In today’s internet-based world, with ever-growing numbers of streaming services and other accessible ways to access music, young music-lovers have more options than ever to find undiscovered music.

Most Gen Z music fans use streaming services like Spotify or terrestrial radio to listen to music and YouTube to discover new music through algorithm-based playlists.

Additionally, musical tastes have changed and expanded in recent years.

According to research, nearly 97% of Gen Z females say they listen to at least five musical genres regularly and that music plays a pivotal role in their lives.

While all this musical choice is generally a positive thing for listeners, as an artist, it can be challenging to have your music stand out in this crowded space and get heard.

Fortunately, we have gathered the top 7 music marketing strategies to teach you how to make your music go viral. Use these music marketing strategies to take your musical career to new heights.

music marketing strategies

Here are the 7 top marketing strategies to make your music go viral

1. Post share-worthy content

The first marketing strategy to make your music go viral is to create share-worthy social media content. The content has to be so good that people are compelled to share it or have a media tie-in that appeals to your audience.

Figure out what share-worthy content looks like by paying attention to what your friends are sharing.

This strategy requires creativity and a finger on the pulse of what everyone is currently talking about in the media.

Leveraging this idea will also take some effort, but here are some steps that will help get your share-worthy content seen.

Getting discovered in the sea of talented artists takes either a stunt or a great-sounding song. To make sure your music sounds as good as possible, get it recorded, mixed and mastered by a professional, or learn how to do it yourself using computer software. There are options like Garage Band and ProTools that young musicians have taught themselves how to use well and won’t break your bank account purchasing, leasing or borrowing.

Create a short video to accompany your song based on your song’s verse or hook that draws viewers and listeners in. Video has the capacity to connect emotionally with viewers, and connecting with the people you want listening to your music is exactly what you’re trying to do. Make sure your content is formatted correctly for the social platform you’re posting it on and is easily shareable.

Collaborating with other artists, such as singing a duet, is another straightforward and effective way to get your music to go viral and reach new fans. Musicians collaborate with other musicians to help each other reach new listeners.

Read: Music consultancy

2. Be real!

Creating and posting authentic content allows you to build a personal relationship with your audience. Fans connect with people they can relate to, who show vulnerability and share universal experiences and emotions.

Even if you don’t look like them or have the same background, people will connect with you if you share your struggles, weaknesses, tips for being happy and victories.

Taking your future fans on a journey will help solidify a long-term and committed relationship. Some people will dislike you, but many people will relate and feel like you’re telling their story.

You will gain more attention being unapologetically yourself instead of being so neutral that no one notices or remembers you. Let your followers share your inside story, and soon you’ll create a tsunami that launches you to success.

Read: How to grow a podcast audience

3. Identify your target audience and aim true

When you’re first starting, you’re an unknown entity. You don’t yet exist for a lot of people. But, even if nobody knows you, the influence of other musicians on your music is real.

So, a great way to identify your audience is by studying the social media habits of musicians similar to you but more well-known. 

The profiles of their dedicated fans will also help you learn how to connect with this audience and what works on social media and what doesn’t.

Study data from social media platforms to learn about their fans, like their age range, professional position, or whether they go to school.

4. Reward your followers

Rewarding your fans is another great way to connect and gain more followers to help your music go viral. Reward them with chances to win free concert tickets or downloads of your music.

Contacting your followers directly through an email or DM helps you generate a loyal fan base and create a word-of-mouth buzz for your music.

Rewards and direct connections show fans how much you care about them and that you’re willing to go above and beyond to make them feel appreciated.

5. Connect with influencers and offer them value

The internet can be mined and exploited to grow your career. Social media provides access to so many influential people who can help launch your music career to the next level.

For example, you can reach out to other artists, record label executives and songwriters on social media through Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Another way to connect with influencers is to post your reaction to popular influencers’ videos, with the idea that it will attract the attention of their followers, who might then follow you.

6. Post, post, post and follow, follow, follow!

Creating and posting content on social media takes dedication and many hours of your time.

Social platform algorithms work by creating a chain reaction — the more times the algorithm sees people using your music in their clips, the more it will send your song to new viewers, inspiring even more users to create content that includes your music.

So, the more you post, the more likely your content will be shared and shared again.

Following other musicians and popular influencers is essential to building your audience and making your music go viral. It’ll also allow you to see other artists’ posts to help you figure out what works and is trending.

You should also try to reach out to your favorite artists and notifying them about your music and how they inspired you. You never know. They could share your story or even meet with you personally. There are plenty of options there!

Commenting on posts can also help get your profile noticed. Additionally, follow back everyone who follows you.

7. Hire a marketing service

Hiring a one-of-a-kind music marketing service like Signals — powered by humans rather than bots — is another one of our top music marketing strategies for musicians to help make your music go viral.

We have the capacity and expertise to build your audience and promote your content across numerous social networks. Our custom-built dashboard allows you to control your music marketing, see live progress updates and chat directly with their team.

Take your music career to the next level with the help of experts who can help you break through the noise by growing your audience and seeding your content with engagement, shares and other social signals to improve your reach.

We will take care of your marketing, growth and promotion. Check out our music promotion service.

Schedule a strategy call with one of our team members today and watch your music go viral.

Want to submit your music to music professionals?

You are at the right place! You can submit your music to our database for FREE and we will let you know if we find suitable playlist to pitch your song in.

We will also reach out to you if we believe your song can go viral and help you promote it across different platforms.

Submit your music here.

Should I have a music marketing strategy?

Music industry has become very challenging to penetrate. There are hundreds to thousands of new musicians every day. Each musician is trying to be different in some way to go viral within music industry and achieve his/her goals.

Your music marketing efforts will be fulfilled if you have an actual music marketing strategy. It will also be easier for you to manage it and monitor your progress.

Here are a few music marketing tactics to use:

  • Create a music website with your songs, videos and your personal story
  • Share your content on social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram and Twitter to start with)
  • Join online discussions (Reddit, Quora, Discord)
  • Create music videos and upload them on YouTube, as well as social media accounts and your website
  • Upload your music to YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud and Apple music
  • Join music streaming platforms with live concerts or discussions with other music artists

With all things mentioned above, you can basically build your own music business. Digital music marketing strategies have changed a lot in the last 5 years and we need to adapt to the current trends.

Hope you enjoyed the article and you now know how to succeed with your music.

Stay tuned for more music marketing tips and tricks on our blog.