Growing your

Audience
Build your fanbase and get more fans to listen to your music,
watch music videos, and create with your songs.

Why YouTube?
YouTube is not just a video-sharing platform; it's a it’s a community of billions of music
fans where you can engage with and create a direct relationship with your audience.

Meet Fans Where Expose Your Music to Build a Community

They are Listening Listeners Around the World Engage with your fans on a personal
With over 2 billion logged-in viewers YouTube lets you tap into a global level, turning casual listeners into
watching music videos on YouTube audience, giving you the dedicated fans. A strong community
every month, YouTube allows more opportunity to expand your can offer support, feedback, and
opportunities and ways for fans to fanbase beyond geographical promotion, helping to sustain your
find and listen to your music. and even language barriers. career over he long term.

Tailoring Your Content Strategy

Listener → Fan
Understanding the journey from a listener to a fan can help you tailor your
content strategy. How do we attract them at each part of their fan journey?
1. Attract: Gain attention through big releases, short-form trends, and
collaborations.
2. Engage: Turn casual audiences into regular listeners by providing
consistent content alongside music videos.
3. Convert: Build community and faithful fans through authentic
interactions and personal storytelling.
4. Retain: Keep fans engaged and coming back with a continued strategy.

NOTE: Best practices referenced in this guide are merely tips and do not represent a guarantee for success on the YouTube platform or beyond.
Your channel and videos can be considered an extension of your artistry, so you should continue to represent yourself authentically
on YouTube.
 GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Attract: Attracting New Listeners

1

94%
Create a Release Strategy
For new releases, consider creating a variety of content from teasers to
lyrics videos to music videos and behind the scenes that are uploaded
over days to weeks.
Out of a random sampling, fans who saw a given
This cadence of continued uploads around a release can build music video consumed 94% more of that artist’s
anticipation for new content, create more pathways for new viewers music in the following month compared to fans
who didn’t see the music video
to discover your music, and give your fans something to talk about.

FEB-MAY
Shorts and video shoulder
content including BTS Shorts,
fast & slowed song versions on
video, and acoustic Shorts

FEB 2ND
Song Debut with Lyric Video
MAY 3RD
Official Music Video Launch

Collaborate
Work with other creators, artists, or fans.
Teddy Swims makes an appearance
Collaborations can create algorithmic ties in Emilio Piano’s public shopping
while exposing you to new audiences. Collabs mall session.
can range from featuring another artist in your
video, being a guest on another creator’s channel,
or creating a joint project or song.

Crash Adam’s invites other

artists in public to try freestyling
on their song.

Think Internationally
Collaborate with international artists and create South Korean artist Sunmi does a
localized content to reach audiences outside your lightweight collaboration through Shorts
home country. Consider adding subtitles in different with British trio New Hope Club where they
languages or creating alternative versions of your popular danced to her song “Heart Burn”
songs to cater to diverse audiences.

imase released two alternative versions of his hit

single “Night Dancer” in English and Korean, alongside
a compilation album of all remixes on YouTube Music!
 GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Engage: Feed the Fans

1

Stay Active
Post consistently to keep your channel active. It doesn't always have to be expensive, high-production videos.
Consistent content keeps viewers engaged, encourages them to return to your channel, and can help grow
important metrics like watch time. Keep in mind that being consistent doesn’t mean posting everyday.
We recommend that you focus on quality uploaded on a regular cadence rather than just pumping out a
high number of uploads in a small time frame.

Diversify your Content Vampire Weekend

Created a series called “Vampire Campfire” where they do a podcast
Beyond just Official Music Videos,
style video where they discuss their new album and more.
consider creating content that showcases
your personality and creativity. This could GReeeN
be Q&A sessions, covers, challenges, or Leans into vlogs and personality driven collabs with YouTubers
even day-in-the-life videos. This variety alongside his music videos.
keeps your channel interesting and The Macarons Project
provides multiple entry points and Leans into short covers of trending songs in their own style. By
content supply for different types of choosing scenic locations with relaxing ambient sounds, they
fans. transform simple covers into their own relaxing series.

THE MACARONS PROJECT

VAMPIRE WEEKEND GREEEN

Lean Into Trends

Singer Jax uses her songs audio to create a
Participate in popular trends, both on and off
comedic and repeatable POV trend that can
YouTube. These trends can have far reaching
have appeal beyond just her core audience.
appeal, exposing you to new audiences. This
could be making your own Shorts or videos,
engaging with UGC content, or even participating
in trends related to other artists. Jordan Adetunji’s KEH ANI has become popular
in short-form content. To meet
Use the Inspiration Tab in YouTube Analytics the demand, Jordan launched two new
to better understand what audiences are versions of the song on his channel
searching for and watching. (one slowed & one sped up) for fans to create

700M
and engage with.

times fans discovered a song on

+
Shorts and consumed it on
long-form video within a week.1

1 | Data collected over a 7 day period in March 2024

 GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Convert: Turn Fan to Stan

1

Create Authentic Content

Show your genuine self in your music and videos. Chappell Roan posts a clip from her concert
Authenticity resonates with viewers and sets you where she shares candidly with her
apart. Share personal stories, behind-the-scenes audience why she wrote this particular song
and the feelings that accompany it.
footage, or your creative process to create a deeper
connection with your audience.

Interact with Your Audience

Engage with viewers by replying to comments, pinning
noteworthy comments, hearting comments, or even
making playlists to highlight your favorite fan content.
This makes your audience feel valued and Artist BLONDSHELL pins a fan comment
encourages more interaction. on their most recent collaboration

React to Your Fans

Use features like Green Screen to react to fans' Shorts or
create Shorts video responses using video comment replies.
This shows you're an active part of the community and encourages JVKE made use of the
more engagement. green-screen effect to
react to a cover of his
Take this a step further and encourage your audience to Green song 'Golden Hour'
Screen your own content and feature that in fan playlists.

Retain: Keep Fans Coming Back

1

Plan for the ‘Off-Season’

Remember that consistency is key and in a perfect world you’ll want to keep up some level of engagement with
your channel even during “luls” in your release cycle. If needed, create a scaled back strategy that still allows you
to put out lightweight forms of content, less frequently, but still as a way to feed your fans and keep your
channel fresh.
Also be aware that we see trends occur at any point in a song’s release cycle - even if it’s months to years after
the release. Keep an eye on your analytics and be prepared to support a resurgence of activity around
your catalogue content.

Want More Resources for Artists?

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