Turn Your Followers Into Fans - 6 Social Media Tips for Artists

If you’re still not on TikTok at this point, you’re definitely missing out. Thankfully, guest-blogger and social media expert Jim Kreeftenberg is here to give you six smart tips that can help you grow your online following.

Is Anybody Listening?

“PRE-SAVE MY NEW TRACK!”, “MY LATEST SINGLE IS OUT NOW” and “STREAM MY NEW ALBUM NOW” are just a few of the social media posts I see all the time. Artists who are about to release a new track or album are shouting from rooftops a week before release, hoping to draw more of their social media followers to Spotify. Then, after their new song or album is released, there’s often zero follow-up. Also, chances are that no one even saw their post in the first place (long live ‘The Algorithm’), or people have already forgotten about it, which makes sense if you only ever post something when you’ve got something to sell or promote.

6 Tips for Artists Who Aren’t Called Ed or Adele

Unless your name is Ed Sheeran or Adele, you’re going to have to go with a more proactive, personal and meaningful approach if you want to reach your followers. After all, these are the same people that will potentially stream your music, come out to see you play live, and buy your merch. With the following six tips, you can convert your followers into devoted fans.

#1 – Be Yourself

On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, it’s all about authenticity. In other words, be yourself! While your (potential) fans are following you because they want to be entertained, that doesn’t mean you should upload videos of you doing awkward dances nor should you reveal everything that goes on in your private life. That being said, you do want to make sure that your content is interesting enough for your followers to check out. It should either excite them, move them or teach them something new. As an artist, entertaining people is in your blood, and you also don’t need to look high and low for inspiration because you’ve already got a good foundation for content creation: your music.

#2 – The ‘Document, Don’t Create’ Strat

When someone decides to follow your social media accounts, it means they like what you do and who you are, and want to see and hear more. That’s why the Document, Don’t Create strategy is perfect. So, instead of posting the polished final version of your latest track, you could also show your followers more of the journey behind it. Allow your followers to be a fly on the wall. Bring them into the studio (virtually that is), offer a glimpse into a writing session or film yourself checking if your new single made it onto the New Music Friday playlist. Also, don’t just post the final version, but an acoustic version played in your bathroom or on your balcony. Allow your followers to witness your journey to becoming a better musician — they’re just as much a part of it as you are.

#3 – Borrow a Tune Sometimes

No, I’m not forcing you to record cover songs, but I do want to stress that covering a banger from a fellow artist is a great way to increase your reach, popularity and recognition. Some artists even owe their biggest hit to another artist whose song they covered. The most important thing however is that you make the kind of music that you want to make. Just make sure that if you do record a cover that it matches your own material and style. This way, any followers you gain from posting the cover will be more inclined to stick around. Also, feel free to put your own spin on the song: TikTok isn’t karaoke.

#4 – Don’t Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!

Good content gets straight to the point. Half a second in, it already needs to be clear to viewers what they can expect. That goes for both your existing followers and mindless FYP scrollers. The image of a microphone suspended in a shock mount fitted with a pop filter can pique interest but it’s never going to work if it’s prefaced with a 10-second instrumental solo. And that’s bad for the TikTok algorithm, which is largely based on video completion rate. The longer someone spends watching your video, the higher the value that the algorithm attributes to it. This is where the Don’t Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! concept comes into play. While it might go against everything you stand for as an artist, snippets are extremely effective when it comes to retaining viewer attention. What’s more, short teasers will make people want to check out the full song on Spotify or Apple Music.

#5 – Use Different POVs

While your songs might have a specific personal meaning or backstory for you, your fans might interpret them differently. Using different POVs in the videos you post, you can reach a bigger audience, meaning it can be a good idea to let go of a super-personal approach sometimes. Zoom out a little: those lyrics that describe the moment you met the love of your life could also be about the birth of a child, the day someone picked up their puppy or that time they visited their country of birth. Use multiple POVs in your videos and you’ll immediately pull in new followers and potential fans.

#6 – Give More Than What You Ask For

There’s nothing wrong with loudly letting the world know that your new single is out. You’ve worked hard on it and you obviously want as many people to check it out as possible. So, when you do opt for a “STREAM [insert name of the song] NOW”-type post, at least use the 3-to-1 rule where every ‘promotional’ post is followed by three posts that include personal content. This is about making sure that you give more than what you ask for. Ed and Adele do the same thing.