Learning how to promote your music and kickstart your career requires understanding the various ways you can promote content online and in the real world.
From building a website and social media presence to putting on live shows with other musicians, there are plenty of avenues you can explore to expand your reach.
Continue reading, and we’ll break down everything you need to know to promote music online and find the best resources to increase your chances of success.
How To Promote Your Music (Step-By-Step)
Whether you’re looking to promote your music online or seeking other independent musicians to collaborate with, there are many ways you can increase your reach.
We’ve covered all the ways you can promote your music in a simple step-by-step process, giving you all the tools you need to get started.
Here’s our comprehensive overview of all the marketing essentials you need to know to promote your music:
1. Choose Your Best Music
There’s an abundance of music online from aspiring producers looking to increase their reach, meaning there’s stiff competition for anyone releasing music and hoping to get heard.
To compete with other independent artists, you need to clearly grasp your target audience to promote your music as effectively as possible.
This means understanding the lay of the land in your chosen genres, tracking the new releases by similar artists, and understanding the latest trends in the music industry.
Following music blogs, streaming services, and the top music featured in the charts is a great place to begin understanding what the music business is looking for.
Another effective way to gauge the quality of your music is to sign up for a DJ pool and assess the most successful releases on this platform.
This will help you to get a better idea of what’s currently hot and popular, so you can select the music you want to promote in keeping with popular playlists.
2. Set Up A Website
Once you’ve chosen your best tracks, the next step to promoting music online is to set up a website to post new music and reach out to potential new fans.
You can use this website to publish music independently, share any upcoming tour dates, distribute your electronic press kit, and create a compelling artist page.
Before you commit to a design, make sure you reference some of the best DJ websites from your favorite artists and take notes on how they handle online promotion to attract more fans.
If you have any production knowledge you’d like to share, consider including music blogs, video tutorials, and curated playlists that showcase your style.
A website can also be used to coordinate email marketing to further promote your music online, as well as press releases you can send out to record labels.
Once your website is set up, you can use it to promote your music via your social media platforms, driving traffic to original and exclusive content for a wider audience.
3. Build Your Social Media Channels
One of the fundamental requirements when starting a DJ business is setting up a selection of social media channels to promote your services.
This is just as relevant when promoting your music, with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and other platforms the first point of contact between yourself and potential fans.
Each social media platform you use is an opportunity to engage with your fan base and get your music heard by like-minded people who are likely to share your content with others.
Most artists have a strong social media presence, so make sure your music marketing plan includes extensive research on the type of content they post.
Your social channels should match the visual brand style used on your website, creating a consistent and recognizable aesthetic throughout.
Among the most important music promotion tips focused on social media is to post regularly, as consistent posts are more likely to encourage ongoing engagement and sharing.
You can use scheduling tools such as Hootsuite to help maintain a regular presence and line up posts for the upcoming week or month for your upcoming tour dates and new releases.
4. Upload Content To Streaming Services
There are plenty of streaming platforms available where a new artist can promote music online, reaching millions of potential music fans worldwide.
Uploading your music to streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube Music, and other streaming platforms allows you to target your latest release directly to your fan base.
If your music gains traction, it will be added to the platform’s algorithmic playlists, such as Discover Weekly on Spotify, and curated playlists selected by the platform’s administrators.
Many artists earn additional income from these streaming platforms, with Apple Music and Spotify offering royalty payments as you rack up new listeners.
You should also consider live streaming your music in DJ sets or live performances on platforms such as Twitch, then add these streams to your promotional tools.
Find out how to live stream your DJ sets so you can build a real-time audience you can interact with your fan base while performing.
5. Connect With Influencers
New artists starting on their professional journey can have difficulty connecting with a broader audience, and working with influencers can make all the difference in the early stages of their careers.
These influencers bring to the table an established audience of music fans who are passionate about a given genre, so connecting with them is essential to promote your music online.
Whether this means reaching out to the creators of niche blogs or trying to get your new music featured on a podcast, there are thousands of influencers who can help spread your music.
Reaching out to popular influencers on Instagram Live and other short-form platforms such as TikTok can also be an effective method for sharing content through short videos.
Research the influencers you feel are a good match for your brand, then create a spreadsheet to keep track of the influencers you’ve contacted and any responses you’ve had.
6. Create A Press Kit
Putting together an electronic press kit allows you to condense a great deal of information about your music and brand into an easily digestible package.
This electronic press kit can then be used to promote your music to venues, record labels, and other influencers to increase your reach.
A press kit includes a broad selection of promotional materials, including an artist bio, photos, contact information, press releases, and even video content.
As with reaching out to influencers, you should compile a spreadsheet of all the people and businesses you want to send your electronic press kit to and make a note of all responses.
Make sure you tie the press kit to your latest release or live event; journalists, in particular, are looking for timely stories, so this will give them something to work with.
7. Put On Live Events
Building a solid online presence is a crucial aspect of promoting your music, but this shouldn’t be at the expense of real-world activities.
Putting on a live event allows independent artists to engage directly with their fan base and establish relationships with local promoters and venue owners.
Live events are also great for showing off the many DJ techniques you’ve mastered, setting yourself apart from the competition, and engaging with the crowd.
If you’re an established DJ, you can use your sets to integrate your music into the mix, showcasing your style in a broader context related to your music genre of choice.
Your social media platforms and press kits can help promote these events, where you can perfect your stage presence and learn how to read a crowd.
If you’re an independent artist with little to no experience with live events, consider putting on free events at coffee shops and bars and building a reputation on the local scene.
The more you gig, the more your confidence will increase, and the greater the opportunity for connecting with artists and fans who dig your style.
8. Collaborate With Other Artists
Connecting and collaborating with other independent musicians confers several advantages you can use to promote your music.
Different artists have their own network of friends, promoters, and music industry contacts you can tap into to expand your reach and build a reputation.
Whether you find these artists online or through the local music scene, you can work together to write new music, remix each other’s tracks, and put on events.
These collaborations will also help you hone your skills as a producer and performer, discovering new techniques you can bring to future projects.
Once you’ve produced one song with another artist, you can promote it on streaming platforms such as Apple Music and YouTube Music and reach out to fans to get them to share it.
Collaborations don’t have to be time-consuming; consider producing short-form videos on TikTok or as a Reel to gain attention online.
Collaborations are about sharing resources and skills so that all parties benefit from their music promotion goals.
9. Sign Up For Artist Services
There are many artist services available that can help promote your music online for you, so signing up for these is something of a no-brainer.
Musicians and producers can use these to access an extensive selection of features and benefits run by professionals who understand the ins and outs of the industry.
An example of the kind of service worth considering is Spotify for Artists, through which you can submit music for their playlists directly and create a professional profile.
Such services also allow you to track your streaming analytics to see which tracks are performing best, which you can use to help with future promotions.
Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer also feature dedicated services for artists you can sign up for, so don’t limit yourself to just one platform when promoting your music online.
You can also try to get signed by music promoters and publicists, although you may need to establish your reputation before getting accepted by more high-profile organizations.
10. Shoot Your Own Music Videos
For a more professional approach to promoting your music, you can consider investing in producing a music video to share via your online presence.
Music videos offer a vibrant and eye-catching way to get noticed, with the potential to go viral and light up the internet.
You don’t need to have an enormous budget or the best DJ visuals, and with affordable yet professional camera gear, you can achieve a great look without breaking the bank.
If you’re putting on live shows, you can get someone to film these, use the footage as part of your music videos, and show fans reacting to your most popular songs.
Immerse yourself in music videos from some of your favorite artists to see what works and what doesn’t, then factor in your budget and see what’s feasible for you to achieve.
Many aspiring freelance videographers may be willing to work with you, provided they can also benefit from the video produced to promote their services.
Once you’ve put together a killer music video, share it far and wide, and consider editing out shorter clips you can use on social media platforms such as TikTok.
Summary
That concludes this deep dive into how to promote your music, building an online and offline presence to bring your latest songs to the widest possible audience.
Music promotion is an ongoing process, so have patience and keep plugging your content across all platforms, so your number of followers continues to grow.
While there’s lots of competition to contend with, if you have great content and persistently promote your new music online, you’ll find the success you’re looking for.
Discover the best new music from a broad selection of genres when you sign up for ZIPDJ and stay ahead of the competition.