8 Best Ways to Effectively Boost Your Plays on SoundCloud

SoundCloud was created to give budding artists a platform to showcase their talent in front of the world. The platform has grown tremendously over time increasing the competition to attract the attention of the target audience. If you are thinking of releasing your music on the platform, get ready to fight for audience engagement. Your work doesn’t end with just uploading the music. You can either leave everything to fate, wait for the audience to take notice of you, or do something to direct the web traffic towards your music on the platform. Here are some tips on how you can improve your online visibility and get a higher number of plays on SoundCloud:

1. Improve your search potential

SoundCloud is a massive music streaming platform with billions of tracks and musicians. It can be hard for nascent artists to get noticed by their target audience being buried under newer music getting uploaded every day. You need to make sure whenever your target audience is searching for music in your genre on the platform or on Google, your work should appear among the top results. That way you will reach more listeners within a short time. Optimize your profile for SEO to boost your search potential.

Search engine optimization or SEO is one of the top priorities of promotional approaches as it helps to rank at the top of the search results. There are millions of artists on SoundCloud, so many that even artist names can match sometimes. With this high competition, individuality with visibility is the best way to stand out. It is important to appear on the top of the SERP (search engine result pages) as not every user is going to find you on SoundCloud, some might look for you on Google too. Not only digital presence and digital footprint need to be improved too which enhances your authenticity with information. Make sure the search potential for your music improves for both search engines and SoundCloud.

One of the best ways of improving SEO is by providing clear titles and tags that define your music well. Instead of using lower case and upper case at random, go for a description that is clear, simple, and easy to read. It also makes users remember better about your track. Using keywords is also one of the oldest and most effective practices of SEO that improve your music’s visibility on the web. Clearly defined titles and descriptions are also pushed forward by the SoundCloud and Google algorithms.

2. Create a neat profile

There are thousands of musicians similar to you on SoundCloud. You need to create a unique identity for yourself to stand out in the crowd. A well-organized SoundCloud profile is bound to make the audience give your profile a second glance, which is enough to reel them in. Besides, no listeners would know you personally. Therefore, you need to create an impression for yourself as a music artist that allows you to stand out among the horde of others. There is no doubt that a neat profile can attract more listeners and it is also more acceptable for search engine algorithms.

• Add an intriguing profile picture and cover photo. Adding creative artwork is also one of the best ways to create a lasting impression in the market. Visual elements can easily attract online users even with a simple glance at them (just like thumbnails).  Make sure to use at least 800*800 artwork pixel space which offers a high quality and attractive resolution. Add dedicated album covers, single covers as well as logo to promote your SoundCloud profile.

• Include a brief description of yourself and your music to get your audience connected. Even though listeners want to listen to your music, they also want to know more about the artist which makes them feel more connected and improves bonding. It also makes the profile look more authentic and organic.

• Add song descriptions in your every track to offer a little bit more information on your music. Even if you follow a particular genre or musical style, each of your musical projects must have something new and different to offer than the rest. You can define the difference to offer a better idea for the listeners. Make sure to talk about inspiration and other details that make the project more unique.

• If you have released an EP or album, make sure to add them to the playlist and album section. Clearly defined playlists are also a sign of professional artists. It helps to navigate the listeners better and keeps your SoundCloud profile clutter-free.

3. Create your network

SoundCloud was established to let artists upload their music and music lovers discover new music easily. You can connect with other artists on the platform as well. Supporting other musicians by following and sharing their work will help you get similar favors from them. The more wide your network on the platform is, the better online exposure you will receive. You will be able to showcase your work in front of a broader audience group with other musicians reposting your music. 

Do not just promote yourself but you can also help other emerging artists to grow by reposting their tracks. A good turn is never lost and you will receive the same benefits as well when other artists share your tracks. SoundCloud is not just a platform but a musical hub that fosters a sense of community among all artists. When you actively support other artists, the community will show support for you too including organic listeners and fellow emerging music artists on SoundCloud.

4. Share on social media

You can promote your music on various platforms outside SoundCloud where artists and listeners can communicate with each other. For instance, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more offer so many possibilities for effective music promotion. It is the best free marketing where your followers do most of the work. You just have to share your work on your social media pages regularly to get noticed by your existing followers. If they like what they hear they will further share it with their friend circle and you will get more listeners in the process. Don’t forget to enable the share option on your posts. Here are a few social media platforms to focus on,

    • YouTube– Uploading your music on YouTube can expose you to a wider and newer audience that helps to cater to more international exposure. Uploading music on YouTube does not necessarily have to have a music video as you can also put still images or light animations which makes it more ambient and intriguing. With the mixed effects of marketing; YouTube can actually become a game-changer for music.

    • Instagram– Instagram is currently the most popular social platform around the world with billions of users from all around the world. Most online and active users like to spend their time on Instagram which makes this app a daily tool for all. Other than just images and posts, stories and Instagram Live are the driving factors here as they help to bring more traffic and engagement.

    • Twitter– Currently known as X, Twitter used to be the biggest platform for SoundCloud rappers back in the day. One of the greatest benefits of this social media platform is that you are able to create a two-way communication with the fans which makes it quite engaging and unique for an approach. You can post 30-second embeds for the SoundCloud track and post it on Twitter which helps to gain more fan engagement.

5. Try content marketing

Content is the king in the realm of the internet. It is the best way to reach potential new fans on relevant websites covering different genres of music. You can start a blog and write about your music from different perspectives. Share your work with the followers of your blog and drive them to your SoundCloud music. Employ a professional PR agency to distribute the press release of various media outlets. Submit your music to music websites to get featured in their blogs and reviews. Content marketing will not only help you reach the target audience but increase your ranks in the sear engine result pages.

Incorporating relevant keywords in various content is one of the most effective practices of SEO that improves your search engine visibility. Written documents offer information and authenticity for music artists who are still rising in the industry and trying to create an impactful presence in the market. Content marketing offers a lasting impression and the content can be hosted on the platform for a longer period.  Other than music blogs and press releases, you can also opt for artist review, artist interviews, pre-release news, and other types of content that helps to create a massive buzz even before the release of the music project.

6. Collaborate and support

Collaboration works wonders for musicians of all scales. You can instantly double up your play count by teaming up with another artist on SoundCloud. You can also get access to their audience base and know more about what they like to hear in your specific genre by going through their comments. You should always collaborate with someone who is at a similar stage in their music career. You have to offer the same in return so that the joint venture is profitable for both of you.

It is one of the most effective and oldest tricks to garner attention that is being used from the classic era. Even highly established artists like to collaborate with others as it is a mutually beneficial situation for all parties involved. Not only similar artists but also be bold about experimentation and fusion projects that show more creativity through music. There are no strict parameters for collaboration as any artist can collab with any artist from any genre. Taking a good look at the music industry shows that pop singers with collaborate with rappers, DJ and composers collaborate with singers and rappers, record labels try to join forces with everyone, the partnership goes on. Make sure you have a good idea of what are you looking for and then find a suitable music artist from the industry to work with.

7. Add the right tags

Most SoundCloud users find their favorite music searching by genres, mood, and use of instrumentation. You must add the right genre tags to your music for better online visibility. If you are a hip-hop artist and you tag your music as rock, your target audience will never find you. Adding additional tags in the song description will also help your audience narrow down the search. These tags also work like natural keywords that distinctively define your track and improve its visibility in the platform. The tags also help listeners find tracks based on genre and style. Therefore, you can find more relevant listeners for your SoundCloud profile.

8. Seek expert help

Artists need to focus more on their music than the promotional aspect to maintain the quality of their work. When you promote on your own it leaves you with less time to invest in your music. It is better to leave the marketing work on the professionals, who offer guaranteed success with their numerous tried-and-tested methods. One of the prime reasons behind seeking professional help is that they are well versed with the promotional techniques and also familiar with the constantly evolving market. The agencies are well aware of the promotional trends that are widely used in the music industry to shed more light on the emerging artists and their musical works.

If you are looking for a music marketing service that is not only effective but affordable as well, look no further than Music Promotion Club. It is one of the leading music marketing websites in the world that has been working in the field for years. It has helped many singers, songwriters, DJs, producers, and more to gain thousands of organic plays within days.