This post was most recently updated on April 10th, 2022
On one hand, it could be considered the antithesis of what it means to be a musician.
Creating music is art. Promoting music is business.
But nowadays, musicians who want a shot at earning their way into the music scene full-time need to understand how to do both… and how to do them both very well.
The good news, however, is that the internet has made promoting your music much easier than it used to be.
And in this post, you are going to learn how to promote your music the right way.
A lot of what you need to do can be accomplished with zero money. Boom.
And one of the best lessons to be learned about music promotion in the modern world can be learned from one of the most successful bands of all time… the Beatles!
But I’m jumping ahead of myself.
In this post, you’ll learn 9 steps to do this:
- Stop Thinking of Music As A ‘Product’
- Create a Publishing Routine
- Embrace SEO
- Start Streaming
- Use Social Media
- Build A Direct Distribution Channel
- Start Other Revenue Streams
- Work Hard Like the Beatles
- Stay consistent… Do Not Give Up!
It isn’t easy. But this is what it takes to succeed in modern times if you want to promote your music for future success.
Best Social Media Sites To Promote Music And Bands…
- Pinterest lists
How To Use Facebook…
Create a page for your band.
Constantly document your band’s progress, share new music, and share other content that would appeal to your target audience… such as reviews of other songs in your genre, your thoughts about similar music, etc.
Do giveaways, contests, and lives.
Make sure to engage your audience! When you get comments on your content, make sure to respond to them and keep the conversation going!
Join groups that are relevant to your style and genre!
Make sure that your Facebook posts are not just clones of your Twitter posts! Try to keep things unique!
How To Use Instagram…
The thing that most musicians do not realize about Instagram nowadays is that it offers a lot of features!
You can post live videos from shows, you can tag venues and other bands you are performing with, you can use hashtags to do hashtag research and make sure you are popping up in the right circles, etc.
Make sure to share your stories on Instagram. These can be videos, text photos, music, etc.
And of course, as with all social media platforms… publish every day, and do it often!
How To Use Twitter…
Share not just your content, but also other people’s content. This is a bit of an unwritten rule of the Twitter world. When you share other people’s content, they will be much more likely to share yours!
Try to keep Twitter separate from your Facebook and Instagram. It is tempting to want to syndicate everything (which is absolutely fine in the beginning, and is much better than nothing).
But if you can manage to keep all of this content unique, you will create a more personalized experience for your fans.
Also, don’t be afraid to make your Tweets a little crazy! Try to really shake things up and do things differently!
You only get so many characters. So stand out and really project your own personal flair through those words.
How To Use Pinterest…
To win on Pinterest, you need to publish consistently. Update weekly at least. Daily is even better!
Make sure to allow pins on your boards. This will let your fans interact more with your content.
You can post about all kinds of things on Pinterest. You can also link to your other social media sites, and to your website!
Post about new songs, band photos, ideas for band promotion, pictures of your instruments, stage set-up ideas, gig ideas, tour promotion, venu shots… literally anything that will create entertainment and/or value for your fans and audience!
