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Music Promotion
How to Skyrocket Your Music Exposure using Social Media in 2023
Social media campaigns are important for music promotion in 2023 because they can help you reach a wider audience, generate buzz, build rapport, and connect your fans with your music. Some of the most popular platforms for music promotion today are TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts because they allow you to create engaging and viral videos that showcase your talent, style, and personality.
In this post, I will discuss how musicians can use these platforms to boost their music exposure by following some of the best practices and examples of successful music social media campaigns.
In This Article
How to use TikTok for music promotion
According to a study conducted for TikTok by the MRC Data/Nielsen Music Group1, 67% of TikTok users are more likely to seek out songs on music-streaming services after hearing them on TikTok. TikTok also has a large global user base, with an estimated 1.2 billion monthly active users as of October 2021.
Focus on TikTok-friendly tracks
Your tracks should be catchy, memorable, and suitable for different types of content, such as dance, comedy, or lip-sync. You should also identify the most viral part of your song, usually 15 seconds long, and make it easy for users to access.
Use a mix of hashtags
Hashtags can help you reach more people who are interested in your genre, style, or mood. You can also use hashtags related to current trends, challenges, or memes that fit your music.
Post a clip from your vertical lyric video
Have a lyric video produced with a vertical version of it so you can clip the best segment and post it on TikTok.
Create challenges & contests
Challenges are one of the most popular ways to engage users on TikTok. You can create a challenge based on your songs, such as a dance routine, a lip-sync performance, or a creative interpretation. If you can afford to, you can even offer prizes or incentives for users who participate in your challenge.
Follow, follow, follow
You should follow other users who are relevant to your music niches, such as influencers, fans, or peers. You should also interact with them by liking, commenting, or dueting their videos. This can help you build relationships and subsequently grow your fanbase.
Authenticity first
You should be yourself and show your personality on TikTok. Users appreciate originality and honesty more than perfection. You should also have fun and enjoy making videos that showcase your music and talent.
Visuals & memes
You should use visuals and memes that match your music and brand. Visuals can include filters, effects, stickers, captions, etc. Memes can include jokes, references, parodies, etc. These can help you attract attention while making your videos more entertaining.
Share across other platforms
You should share your TikTok videos on other social media platforms such as Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, Twitter, etc. This can help you reach more potential fans and drive traffic to your TikTok profile.
How to use Instagram Reels for music promotion
Reels is Instagram’s answer to TikTok, launched in August 2020. It allows users to create 15-second or 30-second videos with music from Instagram’s library or their own audio. Reels can be shared on Instagram Stories, Explore, or the dedicated Reels tab. Reels has a smaller user base than TikTok, but it benefits from Instagram’s existing network of over 1 billion monthly active users.
Collaborate with others
You should follow other users who are relevant to your music niches, such as influencers, fans, or peers. You should also interact with them by liking, commenting, or dueting their videos. This can help you build relationships and subsequently grow your fanbase.
Ideas for Instagram Reels for Music promotion
- Collaborate with a dancer and create a dance routine to your track.
- Film yourself performing your song from your studio.
- Develop a challenge or prank that is inspired by the lyrics of your track.
- Get an influencer to record a Reel and add your song to the video.
- Post an IGTV version of your lyric video then add a clip from it to Reels!
Share across other platforms
You should share your Instagram Reels on other social media platforms such as TikTok YouTube Shorts, Facebook Twitter, etc. This can help you reach more potential fans and drive traffic to your Instagram profile.
How to use YouTube Short for music promotion
Shorts is YouTube’s version of TikTok, launched in September 2020. It allows users to create up to 60-second videos with music from YouTube’s catalog or their own audio. Shorts can be viewed on YouTube’s homepage, the Shorts shelf, or the Shorts camera app.
Ideas for YouTube Shorts for musicians
- You can share behind-the-scenes videos, previews of upcoming songs, music video clips, acoustic sessions, covers of music you love, or promo for new music.
- You can collaborate with a YouTube creator or a professional dancer and get your song used as a soundtrack on their Shorts video.
- Start a dance challenge using your song as the soundtrack.
- Ask your fans to record a video of themselves doing something with your YouTube video audio looped over the top.
- React to other music videos, performances, etc. from YouTube.
- Make a shorts clip from your lyric video!
Pinpoint the musical moment
You should identify the most catchy, memorable, or emotional part of your song, usually 15 seconds long, and make it easy for users to access.
Share across other platforms
You should share your YouTube Shorts on other social media platforms such as TikTok Instagram Reels , Facebook Twitter , etc. This can help you reach more potential fans and drive traffic to your YouTube profile.
Promote Your Music with a Lyric Video
Attract new fans with a captivating lyric video! Make your lyrics stand out and grab the attention of potential listeners. Check out my lyric video portfolio, and get in touch to take your music game to the next level!
Conclusion
TikTok, Reels, and Shorts are three popular social media platforms that allow users to create and share short videos with music. They can be used by musicians and music marketers to reach new audiences, increase engagement, and boost streams.
For those who have some extra budget to spare, you can look into using Facebook ads to promote your music release. For everyone else, remember to create original and engaging content that showcases your personality, style, and talent. Use trending songs, sounds, hashtags, and challenges to join viral conversations and increase your visibility.
Try to collaborate with other creators and influencers who have similar or complementary audiences and musical tastes. Finally, always monitor your analytics and feedback to understand what works best for your audience and optimize your strategy accordingly.
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