How do you know which are the best social media platforms for musicians? Read on to learn which channels you should be posting on in order to optimize your audience build.

What are the social media platforms to choose from?

  1. Facebook
  2. Instagram
  3. Twitter – in this case, whilst this is a large platform and can be useful, it has recently become an unfavorable platform for musicians. In the event that you don’t already have a large following on your account, it is hardly worth starting now. The recent changes made by Elon Musk have meant there is much uncertainty now when using the app. In light of this, it is best to focus on social media platforms that have more stability at this point in time.
  4. Youtube
  5. TikTok

Social media platform breakdowns

So, before choosing which platform is best for you, make sure you know all the facts about each social media platform. What are the promotional tools, audience’s ages, advertising costs, and larger benefits?

Facebook

Facebook is a social networking website and app that allows users to connect with friends and family, share photos and videos, and interact with pages and groups.

Key components of Facebook include:

  1. Profile: To be sure, your personal profile is the foundation of your Facebook presence. It includes information about you, your name, profile picture, cover photo, work and education history, and other personal details.
  2. News Feed: The News Feed is the central hub of Facebook, where you can see updates and posts from friends, pages, and groups that you follow.
  3. Friends: You can connect with other Facebook users by sending them friend requests. Once they accept your request, you’ll be able to see their posts and updates in your News Feed.
  4. Pages: Are dedicated to businesses, organizations, public figures, and other entities. They allow you to connect with fans and followers and share news, updates, and other content.
  5. Groups: Communities that are focused on a particular interest or topic.
  6. Messenger: A standalone messaging app that allows users to send text messages, make voice and video calls, and share photos and videos.
  7. Marketplace: A platform for buying and selling goods within the Facebook community.
  8. Ads: A way for businesses and organizations to promote their products, services, or content to users.

All in all, Facebook has a wide range of features and tools for users. In truth, it has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with billions of active users.

Audience

Facebook’s audience:

  1. Demographics: The user base includes people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Be that as it may, the platform’s demographics skew slightly toward a younger audience. The majority of users are aged between 18 and 34. Analogous to, Facebook has a significant number of users aged 35 and older. This makes it a versatile platform for reaching various age groups.
  2. Interests and Behaviors: Facebook’s audience has diverse interests and behaviors. From casual users who primarily connect with friends and family, to more engaged users who follow and interact with businesses, influencers, and content creators.

By and large, Facebook’s audience is vast and diverse, making it a valuable platform for personal connections, content sharing, and business promotion. Its broad reach and powerful targeting capabilities have solidified its status as one of the most essential social media platforms.

Instagram

Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social media platform owned by Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook.

The main features of Instagram:

  1. Posts: Users can share photos and videos on their profile, which are displayed in a grid format. Posts can be edited with filters and other tools to enhance their appearance.
  2. Stories: Instagram Stories are temporary posts that disappear after 24 hours.
  3. Instagram Live: This feature allows users to live stream videos to their followers in real time. Live videos can be saved and shared as a replay on the user’s profile.
  4. Reels: Instagram Reels is a feature that allows users to create and share short, multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and various creative tools. Reels can be shared on the user’s feed or in the dedicated Reels section of the app.
  5. Direct Messages: Users can send private messages, photos, and videos to other users through the Direct Messages feature. Group messaging is also supported.
  6. Hashtags and Mentions: Instagram supports the use of hashtags and mentions to categorize and tag content or to notify other users.
  7. Shopping: Instagram has integrated shopping features, allowing users to discover and purchase products directly from the app. Brands and influencers can tag products in their posts, linking them to the seller’s website or the in-app checkout feature.
  8. Analytics and Insights: Business and Creator accounts can access detailed analytics and insights for their content, including engagement metrics, audience demographics, and performance trends.

Audience

Instagram’s audience:

  1. Demographics: The user base comprises people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Equally important, the platform tends to skew towards a younger audience, with the majority of users between the ages of 18 and 34. Instagram is especially popular among Generation Z and younger millennials, making it a valuable platform for targeting these age groups.
  2. Interests and Behaviors: Instagram’s audience is diverse in terms of interests and behaviors. Ranging from casual users who primarily share personal photos and videos, to more engaged users who follow and interact with businesses, influencers, and content creators.

In a word, Instagram’s audience is diverse and primarily composed of younger users. This makes it a valuable platform for personal sharing, content creation, and business promotion.

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform owned by Google that allows users to upload, view, rate, share, and comment on videos. Launched in February 2005, YouTube has become the go-to platform for video content worldwide.

Main features and functionalities of YouTube:

  1. Video Uploads: Users can upload videos in various formats, with support for high-definition (HD) and even 4K resolution. Uploaded videos can be public, unlisted, or private.
  2. Video Viewing: YouTube allows users to watch, like, dislike, and share videos. Users can also subscribe to channels to receive notifications about new content from their favorite creators.
  3. Channels: Users can create their own channels to showcase their content, build a subscriber base, and interact with their audience.
  4. Search and Discovery: YouTube’s search function allows users to find content based on keywords and phrases. The platform also provides personalized recommendations based on a user’s watch history and interests.
  5. Monetization: YouTube offers various monetization options for content creators. These include ad revenue sharing, channel memberships, merchandise shelves, and the YouTube Partner Program. This allows eligible channels to earn money from ads, channel memberships, and other revenue streams.
  6. YouTube Shorts: This feature allows users to create and share short, vertical videos with a duration of up to 60 seconds. Shorts compete with other short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
  7. YouTube Live: Users can live stream video content in real-time, enabling them to engage with their audience through live chats, polls, and donations.
  8. YouTube Stories: YouTube Stories allow creators to share short, ephemeral video clips that disappear after 24 hours. This feature is available to channels with over 10,000 subscribers.
  9. Analytics: YouTube provides detailed analytics and insights for content creators, for the purpose of allowing them to track their video performance, audience demographics, and engagement metrics.

Audience

YouTube’s audience:

  1. Demographics: YouTube’s user base comprises people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. The platform is popular among various age groups, from children and teens to adults and seniors. This makes YouTube a versatile platform for reaching different demographics with video content.
  2. Viewing Habits: Users access YouTube for a wide range of purposes, such as entertainment, education, news, product reviews, and tutorials.
  3. Interests and Behaviors: YouTube’s audience is diverse in terms of interests and behaviors. Users can subscribe to channels that align with their interests, follow creators, and engage with content.

TikTok

TikTok is a short-form video-sharing social media platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Launched internationally in September 2017, and it has become one of the fastest-growing and most popular social media apps, especially among younger users.

Main features and functionalities of TikTok:

  1. Short-form Videos: Primarily focuses on short videos with a maximum duration of 3 minutes. The platform’s design encourages fast-paced, creative, and often humorous content.
  2. Video Creation Tools: Offers a variety of creative tools, including filters, effects, and editing features. It also supports features like duets, stitches, and green screen effects for further content customization.
  3. Music and Sound Library: TikTok’s extensive music and sound library allows users to incorporate popular songs, audio clips, and voiceovers into their videos. This feature has contributed to the platform’s virality and the creation of numerous trends and challenges.
  4. Algorithm and Content Discovery: TikTok uses a sophisticated recommendation algorithm, known as the “For You” page, to surface content tailored to individual user’s interests and behaviors. This personalized content feed makes it easy for users to discover new creators and trends.
  5. Hashtags and Challenges: TikTok users often participate in and create trends or challenges based on specific hashtags. These challenges can involve dance routines, lip-syncing, or other creative prompts, and they contribute to the platform’s virality.
  6. Creator Monetization: TikTok offers various monetization options for creators, such as the Creator Fund, which allows eligible users to earn money based on their content’s performance. Additionally, users can receive virtual gifts from their followers during live streams, which can be converted to cash.
  7. Advertising: TikTok provides advertising opportunities for businesses, including in-feed ads, branded hashtag challenges, and branded effects. Of course, these ad formats enable businesses to reach specific audiences and increase brand awareness on the platform.

Audience

An overview of TikTok’s audience:

  1. Demographics: TikTok’s user base primarily consists of younger users. A significant portion of its audience is aged between 16 and 24. At the same time, the platform also attracts users from other age groups, making it a versatile platform for reaching various demographics.
  2. Interests and Behaviors: TikTok’s audience is diverse in terms of interests and behaviors. The algorithm tailors content recommendations based on users’ interactions, making it easy for users to discover content that aligns with their interests.
  3. Virality and Trends: TikTok’s audience is highly engaged in viral trends and challenges that emerge on the platform. These trends often involve specific songs, dances, or prompts and can rapidly gain traction.

How to choose which social media platform is best for me and my audiences?

The first thing to do is to figure out who your current target audience is, and knowing your current audience allows you to target them better.

Demographics:

You can find this info via the analytics on the platforms you are currently on. Just go to Insights and have a look! But, if you don’t have any accounts yet, make an educated guess.

In short, look at which platform makes the most sense for your audience. Are they younger? Maybe Instagram makes more sense for you. Are you someone who makes lots of video content in sequences that people like to follow? Perhaps YouTube should be your priority channel.

Hot tip: Even if your main audience is not on Facebook, make sure you are on there anyways. As I have said, Facebook owns Instagram and has one of the most powerful and affordable advertising platforms available. You can run an ad for as little as $5 a day. For that reason, this makes it worth being on this platform as well as ease of integration.

Vampr

In particular, we think Vampr is a must for musicians! You absolutely should be on Vampr. Yes, Vampr is different from other traditional social media platforms. Even so, it allows for content creation, uploading, and interaction between members. Most importantly, Vampr provides collaboration features that could be the thing that leads you to your next hit.

So, you don’t believe us? >> Try your free trial today!

What on earth is an Instagram influencer takeover? And, why is it useful? Read on to find out why it can be beneficial to have other people or influencers take over your account!

An Instagram takeover

An Instagram takeover is a type of social media campaign in which one person or brand takes over another person or brand’s Instagram account for a specified period of time. During the takeover, the guest poster creates and shares content on the host’s account, giving their followers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the host’s brand or sharing content that aligns with the host’s brand values.

Instagram takeovers are a popular way for brands to reach new audiences and increase engagement on their account. They’re also a great way for influencers or individuals to expand their reach and gain exposure to a new audience. The takeover typically lasts for a day or a few days and can be promoted on both the host and guest’s social media channels to generate buzz and excitement.

An Instagram influencer

Influencers are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic. They make regular posts about that topic on their preferred social media channels and generate large followers of enthusiastic, engaged people who pay close attention to their views. Brands love social media influencers because they can create trends and encourage their followers to buy the products they promote.

Influencer types:

Why is it a useful strategy on Instagram

An Instagram takeover is a useful social media strategy for several reasons:

  1. Increased Reach: By inviting a guest to take over your Instagram account, you expose your brand to a new audience who may not have been aware of your brand before. This helps to increase your reach and potentially attract new followers to your account.
  2. Diversify Content: A guest poster can provide a fresh perspective and create new content that aligns with your brand values. This diversifies your content and keeps your followers engaged.
  3. Build Relationships: Instagram takeovers can be a great way to build relationships with other brands, influencers or individuals in your industry. Be that as it may, collaborating with others can help to strengthen your network and create new opportunities for partnerships in the future.
  4. Boost Engagement: By creating a unique and engaging experience for your followers, you can increase engagement on your account. Live takeovers or Q&A sessions with a guest poster can help to generate buzz and encourage your followers to interact with your content.

All in all, Instagram takeovers can be a fun and effective way to connect with your audience and expand your reach on the platform.

How do you begin?

1. Set goals for your takeover.

Clearly outline what you want to achieve and how you will measure your success. Without clear goals at the start, you can’t possibly have a strategic plan that aligns with your goals for this takeover.

Your goals may include some or more of the following:

Ensure that you set specific and measurable goals in order to make it clear what is needed to fulfill them.

2. Research who the ideal person is to take over your Instagram account.

This person should at least have the following:

Several platforms have popped up that allow you to not only find influencers that fit the requirements you may be looking for but also allow you to negotiate, strike a deal and pay the influencer all within the same platform.

Or just by being on the platforms yourself and engaging with pages and people you like.

Once you have figured out who this person is, reach out! You may find that they have already done some similar campaigns and are quite familiar with how to run a takeover. You may also find the opposite. Either way, make sure they are keen and excited to do this – this energy will translate through to audiences.

In general, there is no hard and fast rule about what you should pay influencers. In a word, every influencer will have a different view of what they are worth financially and you should be astute when negotiating.

Equally important, to avoid any confusion or miscommunication, have a brief ready to go before you reach out. If possible, reach out via email, and keep a chain of all discussions and agreements made.

Make sure you and the influencer are clear on the following:

3. Agree on the terms and content.

If you are reaching for an influencer who has a lot more followers than you, you may find that they agree and then tell you their fee.

What is a post worth?

To calculate the engagement rate for a post, divide the total number of likes and comments by your follower count, and then multiply by 100 to give you a percentage.

Benchmark of engagement rate for accounts with real followers (no bots)

What is an influencer worth?

All things considered, an influencer is only as influential as their numbers. An influencer could have over 500k followers but have very low engagement. Do some research yourself online and also ask the influencer for stats from previous posts. Unless this person is famous or a celebrity, they should be able to present you with data proving their influencer success.

Be direct about absolutely everything. In the brief, you send to the influencer, they should be able to ascertain exactly what the tone, style, length, mood, and speed the piece of content should be. There should be no detail left unmentioned. Clothing, hair, purpose of the video, etc. UNLESS your plan is to let them freestyle and take it in their own direction that they know will work best with their audiences.

Make sure that you have discussions with the influencer before they begin making content and ask them exactly what they think you want. Clear up any confusion!

How do I know if my Instagram takeover was successful?

Ask yourself the following:

If yes, write down what you achieved in terms of stats so you know what your benchmark is to beat next time. If no, write down what you could have done better and where you think you went wrong.

It is important to take note of how you work together so you can streamline this for next time. Could you have been more organized? Could they have been more responsive? Were you clear enough? Get feedback from them if you can!

Financially, was this viable and worth the money? Time-wise was this fruitful? And in terms of goals, did you get what you wanted?

To conclude, all of these things will be helpful for you to keep track of for future takeovers. Make sure you keep this info in an easy-to-find place and keep nurturing the new audiences you now have.

Want to learn more about content creation? Try our >> Content Creation course on Vampr Academy.

Are you dying to sound like your favorite guitarist? Maybe you are highly influenced by Miles Davis, but you can’t quite figure out how to incorporate that into your sound? Have you ever gone to a gig and heard a musician play and thought, wow you can totally tell who they have been listening to?! Want to know how it is done? Read on to find out how to incorporate your influences into your sound!

Focussed listening.

Of course, the first thing you need to do is pick an influence to listen to! You may be a huge Hendrix fan and you want to incorporate some of that screaming guitar sound and technical licks into your playing. In essence, you want people to turn their heads when you play and say, “wow, they really sound like Hendrix!”. That’s the dream! Well, let’s make that dream a reality.

At first, you will want to pick a song from your favorite influence and have it on repeat. You want to play it so many times that you start to get sick of it. (But of course, you won’t because… Hendrix) Once the song is well and truly in your head, start paying really close attention. Are you starting to hear things you haven’t heard before? The best way to ensure focussed listening is to take away any other distractions. As well as listening in your car, through your headphones while you prep dinner, also listen with your eyes closed and in a comfortable position. The more attention you pay, the more you will hear.

Sing along.

Now that the song is well and truly stuck in your head, start singing along! Are there some parts that you find really difficult to match? Do you find the more that you do this, the easier it feels? Are you hearing even more than you did before now that you are trying to copy it?

Try your best to be exact when singing along. Hit the rhythms right in the middle and notice if you are pitchy in certain parts. This is not only helping you to begin to transcribe, but it is also building up your ear and your singing chops! You’re so welcome.

Copy your favorite sounds and phrases.

As you are singing through this epic and now borderline annoying song, are you noticing there are phrases that stand out to you? Ones that seem extra catchy and come to mind first when you revisit the song or even just think about it?

Start to recognize those phrases and sing them out loud and clearly.

Transcribing the sounds.

Whether you can write music or not, it doesn’t matter. It is now time to play what you have been singing. Start with those phrases that were super catchy! Once you have nailed all the notes and you are certain that you have the rhythm down, play along with the track. Your next task is to try and mimic the sound you are hearing. You will find that you will naturally change your movement and technique to try and match the sound. This is your brain searching for what is now ingrained from all of that focused listening.

Once you have your favorite phrases down, start working on the rest. Can you play the tune from start to finish in exactly the way the original artist does? Are there parts you get to and then fumble because it’s too tricky or you can’t quite hear what is going on?

Slow it down, and sound it out.

You may notice that some phrases are fast! So fast in fact, that your ear just simply cannot discern the individual sounds that are making up the phrase. You keep trying to copy it, but you know deep down you are missing notes and it just doesn’t sound quite right.

You can use tools like the amazing slow-downer. This is an app that slows the tempo of the music so you can hear each individual note! Be careful though, the more you slow down, the more the pitch will come into question. Slow it down just enough so that you can hear the phrase properly and work out which notes you are missing. Gradually, start to speed up the tempo again. If you speed up to a point where you can’t keep up, go back and work on the previous speed. Only increase the tempo once you have nailed it. Eventually, you will get back to the original tempo and you will have a new super-fast lick under your belt! Yay!

Take note of sound and nuance.

Now that you have all the notes down, it is time to pay attention to sound and tone. The aim of the game is to match the sound you are hearing. That may mean using some distortion techniques, changing the equipment or setup you are using, etc. But most importantly, adjust how you are playing. Gear can only go so far.

Every great artist has a distinct sound that is unique to them. Try your best to emulate it. This may take you weeks, months, or even years to get to a point where you are happy with it. The more you do it, the more it will seep into your natural sound. Get really picky about the sound, don’t settle until you feel like you have become Hendrix!

Consciously input those phrases and sounds when you are jamming.

Now that you have all the notes down and you have practiced and emulated the tone and sound, it’s time to include it in your playing. Go back to those favorite phrases initially were drawn to. Write them out and transpose them into different keys. (This way they will be applicable to every song!) If you have the know-how, practice the phrase around the cycle of 5ths and get really good at whipping it out at any moment in any key.

Now put on a backing track or find a friend, (preferably on Vampr) and have a jam! Pick a progression that will work with your newly learned phrase and start incorporating it randomly!

You will find as time goes on, it will become easier and easier to incorporate. Your ear will naturally know where to include it, how much space to give it, and when to punch it out. Even if it feels repetitive, keep playing it every time you jam. We want it to become muscle memory. You should start to just include it automatically without having to consciously think or put in the effort for this to happen. That is when you know you are there!

Let the rest happen naturally. Sound good?

Now just forget everything you have just learned! What?! Why!? Well, music is about creativity and freedom. You don’t want to manipulate too much of it to be a certain way. We can certainly influence our playing be building phrases and sounds into our muscle memory so we naturally go there without thinking. But, you want to be free when you play! Free to make creative choices in a moment and use your ear to hear what should come next.

Now, do it all again!

Now that you have successfully incorporated a phrase or two into your everyday sound… do it again! Preferably, stick with the same artist. The more Hendrix you transcribe, the more Hendrix will start to trickle into your sound!

Happy practicing!  ✌️

Ready to project manage your newest release? Great! Now that you have music ready to share, we have some strategies and techniques that will have you project managing like a pro!

What is project management?

Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge, and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. What’s more, it has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.

For example, in relation to a music release, you will need to use your knowledge of the music industry to achieve specific objectives. The release date will be your deadline and there will be deliverables such as distribution, promotion, publicity, etc. in order to achieve your overall project goal.

What are the 5 steps of project management?

  1. Address important questions at the beginning of the project.
  2. Sketch out a scope and goals for your project.
  3. Communicate roles, expectations, and objectives to the team.
  4. Monitor progress and identify roadblocks.
  5. Make sure all deliverables have been met and finalize the project.

Address important questions at the beginning of the project.

For example, for a music release, your answers may be:

Sketch out the project scope and goals.

For a music release, you may answer:

Communicate roles, expectations, and objectives to the team.

For a music release, you may answer:

Monitor progress and identify roadblocks.

To list:

To illustrate answers for a music release:

Make sure all deliverables have been met and finalize.

Such as:

For instance, for a music release, you may answer:

Goal management.

All things considered, it is important that when you choose goals, you are choosing relevant and attainable goals. No point in setting yourself up with goals that are too hard or too easy for fear that you may not achieve them! With this in mind, set yourself up for growth instead.

In sum:

  1. Start with where you are and where you want to be.
  2. Break goals down into smaller parts. (objectives)
  3. Make goals specific and measurable.
  4. Match goals to team members’ strengths.
  5. Focus on learning as well as accomplishment.
  6. Show the relevance of goals to keep the team motivated.
  7. Agree on what goals mean.

Time management.

Time management is about allocating resources to complete tasks on time while staying within the approved budget. In any event, successful time management requires a developed schedule or timeline and an account of obstacles that could interfere with progress.

In essence, these skills include the ability to set goals, focus, organize, prioritize, communicate, and delegate.

Time management strategies.

For instance:

  1. Plan your work ahead.
  2. Set clear priorities.
  3. Focus on one task at a time.
  4. Minimize interruptions.
  5. Set yourself shorter deadlines.
  6. Learn to delegate.
  7. Learn to say “no”.
  8. Summarize each day.
  9. Use tools like Asana, Trello, and Monday to stay organized.

Flexibility and adaptability.

By the same token, throughout a release, you will need to be always looking at the unfolding situation and be ready to pivot if need be. Of course, just like in life, release plans don’t always go exactly how you want them to. In light of this, be open and flexible when planning. At any rate, the newly adapted plan might end up being even better than the original.

5 Ways to Demonstrate Your Adaptability.

For example:

  1. Staying calm and responding quickly to unexpected situations.
  2. Knowing when to push and let go of your ideas.
  3. Taking on different roles and responsibilities when needed.
  4. Upskilling and reskilling yourself.
  5. Changing your communication style based on who you’re talking to.

Use these strategies and techniques in your next social media campaign. But first, read our latest blog on >> 4 steps for a successful social media campaign plan

Ready to launch a social media campaign for your next release? Amazing! Have you got a structured plan in place and all the assets ready to go? No? Don’t worry, we got you! Look over these social media campaign steps to ensure you are prepared to launch your music into the world in the best way possible! 🚀

What is a social media campaign?

A social media campaign is a coordinated marketing effort that utilizes social media platforms to achieve a specific goal or objective. In your case, it might be to get as many streams as possible on your new track. Or, it could be to sell out your launch gig. Campaigns differ from everyday social media efforts because of their increased focus, targeting, and measurability.

Another key point to remember about a social media campaign is that it is all about organic, non-paid posts. That means that this particular part of the campaign should be creative, and authentic and really speak to your audience using your original and unique voice.

Why are social media campaigns important?

Overall, social media campaigns are an important part of a comprehensive marketing strategy as they can help musicians achieve a range of goals and objectives.

These goals can include:

Need more convincing? Here are some more reasons why social media campaigns are important!

Know your social media campaign goals before you do anything!

Don’t jump into creating content and posts before you have sketched out a plan! You need to know what you are trying to achieve before you go ahead and put time into asset creation and scheduling. You can have more than one goal, but make sure these are realistic. Campaigns are just a small part of the bigger picture. Don’t set ridiculous goals that will leave you feeling like you failed.

Step 1 – Goals

Ask yourself, what are my goal/s for this campaign?

Example goals:

Step 2 – Tactics

Ask yourself:

Example tactics:

Step 3 – Metrics

Ask yourself:

Example metrics to focus on:

Step 4 – Track and measure progress

Ask yourself:

Example tracking and measuring:

Requirements of a social media campaign

You’re almost there! Now you need to gather the things that you need for the campaign.
At this point, you should have:

You now need to get your content together for your campaign.

This will include:

A content calendar

A content calendar is a planning tool used to organize and schedule content creation and publishing activities for artists and creatives. It is a tool used to plan out the topics, themes, and types of content that will be created and published across various channels, such as social media, blogs, email newsletters, and other digital platforms. This will help you keep track of what you have published on your socials and what is still to come. It will also help you time manage effectively as you will have to plot out your posts over a timeline and assign a publish date and time.

Having a content calendar is a great way to ensure a consistent flow of content and that you meet your goals.

A timeline

Timelines are useful for providing a visual representation of events or processes over time, helping to organize and communicate a lot of information in an easy-to-understand format. This can be really helpful especially when the campaign is long-winded. You can see an overview of when you want to be hitting certain milestones and when big events are set to occur.

Assets

Having all of the assets ready to go prior to the campaign can save an incredible amount of time and stress! Think ahead about which platforms you will be using and what sizes you will need to ensure optimization. Generally, it is safe to have a square asset 1:1 and a story asset 9:16. However, this entirely depends on your tactics and strategy. In either case, being more prepared is better than being underprepared! Free tools like Canva are great options for creating multiple sizes of assets.

Copy

Copy refers to the written component of your campaign. Don’t be fooled, copy is an important element of marketing and advertising. Effective copy can make a significant difference in the success of a social media campaign. Take care to think about the language you use and if this truly represents you and will really speak to your audience.

Be sure to tag relevant collaborators and geo-locations. Relevant and accessible hashtags are also an important inclusion for the copy. In addition, be sure to include subtitles for videos, captions for live, and image and video descriptions so you are being fully inclusive to audiences.

A theme

Having a theme that people can relate to is important for a social media campaign. You want to create cohesion so anyone can look at your posts at any point in the campaign and understand what is going on. No need to pick too many themes! Stick with no more than 2 for a campaign!

Things to note before starting your socials media campaign

Now that you have all of that ready, you can start your campaign! At any rate, you should still be asking yourself some key questions before, during, and after the campaign. Above all, you want to give your music the best shot you can for it to succeed and that means being flexible throughout the campaign.

Things to note while a social media campaign is running

Things to ask yourself after the completion of your campaign

Need some strategy ideas for your campaign? Read our blog >> 10 social media hacks you should know. 

Reputation is incredibly important in the music industry. The reputation you build can affect whether you succeed in the industry! This is because it can be what helps someone determine whether they will work with you in the first place or again. One thing that many music industries across the world have in common is that they are generally tight-knit communities. Once you know the key people, you are in!

What is reputation?

Reputation refers to the collective beliefs, opinions, and evaluations held by others about an individual, group, or organization. It reflects how that entity is perceived, judged, and evaluated. This is based on its behavior, actions, achievements, social status, image, and brand identity.

Reputation can be positive, neutral, or negative. It can have significant effects on your social, economic, and political outcomes. A good reputation can enhance trust, credibility, and influence, attract opportunities, and provide a competitive advantage. A bad reputation can damage credibility, reduce trust, and harm relationships, leading to losses in business, social, or personal life.

Who you know matters.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “it’s all about who you know”? Of course, this is not the only thing that works in your favor, but it definitely plays a large role in potential opportunities you may access to. You might have less experience than another band in the same genre, but if you have a closer connection with the booking agent of a particular venue, you will have an advantage.

Managers, booking agents, A&R reps, and publishers are all seeking relationships with creatives. This is in order to build their reputation and leverage off of the revenue that comes from this. Music is also the kind of industry where people do not tend to work with people they don’t like or enjoy working with. When you work in an industry that is passion fueled, you are unlikely to tolerate people who are not like-minded or helpful to the overall cause. If you have a bad reputation, you may not even be afforded the opportunity to work in certain spaces, as unfair as this is!

Maintain a good reputation via relationships with industry people.

Whether you have a good experience with someone or not, you should still try and maintain a good relationship with people in the industry. Be polite and friendly via email and on the phone. We are all trying our best to survive in the industry and people remember when you have been rude. Your reputation in the early days is arguably your most valuable asset. If you start off on the wrong foot, news will spread. People may not take chances on you or give you a big break. It is common for industry members to ask their colleagues about certain bands. If they hear back and there are multiple negative responses, that can be enough to block you from growing.

Don’t burn bridges.

Whether you have a good experience with someone or not, you should still try and maintain a good relationship with people in the industry. Try your best to be as considerate and kind as possible. People remember this! Even if you don’t get the chance to work with someone right now, if you leave the door open you are setting yourself up for success.

Collaboration is often about the perfect timing in the music industry. Sometimes, it just isn’t the right time to work with that particular booking agent or manager. However, if you burn that bridge, you will never have another chance to try and make it work. If you thank them for their time and stay in touch, you never know where it might lead in the future. You are here for the long game, so play it strategically!

Protect your reputation. Word gets around.

The industry is small and people talk. Don’t be one of those people who talk about others behind their backs. You may get a reputation for being a gossip! That is almost as bad as having a reputation for being hard to work with. Word of mouth can be incredibly powerful in the music industry. It can make or break a business. You may keep getting referrals from people you have worked well with that results in a substantial portion of your revenue. Alternatively, you may find you keep getting turned down for jobs just because an influential person has a few bad words to say.

Be careful who you DM on Instagram and what you email. Anything in the form of writing can be screen captured and shared without your knowledge. Best to say only lovely things and keep the nasty stuff for venting to your cat when you get home! 🐈

Stand up for yourself when you need to, but don’t be difficult or unreasonable.

The music industry is still rife with inequality, injustice and discrimination. You should most definitely stand up for yourself and others when something immoral occurs. However, make a point of choosing your battles carefully. You can disagree with someone about the way they behave and still walk away and be civil.

It is likely you will work with and experience the same people several times throughout your career. People tend to stick to those they like and know. So it is best to not leave any situation unresolved if possible. You can internally choose to never work with someone again, but don’t stoop to nasty comments or talking about them to others once you walk away. Be the bigger person and walk away with your head held high.

Build a reputation that people respect

If you act and represent yourself as a person of value and dignity in the industry, not only will you feel fulfilled, but others will recognise this. Command respect by being kind and compassionate. Stand up for what you believe in when the time is right. Lead by example and behave like the person you would want to work with. You will naturally attract like-minded people who respect you for your work ethic and values above all else.

The more positive experiences you accumulate with people in the industry, the more you will feel like you belong. The music industry is after all a bunch of people who love the same thing – music! Find common ground and relate to people on a human level. That is how you build solid personal relationships and garner a reputation that other will respect and honour.

Want to know what else is important in the music industry? Go to >> Vampr Academy to learn more!