Every Step You Should Take To Get Your Music Noticed Online
The music industry is almost impossible to predict. If anything is clear, stardom finds you and not the other way around. That being said, if you are in a band – or you’re trying to make it as a solo musician – there are plenty of things you can do to make it a living. The online world has made it far easier to share and publicize your own music. But how do you take control of your own image and start to build a music audience? What are the best music website templates, and how can you engage your followers once they’re on the site itself? Below is a step-by-step guide of everything you need to do to get yourself in the best position to get noticed and really start to build something special.
First Off, Do It For The Right Reasons
Before getting into any specifics, it is crucial that you get into the music business for the right reasons. That is to say, if you are looking to make money out of your music, the journey could be a lot harder than you think. It can happen, of course, but it’s far more important that your ambition is sharing music rather than making monetary gain from it. If you just want it to be shared and enjoyed, you are more likely to keep hold of your drive and determination while also coming across better to your listeners. Anything that comes after the music is heard is just an added bonus.
Create Your Own Website
Now into the nitty gritty. We mentioned music website templates, and that’s because a simple template can be the difference between a website that does well and a website that stays pretty much stagnant. On average, most people float around on a website for only ten seconds before they decide whether to leave or not. These ten seconds should be elongated by the look of your website alone. Does it look professional? Is it easily accessible? Take a look around at other musician websites and see if you can glean some inspiration.
Write A Blog
Once the website is looking clean and sparkly, it’s time to make it worth visiting. Although you’re likely to spend the majority of your creativity on your music, it is really important to create another form of content that can also engage a reader. A blog, for instance, is a great way to engage newcomers and start to build a relationship. Let them know what’s on your mind, what you’ve got planned, venue dates, and song ideas, and it will also ensure that your website is a living, breathing thing.
Focus On Your Social Media Pages
Of course, the next step is to focus on your social media pages. This is where the bulk of your listeners are going to be, and it’s the best way to inspire interaction, excitement and engagement about what you release. For those who utilize social media effectively, all it takes is a few people to notice before things get shared amongst different platforms. Try, also, to link back to your website with your posts. Another good idea is to tease listeners with cryptic song snippets, as this will up intrigue and excitability. Anything that can get a reaction and ask users to get involved, then that’s what you should be aiming to do.
Fine Tune Your Back Catalogue
While this is all going on, you should be making sure that you keep building your back catalogue. As mentioned before, consistency is important if you want your website, social media and brand to have a beating heart. The reason people will be following you, too, is because of your music. So don’t forget about the end goal. Make sure you learn how to stay focused on music and have enough on the back burner to create regular excitement online. If this is about getting noticed, you’re going to have a far better shot if you keep putting yourself out there.
Post Post Post
Platforms like Instagram like regular content, and it will actively elevate your profile if you make sure you are being consistent. If you do not have any new songs and you can feel yourself slipping into a “quiet patch”, then your profile is going to slip down the rankings, and it will be a lot harder to get noticed when you do have new songs to show off. For this reason, make sure you’re always posting something. Not so much that you will irritate your existing followers, but enough that it will keep them interested and – more importantly – give you a better shot at getting noticed by others.
Research Constantly
Lastly, make sure that you are always doing your research. If you notice, for instance, that another musician is seeing a higher growth rate than you, then ask yourself why? Check out their page, see what they’ve been posting, and then assess if there’s anything that can inspire yours. This isn’t about copying either – you’re not going to learn how to dress like Harry Styles or anything – but it’s about seeing what works and how you can implicate that into your own genre. Also, make sure to check out popular hashtags and get an idea of what your target audience is engaging with. What’s the most popular music at the moment? Why is it so popular? The blog could be important here, too. If you’ve already got a small number of followers, take the time to ask them what they like about you and what direction they think you should go in musically. The likelihood is if you focus on exciting your existing followers, you are going to be doing enough to get noticed by those who haven’t found you yet.
Conclusion
The music business is not exactly an easy nut to crack. That being said, the online world has given artists a way to get their music out there and create an impact. Gone are the days where artists must get in the studio and connect with record labels to get their music heard. In 2023, you can do all you need to do from your own home. So as long as you take all the steps described here, you can give yourself a solid chance to get noticed online and really take advantage of every digital avenue available to you.