12 Actionable Methods for Music Video Promotion in 2024

So, your new music video is ready, and you can't wait for your listeners to watch it and buy your music. But do you know how to promote it effectively to reach your prospective audience, especially on YouTube? We are here to show you how.

The number of people consuming music content on YouTube has increased significantly in recent years, reaching over 2.1 billion in 2022. Most of your audience today will want to check your music out on YouTube before any other platform or before buying.

Although the advice in this post is not limited to YouTube and is transferable across any video-sharing platform, it cannot be denied that YouTube wins the music video game!

Being the most used and best-paying video search engine worldwide, you will need to ensure that your music is available on YouTube and attractive to new and existing audiences across the globe. In this article, we discuss the following 12 actionable methods you can use to promote your music on YouTube. 

Look out for;

• Creating an interactive YouTube profile
• Sharing news of your upcoming music video on social media
• Interacting with your audience on your channel
• Uploading videos consistently
• Giving your audience more content options on your channel
• Making cover songs by other artists in your genre
• Collaborating with known musicians in your genre, or influencers on YouTube
• Exploring YouTube SEO
• Making use of YouTube analytics
• Incorporating CTA's in your music videos
• Promoting your music video using YouTube Paid Ads
• Getting verification for your channel

Creating an Interactive YouTube Profile

Whether it's your first time on YouTube or you already have an existing channel, you need to enhance your profile to promote your music videos. 

Start by adding an eye-catching banner image. Consider an image that directly relates to you or your kind of music. A banner image sets the mood for what your viewers expect to watch on your channel. You can then add a profile photo that directly identifies you to assure your viewers that they are in the right place.

Write a brief but catchy description about yourself and your music on your profile's About section. Make this bio interesting so that people wanting to know more about you can click through it and be satisfied with the information you provided. 

You can include interactive and trending hashtags in your description to make your video more visible to your audience. Remember to insert links to your social media pages and website so your viewers can also interact with you and your music elsewhere online.

Create a high-quality thumbnail for your music video. Thumbnails help to make the particular video stand out among other videos for improved visibility. Ensure your thumbnail depicts your song title and visual offering to make the viewer click on the video for more of your content.

You may want to consider organizing your music videos in a manner that your audience finds easy to peruse. Arrange the videos according to themes or playlists that a viewer can choose easily. Add a link to every video you post so your audience can access and share the video on other platforms.

Sharing News of Your Upcoming Music Video on Social Media

While YouTube is the best platform to promote your music video, it is not the only channel where you can market your music. You can share information about your upcoming video through platforms like Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. 

You can share your video snippets on these platforms, then re-direct your viewers to your YouTube channel and other platforms where they can eventually buy your music.

You can also choose to go live and give a teaser performance of your song on platforms offering the live video option. You can post a link to your YouTube channel on platforms like Reddit, where community groups interested in your genre of music are, to attract more viewers.

Interacting With Your Audience On and Off Your Channel

As you seek to build a bigger audience for your music video, it's important to keep the existing audience engaged on your channel. Respond to queries, compliments, and any other form of communication your audience posts regarding your music video. Interacting with your audience helps you to build rapport with them and builds loyalty for your brand.

You can also search for channels offering music similar to yours and interact with their audiences. While you may not market your music video directly on others' channels, you can establish yourself as a voice to reckon with in a particular music genre by interacting with their content.

Uploading Videos Consistently

The surest way to keep your audience interested in your brand and music is by giving them content to consume at all times. You can create quality videos to post on your channel every other week or month. Ensure your audience knows when to expect a new music video on your channel, and deliver at the scheduled time to keep your fan's trust and loyalty intact.

Giving Your Audience More Content Options on Your Channel

You may need extra content to keep your channel active and your audience engaged. Since producing a music video every other day is impossible, consider offering your audience other content options on your channel. While this may not all be music videos, ensure the content relates to your music to remain relevant to your audience.

Consider offering your Q&A sessions on your channel. These sessions make your fans connect more with you as a brand, which can translate to more song sales and video consumption on your channel. You can also let your fans in on your musical journey by posting behind-the-scenes videos, favorite playlists, interview sessions with media houses, etc.

You can also repurpose your existing music videos on your channel to make them more appealing to your audiences. You may consider creating different versions of the same song, e.g., remix, on-repeat, collabo, lyrics, acapella, and acoustic versions, and post them on your channel.

Making Cover Songs by Other Artists in Your Genre

One recently popular way of introducing your voice and brand to the music industry is by making cover songs of your favorite artists. You can select songs you like or those that relate to your genre and cover them in a video. 

This strategy helps to place your cover music video on the search lists of the artist's fan base and can bring traffic to your channel if these fans like your rendition of their favorite song.

Collaborating With Other Musicians in Your Genre

You can collaborate with other artists to promote your music video and channel on YouTube. It especially helps to work together with known musicians so you can tap into their audience and introduce your brand and content to them. You can then share links, photos, and videos of your collaboration on your YouTube channel and other social media platforms to help drive traffic to your channel for more visibility.

Exploring YouTube SEO

You can search YouTube for applicable keywords and phrases to help make your video more visible to your target audience. Once you get keywords related to your song's message or genre, incorporate them into your song and video title and description to make it more discoverable. 

Also, use keywords and phrases relevant to your music as tags on your video to improve its visibility. Ensure to pick unique but relevant keywords that dont have a lot of competition from other artists in your genre.

Additionally, incorporate trending topics relating to your music in your videos to drive more people to watch and buy your music. Tweak your descriptions or video titles to include a message regarding a trending topic and have more watch and subscribe to your channel. 

You can also incorporate trending dance styles, words, or fashion pieces in your music video to make it more relatable to new and existing viewers on your channel.

Making Use of YouTube Analytics

Being a video search engine, YouTube analyzes all activities on your channel and provides a detailed report for your consideration. You can use this data to enhance your video output for improved viewership. 

Incorporating CTA's in Your Music Videos

Ensure that the videos you post on your channel feature an interactive “Call To Action” to guide your viewer into taking the next action before or after viewing your music video. You can incorporate the CTA as a pop-up text or link, at the end of your video or in the description box.

Promoting Your Music Video Using YouTube Paid Ads

YouTube allows you to sponsor videos on your channel to gain more traction to your channel. To this end, you must open a Google Ad Account and link it to your YouTube channel. You can then follow the prompts and select the type of advert to sponsor. The ad options available on YouTube include:

1. Ads on the YouTube homepage to direct viewers to your channel
2. Keyword-associated ads that come up after a search is initiated
3. Ads that pop up before, during, or after the video
4. Ads for viewers using mobile phones

Promote your music video using YouTube paid ads by:

1. Selecting the video you wish to promote
2. Select the ad format/placement that aligns with your marketing goals.
3. Set your budget and period when you wish to have the ad running. 

Experiment with different ad formats, budgets, audiences, and time frames to determine which one works best for your marketing strategy.

Getting Verification For Your Channel

A verified YouTube channel not only showcases you as a voice of authority in your music genre and industry but also allows you:

• Access to detailed statistics about your marketing activities
• Access to more SEO options for your channel
• To promote your tour tickets and associated merch on your video description box

You can have your channel verified by YouTube support staff after meeting the requisite three video posts that prove you as a brand in the music industry.

Promoting your music video need not be a hard task, regardless of whether you are new in the industry or not. YouTube allows you enough wiggle room for creativity in your marketing endeavors. Consider some or all of the methods mentioned above to make your music video more compelling to your prospective audience. 

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