👇 Today, I'm giving you the 10 steps I used to grow my following...
Most artists don't grow because they're only doing 1-2 of the 10 things.
I had to spend years figuring these things out on my own, so my goal is to help be there for you the way I wish someone had been there for me.
Listen to the extended audio version below or keep reading: ⬇️
❓ Step 1 - Why Social Media Matters:
Because it has made it possible for artists to: - Get their music heard without a label (you just need a smartphone & wifi). - Not to have to be located in LA, Amsterdam, etc.
- Book their own tours/earn an income.
- And keep basically 100% of their profits.
⚙️ Step 2 - Setting up for Success:
Before you get started with your socials, you need to know 'your why' (why you want to succeed on social media) & overcome any limiting beliefs.
There will be many times when you don't feel like creating content or posting, and knowing your why will keep you going.
🎵 Step 3 - Find Your Artist Brand:
Your artist brand is what makes you stand out & connect with your target audience.
Ask yourself:
- What are my interests, vibes, and hobbies?
- Do I want to educate, entertain, or inspire?
- What's my personality? (ex. funny, charismatic, serious)
- What do people think of when they think of me?
Your brand should be so obvious that people would know it even if you didn't tell them.
🎯 Step 4 - Create the Perfect Profile:
Build a profile that goes with your content.
Everything needs to go together from your name, profile pic, bio, and highlights.
For example, if your content is about you teaching beginner guitar tips, then your name, profile pic, bio, and highlights are all areas where you could showcase that.
When your profile all goes together, more of your target audience will follow you.
💡 Step 5 - Content Creation Super System:
If you want to grow, it's not enough to say you will post 3x per week...
You need a simple system starting with things like:
- Which day you will plan your ideas.
- Which day you will film/edit those ideas.
- And what you will post on which days.
I created a planner to organize all my content ideas & easily schedule my posts on Notion. You can download it here. 📆
🎞️ Step 6 - How to Film + Edit Like a Pro:
Unless you're an editor by trade, I suggest keep the editing process simple.
The good news is, viewers on social media are starting to prefer less highly edited videos.
I edit everything inside the Instagram App if I can.
🚀 Step 7 - Optimize Posts for Max Growth:
The same video can get 1000X more views with a few tweaks.
Sometimes it's the text hook, or the video length, or the call-to-action that can make all the difference.
Having go-to checklists & cheatsheets - with ideas, text hooks, captions, hashtags, etc. that you've seen work for reference accounts you follow or that have worked for you in the past - will help you achieve consistently high growth.
🔥 Step 8 - Increase Your Following Faster:
Put simply, the fastest way to grow your following is to figure out what works for you and keep on doing it.
But once you start getting people viewing your content, the next step is to build a real community and to turn your fans into superfans.
Make it a habit to do things like:
- Post behind-the-scenes content in your stories.- Go live and host a Q&A.
- Add a highlight on your Instagram that is an "About Me".
- Etc.
🧠 Step 9 - Master Your Mindset:
- You may have a post go viral and get mean comments.
- You may face burnout.
- You may have friends who ask you why you're doing this "social media thing"... Knowing how to navigate situations like this is important for long-term growth.
Remember "your why" and make time to strengthen it.
⛰️ Step 10 - Important Next Steps:
If you read this far, congrats! You're already ahead of most artists on social media who don't know these things.
The next step is to actually put these steps into action. 🔥
If you found this helpful and want more, I cover each of these 10 steps more in-depth in my #1 Social Media Course for Music Artists.
That's all for today team,
musicbyLukas