It has been debated over recent years as to how necessary music videos are in this day and age, but what is clear is that video content has the ability to push your music across social media platforms. With music videos, it’s perhaps most useful to acknowledge that the viewership and place for them has simply shifted. For tips on best practices for creating music videos take a look at “Music Videos: Tips For Planning Your Shoot“.
In this article, find hints and tips below on how to increase success with your video content from repurposing existing content and music videos in Reels and TikToks, to making the best use of each social media platform’s algorithms.
Consider The Platform
Success on social media requires paying attention to the specific trends and algorithmic functions across different platforms in order to get the most out of each one. For example, the type of content most likely to do well in terms of views and engagement on TikTok is not necessarily the same type of content that will perform on Instagram. Certain videos may be received well on YouTube shorts, but may not gain much traction if shared to platforms such as Threads or Bluesky.
TikTok operates well with ‘in the moment’ style content. In many ways, it’s about authenticity, ‘realness’, showcasing what happens behind the scenes. The focus is not necessarily being placed on the highly polished video form. Relatability is a major driving factor of successful accounts on TikTok. That is not to say that you shouldn’t ever post more polished videos on this platform. Generally, an array of different video types is an effective strategy to implement.
These are not hard fast rules but rather generalizations for each platform. If you’re finding that certain types of content are not performing as well on particular platforms, it may be worth adapting specifically to each to see if that improves your rate of engagement.
Timing & Relevance
Trends rise and fall in quick succession. Partaking in trends can be a useful way to boost visibility of your band’s profile. Keep an eye out for any trends that fit with your band’s brand as the best chance of success involves taking part sooner rather than later. Behind the scenes content and relatable memes don’t have the same level of urgency and can be used for more everyday video content to share. Take a look at what other bands are doing, especially those similar in genre, size and aesthetic. This can be a useful way to find inspiration for short form videos.
Timing here also includes finding the best posting schedule for you. This may vary depending on the day, time of year, and where in the world your audience is based. Make use of each social media platforms metrics and use them to assist in selecting the most effective posting times. Getting into a routine with a posting schedule that is consistent is key behind gaining traction online. While TikTok prefers higher volumes of content, other platforms can be successfully run with a smaller number of posts – though, again, this is something to experiment with attention paid to any patterns that form over time.
Repurposing Existing Content
The prospect of creating brand new video content is understandably daunting, especially for those bands and artists who are running multiple aspects of their promotion by themselves. Repurposing older content and even resharing older posts can be a useful way to keep up with a regular posting schedule.
Take any music videos and divide them into 30 second long clips to share as ‘teasers’. This is a great way to potentially introduce new prospective audiences to your back catalogue of releases. A ‘show reel’ type video with a few seconds taken from each music video you have released can also work well. Have a look at any popular memes and see if they can be applied to any snippets from your music videos, this can bring in a relatability hook.
Snippets from video past interviews, insights into band rehearsals and clips of band members talking through their equipment can add variety into your social media schedule.
Video content is currently a crucial aspect of any band or artist’s online presence. This workload can be managed however, by considered use of resources already available to you and the impact improved by paying attention to your audience and the times of day when you post. Ensure to keep your target audience and band’s branding in mind at all times to help you expand your reach.
If you haven’t read the previous articles in this series, or require a refresher, find the links below:
- “Taking Your Music To The Next Level“
- “Putting Your Best Foot Forward“
- “Making Connections: Part I“
- “Making Connections: Part II“
- “Music Promotion: Managing The Workload“
- “It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint“
If you are interested in our hybrid marketing and PR services, find more information available HERE. For any C Squared inquiries please get in touch with Cori (corinne@csquared.info) or Curtis (curtis@csquared.info) to discuss how we can help.