Instagram has daily over one billion active users, so why wouldn't you promote your music there? Instagram offers various tools to reach your target audience and in the best-case scenario music professionals can spot your talent. Personally, Instagram is my favorite social media platform, and here is a list of my best tips on how to make it pop!
1. Change your account to a business account (if you haven't yet). This way you are able to get more data about your content and mark yourself as an artist, or musician.
2. Write a succinct bio. A good bio will give your potential followers a clear picture of what your user account is about. A good way to improve visibility is to add your title such as the "singer" user after your username. Thus, youwill appear in the search results when someone searches for a singer. Also, remember to insert the links for your music if you have published songs on streaming services. Take a look at the example bios below and get inspired!
3. Prefer video content. Instagram loves videos and usually the algorithm pushes them more to your followers. So, make videos of your playing or singing! If you haven't yet you should familiarize yourself with Instagram Reels. It's a great opportunity to even go viral with creative videos.
4. Pay attention to good quality photos (besides video content). Of course, each artist has their vision of visual identity, but often high-quality images taken with good exposure give a professional overall look. If you don’t have a chance to work with a professional photographer, ask for shooting help from your friends and family. Also, you can reach out to students from the field that may need models for their photos.
In the photos below you can see how much value simple photo editing can do. Lightroom is my personal favorite for photo editing and I highly recommend that!
5. Use planning and scheduling tools. A pre-designed visual and cohesive look also says a lot about you as an artist. UN-UM is a great tool to plan your feed! Also, with an app called Later, you can schedule your posts if you feel like it. It's a convenient way to save time while keeping up your weekly posting!
6. Socialize! Social media is all about being social. Follow people you are truly interested in. Do not spam, yet like your fellow music friends' photos, comment always when you have a good point to share, and use Instagram DMs to find new people to work with. Also, following hashtags that you are interested in can help you find new people from your field. These can be, for instance, #singersongwriter #musicnews #producerproblems
Follow Family in Music @familyinmusic on Instagram!
