Oh, we know, we know, you’re already upset.
You’re a real artist; you’re not going to further your craft by emulating every brainless shill that managed to put their face and some overpriced, underplated food-adjacent décor in the same frame and post it.
And you’re right. A little reductive and a lot mean, but you’re right. The thing is, though, this is about something other than your art — this is about your job.
If you’re genuinely just playing for yourself, and it’s not a big deal that you never make any money on it, then no, neither this article nor this mentality will help. Way to make it to a point where your hobbies don’t need to make you back any money! We salute you, and thanks for reading this far.
…okay, are they gone? Out enjoying the craft for the sake of it? Nice.
If the hobbyist life is not the one you’re living, though, and your main goal is to spread your gospel and get to the point where you can make your living solely off playing, you will want to follow along.
Yes, even if the phrase ‘Think like an influencer’ hurts your feelings. They’ve got a lot to teach you.
How exactly is it that influencers could teach smaller musicians? Fair question. But because, as a musician, you’re at the intersection of art and entertainment, you can only benefit from seeing how the hot dog gets made.
There’s a fundamental undercurrent of disrespect for influencers; they’re considered unserious, and influencing is “not a real job.” Today’s disdain for influencers feels similar to the disdain for professional models of the past. You don’t have to break your brain or your back to do it, either. But more effort is involved in being successful than being younger and hotter than your detractors. And that means there are legitimate reasons why musicians on social media need to learn to shift in the influencer direction.
Musicians can learn a lot from influencers, and this piece breaks down why you need to take the time to soak it in.
Strategizing
Look, no one is saying you need to change your entire musical style and ethos to Top 40ish pop if that’s not what you’re already doing. If you’re dead set on bringing the đàn đá into the 2020s, then by all means, you roadie those rocks like your very bone integrity depends on it. Heck, throw in a crumplehorn while you’re going the nontraditional (or are they extra traditional) route. This tip isn’t about a need to conform; nothing here is. It’s about your strategy vis-à-vis expanding your reach with social media.
You will need to make like an influencer and laser-focus your whole approach. How often will you post? Are the people you want to reach Halloween Freaks, or are they a Fourth of July Supremacy type of crowd? Do you have any connections with the photographers taking pictures of your sets? Do you know which ones are only using their phones until they get better equipment, and how do they stay on top of mind once they do?
Do you actually know the guy who owns the venue? If not, how do you GET to that point?
Sure, keeping tabs on everyone and everything ‘just in case’ is difficult. And you will most likely miss events, holidays, or markets just due to life’s various whatevers coming up. But you never know where your next meaningful connection will come from. Stay alert and strategic with what you pay attention to, how you interact, and how you make connections.
Likewise, ensure your content hopper is full enough that anyone stumbling upon you has something that will catch their eye after hitting Follow. Trust and believe that no influencer who wasn’t already rich ever got to the point of sponsorship deals by ‘Just kinda posting whenever’ and passively letting things slide by.
Your Instagram strategy will always be subject to change with what works or whatever the algorithm decides to reward next. However, having a plan and the analytic data to back it up is always your best bet, regardless of Meta’s next pivot.
Likeability
You don’t get to be a butthole if you’re not already a star; that’s Asterisk’s Law. Okay, maybe that’s not a Law law…yet. But it still holds.
It’s easy to assume that the kind of influencers who keep things light and toothless are being stupid or that they’ve never had anything worthwhile to say, but because their paycheck hinges on whether people think they’re a semi-decent person, keeping things focused on their niche and nothing else the smartest thing they can do.
Learn from that.
You don’t have to bend backward for anyone making rude assumptions about your role in the band or constantly needing to ‘borrow’ some significant portion of your equipment. But making sure you’re playing nice with other bands, venue owners, and hotel chains will only stand to benefit you. People are very over dealing with divas, hence why you rankled at this article to begin with. But sticking to the positive side of things as much as you can (at least until someone shows you why you shouldn’t) is a trait that can carry over whether you’re carrying tunes or promo packets.
Meeting Deadlines
Whatever the closest equivalent of a deadline may be — Battle of the Bands submissions, obscure holiday posting, meetings with your manager, getting to your venue in good time, etc, you’ve got to learn to be on it. Paying attention to the clock and the calendar is good for your practice and image!
It’s an essential offshoot of Asterisk’s Law from earlier — just show the people you’re working with and the audience taking time to support you the respect they deserve. Flighty artists are a stereotype in all fields, but staying punctual, even when it comes as a pleasant surprise, is your key to getting in more places than you’d think.
Suddenly, people have an easier time giving you breaks or getting your band ahead, all because you did not make their lives difficult. Similarly, getting lyrics down or mastering a difficult riff by a certain time will help you keep up with the art you’re making in your profession.
‘Whenever’ is fine if you’re a hobbyist. Getting serious means just that.
Collaborating
Getting together with other musicians and jamming is already a good idea. Now’s the time to get your social media platforms in sync, too. An influencer’s collab might look like a video series with someone that makes sense for both brands or launching a limited line with a designer. And you can do the same musically.
Playing an independent market? What’s stopping you from asking any of the vendors to get together for an impromptu jingle? Opening with other bands? A picture together is a good idea. Even a quick video of your set getting featured on the venue’s Instagram is easy to coordinate and benefits everyone!
Lean into your influencer side, ask to work with others, and be prepared to let them know what a partnership with you would bring. Whether it’s band or product promotion, the chances that they’ll be just as excited as you are high — especially once you make it clear that you’ll be pulling your weight as far as putting in effort.
A Sense of Self. Or “Self”
Influencers are so one-dimensional, aren’t they? How can anyone meaningfully commodify the totality of the human experience without totally flattening it?
Exactly, they can’t. And you can’t either. So why try? That’s where branding comes in.
It’s to your advantage that the same personal branding that rests at the heart of influencer marketing also works for creatives. Rather than spreading yourself too thin in attempting to capture every aspect of your art or authentic self, focus on just a few things to help underscore your presence.
Remember that you’re doing your job here — even if your songs represent many experiences, your online platforms should be more cohesive. Keep the real, unfiltered you to more personal outlets, and let your brand talk on your professional pages.
A Sense of Entitlement. Yes, Really.
No, no one is saying you have to develop some kind of lifestyle-induced sociopathy to get ahead. Asterisk’s Law is still very much in effect here. At the same time, though, a certain mentality is needed to ensure you’re getting ahead and staying there, and that’s one of ‘I deserve this.’ or ‘Why NOT me.’
If you’re going about your business, and we’ve established your art is a business, with your head held down, assuming everything is against you, and willing to roll over and show your little musician tummy in submission to every challenge, you will get buried. Running a business is work, and it requires serious time to balance everything — especially if you’re juggling your band with a full-time job.
But you need the sense of ‘I deserve success through my hard work.’ Get cocky! Show off your wins! Stop approaching things like a Victorian orphan with an empty bowl. You’ve got years of influencer strategies on your side, plus the musical talent to pull things off.
You’re not going to be the Big Dog right away. You can be the scrappy underdog. Just so long as you’re not a little…well, you get the metaphor.
Let us know if Manychat can help you take some of the manual work off your hands.
