How Musicians Use Instagram Stories To Engage Their Fans

For Lemonade, Beyoncé posted a picture of lemons as a hint of her album, sending her massive fan base into a frenzy, as they knew an album was upcoming after releasing her first single, “Formation.”

Pictures, music samples, and other hints can seduce the audience into what are they saying so they can stay tuned. Music can be added to Instagram Stories, so mixing a sample with a picture for a quick 15-second preview gets the fan base immediately interested and has their attention. And, since it lasts only 24 hours, it would force followers to quickly jump on the announcement that something big has been posted.

Recording a new song in the studio might is an inside look of the process of making that next single. To fans, they are quite curious how the creative process works in writing the music and lyrics, followed by recording music and vocals. It is a fascinating inside look. It’s also important for artists to give a glimpse at the real person.

This goes with the home, favorite coffee shop, and backstage before a live gig that night. Artists introduce fans to people who are part of the journey to show that the artist or band is a whole lot bigger to set up. Instagram Stories tells a story within a small peek of their lives.

Like Twitter and Facebook, artists can reply back to comments. Not all of them (because there are hundreds and thousands being sent), but to a few select comments to show their appreciation and to engage with them. It gives a reason for people to come back, thinking their favorite artist could message them next and that they truly care about other people. With the creativity that is in Stories, artists can talk to their fans in special ways, breaking the fourth wall in speaking directly as fans and posted online. A lot of people sometimes come off as self-interested, so personal engagement is helpful.

Music legends of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s didn’t have this advantage to reach out to fans like that. Today, everyone have the tools on their phone to reach out to others. We measure popularity based on how many followers and likes one has on their pages. With Instagram Stories, it gives a sneak peek to what is going on and it feels exclusive because it lasts only for a brief period. It is a creative way to spread word-of-mouth and bring in new fans to check in and see what else big is taking place.