Check This Out… or Maybe Don’t: 3 Key Components in a Winning Music Marketing Formula

How to Market Your Music More Effectively

Kevin McElroy
Editor, Tune Up Magazine

Let’s face it—marketing your music is the single most important thing you can do for your music career. Yeah, it sucks that you can’t just focus on making music all day, but if you don’t learn how to market effectively, nothing serious will ever happen. That’s the cold, hard truth.

And yet, a lot of musicians are out here acting like simply showing up is enough. Sorry, it’s not. Just logging on to social media and posting “Check this out” won’t cut it anymore—everyone and their mother is doing that. It’s a trash dump of meaningless, lazy posts that get scrolled past faster than you can say “new release.” If you find yourself typing those cursed words, stop. You’re proving you don’t want to take the time to craft something personal, something authentic. You just want to check it off your to-do list and call it a day.

That’s not how you build a following.

The Essentials of Music Marketing

If you want to make waves in the industry, it’s time to ask yourself: Are you handling the basics of music marketing?

Many indie artists excel at one thing—connecting with an audience—thanks to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. But even though it’s “stupid simple” to connect these days, too many musicians screw it up by just dumping out thoughtless, bland content and hoping for a miracle. You have to bring more to the table than just pressing “share” and moving on.

Three Key Components of Music Marketing

Effective music marketing comes down to a three-step formula. Skip one of these steps, and your efforts will feel like you’re spinning your wheels in the mud.

1. Create Awareness
   First things first, you need to get noticed by people who actually give a damn about your music. This isn’t about hitting every person with a Facebook account; it’s about finding the fans who get you. Just like any serious business would, you need to treat this as a brand-building exercise. That means doing a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), going through the brand identity exercises, and truly understanding your audience. The more clearly you know who they are and what they want, the more precisely you can deliver content that resonates. For more on how to dial in on your brand identity, check out this guide.
2. Connect With Your Audience
   After that, it’s all about connection. Fans want to feel like they’re part of something, not just an extra number in your follower count. Respond to their comments, tell them stories, share your personal experiences—not just your music. Keep it real and be consistent. Don’t be that artist who only shows up when there’s a new album to promote. Build genuine, lasting relationships.
3. Sell Your Stuff
   Lastly, you’ve got to ask for the sale. Look, if you don’t have something for your fans to buy, you don’t have a music business. Whether it’s merch, digital downloads, vinyl, or even exclusive content, your goal is to create steady, consistent cash flow. That’s the only way your career will last. And once you start building real connections, it becomes easier to sell without feeling like a sellout.

Why Lazy Marketing Fails

Look, I get it. Sometimes you’re busy, or you just don’t know what to say. But tossing out lazy posts like “Check this out…” isn’t doing you any favors. It screams, “I couldn’t be bothered to care, so why should you?” If you’re not investing time in meaningful, authentic communication, your fans won’t invest in you either.

This isn’t about going through the motions—it’s about learning how to market your music the right way. That means taking the time to understand how to build awareness, make real connections, and create products that people want to buy. If you’re only halfway doing it, you’re only halfway succeeding.

The Bottom Line

Music marketing is work. If you want your career to survive, you need to do the work. It’s not enough to post, “Check this out” and call it a day. You need to understand the process, bring intention to your marketing, and focus on authenticity. That’s how you’ll build a following that lasts.

Want to dive deeper into authentic fan engagement? Check out this guide. And for a breakdown on making those sales connections, here’s another one.