How To Go Viral On Social Media in 2026: 14 Expert Tips For Music Artists

In 2026, being somebody on social media is what will make or break your career. UK influencer, Bouncer, commonly phrases it as being "internet ready!" we love that term 😉

If you aren't fully making use of social media marketing platforms like TikTok, Youtube and Instagram, you are missing out.

These organic social platforms can help an unknown artist blow up quickly if leveraged correctly.

So, here's how to use social media to gain more fans, go viral as an independent musician and become Internet Ready!

1. Post High-Quality TikTok Videos Daily

• Post at least 1 TikTok video a day. Remember "at least" means just that. 1 is the bare minimum. But more frequently if possible. If you have used TikTok, then, no doubt, you came across accounts that state they grew exponentially when they started posting 3, 5, even 20 videos a day.
  
• Perform snippets of your songs in different settings – in studio, car, room etc. This one is particularly easy if you are a singer or a rapper. This is just you singing a verse of your song or freestyling. You could do it while you're doing the laundry, while you're driving to work. Make the most of the fact that you've already created the art!
  
• Use relevant hashtags so your content reaches people searching those topics. Hashtags get a lot of stick these days, but they are definitely still relevant. They wouldn't exist if they weren't. Plus, it can't hurt!
  
• Add captions so people understand the content before listening. This one is important because you want that scroll-stopping element. Sometimes you can't do that with a song, so a caption helps people know they're in the right place.
  
• Consistency with quality content is key – gives more chances for fans to discover you. While we champion quantity, you need to strike that balance between quality and quantity.
  
• Switch up your performance style – sitting, standing, energetic, laid back etc. This keeps viewers more engaged as the videos feel different. More than anything, just make sure that you're being yourself.
  
• Utilise trends and viral challenges, but put your own spin on them. This helps increase visibility because the algorithm pushes trends and trending sounds.
  
• Show behind-the-scenes glimpses of your process in the studio, traveling to shows etc. to build an authentic connection with supporters.

2. Run Paid TikTok Ad Campaigns

As an SEO, I'm a huge champion of organic content! I believe that social media is no different. However, SEO takes time. If you want to speed up that adoption curve and have the budget to so do, paid ads is a quick win with measurable impact.

You can try this:

• Run paid TikTok ad campaigns to reach more potential fans beyond just your followers

3. Leverage Influencer Marketing

• Reach out to relevant TikTok influencers in your genre to promote your song in their videos
• Hire services to identify and contact potential influencers enmasse
• Getting several influencers to feature your track together amplifies the impact
• When reaching out to influencers, personalize your pitch and appeal to their interests. Mass copy-paste messages are less effective.
• Consider micro-influencers in your niche as well. They have highly engaged audiences and often charge less.
• Set aside a budget for paid influencer campaigns. The cost varies based on follower count and engagement rates.

4. Engage With Your Audience

• Social media is about being social – engage with your followers in comments, live streams etc.
• Shows you care and helps build a fanbase that becomes invested in your success.
• This can be as simple as replying with a "Thanks!" to comments on YouTube and Instagram, to actually taking the time to write out a thought out response to a thoughtful comment.

5. Post Consistently Across Platforms

• Have a presence on Instagram, YouTube, Spotify etc. in addition to TikTok
• Use cross-posting apps to easily reuse content across multiple platforms
• Putting out content frequently on different platforms expands your reach

6. Appeal to Algorithms

• Release a single every 6-8 weeks while occasionally releasing alternative versions, covers, remixes etc. This keeps people's attention engaged.
• Release a song video in the first week, then a lyric video 2 weeks later, then a music video 2 weeks after that. This appeals to attention spans and YouTube's algorithm.
• Focus on Spotify for streaming as it provides the most artist tools. Submit to editorial playlists 4 weeks in advance.
• Drive listeners from your community to your new songs early to boost your popularity score on Spotify and get on Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists.

7. Understanding Your Community

• Spend time daily learning about your micro-genre and local scene to find people who will open doors and make connections.
• Connect with smaller artists in your genre to collaborate on songs, shows, tours etc. This helps algorithms link you together.
• Tag and mention other artists regularly so algorithms recommend you to each other's fans.

8. Showing Your Authentic Self on Social Media

• Don't try to imitate others. Share authentic thoughts, personality traits and stories daily.
• Your social media personality doesn't have to match your music persona. Show all sides of yourself.
• Remind people about your music by telling stories about the meaning and feeling behind the songs.

9. Find the Cheat Code for Your Genre

• Each genre has a specific effective promotion tactic at any given time that can lead to quick growth.
• Study your community to identify the cheat code for your genre, then focus your efforts on exploiting it.

10. Collaborate With Other Artists

• Feature rising and established artists on remixes of your tracks
• Collaborate on TikTok videos together
• Cross-collaborate to tap into other artists' fanbases and gain new listeners

11. Perfect Your Craft with Showcases

• Music showcases let you practice live performance skills
• Don't expect to get discovered at a showcase, focus on improving your stage presence
• Use showcases as steps to level up your abilities as an artist

12. Perform When You Have Buzz

• Build an audience online first before doing live shows
• Once you have a hot song or viral moment, you can capitalize on that popularity with performances
• You have more leverage to get booked and paid well when you are in-demand

13. Submit to Playlists

• Use platforms like SubmitHub to connect directly with playlist curators
• Pay for track submissions to get added to key Spotify, Apple Music playlists
• Gets your music direct exposure to new audiences of listeners

14. Hire a Marketing Agency

• If you want to get serious, hire professional marketing help
• An agency can advise and execute campaigns tailored to your goals
• Having an expert team gives you the best chance to gain more fans