Coming up with video ideas around your music release can be quite the chore. For once, most musicians love to shoot big amazing official music videos.
Surely, having a proper production bringing your music to visual existence is super special. However, not many bands have the funds in order to produce an official music video for all their YouTube content.
This is crazy, in order to make your YouTube channel work you need to upload frequently and consistently. What is more, if you want to increase the number of YouTube subscribers this technique is vital.
Not only do subscribers engage with your content, but they also love fresh videos to indulge in.
Here’s the thing: it can be already hard to come up with video ideas for your YouTube channel in normal times. However, if you have a music release like an album coming up, the pressure rises.
Most people have understood that YouTube can be a great marketing tool. Moreover, it is a brilliant way to engage and grow your fanbase.
With having a music release on the horizon structuring your video ideas becomes vital. Not only will it give you peace of mind. What is more, it gives you the opportunity to sync all your marketing efforts into one coherent digital strategy!
How to structure your video ideas around your release
For once, there is plenty of advice on how to come up with YouTube video ideas.
YouTube Videos You Can Cut Without Any Trouble
However, how can you orchestrate your videos on YouTube in a way that makes your release stand out?
Important to realise, your video strategy shouldn’t be decoupled from your overall release planning. This means if you plan your singles and focus tracks, make sure to highlight them on YouTube, too.
Then you can also look at the topic from the angle of timing. When will you release the first track? When will the whole album be available? Do you have any live streams or even live concerts with music magazines coming up?
Those highlights will determine the overall structure of your video strategy. But here’s the kicker: only releasing highlight videos will not cut the mustard.
Make a point and come up with enough ‘filling material’ in between! Don’t shy away from using lyric videos, tutorial videos or behind-the-scenes material.
This is crazy, most people think that behind-the-scenes material is out of the questions right now without the possibility of playing live.
However, there is no rule on what behind-the-scenes mean. It can be whatever you make out of it! For example, you can film yourself doing a DIY music video. What is more, you can film your practise room and routine or interview your bandmates on the new album.
You can use your creativity to your fullest capacity and utilize off-the-beaten-track video ideas.
Use videos for building up the buzz about your new album
You can really go to town when it comes to utilising your video content for creating a buzz. In order to achieve this effect, you can line up your video’s in an escalating manner.
Perhaps you can start with short trailers or snippets. Create more and more videos that feature something from the album.
If you are keen on album artwork you could film your graphic designer while he or she designs the artwork. In case this is not possible due to corona lockdown measurements, you can also Skype with the designer and record this.
You can even make a series out of it and interview all people involved with the production. Maybe the mastering engineer is super informative and a proper music geek?
This way you can increase the fan excitement without giving away to much information in the beginning. What is more, those video ideas won’t cost a penny!
Once your album is released you can make the tracks available over the YouTube Art Track feature. That means that your fans who might search for you on YouTube already have something to listen to before the big amazing official music video comes out.
Use the release of the official music video for a digital launch party!
There’s nothing like a party. Want to know the best part? Fans love to party with their idol!
You can get the best out of both and have a digital launch party with your fan base.
Create a “launch moment” by setting your video upload as a Premiere, then building anticipation for the debut. This can be a great way to get fans excited about your new music release–they’ll see a two-minute countdown before the Premiere and can begin live chatting with others.
*source: YouTube
Of course, make sure to communicate your launch part with your fans in any possible way. Write about it in your newsletter and post about it frequently on social media.
Talk about it in any interview you may give for your album release. What is more, you can ask your super-fans to be party hosts.
Giving them a special place at the party will encourage them to invite as many of their friends as possible!
You can even do a pre-launch party fan challenge where you allow fans on YouTube to cover your track. Have the best covers displayed in a special playlist on your YouTube channel homepage.
The 3 best covers will win something special at the launch party.
Aim at the long run with video ideas around your music release
When it comes to structuring your video ideas around your music release it’s important that you aim at thinking outside the box. Also, it is really crucial to implement a long term strategy.
There’s no use to come up with an amazing strategy if you don’t do anything after the music release. This is something I see all the time with my clients.
Musicians do this huge move before a release only for all channels to go barren after it. Important to realise, in order to keep the algorithm (of all social media platforms) working in your favour you need to feed it.
Also, music fans are not too tied to album releases anymore like they used to. Music streaming has changed much of the music’s consumption.
Yes, having great video ideas around your music release is important. However, you should best aim for the long run!