11 marketing ideas for TikTok, Instagram

When it comes to marketing your music on fast-moving platform such as TikTok and Instagram, finding alternative ways to push the same material is key. Here, we look at some tips on how to effectively switch up your marketing.

Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix

The key to music promotion on TikTok and Instagram is finding multiple ways to push the same material. We can help.

Video is the future of music promotion, and the future of video exists on TikTok. The massive social media platform has an engaged global audience who look to the video-sharing platform to discover their new favorite creators, movies, books, television shows, and music. Artists who capture TikTok users’ attention see an enormous boost to their streaming numbers. That kind of action is known to turn heads throughout the music business, and we can help you get it.

In the latest Music Biz update, host James Shotwell breaks down eleven proven music promotion tactics for TikTok. He explains how artists can approach single promotion from various angles and the value of each. He also shares how many of these ideas will work for Instagram’s Reels feature.

PLEASE NOTE: The suggestions made in this video are most applicable to artists with recorded music. Those still writing their next hit may find the tips in this video useful, but for the best results, we recommend waiting until your music is widely available to the general public.

Don’t have time for the video? We’ve got you covered:

• Lip-synch your new song in a studio space to offer users a glimpse at the creative process.
• Lip-synch your new song while doing an activity that helps emphasize the aesthetic of your track. If you wrote a song about late-night drives, then shoot your video while driving at night. If you wrote it for a party, lip-synch at a gathering of close friends. Treat this clip like a short music video.
• Use your new song as the sound for your clip and post captions of the lyrics on-screen to help people learn how to sing along at future concerts.
• Post videos about the story behind the song. Tell your audience why you wrote the song, what you hope they take from it, etc.
• While using the new song as the sound of your video, post behind-the-scenes footage of the writing and recording process. Fans LOVE to see what goes into creating a track.
• Record a live acoustic (stripped) version of the track. That will showcase the song in a new light. It also helps emphasize your raw talent.
• Record the acoustic (stripped) version and use the sound to create new versions of the previously mentioned lip-synch videos. Again, this allows you to showcase the message and energy of the track in exciting new ways.
• Use both an early demo of your new song and the final mix in a single video to showcase how your creativity evolves.
• While using your music as the sound on a video, showcase your latest merch and tell fans where they can buy the items they want. Emphasize the limited quantities available, and be sure to tie the merch to chosen sound whenever possible.
• Instead of lip-synching over your video, share performance clips of the instruments involved in the song. For example, you can make a video of your drumming playing the chorus to the track.
• Leverage fan-generated content. Duet, stitch, and critique fan videos. Download their clips and re-upload them to your account (while giving credit) to promote and engage with your community.

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.