As a modern-day musician, you’ve seen what a crucial role social media marketing plays in getting more fans for your music. But actually figuring out what kind of content to share can be confusing, especially if you’re not getting as much engagement as you’d like yet.
What it all boils down to is finding the right balance for the specific audience you’re trying to build. There’s no exact science to it, but it’s safe to say that for every self-promotional post you publish, you should have many more brand-building posts.
These posts can take on a variety of forms, but the common thread is that they get people to pay attention, become interested, trust you, and engage with you.
Why go through all this effort? Because if you don’t put in the time and work to build a real relationship with your followers, you can’t expect them to take action when they see you promote something.
Here are 14 easy content ideas to get more fans for your music through social media.
1. Themed posts
It’s easier for your content to get discovered by potential new fans when you take advantage of themes that already have popular hashtags associated with them. Start populating your band’s social media channels with relevant posts for commonly searched hashtags like #MotivationMonday, #MusicMonday, #ThrowbackThursday, and #SundayFunday.
Experiment with a bunch of different themes, and pay attention to the ones that do the best job of attracting new followers and resonating with your existing fans.
2. Educational and thought-provoking posts
There are many ways you could approach this, but the key is that you’re sharing high-quality posts that are some combination of interesting, helpful, educational, valuable, useful, relevant, and thought-provoking for the audience you want to attract.
3. Throwback posts
Share content that gives insight into who you are and where you’re coming from. You could make fans laugh with a funny baby picture that shows your personality from a young age, or you could post a #TBT photo of you in Rome and bond with fans over your passion for travel.
Whatever it is, give people a way to connect with you on a personal level, which is just as important as your music when it comes to gaining true fans.
4. Behind-the-scenes posts
People love seeing what artists do when they’re not onstage. Share behind-the-scenes photos, videos, and stories that illustrate your life as a musician.
If you’re going on the road, consider creating a tour diary in the form of a blog or vlog. If you’re in a writing session or in the studio, share photos and short clips on your Instagram Story.
5. Short Facebook videos
Did you know that people watch a whopping 100 million hours of video on Facebook every single day? If you’re not already regularly uploading videos to your band’s Facebook page, you’re missing out on a really effective way to get more fans for your music.
The key is to keep it short, yet interesting. The next time you want to announce a new single, album, tour, live-stream event, or big performance, whip up a simple one- or two-minute video and post it directly on Facebook.
6. TikTok videos
So far, we’ve been talking about how to get fans for your music using the platforms that most bands are already on every day, like Instagram and Facebook. But with over 800 million monthly active users and music fueling the vast majority of the content, TikTok could play a key role in your social media marketing strategy.
The app is known for being wildly popular among Gen Z-ers, but we’re already seeing older demographics start to embrace it as well. It’s a great place to share quick videos that are funny, authentic, or vulnerable in some way.
Thanks to its algorithm, format, and relative novelty on the social media scene, you’ll have a better chance of organically reaching a new audience here than on many other platforms. Check out these great tips on TikTok promotion for musicians from our friends at CD Baby.
7. Inspirational and motivational posts
If you’re stumped on how to fill a few gaps in your social media calendar, you really can’t go wrong with sharing an inspirational or motivational quote. These always perform well and are very shareable, which will drive more attention to your social media channels.
8. Interactive posts
Anything that encourages engagement and facilitates a two-way conversation can help you win over new fans. There are dozens of interactive posts you can try, but some of the most effective ones include polls, contests, giveaways, questions, fill-in-the-blank posts, and “caption this” photos.
Not only are they fun for your fans, but you’re also building your brand in the process! You can even use these kinds of posts to gain valuable insight, such as a poll to find out what type of band merch your diehard fans would be most excited to buy.
9. Funny posts
How often do you find yourself scrolling through your social media feeds simply to find something that will make you laugh or brighten your day? If people who are into your music also associate your brand with positive feelings, you can bet you’ll turn them into fans. Share a funny photo, a meme, witty commentary on a trending topic, or an article that you found hysterical and want to share.
Be careful not to oversaturate your feed with these kinds of posts, though. There’s a fine line between tastefully throwing them in on occasion, and posting them incessantly to gain attention.
10. Supportive posts
Isn’t it awesome when musicians support each other? Show some love to your friends and other artists by sharing posts of theirs that you think your fans would care about. Chances are, your musician friends will return the favor and tell their fans to check you out, too.
11. Online concerts
If you’re wondering how to get more fans in other cities when you’re not quite in a position to go on tour, online concerts could be the answer. There are lots of ways to go about it, ranging from a free live stream on Facebook or Instagram, to a ticketed event on Stageit or Crowdcast. You could keep it to a tight 20-minute set or take your time chatting with the audience in between songs. It’s totally up to you!
12. Live Q&As
Just because you’re an artist doesn’t mean you have to perform music during every live stream. Hop on a casual Instagram Live to answer fan questions that you’ve collected in advance, as they come in through the comments section, or both.
And if you’re not really into putting yourself on camera all the time, that’s perfectly okay. Put out a call for questions on your Instagram Story and answer them in text form, or you could easily translate this concept to a real-time Twitter Q&A, if you have an engaged following there.
13. Reposts from fans
User-generated content is the perfect trifecta: it’s easy (someone else already created it); it makes your fans feel seen, loved, and appreciated; and it naturally encourages them to brag to their friends that an artist they love reposted their content (hello, word-of-mouth promo!).
Ask your fans to tag you in photos of them wearing your merch, clips from your live show, or even fun little videos of them jamming out to your new single.
14. Promotional posts
You can make your promotional posts feel as authentic and genuine as the rest of your social media content – it’s all in the delivery! Make sure these posts are still in your voice and include a compelling visual.
Experiment with different approaches so that your feed doesn’t get repetitive. For instance, if you’re trying to get the word out about your new EP, your posts could look like this:
A straightforward announcement with a clear call to action
A positive press quote about the EP
A teaser clip of your strongest song
A fun bit of trivia about how or where it was recorded
You won’t know what resonates with your fans until you try it!