Doesn’t matter if you are an upcoming artist or an authentic rockstar. If you are a musician in 2019 you need to be on social media. Whatever you like it or not, that is how the music industry works today. For the most part, people seek music, tendencies, inspiration and amusement on social media, and Instagram is the most popular among young people. Music companies, A&Rs, artists, record labels, agents, all of them are on Instagram… And if you want to be found, you should be too!.
Okay… you won me over, Instagram is important. But I already have an account with barely any interaction, just a bunch of likes and followers. How can I grow my fanbase? How can I get new followers on a daily basis? Here you will find the guidelines and tips you need to follow this 2019 if you want to success on Instagram.
1. Comments are the most important thing on Instagram
Above all else, you should focus on getting comments and here is why. In the first place, you should have already noticed Instagram has a ‘search’ section where you can seek for new content. This section appears as a searching icon in the loupe bar. Here is where people find new things they like and where you should be found. In order to determine which post appear in the first position for determined hashtags, Instagram uses an algorithm that changes to provide users with a better experience. In 2019 a new algorithm has been implemented and it prioritizes comments over likes. Comments have become the most determinating interaction within Instagram’s new algorithm. That’s why you will see many influencers encouraging their followers to comment on each post. And you should do the same. Ask your followers to leave their opinion in the comment section or suggest a topic for debate.
For example, imagine you post a pic with your new Fender guitar. You could ask your followers what’s their favourite guitar manufacturer or what type of guitar they play.
2. Consistency matters
They saying ‘quality over quantity’ doesn’t apply to Instagram. On the contrary, the content is momentary and whatever you post will be forgotten in a few days. Sad but true. So don’t overthink it and post!. Instagram reward users who post most frequently. If you want a chance to be remembered or discovered by someone you can’t afford huge long periods of time without posting. This is especially true if we are talking about Instagram’s stories. You should be posting stories on a daily basis in addition to 2-3 times per week on your feed.
3. Find feature accounts
Feature accounts are profiles dedicated to publishing a post about a specific topic. They normally don’t create their own content but upload posts from other profiles in exchange for exposure. It is true that some popular feature accounts ask for money in order to post something, and that’s a decision which is in your hands.
Let’s say you play pop covers with your acoustic guitars. Firstly, you should go to the search section, select accounts and write something like “acoustic covers”, “pop covers” etc. After doing some research you will tons of accounts about your type of music or your genre. Check those which have more followers and send them a selection with your best stuff. They normally have an email for submissions in their bio. Finally, remember to approach them in a kind way, not demanding anything. You could write something like “Hey, I am an upcoming artist and a big fan of your content. I am currently trying to gain some exposure and I was wondering if I could be featured on your profile, that would be awesome. Cheers”
4. Collaborate with similar profiles
Search for similar artists within your same musical genre. This is important since you should have similar audiences. You should also take into consideration that the person you are asking to collaborate has a close number of followers. If the other artist has a lot more, he probably won’t answer you. If on the other hand, he or she doesn’t have barely any followers…well then it isn’t worth it. It’s that simple. A collaboration could be posting a story with the other person’s profile and their account with a message encouraging people to follow them.
5. Study the best hashtags and the best time to post
First of all, change your account to a business account if you haven’t done that yet. Once you have completed this step you will be able to check how many people reached you through hashtags in each post. You can also find a lot of useful data. Use this data to determine which hashtags and hours work better for your audience and niche.
6. Redirect the audience from other platforms to your Instagram account
Do you have a Youtube channel, website, Spotify Profile, Soundcloud etc.? If this is the case, don’t forget to redirect your audience among all your platforms. This means you should add all your social media links to each piece of content you release online no matter where.
Do you want to learn the most powerful marketing tools for musicians in 2019? Check this post
7. Don’t buy followers on Instagram or any other social media
What are you thinking? People can notice!. Don’t you think people can see your 40k followers account with 200 likes per post?. Consequently, buying followers is a bad idea. That will make you look like some kind of amateur desperate for fame and recognition. To summarize, It’s much better to have fewer followers with plenty of interaction than ‘being alone’ with a 40.000 followers account.
8. Don’t send spam through DM
Do you like when you open your inbox expecting something interesting and suddenly “check my last track bro” appears? You have it, right? Then guess what, other people, too. I know it’s hard and frustrating when you release a new song and it doesn’t have the welcoming you were expecting. Disappointment can lead you to make stupid decisions but SPAM is not the answer. Making good music and proper digital marketing is.
