How To Promote Your Music On SoundCloud
The popularity of the internet has allowed a level playing field for musicians to reach a wider audience, which is essential because being a musician is more than just writing and performing.
It also involves a lot of leg work and hustle in getting your tunes out there for the world to hear.
Soundcloud is one of the best resources online for up and coming musicians, rappers, and producers. It has a vast audience and has served as a successful launching platform for many artists with big careers.
The ease of access to a platform like Soundcloud also creates a lot of competition. It can take a little know-how to get your music to stand out from the crowd. Read on, and we’ll walk you through how to promote your music on SoundCloud.
Understand Your Product
The first rule in gaining an audience of any sort should be that age-old adage: know thyself. If you don’t know what you’re selling, how can you expect people to want to buy it?
Understanding what you’re bringing to the table is one of the essential tasks you can take. It can be hard to step away from the creative process and view your work objectively, but it’s a key step in getting your music out there.
Attempt to write down a few key signifiers or traits of your music. Make them short but specific. Try to paint a vivid picture of what you’re providing that other musicians may not be.
Hone In On A Target Audience
Once you have this list in front of you, it’s time to think outward. What kind of people would be interested in the traits and descriptions you’ve written? When you close your eyes and imagine your first big concert, who’s in the crowd?
Narrowing into your real audience will help make the job of marketing your music easier. It’s much more efficient to market towards a specific group or demographic as opposed to the world at large.
Soundcloud Pro offers analytic breakdowns of listener data. That means you can learn more about who is listening to your tracks, as well as where they came from and what else they like.
Once you have an idea of who you’re aiming for, do some research. Where do these people spend their time online? What other things do they like? What do they talk about on social media?
All of these details can help spark ideas for how you can best connect to them. Figure out who the tastemakers are that they follow.
Back in the day, tastemakers were usually DJs. Today, bloggers and famous social media personalities are the ones spreading new music to the masses.
Find out who your target audience listens to for advice on new music. These can be helping people to stay in the loop with or even reach out to at a later point in time.
Get Socially Savy
The best chance you have of getting your music out there is going to be through the social media channels. You don’t necessarily have to be on all of them.
Choose one or two platforms that your target audience spends the most time on. But also consider your comfort with the platform going in.
Which one allows you to feel the most comfortable and yourself? That’s likely the one you’ll want to direct efforts towards.
Start by driving engagement around your social media account. Post, garner likes, and create feedback by asking questions or posting polls. Behind-the-scenes pics or little snippets of music can help produce some organic buzz for the work you’re doing.
You can also offer incentives through your social media account, like free tickets or discounted merch. This can help drive new people to your account. Stay relatively active, but not too active. A post a day or so is probably the right way to go.
Reach Out To Tastemakers
You’ll recall those tastemakers that we mentioned above. They can be key to your eventual success. But you’ll need to be careful about how you reach out to them.
Very rarely does a tastemaker just stumble upon new music. You may feel uncomfortable about reaching out to promote yourself, but rest assured that others won’t.
Don’t just reach out thoughtlessly. Put some work and research into your attempt.
Look into what the person likes and the music they’ve pushed in the past. Does it feel aligned with the kind of music you’re making? Can you offer anything to this person that they seem to be looking for?
Tastemakers are hit up and bothered by hundreds of musicians every month. If you can write a thoughtful message that shows you’ve taken the time to understand their interests and what they do, they’re much more likely to hit play on your track in a hopeful mood.
Don’t just reach out blindly either. Make sure the time is right. Instead of trying to blast out your very first track, work and wait until you’ve made something you really think has immense potential.
By this time, hopefully, your social media will be taking off and you’ll have a growing fan base for the tastemaker to click over and discover.
Tastemakers are much more likely to get behind something that already seems like it has some momentum. Make sure you have a little something going for you before you reach out.
How To Promote Your Music On Soundcloud
Soundcloud is one of the best places online for musicians. Understanding how to promote your music on SoundCloud can help you stand out from the crowd and find a wider audience.
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