AN ARTIST’S GUIDE

SOCIAL
MEDIA
101

try / learn / share

TABLE OF 1. Social Presence

2. Branding Strategy and Optimization

CONTENTS 3. Profile picture

4. Scheduling

5. The Basics

5.1 Facebook

5.2 YouTube

5.3 Instagram

5.4 Twitter

5.6 Tik Tok

6. Storytelling
SOCIAL
PRESENCE
Social Media 101 / Social Presence

Social platforms are a fundamental and one of the most affordable promotional

resources for musicians. No matter the size of your fanbase or stage in your career,
most of your audience will be digitally connected via at least one social network.

This best practices guide offers you exclusive insights on how to use social media to
promote your work in different stages of your release planning: before, during, and
after the release date.

We focus on some of the most popular social media platforms today: TikTok,
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Learn about the potential of each one to
help build your fanbase and explore them in a way that feels natural and appropriate
both to your branding and audience.

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BRANDING STRATEGY
AND OPTIMIZATION
Social Media 101 / Branding Strategy and Optimization

It doesn’t matter how popular

you think you are. Keeping a
consistent branding strategy
on your socials and streaming
platforms is important to
increase your discoverability.

If you can be found, it’s more

likely that you are going to have
your songs played, right? That’s
why it’s so important to use the
same names on every single
platform. If your face is a big part
of your brand, you should lead
with it in a clear and visible way -
if your latest release is focused
around a claymation or
animated look, you should make
that prominent.

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Social Media 101 / Branding Strategy and Optimization

Tool FB TW IG TIK TOK

@ Yes Yes Yes Yes

Name Yes Yes Yes Yes The most popular social

media networks enable
Profile Picture Yes Yes Yes Yes
you to edit your profile
Cover Art Yes Yes Yes Yes name, avatar image or
picture, and bio.
Bio/Status Yes Yes Yes Yes
* Via Messenger
Live Stream Yes Yes Yes Yes
* * On Stories for users with over 10k
fans or verified profiles. Or on
Stories Yes No Yes Yes
profile's description field for
everyone.
GIFs Yes Yes Yes Yes

Chat/Direct Messages Yes* Yes Yes Yes

Active Link Yes Yes Yes** Yes

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PROFILE
PICTURE
Social Media 101 / Profile Picture

Your profile picture or avatar image

are the most visible feature on your
social profile or fanpage. Along with your
artist name, it represents your digital self
across all your socials.

Here are some tips for your profile

picture to stand out from the crowd:

● Your profile picture should reflect

your personality or artistic self.
● Your face should be centralised in
the center of the box.
● Use bright backgrounds that help
your face to stand out.
● Use high resolution pictures to
avoid pixelation.
● Choose a picture that follows the
same artistic identity of your
current release.

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SCHEDULING
Social Media 101 / Social Presence

You can use editable tables on your favorite text editor (Google Docs, Microsoft Word) or
spreadsheet application (Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheet) to schedule your posts.

Just like on streaming platforms, on social media your audiences and algorithms go
hand-in-hand. That is to say that social media algorithms also favor continuous and relevant
interactions with a creator's fanbase. The more you post content that is of interest to your
fanbase, the greater the visibility you secure for your posts on your fan's timeline.

Beyond just what you’re putting out into the world though, it’s also important to think
about what you’re interacting with! When you’re consuming social media as a user you
should think carefully about interacting with hashtags and posts where you think your fans
might also be spending their time.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / YouTube

Another thing the algorithm also takes into account is the

regularity and relevance of your posts. That’s why you should
be sure that your presence is constant and interesting. There
is no need to post too much, but being a stranger won't help
either.
There are a number of social
management services that
If you’re going to start scheduling your photos and videos can help you with scheduling
ahead of time (and you should, so that you can get back to your posts.
your normal life!) it’s worth taking some time to look at your
Here is a list with some options:
analytics first. YouTube Studio, Facebook Insights, TikTok
Analytics - these tools will all give you a good sense of when ● Hootsuite
● TweetDeck
your users are most commonly on their platform. So if you’re
● Facebook Creator Studio
in the UK but most of your fans are signing on in the morning ● Postgrain
from Australia, you might want to be scheduling your posts at ● Later
1 am local.

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THE BASICS
Social Media 101 / Scheduling

There are no fixed rules on social media. It’s common sense though that the different characteristics of
different content will define which platform it’s better suited for.

Twitter, for example, is the perfect place to engage in a conversation with a wide base of fans/users
interested in taking part in a particular debate.

Similarly, if you have a substantial niche amongst gamers as an artist, Twitch can’t be ignored for gaming
and chat sessions. Twitch also has really fun monetization capabilities, and there are loads of creators that
make it big on that platform by: chatting while they game, doing live production demos from their
studio, jamming with their friends, giving reviews of other people’s music, and more!

The popularity of social networks are different in different territories. Although Instagram has long
overcome Facebook as the favorite main social for music artists in the US and Europe, the latter
continues to have a huge impact and traction on music fans in developing countries.

Here is a list of the most popular social media platforms and they role in the music business

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FACEBOOK
Social Media 101 / The Basics / Facebook

The most popular social media in the world with 2 billion daily active users. Even though
Facebook is no longer the favorite network among teenagers, Facebook is still fundamental
for the promotion of music releases targeting adults over 25.

ONErpm Is A Pioneer
ONErpm Studios is a Facebook Live pioneer. We maintain regular shows on our weekly
schedule streaming live from Mexico City (MX) and São Paulo (BR).

Facebook investments
Brand's organic engagement on the platform has been crashed down in the recent years. We
advise you to invest on promoted posts in order to reach out to a wider audience. Here is how
to do it:

● Log on to Facebook
● Log on to your Business Manager and choose the page you would like to make the
investment
● Set up a new investment campaign
● Use filters by location, age and interests.
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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Facebook

New tools
In 2018, Facebook launched Facebook Premiere, which allows creators to stream pre
recorded videos as live events. Learn more about Facebook Premiere here.

Groups
Create independent Facebook groups linked to your artist's page. You will be able to better
engage with your fans by sharing exclusive promotional material. You can share pictures of a
rehearsal or recording session, brand new portraits from a new photo shoot, teasers and
trailers, give away tickets to events or even announce a last minute free ticket at a square.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Facebook

Here is a list of what musicians can

do to promote their music and their
careers on Facebook: 3

1
Create an event around your release
date and invite all your fans and friends.

2
Create an event associated to your Tour 2
Dates.

3 1
Posts pictures of the making of the
audio recordings, music videos and
concert sound checks.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Facebook

5
4
Engage your audience with relevant
conversations around your career,
achievements, artistic developments,
interests, and society.

5
Produce and schedule Facebook Live
4
sessions with interviews and comments
on your recent work.

6
Schedule time to respond to some
comments of your fans.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Facebook

8
7
Share your Instagram Stories.

8
Create and manage groups to share
exclusive content with fans.

9 7
Channel your fans to follow your
YouTube and your profiles on digital
streaming platforms.

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YOUTUBE
Social Media 101 / The Basics / YouTube

Not many artists make full use of the power of YouTube as a social media network.
Conversations with fans can happen around videos via comments and invideo, with
videos recorded direct at your audience.

More recently, the platform launched YouTube Premiere, which also allows creators to
release pre-recorded material live. This feature also allows musicians and users to chat
live while the content is played. When you make a new YouTube Premiere, be sure to
announce it far and wide and well in advance so that your fans, and followers of theirs,
have extensive time to click into the Premiere page and hit the ‘Notify Me’ button -
after they do that you’ve got a guarantee that they’ll get a push notification and email
reminder to tune in when the Premiere happens!

A similar feature is also available on YouTube Live, that includes a chat bar that allows
artists to interact with viewers in real time.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Youtube

Here is a list of what musicians can

do to promote their music and their
careers on Facebook:

● Use the community tab to

promote shows, releases and
other images.
● Livestream interviews; livestream
music videos using YouTube
Premiere.
● Update the banner art and
avatar according to you new
releases.
● Make use of YouTube Stories.
Learn more about it here.
● Engage in conversations with
fans commenting and
responding to comments in our
own videos.

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INSTAGRAM
Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

Instagram is one of the most rapid growing social networks. After it was purchased by
Facebook, in 2015, Instagram acquired multiple tools and apps such as Stories,
Boomerang and more. It is clear that is difficult to keep up with so many new
functionalities, but focusing on the most recent updates can have a decisive effect on
your release. All that while keeping a consistent timeline.

Pictures
Digital storytelling concerns every single aspect of your digital presence. Today no other
social media captures that better than Instagram's timeline. Join forces with talented
designers to better explore the whole potential of Instagram's grid.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

Composition
Should you publish beautifully anaesthetised grids or ordinary takes
of your daily life? Again, there is no right or wrong on social media. It
all depends on your branding strategy and the narrative you are
willing to communicate. However some of these strategies are
You can upload pictures of
already considered to be classics .
your routine with friends and
ordinary moments (such as at
Posting the totality of your album art using the totality of your grid
the market, at the gym or in
(3x3) has become a winner. Other artists, willing to push boundaries
the beauty salon).
further, team up with talented designers to post hidden diagonal
messages gradient colourful forms and even pixel like art
compositions.

According to a recent research conducted by NYU, posed pictures

facing the camera have lost place for more natural glimpses of daily
life. Thus, perfection has lost space for imperfection, which leaves
artists with a big row of opportunities to explore.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories is Instagram's most
popular feature today and the better
suitable for oversharers. Through videos,
pictures, quizzes, music, gifts and texts,
Stories is a favorite. One of the latest
features allows musicians to create lyric
videos.

Here is a list of what musicians can do

to promote their music using
Instagram:

1
Keep your fans up to date about new
releases, tours and broadcast
appearances.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram
2

2
Mix videos and stills to create "albums".
Learn more about this functionality here.

3
Create and arrange videos using IGTV.
Don't forget to choose the option
"publish" so the content can be shown
on your feed. Learn more on how to
explore IGTV here.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

4
Use tags and geolocation to reach out to
more users. Be sensitive so as not to be
too excessive.

5
Plan your Instagram feed in advance to
make it visually pleasing for your fans. A
consistent grid layout is very important
to acquire new followers and have they
coming back for more content. Think
ahead of how your posts will look. You
can also organise them around colours,
filters, formats etc.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

Here are some tips on how to use Instagram Stories to promote your music:

● Insert "audio tracks" as the background of your posts and ask fans to do the same.
● Create gifs using Giphy. Remember to use accurate tags to increase your gif's
discoverability.
● Share posts from your fans on your own feed.
● Use informal, provocative and affetuos language. Making use of common
expressions helps to make your audience feel closer to you and can increase the
number of interactions.
● Promote the work of artists that are close to you or that you admire. It helps to
create a sense of community.
● Ask your fans to subscribe to your YouTube channel as well as your profiles on the
digital streaming platforms.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

Instagram Reels
Reels typically are 15 seconds long, however recent updates have allowed them to go
much longer. It’s key that you quickly make a good impression, and get your audience
bought into your content.

Unlike stories, which are often being made in real-time, Reels can be planned, filmed,
and edited before posting. Moreover, both placements offer exceedingly fun ways to edit
and play with your video so you should feel free to express yourself as wildly as you want.
Take your time creating multiple pieces of content, perhaps taking advantage of certain
trends you see and try to make it your own.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

Key Ideas
● Use Trending Sounds
● Don’t Be Afraid To Copy
Someones Idea
● Sometimes The Best Content
Isn’t Direct Promotion

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TWITTER
Social Media 101 / The Basics / Twitter

Twitter is the favorite social for news and journalists. Musicians also can take advantage
of Twitter's fast paced environment to engage in conversations with their fans, share
political views and promote the good.

● 1 - Cross promoting action on other socials (Instagram, YouTube or Facebook, for

example).

● 2 - Retweet content post by affluent artists intending to engage in a conversation.

● 3 - Ask opinions for fans and the general public on decisions related to recordings,
concerts and clothing.

● 4 - Promote your releases during pre, release and post release. Examples: the
making of recordings, music videos and clothings tests.

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TIK-TOK
Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

Building a Profile
Building a profile on TikTok follows many of the same principles as other social media
platforms and for that reason, the same best practices apply.

● Use the same profile picture and username

If possible, it’s always best to use the same username and picture to help build a consistent
brand and allow your fans to find you. Whatever profile picture you have on other social media
platforms, add it to your TikTok profile.

Similarly, see if you can get the same handle as well.

● Drop a link in your description!

Linking to your website, other social media platforms, or your most recent release is always a
great way to drive traffic and build a unilateral fanbase.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

Finding ways to activate your

fans is key, and TikTok is a
great place to do so.

● Link your account to

Instagram and Youtube

By logging into your

Instagram and Youtube
account on TikTok, you can
quickly post your content
across platforms and
stimulate growth.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

Posting On The App

TikTok uses one of the most unique algorithms of any platform to provide its users with a
one-of-a-kind viewing experience by way of the “For You” page. Learning how to crack
this algorithm and drive views to your page is dependent on an endless number of
factors. Here are a few tips to make the most of your content.

● Hashtags are key

Hashtags are commonplace on social media and TikTok is no exception; where TikTok
differs is the end goal of being placed on the “For You” page.

● The “For You” page is the nexus of TikTok where smash hits are made. It’s for this
reason that the vast majority of viral posts include the hashtag #fyp.

Make use of TikTok’s popular video editing and interaction features

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

Part of TikTok’s major appeal is it’s video editing and interaction features. With a
seemingly endless number of interactive filters and millions of users finding new and
creative ways to edit videos, TikTok produces a constant stream of viral trends and
challenges to take part in. On top of this, the “Duet” feature allows you to quickly interact
with and build on trends by allowing you to record your own video next to the original
while it plays.

Get involved! Get creative!

Community Guidelines
Similar to Instagram, TikTok adheres to a strict set of community guidelines you can find
here. Failing to adhere to TikTok’s community guidelines can result in the removal of
content and the suspension or termination of your account. TikTok’s community
guidelines are well enforced and should be taken seriously.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

The TikTok Creator Fund

The TikTok creator fund is additional
earnings provided by the app to help
support active creators and artists. To
apply for the creator fund users must fit
the following criteria.
● TikTok Pro Account
● At least 18 years or older
● 10k+ followers
● Have at least 100K authentic
video views in the last 30 days
● Based in the US, UK, France,
Germany, Spain or Italy

If you meet the following criteria, the

application for the creator fund will be
made available on the app through your
pro account. To learn more about the
Creator Fund, click this link.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

The TikTok Creator Fund

The TikTok creator fund is additional earnings provided by the app to help support active
creators and artists. To apply for the creator fund users must fit the following criteria.
● TikTok Pro Account
● At least 18 years or older
● 10k+ followers
● Have at least 100K authentic video views in the last 30 days
● Based in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain or Italy

If you meet the following criteria, the application for the creator fund will be made
available on the app through your pro account. To learn more about the Creator Fund,
click this link.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

How To Get Started

Now that you’ve got the low-down, let’s go over some key tips to get your profile
calibrated and ready for #fyp stardom.

Once you’ve made your account, you’ll want to warm up your profile a bit to help TikTok
calibrate what content the app shows you. For the first few days, you should use your
account like any other user, get comfortable scrolling, hang out awhile, watch some dog
videos! Based on how long you watch videos, what you like, what you share, and a variety
of other metrics, TikTok will begin to understand your profile which will pay off big-time
when it’s deciding who on the #fyp to show you off to.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / TikTok

Making Your First Post

Once you’ve warmed up your account a great next step is to make an intro post!
Kind of like this blog post who, what, where, when, and why all go a long way with
viewers. Whenever you’re setting out to make a post, you should check out what
hashtags and what Sounds are trending on the app that day. This is the easiest
way to pick up some organic views as you know users the world over are
Now that you’ve gotten calibrated
interacting with them.
and let the people know who you
are, it’s best to post consistently 2-3
Finally, if you are a musician looking to grow your audience, make sure to use your
times a week (or multiple times a
official sound. If you’ve distributed music through ONErpm, it will already be on
day if you’ve got the creative juices
TikTok! Make sure you use the Official Sound instead of uploading your music over
flowing). As you plug along it’s good
your video by hand. By using your official sound, viewers will be able to easily
to check out your analytics within
stream the song when they find your video. If your post goes viral, your song could
your profile’s business suite (Profile
too! Some artists like to tease their music with snippets of the track before release
-> Three Dots Top Right -> Business
– if you’re going to do so, more power to you, but be aware that the real number
Suite -> Analytics). Here you can get
you’re looking for is interactions with the Official Sound. So if you have a hit on
the best idea of when to post and
your hands with an original sound, just make sure you circle back after release and
how often.
drop a similar video that makes use of the Sound that you actually own.

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STORYTELLING
Social Media 101 / The Basics / Instagram

Develop a content plan to maximise the impact of your posts at the time of
your release. You can divide your planning in three different stages: before
(pre-release), during (release) and after (post-release).
Fans are incredibly curious about
A positive story telling invites fans to take part in the whole creative process. ordinary moments in the life of an
Many artists start by announcing they are putting together ideas for a new artist. Why not to take advantage of
piece of work. They can also share any information correlated to the creation that by registering in pictures and
process like inspiring moments, pictures, scribblings, freestyle rap and even even building twitter conversations
the work of other artists (known or unknown). about things when you meet other
artists. You can reflect part of the
Posts don't have to be directly related to music. In fact, try to work on creating love and admiration you have for
and promoting around yourself, friends and daily habits. On Instagram, your music partners using tags,
ordinary like pictures of unknown people had been proved to be more videos and pictures.
effective than posed/produced selfies.

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Social Media 101 / The Basics / Twitter

Countdown - Building Momentum

Countdown campaigns are a classic! You can improve countdown campaigns by using
some tools specially designed for streaming. Pre-save campaigns can be run side by side
with countdown campaigns.

Pre-save campaigns allow fans to save a link to the upcoming releases by their favorite
artists. At the date of the release, the music will automatically appear on fans playlists.
Successful pre-save campaigns can generate enough plays with enough strength to
define audience reach during the release

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