Transcription
The biggest issue artists face today is awareness. You make great art or great music, but not enough people know about it. The algorithm seems to be holding you hostage. Your content isn't reaching your own followers, and it's definitely not reaching new people who would actually connect with your art. You feel like the game changed overnight, and no one told you. Because in reality, that's exactly what happened.
The artists dominating today know about these changes. They are masters at understanding how the social platforms work, the data behind their content, and how to use that knowledge to build more fans. If you want to grow your audience, you need to understand exactly what these algorithms are doing. Because most artists think the game is about consistency. The more things they make, if they're doing it often, eventually something will hit. But let me say this clearly, this is no longer the case. This is not the game. Consistency and just posting to post is not what's winning or being rewarded. There's a new playbook entirely when it comes to content.
Now, I know this to be true because I'm seeing it every day. For the last 12 years, I've owned and operated a creative agency that's been focused in the sectors of music and fashion. We've been blessed enough to work with some of the biggest artists and management teams in the world, major record labels, and global brands. We've done tens of millions of dollars in business, and we've crafted global campaigns with artists and companies all over the world. Not only do I get to see behind the curtain and see how the best in the world are doing it, I'm also getting to see exactly what's working across multiple clients in a variety of genres. I see what gives certain artists an edge in the fight because make no mistake, it's a battle. You're just trying to get your stuff to people who may enjoy it, but there's so many roadblocks, challenges, and walls to break down trying to do it. And you have to be vigilant in your pursuit towards greatness because, as you know, it's not easy. So many people think that being an artist is this job where you sit around in your pajamas all day and make things. But living the life of an artist is one of the hardest paths you can walk. And being a creative person myself, my heart is with other artists. And if someone is putting up a wall trying to block us from sharing our stuff, I'm going to do what I can to help knock it down. So if you understand how the algorithm actually works, then you can beat it. Using a couple tweaks, you can open up the floodgates to new audiences, consistent reach, and real growth. And when a project is growing, the bright future of living a life of creative and financial freedom on your terms is waiting on the other side.
So today, how I'm going to structure this video is I'm first going to explain exactly how the algorithm works, specifically when it comes to music artists. Then I'm going to give tactical examples of how to use this new knowledge in your content. And then at the end, I'm going to give you a clear framework on how to create any piece of content in a way where you're setting it up for maximum reach. So, how is the algorithm trained? And why is it pushing certain videos over others? I have another video on the neighbor art supply channel that has a deep dive into how your brand and algorithm can work together in terms of content and formats. So if you haven't seen that yet, it's worth a watch. But at a high level, this is how the algo works today.
So all these social platforms are businesses and how they mostly make money is through advertising. The more time you're on a platform, the more ads you see, the more money the business makes. Whether or not you like it and most don't, this is the reality. So let's break down how it actually works.
Section one, how the algorithm works. So these companies have trained their algorithms to keep people on the platform. How they do that is by having the algorithm look at all the data based on their past behavior and then show them things that they think they may like in hopes of keeping them on the platform. That's why if you accidentally like that cute dog video, you're then getting blasted with adorable dog and puppy videos and likely even the same breed of dog as the video that you liked. The algo assumes that you like cute dog stuff. These algorithms are logging everything you do when you're on these platforms to try and keep you there.
So then on the flip side, as a content creator, how does it work? So when you post something, it's shown to a test group, mostly people that don't follow you. That test group is based somewhat on the things that you've posted in the past and the data it already has on your account. So then once you post, there's a cycle that the algo goes through where it tries to match your video with the right person. So, it's logging people's taste, then looking at what you've made to try and pair those two things together. This is a moment where you and the algo are actually on the same side. The algo wants your piece of content to be a hit because the more hits it can show someone, the better chance it has of people staying on the platform. So, this is why if your content is all over the place with no consistency in terms of format, style, brand, or story, it confuses the algo and it doesn't know who to show it to. and it's likely showing it to the wrong people. So then it dies pretty quickly after the test.
So now knowing what we know, there's multiple ways to beat the algorithm. The first being branding.
Section two, how to beat the algorithm with branding. So keep in mind the algorithm isn't pushing your music, it's trying to match identities. So if you want to reach more people, it could be worth being more specific in what you're offering. Now, when I say specific, it doesn't mean that you need to write one genre of music or one style of song. It means narrowing your brand and your niche to make it easier for the algo to know who to show you to. It's choosing a niche and then specific content formats that help the audience understand what your brand is and what you're offering.
So, when it comes to brand, if you've seen the other videos on the Neighbor Arts channel, you know that I talk a lot about defining your archetype. So, for example, a way to niche down using brand would be instead of being a DJ producer who makes dance music. This is extremely broad. You're an everyman brand archetype who merges melodic house with yacht rock. The brand lives in a space where it feels like you're on a perpetual quest to vacation across the world. The brand is good times and the soundtrack is good vibes. Or as another example, instead of being a band that just makes metal, again, this is a bit too broad. You're a rebel hero archetype that blends modern metal core with cinematic film score music and apocalyptic world building. The brand lives in a space where it feels like you're surviving the end of the world, fighting through chaos, fighting the system. Everything is crumbling around you, but you are empowered to face the challenge. Or as another example, maybe instead of being a typical female pop artist, you're a lover rebel archetype that blends glossy pop with emotional honesty. You then merge those elements with pop punk style rock music. The brand lives in a space where you feel like you're documenting your life in real time. It feels super DIY and the subject matter could be relationships, life situations, confidence, insecurity, all of it. It's got a punk edge to it. It's real. It's raw, but also rebellious.
Ultimately, the ALGO is trying to understand you and your brand and then understand the people who may like what you offer. The more consistencies you have and the more you start to look at your brand as a small network and the different platforms as channels, the better off you'll be. You look at all the different platforms where your brand shows up and each of those is telling your story which ties into the larger identity of the network. So let's go a little bit further on this and I'll explain more what I mean by network. Let's look at an actual television network, something like the Food Network. It had multiple channels, but all those channels and all the shows on those channels tied into the main identity of the network. The identity of the network was all things food. So then bringing this back to music, even if you have content that you're posting on multiple channels, and if you've watched my other videos, you know this tactic about creating different sub channels, but you're maybe running multiple channels across these different platforms. And those offerings should all tie back into the larger identity and the point of view of your brand as a whole because there's many artists that will do one thing on one platform and a different thing on another platform because that content style is more suited for that platform. But then when you look at all of the different offerings across the different channels, although they may be different, they tie into the greater identity of the brand. So the more clear the brand is, it's easier for the algorithm to know who to show you to.
So if we know that when you post a video, photo, or carousel, it's getting pushed out to a sample set of people and then the algo is logging that data. The real question then becomes, what kind of things help videos get pushed harder and further by the algorithm? And that's what we're going to talk about next.
Section three, how to beat the algorithm with engagement. So the algorithm is looking for data points that lets it know if people are enjoying and engaging with a piece of content. So it's looking to see if people watch it, how long do they watch it, are they watching it multiple times of the time that they spent on platform, how many of your videos did they watch. It's logging if people give it a like, if people are commenting on it, if people save it, and if people share it. The more you have of these elements happening, the more your content will get shown to more people.
So, let's look at simple tactics that can increase each of these data points, but specific to music artists. So, first, comments. Ever notice how some artists when they do a free bootleg remix or unreleased song, they tell the audience in the caption to comment, and if they do, the artist will DM them a link to the track. If the song is good, you get thousands of these comments, which also equals thousands of DMs, and this ups your overall engagement score. And another concept might be sharing ideas that may provoke a comment or start a discussion that doesn't necessarily have to do with your music, but more with your taste or opinion. You could have a text on screen headline that reads something like this. The house music of today sucks. I miss 2000's house music. A statement like this starts a discussion. Some will agree, some will disagree, but either way, people are talking about it. Because you had a clear stance and a clear opinion, it started a discussion. Often because artists don't want to upset certain types of people, they won't have strong opinions. But in my opinion, the artists of today are often soft in what they stand for because of this reason. The audience wants to know your point of view and wants to know what you stand for, controversial or not. And this doesn't mean you need to get political or religious or have a bunch of hot takes, but even saying something like you believe in making music fully with analog instruments versus not using AI tools is an example of standing firmly for something that you believe in. Or on the opposite side of that, you're pro- innovation. You're one of the first producers to get behind AI artists and be a producer of different AI artists. Both of these stances spark discussion. And in my opinion, discussion when it comes to art is good. Some of my all-time favorite movies had weak box office openings and were critically hated in the beginning. So, start thinking about how someone might comment on a post outside of fire emojis and hand claps.
So, that's commenting. What about sharing? Well, first, why do people share things with other people? There's a few different reasons, but when it comes to media, these are the top. Number one, shock and awe. You have to see this. Number two, this is so me. Number three, this is so you. This reminds me of you. Number four, this is so us. Number five, this made me feel something. Could be funny, love related, or intrigued. Number six, we should talk about this or talk about doing this. Number seven, status. Let me show you what I found. I found it first. I think this will help you. Number eight, social currency. This makes me look interesting by sharing it with you. This is often a subconscious thought. The person may not know this is what they're doing, but this is what they're doing. And then finally, agreement. Finally, someone said it. I agree with this. So when you're thinking of a concept and want it to get more shares, think why would someone share this? What category of sharing would this fall into? So as an example, what if instead of playing your song or performing your song in a video, you'd create a hook that says something like, "I think I just found the song I'm walking down the aisle to." Then you perform your song. So obviously it needs to be the right kind of song to fit a concept like this. But now it makes it extremely sharable for anyone who's getting married. They can share it with their soon to be spouse and ask, "Should we walk down the aisle to this?" Or even people who've been married for a while may share it with one another and say something like, "This makes me think of our wedding day." Or, "This would have been a great song to walk down the aisle to love you." So just by adding that headline, you've now exponentially upped the sharability of that concept. So, as another example, if you do a mini music video that has unique cinematography, a clever storyline, and some world building, you may get people sharing with their friends because they feel cool that they discovered it first and they want to share it with their friend group. And as a mini music video, this doesn't need to be expensive, but it does need to be well thought out and well executed. Another example could be instead of playing your new song, put yourself in a relatable environment, a place where someone in your audience would relate to the setting. That relatable setting could be a wide open field. It could be a vintage store. It could be riding in a car with friends. Now, if it was riding in a car with friends, maybe you add on a relatable situation. You could have a text on screen headline that reads something like, "When I want to listen to blank, but my friends want to hear blank and it's an ox cord fight." This setup then has people sharing who can relate to the scenario. And the song that plays in the background to all this could be your latest. So, that's sharers.
What about saves? How can music artists increase this? So, why do people save content? Here's a top five for that. Number one, I'll need this for later. Number two, this inspires me. Adding to my inspiration library. Number three, I want to watch this but not right now. Number four, I want to study this deeper. And number five, future sharing. I'm going to share this later. So again, if you understand why someone might do something and you think about it ahead of time while you're in ideation and concepting phase, you then have a greater chance of engagement.
So then what about likes? The main issue with likes for music artists is they don't set their content up to be liked for anything other than the piece of music playing. And there are many other reasons someone may like a post that isn't just because they like the song in it. Here's 10 other reasons why someone may like a post. Number one, overall visual. This is more about the image than the music. The styling, attitude, lighting, the overall presence pulls the viewer into the artist universe. Number two, the viewer sees themselves in the post. There's something happening in the post that reflects the viewer's own identity back to them. Number three, the post is relatable. Sometimes a like can simply mean, I relate to this. Number four, this is impressive. Again, doesn't need to be the song that's impressive, but maybe it's the technical ability or the execution of whatever the concept is. Number five, this is a vibe. Self-explanatory. They like the feeling. Maybe it's cinematic or nostalgic or peaceful or fun. People often like moods that they're connected to. I'm personally a sucker for nostalgic and cinematic stuff. I find myself liking those kinds of posts pretty often. Number six, a like can sometimes be just an act of support. It's not saying I'm in love with this song, but I do support you and your efforts as an artist and what you're trying to do. Number seven, they agree. Something the artist is standing for or against, the viewer agrees with. Number eight, this aligns with my tastes and my personality. Again, this is likely another one of those subconscious ones tied to identity. Number nine, this was entertaining. And it doesn't mean that the song was entertaining. It could be that the concept or the idea itself is entertaining. And then number 10, aspiration. I want a life like this.
So, when you're thinking of a concept and you want to set it up to potentially get more likes, think to yourself, would someone like this? Maybe even if they didn't absolutely love the song, were there other reasons? Okay, so now here's where this kind of knowledge can become fun for creative types like us. Instead of looking at this as straight marketing, start looking at it as an opportunity to get creative and remix these different concepts. Meaning you could mix multiple ideas together. So, as an example, what if you created a song that people hopefully liked and then set it in an environment where the concept was shot in a unique, interesting way, unlike most music content. Doesn't need to be expensive, just not typical. Then the concept itself. What if that was something that sparked conversation? Again, doesn't need to be controversial, but polarizing with an opinion attached to it. Then lastly, what if there was something about the concept that made it easily sharable? So now you've taken a good concept, you've added three elements to it, and you set it up in the way to have a far greater potential for reach. And these types of content are often seen as being far more creative than just doing the typical latest trend.
So, those are the examples of how to beat the algo by having people directly connect and engage with something. But how can you do it indirectly and maybe even subconsciously? And that's what we're going to talk about next.
Section four, how to beat the algorithm with watch time. So, another metric that the algo is logging is how long are people watching a video? Do they stay with it or do they bounce? It also looks at how many times did they watch it. It looks at if it led to then watching more of your videos. And lastly, it looks at the total time spent on platform and how much of that time was spent watching or looking at your content. The ALGO is logging all of this.
So, how can you increase these data points so the ALGO shows your stuff to more people? The first most obvious one is adding a good hook. There's a ton of videos online about how to create engaging hooks. So, I'm not going to spend a bunch of time on that here today, but at a minimum, you need to stop people to watch and listen. So, then the next tip is creating curiosity loops. Think about when you watch a longer form show. What are they doing to keep you watching the show? They're constantly opening and closing curiosity loops. When a curiosity loop is open, you want to see how it's going to play out. The creators set you up to keep watching how everything's going to unfold. This is the same concept, but instead of long form, you're doing it in short form. So, as an example of this, you could create a headline that reads, "I can't believe this happened." The viewer is immediately thinking now, what happened? So, if you open that loop of curiosity and it's interesting, they'll hopefully watch to the end. Now, as another note, in short form, you may need to rehook every 5 to 10 seconds to keep the curiosity up, but ideally you want to delay the payoff until the very end.
So, then the next tip on this has to do with format. This isn't for every idea, but if you can follow a story structure format of setup, curiosity, tension, and payoff, you can then keep people for longer. And just like you would in a book or a movie script, be sure to cut out anything that doesn't drive the story forward if you're using this format. No dead space, no filler. Then the next tip is about making something rewatchable. So one, if you create an idea that with one watch it makes sense, but then there's hidden elements and Easter eggs in the concept, people may rewatch to catch those Easter eggs on the next watches. Or two, if you add a twist to the ending, it will make people rewatch so they can now see through the lens of knowing the twist. Or three, if you move fast through the concept, not so fast people don't get it, but fast enough to where the second or third watch you'll catch more. This can make things more rewatchable. And then the last tip here is thinking about how the video loops. If the loop feels more seamless, if someone enjoyed it, they may watch it a couple times through because there isn't a clear stop point.
Okay, so now having earned all this new knowledge, you can see why it's so important to have a deeper understanding of your overall brand so you know the sandbox to play in even before implementing some of these tricks. There's a bunch of videos on the Neighbor Arts Supply channel that can help you flesh these elements out further, but overall, you're going to need to have extreme clarity on certain aspects of your brand. You're going to need to know who you are and what your story is all about. You'll need to have an understanding of what kind of music you're going to offer and how to make that your signature. You need to have some idea of your niche and your demographics. New video on that coming soon. And then you need a well thought out and intentional content strategy around what kind of videos, photos, styles, and formats you're going to offer your audience. Understanding all of these elements and building a brand house with strong foundations makes it far easier to start getting creative with content concepts. And like anything else, if you aren't really giving this part of your brand much attention, you're likely not getting very good results with the content. and not that many people as could be are seeing your stuff.
So then additionally here, if you've made it this far, it shows how much you care about all this. We actually have a free tool that acts as a framework for your content ideas. You can use it to make sure you're adding in different elements into your content to not only make it a stronger piece for the viewer, but also adding these elements increases your data metrics with the algo. If you want that tool, comment cult content scorecard and we'll reply with a link to it.
So ultimately, it's up to you how much of this game you want to play with these platforms. I personally don't love that this is where we are, but I want my people, you, the artists, to have as much knowledge as possible going into the battle that is content and social media. So, I hope all this helps and if you want to work with us directly on your brand or content strategy, you know where we are. All things the Cold Creatives Creatives.com. But until next time, good luck in all your pursuits. Keep creating, keep growing, and I'll see you on the next one.