Online Music Promotion: LinkedIn

[ffb_param route="o gen text"]

Online music promotion: While Instagram and Facebook are the go-to social media platforms when marketing music, you should also learn how to develop your online music promotion on LinkedIn. When most people think of LinkedIn, they picture the profiles of Fortune 500 CEOs and suit-clad professionals discussing career opportunities. However, that’s far from the reality of LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is an excellent resource for musicians because it allows you to connect with people in the music industry. You can build lasting, professional relationships through this platform. And you could find people to help you with an album launch or your next tour. By creating projects on your profile and messaging connections, you can derive significant value from LinkedIn.

If you’d like to promote your music on LinkedIn, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about the platform in this post. We’ll also cover the various strategies you can employ to get your music noticed on LinkedIn. Let’s dive right in.

Online Music Promotion On LinkedIn 

LinkedIn’s professional feel deters many artists from utilizing the platform. However, ignoring LinkedIn would be the wrong move for your career. Here are some reasons to include LinkedIn in your digital marketing strategy.

Broad User Base and Growth

One of the most important aspects of any social media network is the user base. After all, you need people to listen to your tracks and spread the word about you or your band. LinkedIn has a global user base of about 800 million, which is expected to grow to 1 billion by 2025.

Of the millions of LinkedIn users, about 60% are between the ages of 25 and 34. So, suppose your target audience is within this age range. In that case, LinkedIn is one of the best platforms to focus your music promotion endeavors. That said, you can still easily connect with an older or younger audience on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn will continue to grow for years to come. And with this growth, the platform may become diverse, making promoting your music on LinkedIn easier. It has already shown this by introducing creator mode, which we'll discuss later in this post.

Online Music Promotion With LinkedIn: Build Your Professional Image and Network

It may not appear crucial for a musician to have a professional profile like those most often seen on LinkedIn. However, any marketing professional will argue otherwise.

A musician’s brand image is just as important as the quality of their music. A professional business profile can play a significant role in securing sponsorships and other corporate partnerships. That’s not to say you can’t gain partnerships without a professional brand image, but it’ll help your cause.

Certain key players in the music industry, like marketers and agents, may consider your professionalism an aspect of your marketability. If they get the sense you care about and consider the bottom line, they may be more inclined to work with you.

LinkedIn is the best platform to forge a professional brand image. And it’s the ideal place to show industry professionals that you are business savvy and showcase your self-promotion expertise.

You'll build a professional network when you develop an online music promotion through LinkedIn. While this may sound like a bore, it will undoubtedly pay off in the long term.

You may be tempted to save money and manage your social media accounts on your own. But you’ll realize soon enough that it’s best to employ some assistance so that you can focus on your music. This is especially true if you’re an independent artist.

Perhaps you need a music video director who helps you create a music video for your latest EP. Or you could use a sound technician who helps you put on a successful show together.

Irrespective, LinkedIn is the ultimate platform to connect with people that can elevate your music career. This includes graphic designers, recording studio managers, lighting technicians, and social media managers.

You can connect with and message these professionals, using their services to boost your career. Once you establish a professional network, you’ll be surprised by the doors that will open for you.

New Opportunities

Speaking of opening doors, you can gain new opportunities for your music career from LinkedIn. While live performances, online streams, and album/song downloads may be the core of your career, other opportunities await you.

For instance, once you launch your online music promotion with LinkedIn, someone may contact you to use your music in a commercial. Or you may have a company contact you to perform at an industry event.

The opportunities that LinkedIn presents can set your music career on a lucrative trajectory. Still not convinced? Below is one more reason to promote your music on LinkedIn.

Maintain Professional Relationships

LinkedIn allows you to maintain professional relationships with people in the music industry. Once someone is part of your network, you’ll be able to contact them easily. This means you won’t have to rely on email addresses or phone numbers, which may change often.

Now, LinkedIn isn’t the platform for casually messaging people to build a fan base. Instead, you'll create professional, mutually beneficial relationships within the music industry. This could be with producers, promoters, distributors, and other musicians.

Online Music Promotion: LinkedIn

There are several strategies to employ to promote your music on LinkedIn. Consider those listed below and see what works for you. Remember, a little experimentation can guide you towards the best strategy for your music.

1.   Create a Company Page

A LinkedIn Company Page is just like a Facebook Page. You'll set it up for yourself or your band, and it’ll be listed as your employer on your personal LinkedIn page. Bear in mind that you must have a personal profile to create a LinkedIn Company Page.

Company Pages are fully customizable. You can add a custom banner, logo, contact details, and a link to your website. There’s also an about section where you can write everything people should know about you and your music (genre, awards, etc.).

People can follow your page and receive updates about your music. They can also view your upcoming events and opt to attend them.

2.   Utilize LinkedIn Creator Mode

Creator mode is available to everyone, and you can easily enable and disable it from your profile. However, we advise that you only initiate creator mode if you have an existing LinkedIn profile with 3000+ connections.

To expand from users utilizing the platform solely to build professional relationships, LinkedIn rolled out creator mode. This feature allows members to build a following on the platform by posting relevant content, as one would on Instagram. 

However, this strategy to promote your music on LinkedIn is best employed when you have a respectable following on the platform. This is because the creator mode isn't suitable for people trying to grow their 1st-degree network.

Having the “connect” feature change to ‘follow” won’t do you any favors if you’re new to LinkedIn. Therefore, implement it once you’ve built a large base of connections on the platform.

Creator mode is available to everyone, and you can easily enable and disable it from your profile. However, we advise that you only initiate creator mode if you have an existing LinkedIn profile with 3000+ connections.

Once enabled, people can decide between connecting and following you. This change was implemented to help users grow their audience. In other words, it’s a great medium to expose your music to more people.

You’ll also be able to add hashtags to your profile introduction, which can be picked up through a search on the platform. This will allow LinkedIn members to discover your content quickly and follow you. Make sure you use relevant hashtags like ones for your primary genre and those related to the music industry.

Test whether creator mode will work for you. Do some trials where you post consistent content and see if you have the capacity for it. Remember, you’ll only gain value from this feature if you make the time commitment.

3.   Create Projects on Your Personal Profile

Another way to develop your online music promotion through LinkedIn is by creating projects on your individual profile. These allow you to expand your reach on the platform and gain more visibility.

Your projects will be displayed prominently on your profile. They can include a URL, short description, and tags for other LinkedIn members. When you link other members to a project, it'll also appear on their profile, giving your music more exposure.

Here are some ways to take advantage of the projects section on your profile:

• Tours: Whenever you have a major tour, create a project covering the destinations, venues or performance location, and audience size. Tag publicists, venue owners, other bands taking part, promotors, etc.
• Significant partnerships or sponsorships: If you’ve partnered with someone or secured a notable sponsorship, you can create a project to highlight this milestone. Connect to all the people directly involved, press contacts, etc., by tagging them.
• Music video releases: Showcase a video by highlighting key points in it. Connect the project to everyone involved in putting the video together, including the videographer, lighting crew, actors, and the director.
• Album, EP, or single launches: List every significant release along with information about press received, awards, and sales. Tag everyone who helped put the album together, such as the mastering technician, producer, band members, publicist, distributor, etc.

4.   Online Music Promotion Through LinkedIn: Build Your Network!

LinkedIn is all about connecting with other members and building a professional network. So, to promote your music on LinkedIn, you’ll have to work on building your network.

With a vast network, you’ll have access to more people who can engage with your posts about your music and performances. Also, you could build relationships with all the professionals you need to plan your next tour or put together an album.

To build a network on LinkedIn, you’ll have to approach others instead of waiting around for them to discover you. This is one aspect that makes LinkedIn different from Instagram and other social media platforms.

You can send out connection invitations to any LinkedIn member. However, be sure to target people affiliated with the music industry. This includes journalists, bloggers, conference attendees, speakers, and industry leaders.

LinkedIn is more about business than socializing. Therefore, accept and request as many connections as possible. You never know what benefits you’ll derive from a connection.

5.   Post Relevant Content

Posting relevant content two to three times daily is a great way to promote your music on LinkedIn. The more you post engaging content, the higher your chances of gaining visibility on the platform.

LinkedIn content leans towards the business, education, careers, motivation, and self-improvement side of things. So, save the unflattering pictures from studio sessions for Facebook and videos from your after parties for Instagram. Here are some practical content ideas:

• An article about why you picked up your first instrument
• Press coverage from a live performance with a link to the article
• Fun music facts about your genre

6.   Join Groups for Musicians

You can use groups to promote your music on LinkedIn in the same way you would on Facebook. LinkedIn groups allow you to connect with people in the music industry, draw attention to your music, and grow your credibility.

Join groups catered to music industry professionals by searching for them on the platform. For instance, you can type “music sponsorships” into the search bar. Alternatively, search for “music industry” or ‘music promoters”.

Bear in mind that some groups are open to everyone, while others require you to request to join. You’ll also need to familiarize yourself with the group rules, which most will have.

Like Facebook Groups, many LinkedIn Group moderators limit promotional posts to specific days or don’t permit them at all. Make sure you know what you can post and when, or you may find yourself banished from the group.

When you are part of a group, try to interact with others in the group at least once a week. The more active you are, the higher your chances of bringing people to your profile and your music gaining visibility.

Post relatable and relevant content, like an interesting article that applies to the music industry. Reply to questions people ask and post some yourself.

Also, check out how other active members make the most of the group. Differentiate those posting filler content from those who provide value from the onset. And mirror the behavior of those who add value and focus on networking with them.

7.   Message Your Connections

Messaging your connections is the last strategy to employ to promote your music on LinkedIn. Now, these should not be promotional messages such as: “Check out my latest track”. Instead, you’ll have to maintain a level of professionalism and develop the relationship over time.

You can begin sending out messages to people a few weeks after you connect. Avoid messaging connections the day after they accept your request. It won't benefit you, and you may ruin a relationship before it's established.

Keep messages short and sweet and focus on initiating a genuine conversation with them. Ideally, end each message with a question to keep the conversation going.

Online Music Promotion On LinkedIn: The Bottom Line

No other social media platform allows musicians to build a professional network like LinkedIn does. It gives you access to various key stakeholders in the music industry. And it sets a direct path for connecting and building relationships with people who can elevate your career.

Remember that promoting your music on LinkedIn is mainly about the business side of your music career. And you can always hire someone to manage this aspect of your marketing while you focus on your music.

That said, it is possible to increase your fan base through online music promotion with LinkedIn on LinkedIn. However, you should promote your music on other social media platforms, like TikTok, simultaneously to expand your following.

Every professional artist needs a strong network of people in the music industry. Your network should include promoters, managers, and a music distributor like Sugo Music Group.

Sugo Music Group has helped several musicians elevate their music to new heights for the past three decades. The company’s team of professionals can help get your music broadcasted, downloaded, streamed, and sold.

They can also ensure your music is available on over 200 streaming and download services. Reach out to Sugo Music Group today and transform your music into the career you’ve always dreamed of.