How to Promote Your Music on Social Platforms in 2023
Here Are 5 Different Ways to Promote Your New Music Independently on Different Social Platforms Like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube + More.
TikTok is now the go-to platform for fans across the globe to discover new music. The video-sharing app transformed how users engage with content–shifting the music industry’s understanding of recorded music as something that is passively consumed, to becoming a vehicle of creative expression for the masses. Now, labels and indie artists alike are taking note that TikTok, Instagram, and other social platforms are essential promotional tools for musicians.
Social Platforms revolutionized how fans connect with their favorite artists. Here’s how you can promote & maximize every new release across Social Platforms:
Cash In On Original Audio
Spark a Trend: User Generated Content
Why Consistency is Key
Tracking Your Analytics
Making a Global Impact
1. Cash In On Original Audio
Uploading your songs & other original audio to TikTok and Reels could take you from being unknown to mainstream overnight.
It used to be that any TikTokker could upload audio to their videos for remixing, and other users could repurpose and use that audio without the original musician cashing in on their viral success. TikTok changed that in March 2022, with the launch of SoundOn.
SoundOn allows artists to release music to TikTok’s global audience and earn revenue whenever that audio is used in a video. SoundOn users can also distribute to other music stores, generating fan loyalty that transcends TikTok and helping artists grow their fanbases across social platforms and digital stores.
“New artists and musical creators are a vibrant community within TikTok, and SoundOn is designed to support them as they take the first steps in their career. Our SoundOn teams will guide creators on their journey to the big stage and bring the expertise and power of TikTok to life for the artist. We’re incredibly excited about how this will surface and propel new talent and how SoundOn will contribute to an increasingly diverse and growing global music industry”
-Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music, TikTok [1]
2. Spark a Trend
User-Generated Content (UGC)
You can spark a global trend with your latest song; all it takes is the right marketing strategy.
User-Generated Content (UGC) is a term for content that is created by people instead of brands or businesses. Capitalizing on User-Generated Content when you market your latest and upcoming music is key. You can inspire UGC by creating TikTok and Reels challenges, dances, filters, and more.
Go further by replying to comments on your videos and pinning the comment in a brand new TikTok or Reel. When fans see that you genuinely care about and engage with your listeners, you increase the likelihood that they will continue to engage with and share your content.
Depending on your budget, you can also commission social media influencers to help your song take off by featuring the song in their TikToks, sparking a wave of user-generated posts from their followers.
3. Why Consistency Is Key
How many times are you posting on social platforms per day?
Today, "Dress" has over 1.3 million views and counting. Not long after her viral success, Sands posted another TikTok asking YUNGBLOOD to let her open his show. Once again, her fans boosted and shared the video until that dream request became reality. Sands has released her debut album Love and Other Lies,’ is making new music with the bands that once inspired her in the early aughts of her career, and is using TikTok & other social platforms everyday to keep up to date with what her fans want. "Dress" was just the beginning.
Don’t be afraid to post every day, even multiple times per day. Practice makes perfect when it comes to mastering the algorithm and reaching the widest audience.
Creating a TikTok trend to go along with your release can spark a significant surge in UGC (user-generated content) and keep your release trending across social platforms & digital stores. Songs that trend on TikTok often end up charting the most prominent global playlists like Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50.
Your goal is to keep fans engaged for as long as possible, so keep in mind that TikTok trends typically last for 5-7 days. Uploading and teasing new versions of your release every week is sure to keep your fans engaged while evolving your sound.
Upload teasers of your track on TikTok. Get your music on Spotify, iTunes, and other DSPs. Watch your views, streams, & followers grow.
4. Tracking Your Analytics
Who is your target audience?
TikTok’s largest demographic is Gen Z (with 25% of its user base between the ages of 10-19), while Instagram has a firm hold on Millennials (31%). TikTok users are also engaged for longer periods of time, with the average user spending 89 minutes per day on the app, compared to Instagram’s average of 29 minutes per day. [2]
When you’re deciding what content to create in order to promote your music, it’s crucial to look at your performance analytics. How old is the average user that watches your TikToks and Reels? What are your statistics between gender and location? Seeing who and where your fans are will absolutely inform your promotional strategy and what kind of videos you create.
5. Making a Global Impact
Songs can rise up organically on social platforms even if they’ve been outside the mainstream roster for decades. Think Kate Bush’s 1985 hit, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),” which topped global charts and garnered over $2 million global revenue in 2022 after being featured in season four of the Netflix show, Stranger Things. Bush is only one of the latest artists to join this wave: Fleetwood Mac, Aly & AJ, Jack Johnson, Simple Plan and other previously chart-topping artists have also seen huge success with the resurgence of older tracks in their catalogs through TikTok.
TuneCore artist Harmless recorded his viral hit, "Swing Lynn," back in 2012, but began sharing the track via TikTok in 2020. The song went viral and ignited a massive trend of user-generated videos. Millions of users featured the track in their own aesthetic-focused content. Today, "Swing Lynn" has 163 million Spotify streams to date and is Harmless' most popular track.
It doesn't matter when your music was first released. What matters is how your music fits into the social fabric of today. Get creative, as well.
So What?
TikTok is changing the music industry, bringing both emerging & seasoned artists to the forefront of social media, elevating their status overnight, and pushing their music to the top of the charts. When you utilize Original Audio, spark user-generated content, and post consistently, you’re effectively bringing your fanbase into your world. Promoting each new release across social media platforms is the key to your viral success. Start today.