Instagram Tips for Musicians
Some of the most common DMs I get on Instagram are questions about how I grew my Social Media. With the ever-changing algorithm, certain posts that randomly get way more interaction than others, and the whole artistic/visual aspect, making interesting licks, and everything WAAHH! It can be really confusing! It seems like getting to a certain number of followers and then suddenly stopping growth is common and it can be hard to know why.
Since I first started my Insta I have learned SO much and it has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences. It’s led to a lot of gigs and opportunities I would have never otherwise gotten! I think God makes everyone with talents and a purpose and Instagram can be a way to share your gifts with others and be part of an online community (and eventually can lead to meeting those people in person!).
So in this post I wanted to answer some FAQs I get on the reg about Instagram!
“ I got to a certain number of followers and just stopped growing. Why is this happening?!”
VSCO is my favorite iPhone photo editing app!
Ok this IS frustrating and I have definitely been there too! It’s also really normal that there are seasons that you will grow more than others. BUT before we start blaming hashtags or the IG algorithm, start by focusing on what you are giving to the people who follow you right now. It’s easy to keep thinking, if I just had more followers then I’d be doing better at Instagram but I don’t think that’s true!
If you have 30 followers, think about it as if you had 30 people come over to your house for a party. You would be thinking of ways you could make the night amazing for them and definitely would put some planning into the night! Your followers right now are your community, and if you keep your thoughts focused on helping them learn something new, be entertained, feel connected to, or be inspired, then you should feel proud of yourself for giving something of yourself to someone online! Nurture the community you have, rather than focusing on new people. This naturally leads to growth usually too, because who doesn’t want to follow an account they are getting lots of good things for their own life from.
I’m getting to borrow this hand-wired Vox from my soon-to-be brother-in-law Cole and am obsessed!
2. “ How do you make your videos”
When I first started, I was straight up guitar > iPhone (usually wedged between a stack of books and a potted succulent LOL). Now I’ve become a bit more of a fancy girl and do Guitar> Interface> Logic. I do looping right now by playing to a click and looping the first part of my phrase after, or sometimes I’ll just solo to a track I already made. BUT I want to buy a looper pedal soon!
I use a Shure SM57 (so classic right?) to mic my amp and I will usually use my pedalboard and occasionally will leave out delay and add it in later so I can have more control of what delay sounds good and get it exact with the time afterward!
Check out this Youtube for the details on the rest of this process:
3. “ I struggle with coming up with ideas on what to post, any tips?”
As long as you are staying along the lines of what your Instagram is all about (for example, I wouldn’t post pictures of the smoothie I drink in the morning on my guitar Instagram because people are coming to my insta specially for guitar inspo!) I think it’s important to experiment! You know what things you have in your brain that are interesting, and you want to share so keep it real and post things you would also like to see from other people. When you share things that have actually helped you, things you actually think are funny, and things that you are working on, it’s easy for people to connect with you and know that you are on the journey right there with them. Don’t worry about things you “should” be saying in your captions or “should” be playing just because you’ve seen a lot of other people doing that. Try think of how you can use who YOU are to create your posts for your followers. Your followers are coming to your Insta to see you, so the more authentic you can be, the more you'll connect with your community!
4. “What’s your Instragram strategy?’
Guitars and vans- my two favs!
Here’s what I do!
I (now) post my hashtags in my caption (Instagram changed that... they may think your post is spam if you put them in the comments.
I try to post at least every three days (yes, I do get behind. oops!).
I don’t always plan my content out way beforehand (but I should UGH!). But when I do, I love UNUM !
I focus most on meeting people! I know I like to feel seen when I comment on something and it allows me to get to know the person I’m following. So I TRY (sometimes it may take a while!) to comment back/ read every comment I get. Before I got comments, I would spend some time looking through guitar hashtags or accounts that post a lot of different people and comment things (like more than a thumbs up emoji). I always find it strange when people want to grow their Instagram but them don’t comment back at anyone! It’s about building a community, so unless you are already famous or the most amazing guitarist ever that people just want to watch, interacting with people is V important!
Use it to meet people in person. I have been reading a lot about how spending too much time on your phone can lead to feeling more lonely and unhappy. I definitely don’t want that for us! Friendships online definitely are not a substitute for real human interaction. As great of a tool Instagram is for finding people, try to use it more as a way to eventually connect with and meet people in real life. That’s really what make it most rewarding to me. I also set strict time limits so I don’t accidentally spend too much time on my phone.
Ok I hope those tips have helped you if you are looking to grow your IG! It’s been the most worthwhile thing for me and I can’t express how grateful I am for the opportunities I’ve gotten through it and the people I have met!
ALSO I’m going to be releasing a musician marketing course all about growing your Instagram, creating interesting phrases, filming videos, and editing photos! I cannot wait to share it with you because I’m really going in-depth here with how to do this! Sign up for my email list here if you are interested because I always send my email list discount codes and such!
Last thing leave your comments here or anything you want to know about! I love hearing from you and love to know your thoughts!
