How to get more music listeners on Snapchat

Snapchat may not be the obvious choice for music marketing, but it can be quite effective in gaining fans. Here’s how to get started.

by NATASHA TAN from The Orchards’ Daily Rind

Think TikTok or Instagram are the only apps to reach young fans these days? Think again.

With over 332 million daily active users, over 5 billion Snaps per day, and 90% of 13-24 year olds utilizing the app in the US alone, Snapchat is still a powerful platform for connecting with a young fanbase (source: Snap).  

Whether you’re a longtime Snap fan or new to Snapchat, you’re going to want to keep reading if you have a young audience. 

Since you’re probably familiar with the classic Snapchat features like Stories and Snap Map, let’s skip right to the good part!

Here are the most important shiny, new ways to promote music on the app:

Sounds

Similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels or Stories, you can now deliver tracks to Snapchat for use in both your own & fans’ Stories. The power of using sounds in snaps as a promotional tool can’t be overstated. Marrying the right audio with the right, potentially-viral visual is how hits are made in 2022.  

How does an artist accomplish just that? When you release a new track, save it to your favorite sounds in the app. Then, use it regularly in your own Stories. Also consider launching a challenge where fans use the same sound in their own original Stories, to light a viral fire beneath a new release.

Lastly, consider teasing new music by recording an original sound in-app. Let fans know you’ll be teasing something special and they’ll have to follow you on Snapchat to hear it. This lets fans know the value of following you here, and (bonus!) gives you an extra opportunity to connect with them.

Spotlight

Spotlight highlights some of the best Snaps, and gives Snapchatters the chance to discover new, trendy content by scrolling vertically, just like in TikTok or Instagram Reels.

To submit your Snap to Spotlight, create as usual, and when selecting “Send To,” choose Spotlight!

To find trending hashtags, sounds, and challenges you can use to increase your chances of appearing in Spotlight, tap the arrow in the upper right corner of the app.

Streaming Platform Integrations 

Did you know that you can now share music directly from Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, & more? This is where you can turn casual followers into listeners, so if there’s one tool you take away from this article, let it be this one! 

Share a track, playlist, album or artist profile from your preferred streaming service by simply tapping the share icon or menu in that app, and selecting the Snapchat logo that appears.

Outside of obviously sharing new tracks on release day, consider sharing tracks or playlists that are relevant to current events (ie. love songs on Valentine’s Day or empowering anthems on International Women’s Day), as tentpole content is the best way to cause a huge spike in listeners for catalog releases.

This is truly the easiest marketing strategy you’ll ever do on social media!

Verification Perks

Now, just like on other socials, verified accounts can grant different levels of access to different team members. This can be especially helpful if you work with a social media manager or videographer that helps create your content, but you’d still like an added layer of protection to keep your account secure. This way, team members only have access to the tools they’ll need to post their work.

But possibly the biggest perk is that verified accounts are highlighted within the app with a gold star. This star not only visually highlights that you have an Official Story Account, but also makes your Stories discoverable in Snap’s Discover section — think of that like the front page of a newspaper, featuring trending and highly sought-after content.

Been sleeping on Snapchat? Consider this your wake-up call! It’s 2022 and these days, SnapChat has the same hit-making, audience-expanding potential as TikTok or Instagram, if used correctly.

Snap to it and see for yourself!