Whoever said the quote “when you’re in the right place at the right time, you will find the right people” is probably not familiar with SoundCloud because it is far from the truth in this social media. You could be musically talented with excellent music production to show for your effort, but you still have to work to gain followers. If you are a musician, an artist, or a music enthusiast who want to share your music with the world, SoundCloud is one of the most famous music sharing platforms that can help you reach a larger audience.
The platform allows easy interactions between musicians and their listeners. In essence, SoundCloud is a specialized social network that connects music producers and music listeners to enjoy music and access content before they hit the virtual record shelves. There are only a few other efficient platforms that allow you to do these things and work with external sites. SoundCloud is an exceptionally convenient platform used by:
- musicians,
- artist,
- music managers,
- record labels,
- label representatives,
- influencers,
- podcast hosts,
- music producers,
- radio host etc.
However, if you are new to SoundCloud and your dream is to create and distribute content through the network, you need followers. But like most technological platforms, getting your first followers out of the other 200 million active users can be challenging. Below are comprehensive guidelines to help you put the puzzle pieces on how to get your first SoundCloud follower together and much more information.
Seven steps on how to get your first SoundCloud followers
If you ask any musician, what is one of the hardest things about becoming a successful artist, they will most likely tell you “getting exposure for their music”. One of the quickest ways to get it for your content is by gaining followers. Understanding the importance of getting your first set of SoundCloud subscribers, here’s a know-how guide to reaching your target audience:
Focus on your bio appearance
- Set up your SoundCloud account correctly:
It is vital that you set-up your account correctly. While many would encourage buying followers from the get-go, setting up your account in a decent way will naturally earn you loads of followers. Devise a creative username that is trendy and inventive enough to make an impression on anyone that visits your account. Some people believe it’s best you set up your SoundCloud account using a new mail address. While this might seem like a brilliant idea, it may harm your effort to get followers. This is because most social media platforms leverage your previous connection to suggest friends or followers to you. Therefore, by using an old mail account, SoundCloud will establish a relationship with your friends via the mail address and help you get your first follower quickly. - Fix up your bio:
We live in a fast-paced world; visitors don’t have the luxury to stay on your page all day, so start your bio with a brief and engaging introduction that welcomes everyone who visits your page and lets them know what to expect from your music. Try not to explain every detail about your life in your bio. Keeping it sweet and simple will make more impression and earn you more followers. Your bio must be well written and free of any grammatical error. - Upload quality profile picture:
Your profile picture serves as a visual representation of you and your music. It can get your followers at a glance because people are more impressed by what they see than what they hear. SoundCloud recommends that you use an image that is square 1000×1000 pixels. Your profile picture could be your picture or a funky symbol to the artwork of your latest project. Whatever you chose to use, make sure it is high-resolution and it is professional.
Upload quality music
- Put up quality music:
If you want people to follow your account, you have to give them quality and unique content. There are millions of music on SoundCloud, and to get your fair share from the benefits that come from the platform, you have to put up quality content to make you stand out from the rest. Put the link to your profile on SoundCloud in plain sight to make it easy for users to copy and paste elsewhere. Focus on professional mixing, and make sure you consistently work on yourself to improve your sound. Remember, it’s quality over quantity. You could also do a cover for the popular songs on SoundCloud. Creating your version of a famous track will draw followers to your profile.
Focus on your music presentation
- Create original artwork for the tracks you upload:
No new project is complete without artwork. Even if it’s a remix of previous work or a newly released project, the artwork is essential. Like the profile picture, it gives your music a visual appeal and helps you build a stronger connection with your followers. Seek the help of a graphic designer to help you with eye-catching artwork or go through the internet to search for one if you can’t afford a graphic designer’s services.
Announce a mini-contest
- Create a mini-contest and make sure one of the rules to winning is following your SoundCloud account:
Announce the competition on all social media platforms and attach the link to your SoundCloud profile on every announcement. The desire to win the price will make people follow your account. This method is probably the most organic way to earn followers. The grand prize could be a piece of merchandise or a ticket to a popular show. Technically, these would cost you some cash, but it is cheaper to get exposure and earn some followers on SoundCloud.
Use other social media platforms
- Promote your SoundCloud profile on other platforms:
Social media is the best way to market yourself online. If you are on any of the popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you should link all these platforms to your SoundCloud profile. You should also drop links back to your profile page on SoundCloud so that your friends can follow you there too. You are more likely to get followers via the link posted on these media platforms if you already have a large fan base on them. Message your friends to help you retweet, repost or share your SoundCloud link and music on their various social media platforms. The more they keep sharing the link to your SoundCloud page, the more visitors will check out your profile, and the larger your followers will grow. Remember to always drop the SoundCloud link to your new and old projects, exciting post stuff relating to what you do, and regularly interact with friends on these popular platforms. This is one of the best ways to gain organic followers. - Make use of music blogs:
Music blogs are the closest to the social media platform for publicity in the creative world. Being featured on a popular blog site can increase your followers and help you gain exposure. Because you’re new to SoundCloud, and you’re trying to promote your account. It would help if you focused on small niche blogs that feature an artist that perform music related to your genre. While it is true that these blogs don’t command a broad audience like the big and established blogs, they are often willing to gamble on the lesser-known artist. This saves you a lot of money and can earn you your first set of follows on SoundCloud. Before you send out your submission to the site, include the link to your SoundCloud profile and a short explaining of who you are and why you want your music to be featured on their site. - Be active on internet music forums:
Get active in any music platforms you belong to. Drop the link to your profile page on the platform and urge them to check out your content and follow you. Since everyone on the platform shares a love for music, you wouldn’t have to be too convincing. Platforms such as Vinyl collectiveand Okayplayer are among the busiest music forum that you could join to expand your music reach. However, there is a tiny line between being persuasive and being forceful. Don’t force your views on others, don’t force them to check your SoundCloud profile or follow you. If they don’t want to check your page or follow you, so be it. The forum isn’t the only place to get followers. Explore other means.
Make use of basic SoundCloud helpful features.
- Set up a follow-to-download getaway:
Usually, any registered SoundCloud user can access your music for free. But instead of giving away your song completely free, you can set up a follow-to-download gateway and have users agree to share, repost, like and follow your account in exchange for a download. This means listeners will have to follow your account before receiving an exclusive link that will enable them to download your songs. This process practically guarantees that everyone downloading is a subscriber. Some free sites let users create a follow-to-download gateway on their profile. Setting up a follow-to-download getaway is super easy, and if you haven’t, you should get one today. However, your production must be outstanding because visitors may unfollow you after downloading your music, and they realized it is below standard. - Use your waveform to include visitors in your progress:
SoundCloud platform allows visitors to comment on your waveform. But instead of waiting on visitors to comment, you could use the space to tell your page visitors about your progress and ask for feedback. By doing this, the page visitors feel included in your progress, and they may decide to follow your account. - Include others in your gateways:
When you collaborate with other artists, some sites let you put up seven different SoundCloud accounts in a single Follow-to-download gateway. That means you can include all the artists involved in the collaborative work in your follow-to-download getaway, and they can include you in theirs too. This method is a creative way of building followers twice as fast. - Use tags:
Tag all your content with as many descriptive and trendy terms as you can think of. Tags are crucial because they make your music searchable and findable on SoundCloud and help you achieve your goals. After you have released your track, ensure to use correct and popular tags to enable people to find your music. The targeted tag list must be short, trendy, and descriptive. This makes it relatively easy for the music to be found.
Collaboration
- Invite listeners to follow your profile:
Sometimes, you don’t get what you want because you don’t ask. Add a closing line to your bio urging your visitor to like, repost and follow your account. People are more likely to fulfill your request when you ask them. Common courtesy goes a long way in building a following. - Interact with other SoundCloud users:
Always be on the look-out for new profiles to follow. When you follow new profile accounts, chances are, they’ll appreciate the recognition, and they will also follow you back as a sign of gratitude. - Collaborate with other artists:
Work with artists you find interesting. Collaboration can be a great way to expand your base and create good music. Doing that, you are reaching out to twice your regular number of listeners. Don’t forget to include the link to your profile in the collaborative work. This helps you get your due credit and followers.
Conclusion
These tips will help you gain your first set of followers and get the most out of SoundCloud. Stay away from the website offering free followers without verification. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually isn’t right. Follow the suggestions above, and you will see a significant boost in your organic SoundCloud followers.
