Instagram for Promoting Music

  • 4 Replies
  • 4778 Views

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

dill

  • *
  • Busker
  • *
  • Posts: 17
« on: June 12, 2017, 04:06:34 PM »
Hi everyone, I did a quick search on this topic but couldn't find anything, so I thought I'd kick off a discussion. I use Instagram personally, but have been considering using it for my music instead, or perhaps creating an entirely new profile.

Question is: How many of you use Instagram specifically to promote your music? For those that do, how do you go about it?

Reason I ask is that it seems like Instagram is becoming a little like YouTube has been for the past few years, where people can build up a fanbase online by uploading videos of themselves playing. Difference is of course the time limit on Instagram videos, but people can still stumble across your music through hashtags.
Plus, from what I can tell from personal, people seem pretty engaged on Instagram, whereas Facebook feels like an uphill battle some of the time!

Anyway, what do you think about it? Any musings, thoughts or pearls of wisdom welcome!

Gill

  • *
  • Open Mic
  • **
  • Posts: 121
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2017, 04:13:56 PM »
Hmm I've heard of Instagram for promotion of music specifically like for example producers sampling their beats for purchase or similar. So any anything that you own that gets attention it's always best to us that tool because it can only do more good than bad  ;)

dill

  • *
  • Busker
  • *
  • Posts: 17
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2017, 05:00:28 PM »
That's interesting, I hadn't thought of it in terms of sampling beats... how exactly do they do that? I don't make electronic music personally, but still interesting to know!

Getting attention, that's exactly it... I mean using Instagram for personal reasons is basically about sharing with your friends and family, so you don't need to worry about attracting new followers. But by using Instagram purely for music promotion, clearly the aim is to reach a wider audience - and stay connected with fans. I found a pretty good looking guide on this, getting more Instagram followers that is: https://www.1and1.co.uk/digitalguide/online-marketing/social-media/how-to-get-more-instagram-followers/

It points out that buying followers is a big no-no because those followers (usually fake) won't actually engage with your posts. That makes sense - I'm looking to find real fans, not robots! It also helped me understand a bit more about hashtags helping to get my content seen by people who may be interested, but I'm still wondering exactly what kind of content to post... What do people think... What would you want to see from a indie musician's instagram? Mainly promotional stuff, or video clips and 'behind the scenes' style stuff?

Gill

  • *
  • Open Mic
  • **
  • Posts: 121
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2017, 09:03:26 PM »
Well for example, they produce a beat on their computer software and just record it with a video, playing a section of the song and if someone is interested they'd contact the guy for more information. Yes, buying followers is the worst thing that you can do. 5 real fans are better than 100 robots just to make up the numbers (quality over quantity!).

I think the kind of things you can post for yourself are things that get people interested further. Like "teasers" of a song you made so that they stay active on your page so that they wait on information on where to hear the completed work. Another thing you could do is ask in the comment section on other artists' pages if people would check out your work. Do it on pages of artists that you think make music like your own material, as doing that will attract the kind of fans that have the same taste in music. I would use Instagram as a bridge for your fans to get to your base. your base being your Facebook or Youtube, as Instagram is limited in terms of displaying what you want and how long for.

Hope this helps!  :)

XTREEMMAK

  • *
  • Busker
  • *
  • Posts: 8
    • Key Jay Online
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2017, 05:38:07 PM »
Every once in a while I'll push a sample to Instagram with a URL at the end of the video to see the full video. Really though, you want to tailor your content to the platform so a better video might be a short insider during the process featuring yourself or something; content unique to Instagram that seems to work best for Instagram...and of course, tag like a mad man XD.

Sometimes I'll also do cam vids while in the mix....just because I can, and its fast.

Result on the effort?....meh. Yes I do gain a couple followers here and there, but I've always been skeptical about the value of a like or follow in regards to Instagram; they seem a bit shallow (irony much?). Sometimes I'll get a reaction or interaction here or there, but its still a question on how many of those likes (especially by those with big follow numbers) are translating to actual fans of my works/post vs. those who are just trying to game "follow for follow" (please dont do this btw).

In the end though, I do mix up my content instead of just shamelessly pushing my music content on my feed constantly; no one likes promo boards or feeds. They like people, and that's what is most important imo.
Official Website:
http://keyjayonline.com

My other Sites:
http://keyjaycompound.com