Not all viral consideration is nice consideration.
You may appeal to precise followers by showcasing your music in a means that’s visually-optimized for social.
Or you’ll be able to chase tendencies on Reels & TikTok that harm your music’s attain within the long-run.
How precisely do social tendencies harm musicians, you ask? Properly…
Right here’s one cautionary story a couple of buddy of mine who had a video go viral — all for nothing:
Why social tendencies 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 had been not less than considerably more likely to SEE your posts. In the event that they dug what they noticed, they’d stick round and doubtless see your subsequent publish.
Fb started shifting away from that reliable attain way back. However the interplay between a creator and their group took a extra drastic flip with short-form platforms resembling TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
I’m certain you’re properly conscious of this variation, each as a creator and a consumer. “The algorithm” is now recommending a continuing barrage of curated content material, sourced from all of the creators on the platform. This has made it tougher for creators to succeed in their very own following.
As Patreon’s founder Jack Conte mentioned in a latest publish:
The impression on creators, in lots of instances, has been catastrophic. Reaching your followers and constructing actual group on the web has by no means been tougher.
You would possibly assume then, given this issue in participating your group on social, that TRENDS can be the one strategy to really attain folks — 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: You must lean even tougher into what makes you distinctive — each on social and in your music. Each publish ought to emphasize one thing vital, enjoyable, or transferring about your artistry.
In different phrases, you’ll be able to’t simply be random leisure in the hunt for views and likes.
4 causes viral tendencies can harm your music
As I discussed within the video above, “success” on social could be counterproductive in your music if what’s going viral isn’t immediately tied to your music or musical persona. Right here’s why:
1. Traits don’t usually yield true followers
The explanation the content material works won’t be the explanation you need folks to return.
You’re a musician. You need somebody to like your music and come again for the music. In case you make them snicker as an alternative, 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 must be about constructing the precise group. Precise followers. So if in case you have a knack for humor, satire, or stunts, incorporate these parts into content material that’s, indirectly, ABOUT your music.
2. Unfocused engagement “confuses” the algorithm
I don’t imply the algorithm is definitely confused.
In reality, in case your pattern publish is gaining traction, the algorithm is aware of precisely what it must know: Your publish is nice for some fast laughs, outrage, or wows. And it’ll present your publish to individuals who need these issues.
However that will additionally make it HARDER for the RIGHT folks to seek out you, at present and sooner or later.
3. You develop an viewers of unqualified leads
In case you pay to promote on any of those social platforms, the improper sorts of consideration can dilute your information, creating extra be just right for you and driving up advertising and marketing prices.
A social publish succeeding for the improper causes might enhance the scale of the viewers you’re promoting to whereas concurrently lowering the share 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 crucial factor for final.
Did you study to put in writing songs with a view to be a content-creator or widget-maker, serving to to hold random customers glued to an app for one more 15 seconds?
No, the platforms ought to be just right for you — not the opposite means round.
And the viewers don’t want tendencies from you, as a result of they’re already struggling to maintain up with the limitless provide of tendencies of their feed each day.
What they want is YOU. And also you want your viewers to want you.
You may have 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 pattern?
By no means say by no means.
In case you can make use of a pattern to inform a part of your story, nice! However these posts must be the exception, and they need to at all times relate to your inventive life.
Why achieve this many musicians really feel the stress to hop on social-video tendencies although? As mentioned above, tendencies can look like 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 will simply confuse the creator expertise with the consumer expertise. When, in truth, these must 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 frequent.
And there’s at all times gonna be some new pattern tempting us to stray off the trail.
Hopefully this text offers you somewhat extra confidence to stroll the street you’re meant to be on as an artist and individual, even when meaning 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.