A new Instagram update will empower artists, brands, and everyday consumers to promote their Story content on other platforms.
Instagram is reportedly in the final stages of testing an update that will give users the ability to share links to Stories, thus furthering the potential reach of Story content. The feature, initially spotted last week by Lindsey Gamble, gives users a new “Share Link to Entire Story” option in addition to ones already available to users in the app’s ‘More’ menu below a story.
Instagram’s new Story sharing functionality (as discovered by @LindseyGamble_)
Some readers might remember that Snapchat introduced a similar feature for its Stories in summer 2018. The idea of Instagram offering something similar makes sense, especially considering that 500 million users are interacting with Stories daily, but it’s strange it took so long for the company to plan such an update.
Instagram Stories has gained 100 million Daily Active Users (DAUs) in the last sixth months.
Given their popularity and ease of creation, artists should see the impending update to Stories as an opportunity to grow their audience and further engage with fans. Stories make sharing news updates a breeze, but it also allows artists to offer fans an insider look at their careers one photo or short video update at a time. Artists can even add polls, perhaps to decide their new single or to perfect setlists, with a few quick clicks.
The new update has an added bonus for business accounts. Labels and similar industry businesses also get the option to “Promote” their Stories through the next option on the menu. It allows brands to further the return on their Stories by empowering them to drive traffic to their websites, send people to their profile, or get people to DM them in Direct.
Business accounts will have additional options when promoting Story updates.
A release date for the update has not been revealed, but with testing already underway a launch in the near future is likely.
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A series of viral posts claiming Instagram limits posts to 7% of a person’s following has prompted the company to respond.
There is too much content. That is not an opinion, so much as it is a statement of fact. Unless an individual commits to following a small number of accounts online the chances that they see everything posted by everyone and every brand they love are incredibly low. The leading social media platforms know this to be true, which is why most rely on algorithms to determine what content users see and in what order that content appears in their feed.
Recently, Instagram came under fire from public outcry after a post went viral on the photo-sharing site claiming that just 7% of a person’s following will see their latest post. The claim was then amplified as accounts of all sizes began regurgitating the baseless accusation and encouraging people to engage more with posts they like to ensure that content is seen.
Instagram broke its silence on the matter earlier this week via Twitter. In a series of tweets, the company stated, “What shows up first in your feed is determined by what posts and accounts you engage with the most, as well as other contributing factors such as the timeliness of posts, how often you use Instagram, how many people you follow, etc.”
Their explanation continued in a second tweet, adding “We have not made any recent changes to feed ranking, and we never hide posts from people you’re following – if you keep scrolling, you will see them all. Again, your feed is personalized to you and evolves over time based on how you use Instagram.”
Essentially, Instagram fine tunes users’ feeds based on the content they interact with the most. The company places an emphasis on user engagement over when an item was posted. Facebook, which owns Instagram, does something similar with its users news feed.
Twitter faced scrutiny after it made similar changes to how tweets appear on users’ timelines. However, chronological order has returned to Twitter as of September 2018.
Facebook has made no plans to reintroduce a chronological timeline to its platform, so it is unlikely that Instagram will change their approach to content curation anytime soon.
For now, users hoping to see specific content should make it a point to like posts from the accounts they most enjoy. Keep in mind, however, that engaging with highly active accounts, such as those who post multiple times a day, will drown out less active accounts over time.
The following is the latest in our ongoing content collaboration series with SonicBids. Enjoy!
With 500 million active users, Instagram is a great visual social media platform to build your online community. Instagram allows you to give your fans a peek into your world through your photos and videos. While funny memes, quotes, and viral videos may get attention, building a community of fans for you and your music requires the right strategies. Here are six tips to grow your fanbase on Instagram.
1. Tell your story
Think of your Instagram feed as your personal online magazine. Use your photos and videos to visually tell your story. Pick main content themes that show who you are as an artist, and build a consistent feed. Some example of content themes are performing, recording, your musical interests, fashion/style, and religion/spirituality.
2. Decide on the overall look of your photos
When someone visits your profile, your first nine photos should have a consistent look. Decide if you want your Instagram feed to feature photos with an array of bold, eye-catching colors or if you want your photos to have a more minimalist, monochromatic look. You also need decide to whether you want your photos to have cool undertones or warm undertones.
Use a photo-editing app like VSCOCam to edit your photos to match your theme.
3. Post consistently
Along with having a consistent theme, you also need to be consistent in your posting. Consistency is key in building your followers over time. Sporadic posting could actually cause you to lose followers.
Post to your page one to three times a day to build your following. Create some of your posts and schedule them ahead of time with apps such as Hootsuite and Later to stay on top of your social game.
4. Use the right hashtags
Think of hashtags that both represent your brand and what your fans are searching for on Instagram. Use an analytics tool such as Iconosquare to see which hashtags are popular among your fans. Switch out your hashtags every few months to keep them fresh and correlate with your fans’ interests.
5. Spark engagement
You have to give in order to receive likes and comments on your Instagram content. Ask your followers questions, and post call-to-action photos to engage them. Like other peeple’s photos, and leave genuine comments on their content. Commit to engaging with a specific number of people per week to grow your following.
6. Post at the right times
In order to receive the most engagement, you must post your content at the right times. Post your content morning, afternoon, and evening to reach your fans in different time zones. Use Iconosquareto analyze when your followers are online. Study your followers’ behavior for at least a month and make adjustments to your posting times based on your findings.
Lauren Gill is the founder and chief power specialist at Power Publicity, a marketing, branding, and public relations firm that empowers entertainment, nonprofit, and lifestyle brands. She has executed several successful marketing and PR campaigns for major and indie recording artists. You can follow her on Twitter @IamLaurenGill and @_powerpublicity.
This post is the latest in our ongoing collaboration series with the fine folks at Sonicbids.
With 500 million active users, Instagram is a great visual social media platform to build your online community. Instagram allows you to give your fans a peek into your world through your photos and videos. While funny memes, quotes, and viral videos may get attention, building a community of fans for you and your music requires the right strategies. Here are six tips to grow your fanbase on Instagram.
1. Tell your story
Think of your Instagram feed as your personal online magazine. Use your photos and videos to visually tell your story. Pick main content themes that show who you are as an artist, and build a consistent feed. Some example of content themes are performing, recording, your musical interests, fashion/style, and religion/spirituality.
2. Decide on the overall look of your photos
When someone visits your profile, your first nine photos should have a consistent look. Decide if you want your Instagram feed to feature photos with an array of bold, eye-catching colors or if you want your photos to have a more minimalist, monochromatic look. You also need decide to whether you want your photos to have cool undertones or warm undertones.
Use a photo-editing app like VSCOCam to edit your photos to match your theme.
3. Post consistently
Along with having a consistent theme, you also need to be consistent in your posting. Consistency is key in building your followers over time. Sporadic posting could actually cause you to lose followers.
Post to your page one to three times a day to build your following. Create some of your posts and schedule them ahead of time with apps such as Hootsuite and Later to stay on top of your social game.
4. Use the right hashtags
Think of hashtags that both represent your brand and what your fans are searching for on Instagram. Use an analytics tool such as Iconosquare to see which hashtags are popular among your fans. Switch out your hashtags every few months to keep them fresh and correlate with your fans’ interests.
5. Spark engagement
You have to give in order to receive likes and comments on your Instagram content. Ask your followers questions, and post call-to-action photos to engage them. Like other peeple’s photos, and leave genuine comments on their content. Commit to engaging with a specific number of people per week to grow your following.
6. Post at the right times
In order to receive the most engagement, you must post your content at the right times. Post your content morning, afternoon, and evening to reach your fans in different time zones. Use Iconosquareto analyze when your followers are online. Study your followers’ behavior for at least a month and make adjustments to your posting times based on your findings.
Lauren Gill is the founder and chief power specialist at Power Publicity, a marketing, branding, and public relations firm that empowers entertainment, nonprofit, and lifestyle brands. She has executed several successful marketing and PR campaigns for major and indie recording artists. You can follow her on Twitter @IamLaurenGill and @_powerpublicity.
The bigpanic in the world of social media in 2016 has been the rise of algorithmic feeds and the competition amongst brands, bands, and artists it is believed to create. YouTube, Facebook, and Vine have already implemented algorithms that are designed to show users what the system believes is most important to them first as opposed to what is newest on the site, and with each change came a wave of panic from those who rely on social media to raise awareness for their latest products, tours, or related offerings similar to what we are experiencing as of late in relation to Instagram. The truth is, however, that those who are already reaching thousands or even millions of users have far less to worry about than those with only a few hundred followers, and even then there is very little to be concerned about as long as you’re doing the one thing we all hope to find whenever following a new account online: Quality content.
Yes, despite the rumors that the only way brands, artists, and bands will be able to reach followers moving forward is by encouraging them to opt-in for notifications every time an account posts a new image, the real answer to the so-called “algorithm apocalypse” is the same answer to the question of how one amasses a sizable following in the first place. Aside from family ties, the quality or perceived quality of content being shared is one of the biggest factors in determining placement in social media algorithms. In theory, if you have an account with a large amount of followers you have most likely earned those follows through sharing great content, and as long as you continue to post content that is meaningful to your followers then your reach will continue to thrive. Some followers may be lost, but if so it’s only because their previous actions on that platform rarely involved engaging with your content, and if that is the case – does losing them really matter at the end of the day? You might not reach as many people, but those who actively engage with you will be retained, and those who haven’t been engaged will remain inactive. If that makes the entire idea of worrying about algorithmic changes feel silly it should because such fears are largely unfounded.
Regardless of whatever algorithmic hurdles are placed on reach by social media platforms those who create quality content will always rise to the top. Their rise might be a bit slower than it would have been in the days when everything was shared all at once in real time, but then again it might not. Throttling the flow of content in a way guarantees more people will see the best content available, which means they will be spending less time seeing and engaging with things that don’t really interest them. This act of internet time saving encourages engagement by quickening meaningful discovery, and as long as you’re producing the best content you can create people will discover your work regardless of the invisible math behind how they find it.
This may come as a surprise to some of you, but there are very few people who can be compelled to care about a band or song or product they don’t know just because of something they saw on Instagram. Maybe a friend of theirs tries a new restaurant and the resulting photograph leads to a future meal, or maybe a cool clip sells someone on an upcoming movie, but by and large there are very few people turning to Instagram for new media discovery. Of those that do use the image and video sharing platform for such efforts, only a tiny percentage are trying to make a living in writing, and only a part of that segment would even consider covering something solely because it caught their attention on Instagram.
It’s not you, but rather the platform you choose to use. Instagram is a place where people are able to see the world through the eyes of their friends, family, and any celebrity or brand they choose. There are discovery tools in place, and there are some who use them, but the majority of Instagram users tend to view the platform as way to better see what is happening in the lives of the people and groups they care about. Speaking from personal experience, there has never been a time when I thought the answer to my musical needs could be found on Instagram, but that doesn’t many people have tried to convince me otherwise. Take a look:
For clarity’s sake, this is the only time this band, or someone from this band, made an attempt to contact me. No emails were received, no tweets, no texts, not even a Facebook message. Their one and only approach was to contact me with a text based message delivered through private DM on a platform specifically designed to share photo and video. They couldn’t have given me a link if I asked for it, yet there they were, hoping for no rational reason whatsoever that their odd approach would make me want to give them a few minutes of my time. There is always something to be said for originality, but in this case it’s not enough to sell me.
And it’s not just bands I know. I have received messages from artists all over the world I have never heard of or from on any other platform. It’s as if these artists believe putting their all into one specific social network will somehow bring them great success, but in the case of pitching that is simply not true. I promised I would not make the name of the artist responsible for the following message known, but this is an actual pitch I received just last week:
“Hey UTGjames –
My name is ___ and I’m in an easycore band called _______. We play music along the lines of Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals, only with an added layer of pop punk. We have a new EP out soon, and I wanted to know if you would tell your followers about us and maybe write about us on your site? You can hear clips on our IG page. If you want to know more just give me your email and I will send everything over.”
There are a few problems with the message, including the fact my name is not actually ’UTGJames.’ That is my handle, but Instagram also makes it possible to see my real name, so the presence of my handle tells me this artist did not spend much time researching my work prior to contacting me. Second, they ask me to promote a band I know nothing about to my followers without giving me much, if any reason to do, and then proceed to ask for coverage on my ‘site.’ Again, the lack of a proper name tells me how little time was spent piecing together this pitch. The artist also appears to believe that the best way to introduce me to their music is in 15-second increments that they task me with seeking out on their feed, which speaks less to their talent as songwriters and more their ability to craft digital media clips. That is indeed a much-needed skill in 21st century promotion, but it doesn’t exactly make you a good musician.
Even if this person had written a perfectly worded pitch, the likelihood our interaction evolves into a full-blown coverage opportunity for their band is highly unlikely. I would first have to enjoy the artist’s music, tell them as much, provide an email, hope they follow-through, download their actual music, listen to their full songs, form thoughts worth sharing, and then – if all goes as well – start writing. There are simply too many steps and not nearly enough engagement to push me to do the heavy lifting as far as actual discovery is concerned.
In music, just as in life, time is precious. There are only so many hours in a day and you need to make the most of them, so you cannot waste time putting energy into fruitless endeavors. Pitching over Instagram is pointless. Journalists won’t take you seriously, and even if they do the time between initial contact and coverage could very from days to weeks, if not longer. Don’t waste your time trying to catch someone in a place no one else thinks to approach and use the traditional methods, like email, instead. Trust me, it will do far more for you and your career than Instagram ever could.
Instagram has long been the go-to platform for anyone hoping to share photos and short videos of their lives with the internet, but in recent weeks the company has gone to new lengths improve brand relations and provide long-desired improvements to their platform (account toggling, video view counts). Social media tips and tricks are talked to death as is, but considering these new innovations now seems as good a time as any for a quick refresher on how artists can make the most of their IG marketing efforts. Whether you’re new to the platform (which probably means you’re also a new artist – HELLO!) or simply trying to figure out if having an IG account even matters for your musical endeavors, the followings tips offer easy to apply techniques that we guarantee will deliver results.
Strategize first, post second.
Your band or solo music account is not your personal account and it should not be treated as such. Where the former offers spontaneous insight into your life, the latter needs to offer a far more focused look at your life. Before you can begin to do that in a meaningful way you should first decide what it is you want the world to see and how you want those images to reflect the music you create. Who are you as an artist? What do you represent? Be real with your audience and those who connect will engage regularly in the content you share. More importantly, they feel as if they know you in a way simply hearing your art does not allow.
When you do post, make sure you provide fans with quality content
The basic outline for musicians on Instagram is the same everywhere you look, and that’s because it works. You want to share your journey from the bottom to the top, along with all the highs and lows that ensure in between. You want to share the place where you write, the studio where you record, life in your van (be careful on this one), life on stage, life in the green room (this one too), and the day you make your big signing announcement, as well as various newsworthy tidbits like tours and song premieres. Your brand’s Instagram should sell your music through photos and video the way your music sells people when they hear it through speakers or headphones. This is the visual representation of yourself as an artist, and as more users begin to follow each post’s impact on your overall image will grow in perpetuity.
As always, communication is key.
Did you really think you could get away with simply posting images and videos on Instagram? Fans are going to react to the things you post and you should respond whenever possible. Talk to the people who care enough to talk to you (except the haters – never engage those trolls), and be sure to @them so they know you are speaking directly to them despite being connected solely through the internet.
Use meaningful hashtags. Yes, hashtags can and should have meaning.
We’ve all had our fair share of fun with #silly and #meaningless hashtag use, but if you want to make the most of your Instagram following you would be wise to take the pound sign a bit more serious moving forward. A hashtag can make people aware of a new album, tour, single, or any other development you could hope to market.
Hashtags can also bring people together. Take defunct emo rock deities My Chemical Romance, for example. Their fans, the creatively named MCRmy, uses #MCRmy whenever posting about the band online. Fans then use this hashtag to connect with others who enjoy the group, which in turns strengthens the fan base as a whole. Black Veil Brides’ fans have used a similar technique, with followers of that group posting #BVBarmy in their tweets and IG posts. Again, fans connect with each other while also sharing fun or meaningful media related to the group. The brand is spread, as is news about new albums and tours, all while fans are connecting with one another and developing a community built upon mutual admiration for the band. Everyone wins!
Make your Instagram a unique destination
While Ingstgram does allow users to share posts on other social media platforms it’s important to remember that not everyone will be connected with your brand on every site or app. With that mind, you should make an effort to treat each online community as its own hub for your group. Do not assume the people on Facebook know about the promotion you have on your IG and do not assume people on IG will want to give you a ‘Like’ on Facebook. Some of them probably don’t even have a Facebook!
Make your IG community a unique place to engage with your music and fans will begin to view it as something special, which it is. This will aide in developing your online community, as well as increase overall engagement with your audience. It also means more work, but it’s worth it.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
Less than a week after enabling users to manage multiple accounts at once the team at Instagram has taken further steps to please the numerous brands, bands, and celebrity personalities that rely on their application to reach consumers. That is, as long as their social media game is on point.
Yesterday, February 11, the world’s most popular image sharing platform revealed plans to make video view counts available to users in the very near future. This marks the first time analytics outside of Likes and Follows has been made available to consumers, and it’s likely similar feature will follow in the weeks/months ahead.
Writing to users about the new developments on their official blog, Instagram thanked consumers for improving their platform through visual storytelling. They wrote, “Since launching video two years ago and introducing Hyperlapse and Boomerang, you’ve made video storytelling on Instagram take off. Whether sitting front row at Fashion Week or spending a day on the beach, nothing brings moments to life like video. Adding view counts is the first of many ways you’ll see video on Instagram get better this year.”
View count capabilities are rolling out now, so don’t be surprised if you see an update alert on your phone or tablet device later today.
Looking to the future, what additional tools/feature would you like to see Instagram make available?
For as long as Instagram has been the go-to application for sharing selfies, inspiration quotes, and photos of everything from landscapes to pets, food, concerts, and every little moment of existence in between there has been one thing every marketing person in the world wanted: The ability to toggle between accounts without having to log in and sign out every single time. Such capability was allowed by Twitter essentially from the start, but for whatever reason Instagram rolled out update after update for several years without even mentioning the possibility of such a tool being made available. That is, until this week when the company revealed plans to make account switching available to everyone later this month.
In a new blog, Instagram has revealed that you can quickly and easily switch between multiple accounts beginning this week. The process required to do so is as follows:
Go to your profile settings to add an additional account. From there, tap your username at the top of your profile to switch between accounts. Once you have multiple accounts added, you’ll see your profile photo appear in places throughout the app so you can always tell which one you’re using at the moment.
Just to be clear, account switching will be available as part of Instagram version 7.15 for iOS and Android. The update might be available to you now, so you better hurry to the app store now and see what you can unlock.
Just when you thought the world of music discovery could not possibly be more crowded, Instagram has introduced @Music, a company operated account the photo-sharing social network will use to showcase musicians and music lovers in the Instagram community.
Here’s a little introduction to @Music, which was written by Instagram Founder and CEO Kevin Systrom on the company’s blog:
The music community is –– and always has been –– an important part of Instagram. For the past four years, we have become the home for artists big and small –– a place where people across the musical spectrum come to share stories, reveal their creativity and connect directly with fans.
Today we’re launching @music, a new account dedicated to exploring music around the globe, from those who create it to the community around it. Each week, we’ll take a look at the musical experience on Instagram. That means showing you a different side of artists you know and love, like Questlove (@questlove), and introducing you to up-and-coming talents from around the world, like Tricot (@ikkyu193). It means highlighting music photographers, album illustrators, instrument makers and, of course, fans. In the Instagram tradition, we will also welcome community participation with a new, music-themed monthly hashtag project.
Music is a huge part of all of our lives here at Instagram. It’s a passion of ours, and we know it’s a passion of yours. So follow along at @music –– we think you’ll discover something new.
According to a press release distributed to the press this morning, Instagram now has over 300 million users. Of those, the company claims more than 25% of the most popular accounts are run by, or related to, musicians. That makes a lot of sense when you consider nearly every major celebrity uses the platform to share scenes from their life, and that at least some of those famous people have to be musicians. Taylor Swift, for instance, posts selfies and other updates multiple times every day. Beyonce, who actually has the most Instagram followers out of everyone with 31 million (plus), often shares intimate family scenes that would otherwise never see reach the public eye. It’s all promotion, but it’s also voyeuristic, and the combination of the two has created social media giant.
“Artists are using Instagram as a companion to the art that they’re making,” said Jonathan Hull, Instagram’s head of music partnerships, in an interview with BuzzFeed News. “Musicians lead really interesting lives, and Instagram has become a way for them to show their fans who they are and to give them a look inside of their world.”
Starting tomorrow, the @Music account will be updated twice daily, Tuesday through Sunday. Content will include short profiles of featured artists and a mix of editorial series, including one offering 15-second music lessons and another spotlighting independent artists in cities around the world. The company also hopes to break new talent through their efforts, though how they plan to support them beyond a single mention has yet to be revealed.
Right now, users spend around 21 minutes per day on Instagram on average, and the company believes that figure can be improved with high-quality editorial offered at dedicated channels. By adding editorial spin to their artist profiles, Instagram is hoping to become a music hub for people, which in turn will lead them to spend more time on the service. More time equates to more opportunities to deliver advertisements, and that creates additional revenue (regardless of whether or not any promising young talent is helped along the way).
I want to believe the team at Instagram has their hearts and minds in the right place, but until we see @Music in action we won’t allow our hopes to get too high. This project could easily be ruined by a rise in promoted posts and paid placements that push out the little artists, and given the way Instagram is looking to raise revenue that possibility does not seem out of the question.
