Looking for some valuable Instagram tips for musicians? It’s no secret we’re currently living in the digital age.
Almost everything happens online and as an artist, your ability to navigate the digital world will play a big role in your success.
Musicians all over the world are competing for attention and one of the best ways to do this is through social media.
However, investing the time to learn these platforms can bring on a variety of challenges.
For some, it can be overwhelming and for others, it can be rewarding.
Artists tend to feel overwhelmed due to the number of platforms out there and the fact that these platforms seem to change every other day.
One platform, in particular, that still holds value for musicians is Instagram.
Instagram is an excellent social media platform that musicians can use to market themselves and their work.
It offers an ideal audience for artists since it has approximately one billion users worldwide. Additionally, it offers several innovative features that can assist in establishing a brand.
However, if you don’t have a solid strategy or follow some key tips, your time on the platform can be frustrating.
The following tips are here to help you better navigate the platform as a musician and elevate some of those frustrations.
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Know Your Audience
Musicians should always understand and familiarize themselves with their target audiences before promoting their work. In marketing, it is easier to get the result you desire when you give your audience what they want.
You can start by imagining your ideal fan and then give them specific traits or characteristics. For example, you can ask yourself questions like, how old is that person? What gender are they? What are their hobbies? Where do they live? What are their occupations?
Collecting this information will help you make informed decisions. It helps you to know when your audience is on the platform, you’ll know what kind of content may work best for them, what hashtags to use, the other profiles your fans interact with, and so on. The more you know about your fans the easier it will be to relate to them and have them engage with your content.
Think about your content breakdown
As a musician, the content you put out into the world represents your brand. This means that you need to put some thought into the content you plan to post on your page. There are many different approaches to your content as a musician and what works for one artist might not work for another.
For example, some artists focus on being funny and entertaining, others prefer to be more mysterious, and some shower you with music by doing cover songs or just jamming regularly on their page.
A lot of artists just share their day-to-day lives or encourage public participation, finding ways to make their fans feel a part of everything they’re doing.
Whatever content you decide to produce, ensure that you keep your branding in mind and find ways to bring out your personality. Again, you want your followers to relate with you and engage so find what works for you and be consistent.
Be strategic with your bio
Your Instagram bio is one of the most important areas in terms of marketing on the platform that artists often take for granted. It’s arguably the one thing others will see and read the most when it comes to your profile and should send a clear message about who you are and what you’re about.
Instagram allows its users to include a profile picture and a bio of no more than 150 words. Your bio should be memorable and a call to action that guides people where you want them to go. What’s your name, what kind of music do you make, how can people find your music, contact you, etc. Ensure that you update your bio regularly and treat it almost as if it’s a business card.
When creating your bio, you can also include a direct link that your followers and other members of the public can click to access. Some artists will link to a website, new music, or other social platforms.
With the advent of sites like LinkTree, you can also create and share a custom link compiled of all the links relevant to your music. Additionally, if you create a business profile you have more options to advertise in your bio as well.
Being intentional with your bio is a huge step in steering your audience in the right direction and introducing them to you and your music.
Watch how often you post
The number of times that you post on Instagram affects how you market yourself as an artist. For example, uploading many posts in a day might annoy your audience and cause you to lose some followers. On the other hand, failing to post regularly might cause your followers to forget about you. They might also fail to pay adequate attention to your music.
Being active allows you to frequently update your followers about your recent work or projects that you are working on at the moment. It also motivates more Instagram users to follow your accounts, especially if they find your content interesting. Therefore, ensure that you strike a balance and are consistent on the platform.
Planning a calendar or creating a schedule for your content can help you maintain this balance. This helps you to stay organized and develop consistency. Instagram also has an algorithm feature that evaluates the content flow for business accounts. This helps you to identify the best times to post based on your audience and see what content performs the best.
The key here is to increase engagement by keeping your audience happy with the right amount of content and posting when they are on the platform so they don’t miss out on your posts.
The Instagram algorithm has made it more difficult for your content to be seen. Consistency and increased engagement will help counteract this and hopefully gain you more favorable treatment from the algorithm.
Engage with other accounts (Comment/Like/Follow)
One of the significant advantages of using Instagram to market your music and content is that it allows you to interact with others and share the love. This is one of the best ways to increase engagement as the more people that see notifications from your profile, the more likely they are to engage with your content.
Interacting with other relevant pages might seem like a trivial task, but it is an effective marketing technique that drives more traffic to your content on Instagram. Ensure that you support other musicians, bloggers, playlisters, etc. Be sure to follow their pages, like and comment on their content.
The key here is to be as genuine as possible with your engagement with others. Typically the energy you put out is the energy you get back. If you just expect people to show you, love, without giving any in return, your growth on the platform will be slow.
Bonus Tip: Get help (Hire someone or outsource)
Creating your music and promoting it at the same time can be quite challenging. Musicians signed to labels may get a bit more time to focus on their music because they do not handle the marketing in some cases.
However, if you work independently, you’ll have a lot more areas to juggle in order to promote your music effectively. That said, you can consider hiring a person to help with the various tasks related to social media.
>>> Related Reading: 6 Reasons To Hire A Graphic Designer For Your Music Branding?
While cost might be of concern to you please make sure that you put a value on your time. If you have to neglect important tasks to do trivial things to help grow your social platforms this might not be the best use of your time.
These days, there are numerous social media freelancers or companies on the market. Some even specialize specifically in music promotion.
When trying to engage with either, you should consider several factors, such as reputation, affordability, size, and experience, to ensure that you make the right decision. It is your responsibility to conduct extensive research before outsourcing any task.
Working hard is great but it’s important to work smart. If you want your accounts to grow fast, you usually need someone dedicated to that area of your music. Whether that’s helping you create content, engaging with other profiles, etc.
>>> Related Reading: Social Media Scheduling Tools For Musicians: 9 Key Benefits
Final Thoughts on our 5 Instagram Tips for Musicians
In conclusion, Instagram is one of the best platforms that can help musicians showcase their talents and grow their brands. They can interact with fans and inform them about album releases, concerts, and more.
To benefit from this platform, you should understand your audience, create a strategic profile, and understand the type of content you will include on your page.
You need to be consistent and engage with other Instagram users by following and liking their content. Marketing your music on Instagram can be tiresome and time-consuming.
However, outsourcing the task to someone you trust can make your life easier and more productive.
Kevin is the founder of Music With Flavor, which joined Whipped Cream Sounds in 2023. He is a seasoned musician turned industry expert. His passion for music goes beyond melodies; he delves deep into the intricate world of music marketing, striving to unearth the most effective strategies for indie musicians. However, Music With Flavor isn’t just about Kevin’s knowledge; it’s a network of industry experts handpicked to provide the most trusted advice. Kevin’s role is to pose the right questions, not just answer them, as he and his team tirelessly research trends, connect with artists, and gather valuable insights.
