Artist Socials - Find Tutorials, Explanations and Best Practices Here

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YouTube

aka YT

Best Practices

• Check the videos and playlists linked below for more details on each of the points on this list.

• Consistency is key with everything on YouTube. Find a consistent upload schedule that works for you. 1 video every month or 1 video every 2 weeks. Whatever you can realistically keep up with! Keep thumbnails of videos consistent so fans can easily spot your video on their homepage. More on this in the videos below.

• As a musician, covers are an effective and unique tool you have for getting new fans in the door.

• The more fans engage with your video by commenting and liking, the more the algorithm will push your content to new fans.

• You can post about more than just music! OR find different ways to relate to music - talk about favorite show moments, talk about your favorite lyrics, tour your home record collection, etc.

• Create custom thumbnails with consistent branding and a clear caption to make your videos stand out from the rest. Canva has templates to help get you started.

• Include links to your music and social media platforms in the video description.

• Use 3-5 hashtags that are unique to your own videos as well as ones that will link your video to related content. If you need some help, check out this article.

Instructions & Tutorials

YOUTUBE LIVESTREAM FROM PHONE INSTRUCTIONS: USING A SCHEDULED LINK

• Put your phone in do not disturb mode or airplane mode with Wi-Fi turned on.

• Make sure you have the YT app downloaded to your phone and it's updated.

• Log into your account.

• In the top right click the plus sign on the camera.

• Select “live”.

• Allow audio and video if it prompts you (it should only do this the first time).

• In the upper right, there should be a calendar image with a little red circle/alert, click that.

• *****NOTE: IF A LINK HAS ALREADY BEEN CREATED,  FIND AND USE THAT LINK TO GO LIVE****** 

  When you do, the pre-scheduled livestream should show up there, click on that.

• TURN YOUR PHONE HORIZONTAL BEFORE STARTING THE STREAM!

• At the bottom, click GO LIVE.

• NOTE: it takes 20-30 seconds to connect, so don't immediately start playing, wait a few seconds! 

Instagram

aka IG

Best Practices

• Respond to comments! If you reply to the first 10 replies on your post that’s a great goal to begin with.

• Use the “insights” tab of your IG profile to find out what the best time to post each day is based on your personal audience.

• After the night of the show, repost stories from fans you’ve been tagged in.

• Tag venues on your IG posts. Both on stories and on a post to your timeline.

• Add stories consistently. They are viewed more than a post on your timeline.

• Make posts personal.

Instructions & Tutorials

How to add links to Instagram story

• Add to Instagram story.

• Choose the the photo or video you want to post to your story.

• Press the sticker icon.

• Click the “link” sticker (or search the sticker page for it).

• Insert the URL you want to include.

• Resize the sticker or click to change its color as needed.

How to add “QUestions” to instagram story

• Go to add story on IG page.

• Upload or take picture to add to your story.

• At the top right corner there should be a square icon with a smiley face, click that.

• Scroll down until you see the sticker “Questions”, click that.

• Type in what you want to ask your followers. ex: what song do you want to hear on the next livestream?

• Add the story to your page!

How to add a “poll” to instagram story

• Go to add story on IG page.

• Upload or take picture to add to your story.

• At the top right corner there should be a square icon with a smiley face. Click on that.

• Scroll down until you see the sticker “Poll”. Click on that.

• Type in what you want you want your followers to vote on.

• Add the story to your page!

How to Go Live on instagram

• Go to '“add story” on your page.

• At the bottom of the page there is a row of different options. Scroll to the right until you see the “Live” option.

• Click on the button to start the IG live!

How to schedule Instagram live

• Create, click “Live” and then “Schedule”.

• Select a video title and start time.

• Click the three dots if you want to edit the scheduled live or share it as a post for your followers to see. This post will appear in your feed and includes a relevant photo, information about the live, and an option for your followers to get a reminder when you go live.

• When you’re ready to go live, click “create”, “live”, your scheduled live video will appear.

• You can also add the scheduled live event to your Instagram story by clicking “create”, “story”, and using the sticker labeled “scheduled”.

Twitter

aka TW

Best Practices

• Tweet lyrics before album release or single release to tease what’s coming.

• Use a graphic or image to accompany your tweet. It is more eye catching than just text.

• Reply to your own tweets when people tweet at you.

• Have a TW Q & A with their followers and start a hashtag such as #askjillandrews or #Q&AwithSHS.

• If there is a new release of a music video, artists can live tweet with fans when the video goes live and they can talk about the video with them. 

Facebook

aka FB

Best Practices

• Facebook may not be where your friends or cool musician buddies hang out, but it is still higher than Instagram in terms of followers and click through rates for people 30 years of age and older. Don’t forget about it! Engage with your audience here.

• Video content uploaded to Facebook natively performs better than photos, text or links to videos on a site other than Facebook.

Instructions & Tutorials

Facebook Live from Venue Pages

1. STEPS TO ACCEPT INVITES

   1. You should go to the "Pages" section to the left of your FB homepage.

   2. That takes you to all the pages you like, and then you click "Invites" and you should see any invites that you'll need to accept at the top left. (I don't have any right now so I can't show that part).

2. LIVESTREAM INSTRUCTIONS

   1. Download the FB app to your phone.

   2. Log-in on your phone to the venue's Facebook page and click the PUBLISH icon >> LIVE VIDEO.

   3. Once you press "Live Video", add the caption with ticket link where it says "tap to add description.” Caption listed below is available to copy and paste. Usually that's easier than writing out each one before you go live. Change it up however you want.

   4. Tag @yourself in the caption!

   5. Make sure the band name highlights!

   6. TURN THE PHONE LANDSCAPE after you add caption BEFORE you go live.

   7. Press "START LIVE VIDEO".

   8. At the end press "END LIVE VIDEO" and then "SHARE" so it stays up on the page.

3. CAPTION TO COPY & PASTE INTO DESCRIPTION

   1. It's @yourself here taking over the page ahead of our show on [day of week, date]. Tag a friend in the comments for a chance to win tix! Winners will be chosen on Monday. See you soon! [TICKET LINK]

TikTok

Best Practices

• Learn how to optimize your music’s discoverability on TikTok by reading this super helpful article.

• If you’re not on TikTok already, get familiar with the platform. Get familiar with what is popular and why!

• Just posting your music in TikTok videos isn’t enough. You need to draw a crowd with something catchy and engaging that will ultimately drive them towards your music later.

• Check the Discovery Page to find trending hashtags and ideas. Videos using trending sounds and hashtags tend to perform best. Put your own spin on a preexisting trend.

• Followers are not a predictor of your video’s chance of success, so be persistent. All it takes is one video, well received by a few followers, to then get shared with a bigger pool of users on their For You page.