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Social Media

Social Media

Jul 08
Love3

20+ Tactics for Musicians to Beat Social Media Algorithms in 2023

By Facebook, Instagram, Social Media, Twitter No Comments

The one thing that never fails to piss off creators and artists are social media algorithms!

The days of free organic reach have been well behind us. Basically, ancient history at this point. Although the perception of how TikTok serves content to users seems to be more favorable, the complaints have more so been with Instagram and Facebook (both owned by Meta of course). To be fair, the YouTube algorithm doesn’t share your new video uploads to all of your subscribers either.

What can musicians do to overcome this challenge with algorithms? Or is it even the source of the problem in the first place? In this blog, we’ll explore that and cover a list of tactics for you to try and “beat” the algorithm. Read More

Jun 08
Love2

Are Social Media Algorithms Intentionally Suppressing Sales Posts To Screw Over Artists?

By Facebook, Instagram, Social Media, Twitter One Comment

Note: This is an opinion blog piece that is a bit different from what I usually publish. It is meant to be a complementary piece to go with my Tactics For Musicians To Beat Social Media Algorithms blog.

Whenever a musician posts about tickets to an upcoming show or new merch, there can be a noticeable dip in engagement and organic reach compared to other types of posts. I’ve seen it happen firsthand many times. Does this always happen? No. Have I seen sales types of posts do really well organically? Yes.

The commonly held belief is that social media platforms will intentionally suppress the organic reach of any posts that involve trying to sell something to force creators to buy ads to reach their followers.

I hear about it all the time within my circles. I’m no stranger to conspiracy theories myself but I also strive to be objective as a mediator-type personality and a professional in the industry.

Although this line of thinking makes a lot of sense and it’s hard to argue against this belief considering that’s their major source of income, there is also another major factor at play. Read More

Dec 31
Love44
Clubhouse App Musicians

What is Clubhouse and Why Musicians Should Be Excited It + New User Tips

By Social Media No Comments

Update: It looks like Clubhouse has shifted their focus to expanding their user base much sooner than anticipated. There are currently over 10 million users now and it’s growing globally, which is up from 600,000 when I joined in December of 2020. They are now out of beta and available for the public to join. I added some for new users down below. Some information in this blog may become outdated as this app grows, but I’ll do my best to keep this page updated as soon as I hear anything new.

There’s a new social media startup that’s generating a lot of buzz due to the high profile celebrities currently active on it as well as some controversy. The app is called Clubhouse and it can potentially be the next big social media platform.

Clubhouse launched in early March of 2020, but I was late to the party as I heard about the app for the first time on 12/22/20 and got an invite the day after. Impressed and excited by its potential for wider adoption, I wanted to write this blog to give musicians a heads up of what may come and share my observations. Read More

Sep 27
Love7
Instagram for Musicians

Instagram for Musicians: Tips, Tricks, Tools and Tactics You Might Not Know

By Instagram, Social Media 3 Comments

Last Updated on 3/29/2023: There have been a lot of changes to Instagram since this blog was first published. Some things mentioned here are outdated but I will continue to add and update over time.

Now with over 1 billion active monthly users, Instagram has become one of the most important social media platforms for musicians, especially younger generations. It’s such a versatile platform with plenty of functions and settings that the average user might miss.

In this blog, I will cover Instagram tips, tricks, tools and tactics from the most basic to more well-known ones to maximize your presence and fan engagement on Instagram. Read More

Apr 22
Love7
Why people aren't following you on Instagram

Instagram for Musicians: 10 Reasons Why People Aren’t Following You

By Instagram, Social Media One Comment

Having a strong Instagram presence, in my opinion, is very important for musicians. Despite being a visual platform, Instagram has all the functions, features, attention and even audience for music artists. The fact is, Instagram users spend more money on music, while also devoting more time listening to and supporting in general.

According to a Nielsen study commissioned by Instagram from 2016:

  • IG users spend 30% more time listening to music on a weekly basis in comparison to the general U.S. population, and they’re more likely to be listening to pop, hip-hop/rap and R&B.
  • Instagram users are 42% more likely to spend money on music during the year, in comparison to the general population’s annual music spending habits.
  • 90% of Instagram Users Stream Music, compared to 76% of the general population.

While it’s easy to get caught up in wanting more followers, I think it’s worth pointing out that there may be reasons why people may not follow you in the first place. Read More

Aug 08
Love4
Facebook Ads for Music Video

How to Use Facebook Ads to Promote a Music Video and Sell Merch

By Facebook, Facebook Ads, Music Business, Social Media 4 Comments

SCENARIO: You have a new music video that you want everyone to see. It could even be an older video, it doesn’t matter because it’s always new to someone who’s never seen it. Facebook Ads is a great way to get more views for your music video, from both your current fans and potentially new ones.

Think of Facebook Ads as a tool that you can use to get exposure for your music video and potentially lead people into your fan funnel. Once in your fan funnel, it can be easier to sell your music and merch to your fans. The good news is you can use Facebook Ads to do this also.

There are different ways and strategies you can go about it, but I will guide you through one way to sell your music and merch to an audience that is more likely to buy based on how engaged they were by your videos. Read More

Jun 11
Love3

Going Viral: 6 Important Lessons Artists can Learn from the Rise of Hobo Johnson

By Branding, Going Viral, Motivation, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

Hobo Johnson
 
With all the events that have recently transpired for this young artist, the name of his latest album, “The Rise of Hobo Johnson,” couldn’t be more appropriate.

In the last 3 months, Hobo Johnson has:

  • Reached 700k+ Facebook followers (up from a few thousand)
  • Gained 256k+ Youtube Subscribers
  • Sold out shows all over the U.S. and U.K.
  • Reached #11 on Billboards Heatseeker’s Chart
  • Had at least 4 of his songs at the same time on Spotify’s U.S. Viral 50 Playlist
  • Booked his first big festivals – Bumbershoot in Seattle and Outside Lands in San Francisco

In the world of virality and mainstream artists, this is relatively impressive. But to the average independent artist, this is an astronomical feat for a 20 something-year-old adult from Sacramento.

How did he do it? Read More

Mar 05
Love2
Facebook

Major Facebook News Feed Change in 2018: Here’s How Musicians Should Adapt

By Facebook, Social Media No Comments

A drastic change has taken place on Facebook, and it is bad news for all brands, including musicians and music artists.

As many know, the Facebook newsfeed has been controlled by complex algorithms to determine what posts and content will show up in your feed based on a number of variables including: who you follow, what you post and your past interactions on the platform.

Back in 2016, Facebook announced a change to their news feed algorithm that would prioritize posts from friends and family and bring them to the top of your feed. Personally, I haven’t notice much of a difference since then, but it looks like they’re not done yet. Read More

Oct 03
Love12
More Spotify Followers

How to Get More Spotify Followers (Tips for Musicians)

By Music Streaming, Social Media, Spotify 3 Comments

Looking for more Spotify followers? As of 2018, Spotify is the top music streaming subscription platform right now worldwide with over 207 million active users (96 million are paying subscribers). As Spotify continues to grow and offer new tools to help you succeed as an independent artist, it makes sense to devote time and effort to increase your number of followers on this platform.

One of the biggest benefits of having Spotify followers is that fans receive email notifications when you put new music on Spotify or announce new shows (if you use Songkick.com). Your songs also show up in their Release Radar playlist and possibly other algorithmic playlists from Spotify. Read More

Sep 06
Love2
Super Fans Isaiah Rashad

4 Easy Communication Tweaks To Help Convert Fans Into Super Fans

By Branding, Music Business, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

Since 2008, there’s been a popular hypothesis floating around the internet about how artists can make a sustainable living if they are able to earn roughly 1,000 super fans.

Unfortunately with so much competition for attention now, that number may be more. However, the idea behind this is to help dispel this notion that you need thousands or millions of fans to make it as an independent and that living off music is more attainable than it seems. Read More