Business magnate (and ex-label head) Richard Branson once said, 'Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.' So how about we seize the sunrise of multi-channel promo for your music? 

It's no surprise that it's becoming harder and harder for artists to make a living off music streaming. Just look at Spotify - despite the increase in artists earning over $10,000 in streaming revenue in 2022 (up from 23K to 57K, since 2017), the fact that there's +8 million artists competing on the platform makes it a hard road to travel.

Standing out demands more than just talent - it calls for innovation and an entrepreneur's touch. This is where the harmony of merchandise, unexplored distribution channels, and most crucially, the power of social media, hits the right note.

This brings us to an underutilized channel in the world of music: Twitter. On one hand, the platform is a factory for funny headlines involving a memelord billionaire, but on the other, it actually provides an untapped opportunity for music creators; thanks to its enormous user base, dynamic content sharing capabilities – and as of recent: monetization.

So what are YOU currently doing with Twitter? 

Last week, Elon Musk started distributing large portions of its ad revenues to its creators. Several Twitter creators were posting their surprise checks, and we started to get a notion of the economics. The payout is based on how many ads people consume while viewing the tweets you have posted. It’s a function of how many times your tweets were seen and interacted with, which is also a function of how many followers you have. 

Brian Krassenstein, a social media personality who has 750,000 followers made $24,305, which is roughly $0.03 per follower! Though it depends on how engaged your following is, this is a promising payout rate.

On the flip side, Babylon Bee journalist, Ashley St. Clair (with 710,000 followers) said that she earned $7,153, which comes to $0.01 per follower (one-third of Krassenstein). Additionally, she revealed that she had around 840 million impressions from February through July, resulting in a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) of $0.0085. It's not clear whether CPMs vary by creator, but it gives us a general idea. 

Now let's compare this with monetization on Spotify of $0.004 per stream. Which is harder? To get 500 impressions on a post on Twitter? Or to get one stream? How much is a follower on Instagram or TikTok worth? Should I be investing my time and resources in getting engagement on Spotify, Instagram and TikTok, or on Twitter?

The answer is that you should be doing all of the above… at least until you figure out which one has the highest yield for you! SongTools can help automate the streaming side so you have more time to focus on other channels. 

And who knows — Twitter might be the platform that generates the most yield for your kind of music, so why not try to build a following?

Building a following on Twitter organically involves employing a variety of strategies. Here are five strategies you might consider:

1. Engage Consistently: Regularly tweet and respond to tweets in your feed. Engage with your audience by answering questions, participating in discussions, and retweeting relevant content. Twitter is a very fast-paced platform; being active and maintaining a consistent presence will help you increase your visibility and gain followers. Make sure to be following all relevant artists in your genre or in your geographic area, and venues!

2. Curate Valuable Content Relevant to your Music: Share content that is valuable, relevant, and interesting to your target audience. This includes your own original content, but also curated content from others. When you consistently provide value, people will want to follow you. This may include playlists in your genre, shows that are must-see, highlights of other artists in your circle. 

3. Leverage Hashtags and Trends: Using relevant hashtags can help you reach a larger audience, as can participating in trending topics. It's important to be selective and authentic, however. Don't just jump on every trend—make sure it's something you can contribute to in a meaningful way. If you are a jazz musician, understand what are the key factors affecting the scene and follow them closely.

4. Network and Collaborate: Connect with influencers, thought leaders, and other relevant accounts in your genre. Engaging with them, mentioning them in your tweets, or even collaborating on content or events can expose you to their followers.

5. Run Contests and Giveaways: These can be a great way to encourage engagement and attract new followers. Make sure the prize is something your target audience will find valuable, and that the conditions for entry involve actions that will boost your visibility, like retweeting your post or tagging friends.

Remember, building a following on Twitter organically is not an overnight process. It takes time, consistency, and effort. Be patient and persistent, and over time you should see your follower count grow. 

Once you see those numbers coming in, share with us please! We'd love to post a follow up to this article with a case study of artists who have successfully navigated Twitter monetization.