Top 7 Strategies for Advertising Your Music

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Before we start on these tips, let’s acknowledge something first. You have got to create good music for you to be able to market it. Good music will always find a way to a good fanbase.

You would have to be an established artist who has an unwavering fanbase to release crappy music and still have it go viral. This is somewhat still great news because at least we know that with the right marketing, we can still make good music viral.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk more about how we can make your music viral.

Advertising your music can do wonders for your career. It’ll help more people get to know you for who you are as a musician. It also opens up opportunities to monetize your talent and passion.

But then, finding a strategy that achieves this is not easy. It can be expensive to hire the right people and book the right events to build your music career. So how can we do it with a fraction of the price but achieve the same results?

Let’s find out.

1.  Harness the Power of Social Media

Social media is an excellent platform for a musician to promote their music. Each platform specializes in different kinds of interactions. Making sure you know how to maximize each for its specialty will help maximize your visibility. Mastering these platforms gives you access to free music promotion that can potentially make you go viral.

Facebook has been around for a while so millions of people already have an account on this platform. Statistics show that the largest demographic on this platform is 25 – 34 years old. If your music resonates with this age bracket, then make sure to establish your presence here. You can do so by consistently posting content like videos, updates, and things they can look forward to.

Twitter can be easier to master. All you need to do is be able to update your fanbase as to what’s happening in your life. You can hype up your followers by updating them about the music that you’re currently working on. This gets them excited about your content even before it gets released.

Youtube specializes in videos. Going live on this platform can help you connect with people who are subscribed to your channel. Another awesome way to establish a presence is to also do vlogs. This can be an avenue for people to fall in love with you outside of your music. They’ll get to know more of you as a person.

Instagram focuses on photos. Make sure to document the fun times you have when you’re out on gigs. This can also be a way to invite people to come over and see you right before you go live!

Tiktok is a fairly new app in the industry. Statistics show that the largest demographic in the US for this app is aged between 16 and 24 years old. Your followers will have fun watching you dance to trends and see a wackier side of you. This also opens up an opportunity for you to attach your music to a trend. Lots of songs become famous on this app because they get attached to trends like dances or stories.

What’s important in establishing an online presence is that you take your followers on a ride with you. You sell them the experience of who you are as a musician and don’t need to focus on only promoting your music. You show them these relatable parts of you so they fall in love not only with your music but with you as a person.

2.  Build Your Website

Having your website is also worth considering. Since this website will represent you and your music, make sure that people will understand who you are through your web design. If web design is not your forte, consider outsourcing the task to freelancers who can help you decide what your website will look like.

A personal website dedicated to your music makes you look credible and professional. It can be difficult to have one when you’re starting but please invest in one once you have the resources to do so. When you start collaborating with bigger brands, you can give them your website and they’ll be able to see your journey. Include your music, your gigs, who you’ve collaborated with, and whatever value you can bring to them.

Don’t forget to include all of your socials on your website so people can follow you there as well.

It is important to note that people will access your website on different devices. Make sure to optimize it so it won’t look weird if people view it on smaller devices.

This is Phoebe Bridgers’s website. Her site is a good representation of her as an artist since she creates Indie Rock and Folk Rock music. Though her website seems dark to some visitors, this website attracts people who have a preference for her music and this design.

You can also provide links to your merchandise store and dedicate an entire webpage for that. Guides to your next gigs will also be invaluable and worth including on the site.

3.  Mail Lists are Actually Effective

Experts say email marketing for musicians is40% better than using social media. Your first step should be building an email list. The next step should be to start sending newsletters to the addresses on your list. Here, consistency is vital if you’re to achieve the desired results.

Having a newsletter is an opportunity for you to connect with your audience. You’ll be able to bring them content to remind them that you’re still here for them. It’s a perfect way to invite them to visit your website and get updated with your music and tour schedules.

Lastly, be sure to include a call to action in every email you send. A hyperlink or button that will lead them to your website would be perfect.

4.  Take Advantage of Spotify

Spotify is another vital tool for musicians who’d like to advertise their music to large audiences.  The best thing about Spotify is that your music can go viral within days if you use the right strategies.

One way of establishing a presence here is getting playlisted. Your music will be included in curated playlists. When people look for a certain genre or niche, they’ll discover your music along with others with the same vibe.

Customize your profile with your stage name, a header photo, and a short, clear bio. Helping people figure out who you are with only the visuals of your profile will attract them to listen to your music if they resonate with who you are.

5.  Music Videos

Music videos have been a staple in the music industry. People are always excited to see them when new music is released. It’s yet another way for musicians to connect with their audience.

Lots of songs became viral because of their music videos. Granted, the music is good, but having a kick-ass music video that goes along with it makes it more viral.

Let’s take Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” for example. In the first 24 hours, the music video had a whopping 43.2 million views. This broke Psy’s “Gentleman” record of 36 million views.

Why ?

Because Taylor is a great storyteller.

The music video was released after a long silence from Taylor. She was involved in a mess with other artists and decided to stay quiet for a while. Through the storm, she kept her mouth closed. This music video was her response.

She has hidden clues and easter eggs in her music video. Fans had a blast deciphering it and figuring out what Taylor wanted to say. This sent waves upon waves of talk in social media.

The music video was beautifully crafted. The visuals were just off the roof. They have incorporated the best of the best CG effects for this. They even went the extra mile of using actual diamonds in the bathtub scene!

Don’t worry, you don’t need to break the bank to make a music video as viral as this. What made it go viral in the first place was how she told her story. The question is, how will you tell your story through your music video?

6.  Establish Meaningful Partnerships

If you’re just starting in the industry, it would be hard to try to collaborate with big brands. This is why you should start small. How about talking to the owner of that pub and asking if they need a performer every Thursday night? You get to practice your negotiating skills, get a small consistent gig, and get a little publicity.

You don’t have to force your music into these small gigs. It’s okay to start with covers of songs. What’s important is that people get to appreciate your voice. You can then ask for permission from the manager to play your original songs from time to time.

Another great start in creating partnerships is collaborating with other local artists. Again, it doesn’t have to be an original song. You can collaborate on covers together and post them on your respective social media platforms. This introduces you to their followers and they get introduced to your followers as well. It’s a win-win situation!

This introduces you as an artist in the community. People find your content because you’re covering popular songs. Once you’ve established an online presence, you can start squeezing in your original content.

Collaborating with other artists shouldn’t just stop on a professional level. As you share the same passion, you’d probably become friends with them as well. Networking and creating meaningful relationships with people in the industry will create more opportunities for you such as guesting at their gigs and even creating possible hit songs with them.

Another awesome opportunity you shouldn’t pass out on is performing as a guest in concerts of more established artists. This is a more effective strategy than having a concert of your own.

When people go to concerts of these bigger artists, they go because they like their music. If your music is similar to theirs then it’s a great way for you to establish your presence in that particular niche. Being in the same genre as the bigger artist, chances are people will also like your music.

7.  Build A PR Team

If you’re starting, you probably don’t have the funds to hire people to do your publicity for you. That’s okay. You can either learn how to do their work through tutorials online or you can ask a friend who would agree to do it for free for now. You can entrust your socials to this person and they’ll help you establish an online presence. Just don’t forget to give them a cut on your future earnings!

When you’ve earned a little more, start investing in a team of professionals to do your publicity work. Be it booking you with interviews, guestings, or gigs, have a team who knows what to do and have the connections to make it happen.

Finally, get a manager who is just as passionate as you are with your music. This can be challenging because a lot of people are just in it for the money. That’s why when you’ve found a manager who will help you grow as a musician, be sure to keep them.

Conclusion

There are lots of ways to advertise your music. Some may be more difficult compared to others. Some can be achieved on your own and some need collaboration.

There’s no one surefire way to succeed in advertising your music. Some strategies work for others and some don’t. What’s important is you give them all a try so you can find which one best suits your style.

The best style is the one that suits you.

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