connect with fans, and collaborate with other artists within the music industry. Explore genre-specific forums, online communities, or Discord servers to engage with like-minded musicians and fans who share your interests and passion for music.

How can musicians effectively leverage paid advertising and sponsored content on social media to promote their music and grow their fan base?

Paid advertising and sponsored content can be valuable tools for musicians to amplify their reach and promote their music to a broader audience. Consider running targeted ad campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube to promote your latest releases, upcoming shows, or merchandise offerings. Collaborate with influencers or music blogs in your niche to reach their followers and gain exposure through sponsored posts or shoutouts. Experiment with different ad formats, targeting options, and budget allocations to maximize your ROI and drive meaningful results for your music career.

Content

Why does social media matter so much for musicians?

What social media platforms should musicians use to promote their music?

How can musicians build a strong online presence through social media?

Tool to use to help musicians with social media creation

Frequently Asked Questions


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