The Overlooked Platform for Music Promotion

TikTok may be the shiny, controversial platform everyone discusses, but Instagram remains the dependable foundation for promoting your music. Instagram is less annoying and less problematic, where potential fans investigate artists they discover, deepen their connection, and often first encounter new songs through Reels.

Many artists aren't maximizing Instagram's potential because of small, easily fixable details. If you're serious about expanding your fanbase this year, getting your Instagram strategy right will ensure your music spreads the way it should.

4 Pillars for Fan Growth

My Instagram strategy follows a 4-pillar framework that turns casual listeners into dedicated fans:

1. Inform: When someone hits your profile, they need to understand what you're about instantly. This creates a strong first impression that converts to followers, beginning their relationship with you.

2. Drip: This pillar focuses on strategically revealing details about yourself over time, building intrigue and fan buy-in. Stories, lives, grid posts, and carousels all serve this function.

3. Reel: This covers Reels content and how to leverage all their features and capabilities effectively.

4. Chat: Commenting and DMing are crucial parts of the Instagram game. I'll provide top-line ideas for communicating effectively on the platform.

1. INFORM

First Impressions Matter

Let's talk about our first pillar: Inform. When listeners decide they like an artist and want to stay updated, they typically begin that relationship with an Instagram follow. But before hitting that button, they do a vibe check.

We've all done this - first confirming it's actually the right artist profile. We've all made that mistake of following the wrong artist, and then spending two weeks wondering why the person we thought was our new sad girl fave Weebie Midgers is suddenly promoting something called Tatecoin and writing songs about going to the moon.

Many artists forget to look at their own profile through a stranger's eyes. You write "you know what it is" in your bio when the reason this person is visiting your profile is precisely because they don't know what it is and want to find out, chief.

Profile Picture: Your First Connection

Okay, so how do you inform this new potential fan? Well, let's start with your profile pic.

What makes a good profile pic? First off, this is one of the smallest pics you'll ever display, so make sure it has enough pop and shape that someone can actually make it out. If it has a vibe that gives cultural signifiers of your position or shows you belong in a culture they're part of, even better. This can be done through color palette, dress, or graphic design. Just make sure it's legible.

Here's some insider publicity wisdom that exists but rarely gets discussed: There's a theory that your PFP is the one thing you don't really ever want to alter. Change it as little as possible since when this little picture appears on the timeline next to your name, it gives viewers a visual cue about whose content they're seeing. When you change it, they get confused and often think it's a stranger in their feed, causing them to scroll past faster.

The key is to change your profile pic only once per "era" at most. The colors and shape of that icon start to tell people who you are, and when it's unfamiliar, you get scrolled past, driving down your engagement.

Link in Bio

Next, we get to your Link-in-Bio, which I won’t go super deep on since I'll do that in a separate video a few months from now. Let's just cover the mindset.

Your Link-in-Bio should be a traffic directory - it should give anyone who wants to get to know you better a quick way to do so however they prefer. If that's YouTube, the link should be at the top. If it's Twitter, well, weird flex but ok.

In your list of links, include the things most important to you, but remember don't go crazy. Once you hit 8 links down, engagement drops dramatically. We see Link-in-Bios that get 100k views in a month receiving less than a dozen clicks on the 8th link down - and these are artists whose fans are obsessed with them. So don't bore them and stick to the highlights in order of what will give them a good impression of you.

Instagram now allows multiple links, but personally, I think that you should keep your Link-in-Bio since it’s nice and clean. Especially if you're using something like Beacons that can capture emails - since we'd much rather have an email than nearly anything else. I get them every day on my Beacons and it helps me convert them into people who pay for things I do - since let's be real, those YouTube checks don't be hitting enough to pay for my stupid lifestyle.

Story Highlights/ Buttons

Next, we have the buttons for your stories and shockingly these are a common behavior that fans click on and investigate. This always shocks me since I don't ever click these things.

The first highlight you should have is pretty obvious: Music. Put up a story and link to a stream on YouTube or Spotify so if someone likes what they hear, they can go get more. Don't overthink this - simply link either Spotify or YouTube or if you're really into Bandcamp or SoundCloud, alternate the links. Include all your songs that would make a good first impression.

After that, make buttons for the things that will make a good impression on a new listener. If you have a sick live show, well that's the next button. If you make exceptional videos, maybe that should be second. If your merch is most grabworthy, make that a priority.

Remember, the further we go to the right, the less likely it'll be for someone to click. If you do sick tutorials or playthroughs, get one for that. But keep in mind, the more highlights you create and the further right they appear, the less likely they are to get clicked.

Think high-level categories, not just each single you have - music, live, merch, tour, things like that. Make sure you have links in the stories you highlight so fans can go deeper. This is where people look to learn more about artists, so link to important things that will build relationships with fans.

Grid Optimization

Next, we get to your grid and the first tool you have at your disposal is the ability to pin 3 posts. In my video where I recently talked about the most viral artists of 2024 (which is of course in the description), I discussed that a lot of them make videos that get people up to speed on your story. If that's something you've made, I'd suggest pinning it. Otherwise, you can pin some of your videos that give a good introductory vibe so that you make a good impression.

A lot of you pin the videos that got the most views, but on the Instagram grid it doesn't show the views, so that flex is well... a lot like a tree in the forest that falls and no one sees it. And sure, I can hear the argument that if someone clicks on it they will see the engagement, but really just put your best foot forward.

As for whether you should hide Reels or do a grid collage across multiple posts - listen, this is your vibe, I can't do everything for you. But I will say Instagram just changed the shape of the previews on these posts and messed up a lot of y'all, so I tend to just want to create a vibe.

Grid Aesthetics

But let's go deeper into the vibe of your grid. I notice there tends to be two directions you all go with this:

1. an aesthetic where you spend time knolling and perfecting or

2. just post whatever.

The reality is the younger your audience, the more I'd recommend you pick a color aesthetic and keep it in a similar vibe and color set, as we see the kids like that. But I also want to note color patterns aren't the only way to do this.

One of the things I see as culturally different is how the grid is handled. For pop stars, you need to be putting up constant carousels, and honestly, that's some of the game. Whereas if you're just a chill dude making lo-fi beats or they/them making your sickest riffs online, you don't need to go crazy with these carousels and instead just concentrate on other areas like stories and Reels, which we'll get into in a few.

As far as archiving posts and keeping this neat, do as you see fit, but if I'm being real, I find archiving to often be very silly. One of the behaviors we see in studies is that fans will often scroll through your whole profile, sometimes even multiple times, and giving these fans your lore and story to buy into with more conversation points to go deeper with you is an asset. Depriving new fans of that, I think, is far more important than keeping up aesthetics…I mean, I sat on a train recently watching someone go through Chappell Roan's profile 3 times throughout the whole ride, so this behavior really does happen.

Do what feels best… there’s no gimmick.

But truly if your friend Johnny who talks out of his ass all the time tells you Instagram demotes you for archiving, I will tell you straight up I have seen artists of every size just do what they feel is right to curate the grid and Instagram truly doesn't care.

Trying to make there be a vibe, a color aesthetic, and something that feels striking and worth following will get followed a lot more than some random thing with weird saturated photos next to random live shoots and well, a mess like 99% of you curate.

I could go on forever, and every summer Matt Bacon and I do streams where we tell you how to improve your Instagrams. I feel the weather heating up, and Matt is threatening to come back to the States so we'll be doing that this summer.

2. DRIP

Our next pillar is to drip. One of the more interesting things that has happened over time is Instagram used to be pretty cagey about what to do that works. But ever since TikTok ate their lunch, their CEO has been dripping out how to succeed since they gotta try to get their market cap up so he can get one of those sick CEO bunkers all of them are building for the apocalypse. So he's gotta get his bread up.

Quality Stories

Anyway, one of the things Instagram seems to be on now is that they want more quality in stories. Once upon a time they rewarded those who treated stories like a faucet that was always on and flowing, but now they seem to prefer a drip that is high quality. What I mean by that is what everyone seems to see these days is one engaging story seems to get way more engagement than 7 stories of mid BS of you saying In-N-Out burger is off the chain again or a picture of the squad from 7 angles. Just one tight pic that's edited well will go way further, and frankly that's good news.

Announcement Hack

Instagram stories are one of the only places where links can get posted, but they definitely punish them with reach. But I have found a way around this, which is to instead post a Story with a question that will inspire a lot of people DMing you an answer - not a poll but instead engagement where they send you answers. This could be "what should I listen to" or "what's the best pizza in Brooklyn" (which the answer is the OG Di Fara or Joe's, no other answers allowed). Anyway, right after that, put up the story with your big announcement and it will get way more engagement, as the question post will get your stories moved up in the algo, and the one with the link right after it will also get seen.

Now you can still have those days where you do those "ask me questions" once or twice a month and use all of Instagram's silly features to get engagement. Put locations on things, and if you wanna be really annoying, do countdowns. But really, we all know when Instagram launches these new features, if you use them they will juice your posts.

Of course, I always get asked if you should add your song to these, and the obvious answer is yes. Put it in your story, Reels, and carousels every time - after all, this is all to get your music heard. And I should say, some of you are like "Jesse, I can't get those fancy add music to library buttons unless my music is in the Instagram music library. How do I get it there?" The fact is this is a moving target and it's going to go out of date before this is edited and posted, so I am going to suggest doing your Googles. I did it before I posted this video and accurate information came up.

Stories Main Strategy

But the real thought process behind a good story is: what do I have to announce and what can I put up that will either get shares or engagements in the DMs? That will usually get you to it. If it can reinforce your positioning and promote your music while doing that, you have a winner.

Use Close Friends

Now let's remember you always have that close friends button which can hack reach. I really do suggest adding your most engaged fans there to make them feel special and so your stories get seen by the people who are most enthused in your fanbase. Is this annoying adding them? Yes. Does it help? Sadly, yes.

Grid Posts

Next, let's talk about grid posts. Since this is Instagram's oldest format, I would like to think this is obvious since we've all been doing this for a decade and a half - well at least some of us are old. Anyway, here's the quick TLDR on how to do grid posts right:

1. The most engaging images go at the top.

2. If you are announcing something, that goes in the caption or subtly in one of the later slides.

3. It is not worth it to post a single image since if you just take a good image or two and then photo-dump some fun stuff, that will almost always perform better even if the later photos are pretty mid.

4. Collab posts are winners. A thing we see constantly is that collab posts with 1 or more creators will go further than the best solo posts.

5. Always add your music to these carousels. So many people are scrolling with sound on and you need to use this to help get your hook heard.

Now the last thing I will say is about captions. These are still an amazing place to get some serious storytelling done, and what I mean is bonding with fans. I have tons of videos about the power of storytelling in Instagram captions you can go check out, there's no way I am making this newsletter any longer with that whole conversation.

Going Live

Before leaving the Drip pillar, let's talk about going Live - one of the most effective ways to boost your reach, especially when you have an announcement.

Post stories and one grid post announcing your Live session. If featuring guests, collaborate on posts and tag them in your stories. Announce the time a few days to a week in advance to maximize attendance.

For the actual Live, prepare interesting discussion topics beforehand. A compelling hour-long session with good question responses will attract more viewers and significantly increase the likelihood of your content appearing in their feeds afterward, driving up your overall engagement.

3. REEL

Our third pillar is Reel which, I am going to shock you, is about Reels. Reels are largely the same as TikTok, and I've made so many videos on how to make good TikToks and Reels I can't focus on that here. Instead, I'll focus on what I see you all mess up outside the production.

First off, Instagram seems to be getting closer and closer to being smart enough to not care about what hashtags you’re using. I’m still suggesting that if you are in algorithmic jail, watch my video on how you find your first fans and follow the instructions on how to find the right hashtags and keywords to put in your videos.

Stop Making This Mistake

But for the description of your video, one of the things you gotta stop doing is pretending this is 2013 and writing "OUT NOW MY NEW SONG 'My autism test results are hidden in this piñata' STREAM IT ON APPLE MUSIC." Listen chief, we've all been doing this for years. If someone likes the song, they will go find it or ask how in the comments, which drives up your engagement.

Instead, can you make an interesting, funny, or provocative comment on the video that shows personality? Great. Then after that, can you ask a question related to the video that may provoke comments? Even better. No more of this 2013 Instagram stuff of promoting your show at McDrunkies on the 25th when you're talking to an international audience you're trying to go viral with - get them engaged. And this is one of the main things I teach on my member feed every single week. 

The Reel Small Details

There's an ongoing debate about whether you should add text to the top of your Instagram Reels. While I haven't seen conclusive evidence that CapCut-created text hurts performance, some of my trusted sources strongly advise against it. Use your judgment here - I don't have definitive data.

Instagram regularly introduces interactive features like polls and prompts that TikTok doesn't offer. If you can naturally incorporate these elements, do it while these features are still being algorithmically boosted. If forcing it feels awkward, skip it.

Always tag relevant accounts actually involved in your video - this increases your algorithmic reach. Don't waste time tagging celebrities like The Weeknd - it won't help your visibility and looks desperate.

For promoting local shows, local hashtags genuinely help increase regional visibility. This is one case where strategic hashtag use still matters.

Consider occasionally creating Reels exclusively for your Close Friends list. This makes dedicated fans feel special and encourages word-of-mouth as they mention their exclusive content access to other potential fans.

Reel Settings and Advanced Features

Now there is the trial Reels feature, but I'm not going to get into that yet since the jury is still out on them. Let's go through a few other quick settings.

You can select for your Reels to automatically go to Facebook and Threads. If you don't want to engage in the cesspool of Facebook, this is a great hack. As for Threads, I would only do this on your most important ones since it's not really what people are on text apps for.

You can also enable features like adding a reminder if you're advertising a song release or a live event. You can schedule Reels if you want to post them later, though I really think the posting time on Instagram is a bit overblown. But if you want to get into that, I see noon and 7 PM EST are the generally agreed-upon times across America.

If you have a good internet connection (WiFi or 5G), enable the option to upload at the highest quality. This ensures your videos look professional and crisp. There's also an option to hide like and share counts on your Reels - whether you use this is really a personal decision based on your mental health and how you handle social metrics.

I would enable closed captions and the translate feature since many people use these translations and it ups your engagement.

Community Features: Remix and Sequence

The other two features that I feel are much more neglected are the “Remix” - the same as TikTok's duet feature - and “Sequence,” which lets you take different videos and put them in a new contextual order.

Both are great for helping Instagram understand where you belong in a community and can be excellent tools for getting the algorithm to recommend you to the best potential fans.

But I'll be honest - no one knows how to use that Sequence thing properly, so don't feel bad if you don't.

4.CHAT

Our final pillar is chat - a feature some artists love and others avoid entirely.

Let's first address chat bots like ManyChat, which as of this video is still functioning despite Instagram's recent crackdown threats. These tools can automatically send song links to fans who comment specific phrases on your posts. If you're serious about Instagram growth, there are countless tutorials on using these tools effectively, but stay alert as policies change frequently.

Be An Active Participant

More fundamental than bots is your personal presence in comments - both on your own posts and within your music community. When other users repeatedly see your artist name in comment sections, it builds name recognition and familiarity. This subtle visibility creates curiosity that can lead to profile visits and new followers.

Engaging with your own comments delivers measurable results. Dedicating even 15 minutes daily to responding to comments significantly boosts your engagement metrics. Instagram clearly rewards active participants who spend time on the platform.

I am way too busy to do this so I don't participate and I do fine, whereas some of my friends like someone whose name rhymes with “Ratt Macon” will tell me he needs to go home instead of hanging out to go reply to comments.

This will not be your make or break by any means, but if you wanna juice the comments or really up a current post or era, it can help give some push - especially if you want to say play less Elden Ring and do something more effective with your time than whatever warlock you all are constantly fighting there.

Where It All Happens

But now we come to the place where modern romance really occurs these days… I am of course talking about Instagram DMs. What, where'd you think I meant? The Eiffel Tower or a date at Mission Chinese NYC? Pfft.

Artists get DMs, and everyone has their own personal boundaries on how to handle them. Having a business account that lets you sort people into primary and general categories is super helpful for managing notifications. Leaving some people in "Requests jail" is necessary, especially when socially inept people write things like "BRO WHY THE FUCK DID YOU GO TO F# BEFORE THAT CHORUS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN E NOTE DUDE." Guess you gotta re-record the whole song since Johnny Shebang thinks you did it wrong.

Once you start DMing with a fan, it often becomes a big deal to them. They'll crave interaction and judge their relationship with you by it, so we have to be careful. Great friendships are formed here, especially with peers and other professionals.

I have an assistant largely answer my DMs because I get messages from some of my favorite artists wanting to work together, and I don't want to miss them. But I also can't personally respond to every message, or you'd all be even more frustrated with how infrequently I drop videos like this.

You can use DMs for sincere thanks, saying you rarely get to read these and show you really appreciate them. You can also of course leave voice messages, which is a more personable method and makes the interaction feel more special.

When you're first starting out, building relationships with day ones is important. I think it's worthwhile to answer many DMs when you're below a few thousand followers. Often those early fans become people you stay close with - something about that initial bond really works.

Check your request folder regularly since great opportunities are often waiting there. For some reason, people find this an acceptable place to propose business deals, and I know many artists who've missed opportunities by neglecting their request folder.