Instagram Music: How To Promote Music On Instagram

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Instagram music: When looking to promote your music on Instagram, the task can seem daunting. However, Instagram has helped to launch and maintain the careers of multiple artists, including John Mayer and Selena Gomez. Therefore, putting your energy into your Instagram profile could do wonders for your career as a musician. Learn more from our Instagram Music Guide.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide. It has roughly 1 billion active monthly users. To promote your Instagram music, you’ll need to set up your account for ultimate success. And you must endeavor to create great content. It’s also vital that you employ different Instagram music tools to share your recordings and songs. These include Reels, Stories, and live streams.

By creating video content on Instagram, you can share snippets of your songs. And users can easily determine the artist’s name from Reels and Stories because it appears on their screen. That way, new fans can discover your music and use your songs in their own Reels and Stories.

Social media has propelled the careers of several world-renowned musicians, like Shawn Mendes and Alessia Cara. So, this platform is undoubtedly worth your time as an emerging or established artist. Worry not, for Instagram isn’t as complicated as it looks. We’ll walk you through setting up your Instagram account and promoting your music on the platform.

Instagram Music: Why is Instagram Ideal for Music Promotion?

 

Instagram came onto the social media scene in 2010. It brought something new to the table with a focus on photo sharing. Today, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide.

There are around 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram, with that number projected to skyrocket to 1.2 billion by 2023. So, there’s no better time than now to promote your music on Instagram. Sharing your music on Instagram is a surefire way to reach your target audience.

Over two-thirds of Instagram users are aged 34 years and younger, with about 31 percent aged between 25 and 34 years. Therefore, if your target audience is in this age group, Instagram is ideal for your promotional efforts. There are various ways to promote your music on Instagram, including:

• Reels (similar to TikTok videos)
• Stories
• Feed posts (carousels, guides, traditional posts, and videos)
• Live streams

With such a wide range of formats to showcase your tunes, you can reach various potential listeners and fans. Instagram allows users to create ads and sponsored posts as well. You can create a paid advert to reach more of your target audience using your existing content.

Setting Up Your Instagram Account

Before you promote your music on Instagram, you should spruce up your account. You're more inclined to stand out by ensuring your profile picture and bio capture your brand, genre, and essence. If you ignore your account’s look, you’ll disappear into a vast sea of Instagram users.

Here are a few tips on setting up your account to promote your music on Instagram effectively:

1.   Choose the Right Account Type

Instagram offers three accounts:

• Personal
• Business
• Creator

A personal account comes with basic features. It’s best suited for anyone who isn’t promoting a product or service. The two professional accounts (business and creator) are suited for anyone looking to grow a following on the platform. And, of course, they’re ideal if you want to promote your music on Instagram.

Both accounts offer insights into your followers. This includes demographics such as their location, age, and gender. Instagram is a powerhouse for marketing your brand and songs with this data.

The business account is often recommended for musicians and artists. However, a creator account may be more suitable. This account type used to be exclusive to those with over 10,000 followers. However, as of writing this article, anyone can choose to switch over and benefit from its features, which include:

• Daily follow and unfollow counts: A creator account will give you daily insights, unlike a business account that displays weekly follows and unfollows. This lets you pinpoint what content resonated with your audience and what turned them away.
• Demographic trends: A business account offers this insight as well. You can see who your followers are and where they're located.
• Creator dashboard: With the creator account, you’ll have access to Instagram’s Creator Studio. This dashboard streamlines the posting, managing, and monetization of your content.

While a creator account is a fantastic choice to promote your music on Instagram, there are some drawbacks. The account type tends to favor those with a large following. However, you can still gain significant engagement and reach for your music with a small following.

2.   Upload a Striking Profile Picture

When setting up your account, opt for a profile picture that conveys your brand identity and image. You can use an image of yourself, your band, or a unique logo. Bands like Twenty-one Pilots and Blink-182 use their unique logos as profile pictures.

Bear in mind that Instagram crops profile pictures to fit a circular frame. Therefore, ensure the focus of your profile picture is centered to avoid crucial parts being cropped out.

3.   Write a Killer Bio

When a potential fan visits your profile, one of the first things they’ll see is your bio. So you have 150 characters to write something that will make them stick around. Don’t fret if you don’t nail your bio on the first go. You can always change it later.

Your bio should not only include information about your music and yourself but essential links too. By default, Instagram only allows you to have one link displayed on your profile. However, you can use online platforms like Linktree and Canva to house multiple links under one shortened link.

This shortened link will take users to a landing page with a list of your links. And you’ll be able to customize this landing page to suit your brand. Here you could have a link that leads to a ticket distributor for your upcoming shows. And you can link to streaming platforms, other social media profiles, your website, and more.

Instagram Music Guide: Ways to Promote Your Music on Instagram

Now that you’ve got your account set up, it’s time to promote your Instagram music. It’s time for Instagram users to discover your music and download it. But you must be wise with your promotional efforts.

There are two primary ways to promote your music on Instagram. They are:

1. Take a DIY approach.
2. Work with an influencer.

Depending on your budget, you can use either or combine both methods for a powerful promotion strategy.

Promoting Your Instagram Music Yourself

Instagram allows users to start a live stream right on the platform. When you go live, your fans can tune in, send you some love from any part of the world, and leave comments.

Maybe you have a limited budget, and you can’t afford to hire someone to help with promoting your music. Or a hands-on approach is more your speed. Whatever the case, keep the following in mind when promoting your music on Instagram. 

1.    Great Content Is Key

All successful Instagram accounts have one thing in common: great content. Since what you post on Instagram can make or break your success on the platform, pay attention to this aspect. Here are some content ideas to grow your audience and promote your music on Instagram:

• Graphics and album art
• Pictures of yourself backstage or in the studio
• Candid pictures with family, friends, or pets
• Images of your hometown

Video content is also great for musicians because you get to express yourself with visuals and audio. You can post clips of your live set on your feed. Or you could use the footage to create Instagram Reels.

Reels are not much different from TikTok videos. They’re similarly a great way to be discovered quickly, especially if you use a trending song or audio snippet. Instagram Reels are 15 to 30 seconds long. And you can customize them with text, stickers, sound effects, and audio or music.

Instagram Reels are undoubtedly one of the best ways to quickly grab your audience's attention. And they’re blowing up on the platform, with no sign of users tiring of them soon. A great approach would be to create a short video with a snippet of one of your songs. Users can watch the video, and if they like the song, they can create a Reel of their own with it.

Remember, you can also repurpose your TikTok videos for Instagram Reels and vice versa. That way, you’ll maintain your presence on both platforms.

2.    A Marketing Strategy Will Save You Time

Creating a plan to promote your music on Instagram will save you a great deal of time. You’ll know when, what, and how to post ahead of time so you can focus on creating great music content. Your marketing strategy for Instagram should also include information about your target audience and your objectives.

3.    Using Hashtags Is Best

Hashtags are an effective way for potential fans to find you. They typically comprise one word, and they're helpful for users to find accounts on Instagram. While it used to be that 30 hashtags worked best, now you can effectively incorporate 3 to 5 hashtags per post. However, some people gain immense exposure by using 10 to 20 hashtags per post.

Experiment and see which method gives your posts the most engagement and reach. But ensure your hashtags are relevant to what you’re posting. For instance, if you had a show in Denver, don’t use the hashtag “#California” on your post. Instead, use a hashtag for the spot you played at and one for the city or state.

Also, use a mixture of popular hashtags (used on 100K to 1 million posts) and unpopular (10K or fewer posts). This variety will ensure potential fans see your content. And that it isn’t lost among millions of similar posts.

4.    Show Up on Your Instagram Story

Instagram stories are ideal for connecting with your fans and encouraging interaction with your audience. You can use them to run polls to get vital feedback and opinions from users. They’re also an effective way to promote your music on Instagram. You can add your tracks to your Instagram stories so anyone watching them can discover a new or old song.

That said, you’ll need to ensure your music shows up in Instagram’s music library first. Otherwise, you can’t add the tune to your Instagram story. Your music distributor can help in this case.

Sugo Music Group is a seasoned music distributor and one you should look into if you currently don't have one. Its team has over 35 years of experience in the music industry. And they’ve successfully distributed music for several prominent musicians over the years.

The Sugo Music Group team can help you distribute your music to over 200 streaming and download platforms. This includes Spotify and Apple Music. Thanks to their distribution service, your music will also be available on all major social media platforms, including Instagram. So you can add your music to Instagram stories without hassle. 

5.    Take Your Fans on a Live Journey

You should consider a live stream to promote your Instagram music. Instagram allows users to start a live stream right on the platform. When you go live, your fans can tune in, send you some love from any part of the world, and leave comments. 

You can go live at a gig or at home with an intimate performance of one of your songs. Alternatively, you can use it to offer an uncut glimpse behind-the-scenes. Whatever you choose, your fans will appreciate hanging out with you in real-time.

6.    Give Away Free Stuff

Instagram is the ideal platform to host a giveaway or a competition. While a cash prize might be more enticing for some fans, others may appreciate getting free merch or samples. You can also giveaway premium content or tickets to your next show.

This is a great way to gain exposure on the platform. The conditions for entry to most Instagram competitions include tagging friends in the comments section of the competition post. And following the host of the competition is an absolute must. Therefore, you'll likely gain followers through your friends using the most incredible marketing tool of all time: word of mouth.

Working With an Influencer

Influencers have taken Instagram by storm, and they prove to be a powerful resource for emerging musicians. Anyone who wants to get in front of their target audience quickly collaborates with an influencer. And so can you. If you’re wondering what a music influencer can do for you, here are a few things:

• Increase streaming of your music
• Boost gig ticket and merch sales
• Create viral videos featuring your music
• Increase your online following

Influencer marketing is a transactional method of promoting your Instagram music. Both parties reap benefits from the contract. You will get your music in front of a large audience of engaged and loyal followers. And they could eventually translate into devoted and engaged listeners. An influencer will benefit by boosting their profile and making some money.

Choosing the right influencer is critical. And it’s not necessary to go for the high-profile influencers. Micro-influencers can also do wonders for your brand and music with a small dedicated, and engaged audience. Follow these steps to promote your music on Instagram using an influencer:

1. Find potential influencers online.
2. Assess their content and make sure your brand aligns with theirs.
3. Check out their engagement levels (likes and comments on current posts).
4. Create a budget.
5. Start pitching.

You may not always have to hunt down an influencer to promote your music on Instagram. Sometimes the promotion can happen organically. For instance, Taylor Swift discovered Troye Sivan’s first EP, ‘TRXYE’. She loved it so much that she started posting his music on her Instagram page. While this is one of those one-in-a-million cases, you never know who might champion your music at no cost.

Tips to Become a Pro at Instagram Music Promotion

It’s no secret that Instagram is one of the most over-saturated social media platforms. That’s why you have to set yourself apart from the crowd when you promote your music on Instagram. Use the following tips to ensure your music stands above the crowd:

• Focus on creating a community: Everyone wants to be a part of something great. Creating a community around your brand and music is one of the best ways to make your fans feel included. You can do this by replying to every DM and comment you receive on your posts. Chatting with your fans will make them feel less like a number and more like a member of an exclusive club.
• Be yourself, always: Authenticity trumps being fake on Instagram, so don't waste your energy acting like someone you're not. Let your true self flourish, and don't be afraid to show your quirks.
• Connect with other artists: Social media is the best way to connect with people worldwide. By interacting and engaging with other musicians, they may give you a shout-out to their audience.
• Post regularly: Don't neglect your Instagram account, even when it seems pointless. Promoting your music on Instagram requires patience, but eventually, it will all pay off.
• Send new followers a direct message: Going the extra mile and welcoming everyone who follows you will work in your favor. But don't bug your followers too much or beg them to listen to your tracks. Play the long game and engage with them regularly. The objective is to convert them into loyal listeners.
• Add subtitles to your videos: Many Instagram users don’t watch Instagram Reels and Stories with the sound on. Add closed captions to your video content, so your fans can read your lyrics or subtitles.

Conclusion

Social media is a tool many musicians use to build their fan base. So you must promote your music on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and as many other platforms as possible. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms globally, so it's ideal for boosting your brand.

Besides offering a broad user base, Instagram provides flexible ways to promote your tunes. Great content coupled with authenticity will make you an internet sensation. Whether you're starting your music career going or drawing in new fans, capitalize on your Instagram profile for optimal results.