Not all viral attention is good attention on Instagram Reels and TikTok

Before you jump on the next big Instagram or TikTok trend, consider whether it's a good move for your long-term career.

from Chris Robley from the Reverbnation blog

Not all viral attention is good attention.

You can gain real fans by presenting your music visually optimized for social networks.

Or you can Track trends on Reels and TikTok that are hurting your music's reach permanently.

How exactly do social trends harm musicians, you ask? So…

Here's a cautionary tale about a friend of mine whose video went viral – and all for nothing:

Why social trends create bad music content

Social platforms have changed Follower focused To recommendation-oriented.

It used to be the norm that people who followed you had at least some chance of SEEING your posts. If they dug up what they saw, they would stick around and probably see your next post.

Facebook began moving away from that reliable reach a long time ago. But the Interaction between a creator and their community Things took more drastic turns with short-form platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

I'm sure you're aware of this change as both a creator and a user. “The algorithm” now recommends a constant stream of curated content from all creators on the platform. That did it more difficult for the creators to reach their own following.

As Patreon founder Jack Conte said in a recent post:

The impact on the authors was in many cases catastrophic. It's never been harder to reach your fans and build a real community online.

Given the difficulty of engaging your community on social media, you might then think that TRENDS would be the only way to actually reach people – since the concept of trending already has viral energy and you remove the specificity of your own music from the equation.

But the opposite is true: you have to Lean even deeper into what makes you unique– both on social networks and in your music. Each post should highlight something important, funny, or moving about your artwork.

In other words: That doesn't work Only Be random entertainment looking for views and likes.

4 reasons why viral trends can harm your music

As I mentioned in the video above, if what goes viral isn't directly tied to your music or your musical personality, “success” on social media can be counterproductive to your music. Here's why:

1. Trends don't often create real fans

The reason the content works may not be the reason you want people to return.

You are a musician. You want someone to love your music and Come back for the music. Instead, if you make them laugh, provoke outrage, or pull a crazy stunt (assuming those things have no obvious connection to your music), viewers won't know WHO you are.

You react to what you did in the video, nothing else. It has nothing to do with you.

Your social efforts should be about building the right community. Real fans. So if you have a knack for humor, satire, or stunts, incorporate these elements into content that is about your music in some way.

2. Unfocused engagement “confuses” the algorithm

I don't mean that the algorithm is actually confused.

If your trending post actually gains traction, the algorithm knows exactly what it needs to know: your post is great for a few quick laughs, outrages, or wows. And it will show your post to the people who want it this Things.

But that can also be the case Make it HARDER for the RIGHT people to find youtoday and in the future.

3. You build an audience of unqualified leads

Paying for advertising on any of these social platforms can lead to false attention Water down your datacreate more work for you and drive up marketing costs.

A social media post that is successful for all the wrong reasons can increase the audience you are targeting while decreasing the percentage chance that one of the viewers will click the button, be interested in your call to action, or ends up buying something. convert.

Costs are increasing. Morale has fallen.

4. It's not what you're supposed to do!

I saved the most important thing for last.

Have you learned to write songs to help as a content creator or widget creator? Lock random users into an app for another 15 seconds?

No, the platforms should work for you – not the other way around.

And viewers don't need trends from you because they're already struggling to keep up with the endless supply of trends in their daily feed.

What they need is YOU. And you need your audience to need you.

You have to offer something, to say something, a unique experience, a unique perspective or a unique sound. Find it and convey THAT with such a social focus that viewers immediately feel what makes you tick You.

Real fans will come back for this.

Should you NEVER start a trend?

Never say Never.

If you can use a trend to tell part of your story, great! But these posts should be the exception, and They should always refer to your creative life.

But why do so many musicians feel pressure to jump on social video trends? As explained above, trends can act like a growth hack. Again for the wrong reasons.

But there's something else: Because artists wear both roles, we can easily confuse the creator's experience with the user's experience. These should actually be VERY different things.

Diploma

Did you struggle with this as an artist? I think it's pretty common.

And there will always be a new trend that tempts us to deviate from the path.

Hopefully this article will give you a little more confidence to follow the path you're meant to take as an artist and a human being, even if that means your social following and engagement metrics will grow more slowly than they otherwise would.

Tortoise and hare. Quality before quantity. Real fans instead of just spectators.

Alana Bonilla on August 5th, 2024 on social media | Permalink | Comments (0)