Instagram had one billion active monthly users in 2018.
That’s a billion people you could reach with your music. Just by using Instagram.
But with so many users on the app, it’s very hard to get noticed in such a crowded space. There are some tips and tricks you can use to help you stand out from the crowd, however.
So read on as we take a look at how to get your Instagram music noticed.
Think About Your Fan Base
The first thing to consider is the people that you are trying to promote your music to.
If your fanbase is made up of grey-haired old ladies (Michael Buble, anyone?) then using Instagram to promote your music isn’t the most effective thing you could do. By the same token, if your fans love you for your death metal, posting images of kittens to promote your band isn’t going to cut it either.
Think about the demographics of your fan base when you’re planning your posts. And remember that your actual fans may not quite match up to who you think your fans should be.
Trust the data rather than your own judgment.
Use Compelling Images
Even though you’re using it to promote music, Instagram is still a visual medium.
No matter how great your music might be, no one is going to click on your posts if your images are really boring. You want something that’s going to stop users in their tracks when they’re scrolling through their feeds.
And make sure that your images are high-quality too – some dark, blurry snap of your last gig isn’t likely to get many views.
A great idea is to look at what is working for other bands with similar music to your own. Copying them directly isn’t the best plan, but you can certainly use their ideas for inspiration.
#choosetherighthashtags
They may have found fame on Twitter, but hashtags are a big deal on Instagram too.
Making use of the right hashtags can help potential new fans to find you and your music. Users will often browse through hashtags that they like to try and find new content and new people to follow.
There’s no harm in adding multiple hashtags to a post, but try not to go overboard as too many will get overwhelming.
Don’t go too broad either. A hashtag like #band is unlikely to help you get discovered by many people.
But a more specific one like #melodicindie is far more likely to help you get noticed by people who like what you play.
Find the Right Time to Post
It’s no good dropping your posts at 3 am on a weekday. By the time most people are up, your content will have been pushed down the feed by more recent posts.
There are plenty of studies about when users are most active on Instagram. Around breakfast time on weekdays seems to be the most common. If you convert your Instagram account to a business account, you get access Instagram Insights. This offers a whole range of analytical tools that can help you to target your posts more effectively.
And remember, you don’t have to limit your promotion to the UK. Trying dropping a few posts timed to hit the most popular times in other markets such as the US. You may be able to build yourself an international following.
Make Use of Instagram Stories
Instagram stories offer a number of benefits for promoting your music.
Like normal posts, you can add hashtags and locations to make them easily discoverable. And Instagram will recommend stories to users at the top of their main page.
But the real beauty is that you can add links to your Instagram stories. It makes it as simple as swiping up for users to access whatever you choose to link to, whether it’s your band’s website or the YouTube video for your latest release.
Instagram stories are also great for getting feedback. You can add a poll or an emoji slider to your story and find out what people really think about your post and your music.
Share Your SoundCloud via Instagram Stories
Getting people to your SoundCloud page is key to helping them explore your music.
And this has never been easier, now that SoundCloud has integrated linking to Instagram directly in their app. On your SoundCloud track, just tap the share icon and choose the Instagram option.
It will create an Instagram story for you, with the album artwork as the background and a movable sticker with the name of the song. This sticker links directly back to the song on your SoundCloud.
It literally takes a couple of taps to get your music in front of all your Instagram followers.
Use Other Social Media to Promote Your Instagram
Everybody has their own favourite choice of social media.
Some love Facebook, others swear by Twitter, for many it’s all about Instagram. So when you’ve spent all that time creating the perfect Instagram post, it’s a bit of waste if you don’t let people on other platforms find it.
Post a link to your Instagram post on your Facebook page and Twitter feed and whatever other social media you may be using to maximise its reach. The more people that see your post, the more likely you are to gain new followers and new fans.
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