In today’s digital world, artists are no longer just artists. They’re also marketers, social media masters, and networking gurus. Now that everyone is so connected and there are literally millions of options when it comes to music, advertising is part of the music game. It’s far too easy to sink to the bottom of the digital void.

The following will explore some of the things you can do to help better advertise your music. Of course, not every method is going to work for every person. Your individual style, perspective on the role social media should play in your life, and your audience will all determine which approaches work best for you. It might take a little trial and error before you find the platforms and methods that best showcase your music.

Sort Out Distribution

For most artists, having their music on all the platforms (Spotify, Tik Tok, Instagram, Apple Music, YouTube…etc.) is what takes up the first chunk of their effort when it comes to releasing and sharing their music. There are platforms designed specifically for music distribution where you sign up, upload your music (make sure you’re meeting the minimum quality standards required by each platform) and let the platform distribute it across other platforms. This can save new artists a lot of time, which is fantastic since time is the thing you’re going to need a lot of if you want to advertise your music fully.

Make More Music

This point might seem a bit odd, but given how many algorithms work, it is absolutely essential. Just like the best thing an author can do to grow their audience is writing another book, one of the best things a musician can do to grow their audience is to release another song or album—algorithms like when people are posting and sharing more rather than less. Of course, you should never sacrifice quality for quantity’s sake, but your first priority each day should be creating music. Keep a commonplace book on you at all times so you can always save seeds of ideas and thoughts that would make good lyrics and melodies or riffs. If you’re stuck when working on your next song, flip through the book and see what gets you feeling inspired again. Once you’ve used up your creative energy, you can switch over to social media and management-style tasks.

Engage On Social Media

If you have found a social media platform or two that you feel comfortable with, take the time to engage with the people on there. Answer comments. Leave thoughtful comments; like photos. Reply to DMs. Share stories. Tag people in things that reminded you of them. The fastest way to grow an online following is to interact with people. Be kind. Be supportive. Be patient. Building genuine relationships is how anything gets done.

The above tips should help you get yourself set up for marketing your music. It’s important to remember that this isn’t a one-off process. Growing your presence and sharing your music is a continuous process that requires effort on a regular basis for the duration of your music career.