Earlier than you observe that Instagram development, READ THIS!

Not all viral consideration is sweet consideration.

You possibly can appeal to precise followers by showcasing your music in a means that’s visually-optimized for social.

Or you’ll be able to chase traits on Reels & TikTok that damage your music’s attain within the long-run.

How precisely do social traits damage musicians, you ask? Effectively…

Right here’s one cautionary story a few pal of mine who had a video go viral — all for nothing:

Why social traits make unhealthy music content material

Social platforms have shifted from being follower-focused to recommendation-focused.

It was the norm that individuals who adopted you have been not less than considerably prone to SEE your posts. In the event that they dug what they noticed, they’d stick round and doubtless see your subsequent put up.

Fb started shifting away from that reliable attain way back. However the interplay between a creator and their neighborhood took a extra drastic flip with short-form platforms equivalent to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

I’m positive you’re properly conscious of this variation, each as a creator and a person. “The algorithm” is now recommending a relentless barrage of curated content material, sourced from all of the creators on the platform. This has made it tougher for creators to achieve their very own following.

As Patreon’s founder Jack Conte mentioned in a latest put up:

The impression on creators, in lots of circumstances, has been catastrophic. Reaching your followers and constructing actual neighborhood on the web has by no means been more durable.

You may assume then, given this issue in participating your neighborhood on social, that TRENDS could be the one approach to truly attain individuals — for the reason that trending idea already has confirmed viral vitality, and also you’re eradicating the specificity of your personal music from the equation.

However the reverse is true: It is advisable to lean even more durable into what makes you distinctive — each on social and in your music. Each put up ought to emphasize one thing vital, enjoyable, or shifting about your artistry.

In different phrases, you’ll be able to’t simply be random leisure looking for views and likes.

4 causes viral traits can damage your music

As I discussed within the video above, “success” on social could be counterproductive to your music if what’s going viral isn’t straight tied to your music or musical persona. Right here’s why:

1. Traits don’t typically yield true followers

The explanation the content material works may not be the rationale you need individuals to return.

You’re a musician. You need somebody to like your music and come again for the music. For those who make them chortle as a substitute, or fire up some outrage, or do a loopy stunt (assuming these issues haven’t any apparent connection to your music), viewers don’t know who you might be.

They’re responding to what you probably did within the video, nothing else. It’s unconnected to you.

Your social efforts ought to be about constructing the correct neighborhood. Precise followers. So when you’ve got a knack for humor, satire, or stunts, incorporate these components into content material that’s, in a roundabout way, ABOUT your music.

2. Unfocused engagement “confuses” the algorithm

I don’t imply the algorithm is definitely confused.

In actual fact, in case your development put up is gaining traction, the algorithm is aware of precisely what it must know: Your put up is nice for some fast laughs, outrage, or wows. And it’ll present your put up to individuals who need these issues.

However which will additionally make it HARDER for the RIGHT individuals to search out you, immediately and sooner or later.

3. You develop an viewers of unqualified leads

For those who pay to promote on any of those social platforms, the improper sorts of consideration can dilute your information, creating extra give you the results you want and driving up advertising and marketing prices.

A social put up succeeding for the improper causes could enhance the scale of the viewers you’re promoting to whereas concurrently reducing the proportion probability that any of the viewers will click on the button, care about your call-to-action, or find yourself buying/changing.

Prices up. Morale down.

4. It’s not what you’re meant to do!

I saved an important factor for final.

Did you study to write down songs with the intention to be a content-creator or widget-maker, serving to to preserve random customers glued to an app for one more 15 seconds?

No, the platforms ought to give you the results you want — not the opposite means round.

And the viewers don’t want traits from you, as a result of they’re already struggling to maintain up with the limitless provide of traits of their feed day by day.

What they want is YOU. And also you want your viewers to want you.

You’ve one thing to supply, one thing to say, some distinctive expertise, perspective, or sound. Discover it, and convey THAT with such deal with social that viewers immediately sense what makes you you.

That’s what true followers will come again for.

Must you NEVER do a development?

By no means say by no means.

For those who can make use of a development to inform a part of your story, nice! However these posts ought to be the exception, and they need to all the time relate to your inventive life.

Why accomplish that many musicians really feel the strain to hop on social-video traits although? As mentioned above, traits can seem to be a growth-hack. Once more, for all of the improper causes.

However there’s one thing else: As a result of artists put on each hats, we are able to simply confuse the creator expertise with the person expertise. When, the truth is, these ought to be VERY various things.

Right here’s what I imply:

Conclusion

Have you ever struggled with this as an artist? I feel it’s fairly widespread.

And there’s all the time gonna be some new development tempting us to stray off the trail.

Hopefully this text provides you a bit extra confidence to stroll the highway you’re meant to be on as an artist and particular person, even when which means your social following and engagement metrics develop extra slowly than they may in any other case.

Tortoise and the hare. High quality over amount. True followers over mere viewers.