Music videos are one of the biggest assets for the artists that help them gain attention, exposure, popularity and a huge amount of revenue as well. Almost every other music artist wants to drop an accompanying music video for their songs which can offer them additional fame and income. YouTube videos can easily go viral based on public demand and market trends. Music artists from all kinds of genres and sub-genres try to showcase their talents through music videos which helps to gain attention from relevant users with a similar music taste to your creation.
However, you also need to promote YouTube video effectively as the platform is also highly competitive right now. The number of music artists on the platform is constantly increasing and so are the music videos in every genre. If you want to stand out among the horde, you better learn a few promotional tricks that can step up your game and help you stay ahead of the crowd.
Promotion of Music Videos on YouTube
There are two main ways of promoting your music videos.
• Free Promotion – This is not actually a free promotion service, rather an accumulation of ideas and techniques that can help to promote music videos without any cost. These are organic and DIY (do it yourself) approaches where you promote music personally without purchasing any service.
• Paid Promotion – In this case, you hire a professional agency for their service and they take care of the promotional campaign. A group of professionals and promotional experts work together in this case and the agency will charge you a certain amount as the service cost.
Before availing of any paid promotion packages, it is recommended to try out the ideas for free promotion as you would not lose anything for this. There are no monetary investments but it will take ample time to research and implement those ideas.
Tips to Promote YouTube Music Videos (Free Promotion)
You would be surprised to know how many things you can do on your own for promotion without the help of any professional agency. These optimization techniques of promotion work for all kinds of music artists and the tasks can be performed by anyone, even the artists. This is quite a convenient way to promote OMVs for emerging artists who do not have a huge budget for promotion. Let’s find out a few techniques.
• Research Keywords and Craft the Right Title
When it comes to the title of a music video, it is mainly the name of the track. However, you cannot only write the name on the title since YouTube seeks for more. Also add your own name or the collaborating artists as featured artists. Always make sure to craft the right title that is precise, easy to read and can quickly grab attention of the viewers. Make sure the title is catchy and engaging.
Make sure to conduct research to find the right and relevant keywords that can be incorporated into your video content. Just like keywords can help to optimize the performance of a press release or written content, they can also improve the presence of your music video and channel. You might not be able to incorporate the keyword on the title of the video but you can still use it in the video description as well as channel description. With the benefits of SEO, your channel will get am improved presence on the result pages of the platform.
• Custom Thumbnail and Video Tags
Other than the title, there is another thing that catches the attention of the viewers and that is the thumbnail. The thumbnail is the image that is shown on the cover of the video before you hover your mouse pointer on the video. Thumbnails can quickly grab the attention of music lovers and make them proceed to watch the music video. It can also bring new audiences as many users on YouTube click on videos when the thumbnail appears attractive to them.
Similarly, there are video tags and YouTube hashtags that work like natural keywords and help to categorize your video with the right specification. This can help to reach out to more relevant audiences who would enjoy your music videos.
• Channel Information and Trailer
All kinds of music artists are making music on YouTube. So, what kind of exception do you bring to the plate? Embrace your individuality, uniqueness and personal goals through the channel description so that fans can have a transparent idea and can connect with you better. You can also share channel information through branding elements, basic information, and featured sections. There is also a section for channel trailers where you can feature a video that describes your channel for visitors and new viewers. These elements play a vital role in the growth and promotion of mass audiences.
• Interaction with Fans and CTA
Music artists become famous and recognize the industry with the help, support, and love of the fans. With the Swifties, there would be no Taylor Swift and it is time for you to cater to your fans. You should regularly engage in interactions with the fans which makes them feel special and fosters a sense of community as well as loyalty. You can reply to their comments, like them, or even reply to their personal messages to make them feel heard and appreciated.
Adding a call-to-action or CTA at the end of the video or in the description can also help to engage more listeners. You can make polls, quizzes, or Q&A sessions to reward them with merch and free giveaways. These small gestures of appreciation can go a long way and most participants would like to become a loyal subscriber of yours.
• Utilize YouTube Live Streams and Shorts
With the features of live streaming and shorts, YouTube is actually offering more opportunities for the creators to engage more audiences. In the case of live stream, you need no preparation. Just become live on the platform, sing along, or just chat with your fans for a limited time. This will be enough to create an impression among the listeners with an opportunity for direct interaction. Similarly, YouTube Shorts are great for gathering attention from the modern audience base that is more attracted to short-form content due to the trend and their impatience. These features can greatly improve engagement in your YouTube Channel.
• Create a Buzz through Social Media Platforms
Today’s online users spend most of their time scrolling through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, x (Twitter), Reddit, and many others. You can leverage these platforms to share your music videos and reach out to a more relevant user base who would actually like your music. This strategy does not only help to improve the number of subscribers but also helps to increase followers on social platforms. You can also create more anticipation among the fans but dropping teasers on social media before premiering an official music video. This way, you can make each music video release and promotional campaign successful. You can also share BTS of your music video making which can engage more likeminded audiences.
• Collaborate with Other Music Artists
This is the oldest trick of music promotion that is still well-utilized in the music industry. When a music artist or group sticks to only a single genre with an individual style, it sounds similar after a few releases. You can always add some diversity to it by collaborating with other music artists in the industry. It is a win-win situation for all the artists collaborating as they can tap into each other’s audience bases. Adding more creative juice to your musical collection also helps to attract more new audiences. Be bold with your musical experimentations and do not be afraid to make a cross-genre collaboration. Whether it is pop and hip-hop or indie and country; you can always blend to create a fusion taste that is unique and stands out.
• Write Press Release and Pitch Journalists
Press releases work quite well for the music artists and it can help to gain maximum media exposure in the market. If you write the PR on your own and pitch it to journalists at the right time, tone, and urgency; there is a chance that you can distribute a music press release for absolutely free of cost. You can easily craft the PR content by following its traditional format and also craft a pitch email that you will be sending to music journalists. Attach the PR and send them an email with a brief pitch about why you want to get featured and why you deserve this. This is an authentic approach to a PR campaign without spending any money.
All of these aforementioned techniques are great for the independent and emerging music artists in the industry who do not have a huge budget to spend for promotion. They can easily save money while gaining promotional benefits with the help of organic approaches. However, such approaches can take a long time to reflect the results and if you are looking for quick and effective results, it is better if you hire an agency for the task.
Tips to Promote YouTube Music Videos (Paid Promotion)
Just like the free promotion, there are multiple ways of paid promotion for YouTube music videos. With a simple search on Google, you can find many professional agencies offering dynamic promotional packages. You can hire any agency that suits your promotional needs within your budget. However, you would have to do market research before this.
• Professional Agencies for Promotion
There are a handful of professional agencies that offer promotional packages for YouTube videos. Some of the agencies can also specialize in promoting music videos only. As a music artist, you should opt for the latter ones who can offer you better results based on their experience and market knowledge. The agencies usually offer a diversified range of promotional packages from which you can opt for the one that suits your needs and budget. You may also find custom packages offered by the company that are personalized based on your needs. You can go through complete consultancy with the company representatives and convey your promotional needs. Other than free quotes for expenses, they also provide you guidance to navigate through.
• YouTube Paid Ads
Considering the needs of the creators on the platform, YouTube provides a handful of ad formats to promote YouTube videos. This in-built ad facility allows reach out to target audiences with more accuracy based on their demographics. The ad features are quite efficient and also cost-effective considering their quick results and benefits. Here are a few ad formats that you should know,
Non-skippable In-stream Ads – These ads mainly appear before, during, or after a video is played and viewers cannot skip them.
Skippable In-stream Ads – These ads also appear when you watch another video however, users can skip the ad after 5 seconds in this case.
In-feed Video Ads – These ads appear in the section of "Recommended videos" on YouTube from where viewers can choose to watch.
Bumper Ads – These ads are very concise, impact and not more than 6 seconds in length. These ads also appear before, during, or after a video is streamed.
YouTube Shorts Ads – These are short-form vertical video ads which appear only when the users are watching shorts. Since most users are engaged in shorts these days, this can be a trendy medium for your ad strategy.
Concluding Thoughts
As a rising music artist on YouTube, you will have to look after a lot of stuff other than just making music. But at the same time, you cannot spend all of your time promoting your music videos because you definitely need to craft more. That is why, it is recommended to hire a professional agency that can help you strategize better, spend better, and gain better results.
