Promoting Your Music With Snapchat

Jack McCarthy is a contributing writer for of WeSpin, a growth training platform and community which offers a free Fan Engagement course available at: box.wespin.co.

If you or your band have been steadily growing a fanbase and seeing increasing engagement online while touring and releasing music, then you know all about the constant demand for content on your social media networks. If you are not sharing photos on Instagram, tweeting and direct messaging your fans, and getting comfortable using YouTube regularly then you are probably falling behind in taking full advantage of the social platforms where your fans live their daily lives.

Enter Snapchat

If you aren’t familiar with Snapchat, it is an app used on iOS and Android smartphones that allows users to send short pictures and short videos back and forth, with a set amount of time until the message expires and can no longer be viewed. Initially looked upon as just a fun app for teenagers, and even sneered at by some as just a means for teens to “sext,” the social network has now risen to popularity and is valued at $15 billion dollars. As a business Snapchat is nothing to sneeze at, and with its 200 million users being in the age range from 13 to 25 years old, it offers an interesting platform for you to interact with your fanbase if they are in that demographic.  

Much of the popularity revolving around musicians and social networks such as Twitter and Instagram exists because audiences view these platforms as a means of interacting with their favorite artists and bands within their daily lives, just as they would with any other friends. Thanks to social media, this kind of connection exists today as it never has before. Snapchat offers a great way to create fast and easy content to deliver to your fans. Unlike other platforms like Instagram where you will most find other musicians sharing hi-res photos from shows, promo shots, or the occasional selfie or cat picture, Snapchat is more akin to a glance into your daily life. Here are a few ideas to get you started on Snapchat:

Go on Snap Sprees

When you find that your Snapchat friend list is growing, take some time out to go through the snaps that your fans are sending you. Look through them and respond, either one by one or with a mass snap. Don’t neglect your fans by looking at their snaps and not sending something back. A good method is to use some time management and find a time when you can open and answer snaps. Let your fans know when you’re active via Twitter.

Make it Real or Random

If you have a hard time coming up with “content” to send out via Snapchat, then think about the things that you are doing in the daily life of your music. Send out pictures or short videos from rehearsals, writing sessions, or band hangouts. Snap a video of that new demo that you’re working on in Pro Tools or the new cover video you are planning to upload to YouTube in a few days. If you are on the road, find a friend or person on your crew that you trust with your phone to snap some photos and videos during your set.

While you can certainly use Snapchat to send your fans pictures and short videos of your rehearsals, studio sessions, or shows, feel free to be random. Send out pictures of you getting Starbucks, videos of your pets, funny moments throughout the day, or selfies, of course. The content does not have to always be branded content around your music or band. Your fanbase will appreciate getting a look into your “normal” day and this will allow you to free yourself of the feeling of having to create content.

Share Your Story

Use the Story feature of Snapchat to share a slideshow of your past 24 hours in snaps. If you are in the studio or on the road, you can use the story feature to broadcast your experiences. You can promote a city by city story each day of a tour or show the progress of a song throughout the production phases.

Have Fun

If you are skeptical about using Snapchat in your music career, what you must understand is that it is another tool in a set that allows you to interact with your fans all the time. Social media opens up doors for transparency and personal connection with your fanbase. Snapchat can take you away from the marketing and branding mindset that comes along with social media and music and allows you to just have fun sharing with your audience.

Jack McCarthy is a contributing writer for of WeSpin, a growth training platform and community which offers a free Fan Engagement course available at: box.wespin.co.

Promoting Your Music With Snapchat