Staying Visible in the "Off-Season" (The Artist's Rise #048)

How to Stay Visible During the In-Between Times

Before I get any further, I want you to understand one thing:

Your relevance is not release-dependent. You don’t have to have a new song on the way for your audience to care about you.

That just means you have to get creative on how you stay front-of-mind.

Let’s get into it.

The current cycle

In the age of algorithms, Spotify has convinced us that the only way they care about us is if we are pushing out a new song every 4-8 weeks.

And many artists have tried to adopt that method and keep the algorithms happy so they can get that extra boost in their favor.

And if that works for you, that’s great, but I know it’s not sustainable for most of you. Churning out track after track is not how most artists make music, and that’s okay.

But the Spotify algorithm isn’t the one that’s hitting you hardest. It’s your social media algorithms. Inconsistency comes with a heftier price to pay.

Releasing reasonably

If you don’t find yourself aligning with the Spotify ways of spitting out singles on singles, you probably end up with some downtime between releases.

Whether you are dropping a string of songs for a few months or opting into an EP or album that you have to take time crafting, odds are there are some quiet periods that are dedicated to doing what you love most: creating.

And while that sacred time is important, it’s equally as important to remain active across your social channels.

Why? Because momentum is lost twice as fast as it is gained, and the last thing you want is to try to campaign your next release on a platform that’s been dead to you for six months.

Any momentum gained can also be lost, so locking in only when there’s something new to promote just doesn’t work.

You still have to find a way to show up on socials consistently so that when the time comes for that next project, your audience is already ready and waiting.

Tackling the downtime

The biggest question artists have about content is what they should post, especially if they don’t have a song they’re actively promoting.

But what they’re forgetting is that there’s more to an artist than the art itself.

Think about your favorite artists, and tell me you don’t see them for more than just their music. That’s what you want your fans to see in you.

So don’t let yourself be limited by your release cycles. Instead, try some different ways to stay relevant without having something new.

1. Promote an old song

Songs have birthdays all of the time. Use a release anniversary as an excuse to show some extra love to an old track.

You don’t even have to wait for a birthday, think about your songs, what they mean, and if they have a time of year they’re extra relevant. For example, showcase a love song around Valentine’s day, or summer anthems in the middle of July.

It doesn’t even require an occasion, those just help make it easier.

All you really need to remember is that songs are never old when they haven’t been heard by everyone yet. And even when they have, they don’t lose value just because they’re not fresh.

You wrote it because it’s relevant and impactful, so give it the chance to connect with another future fan out there.

2. Do some covers

My not-so-hot take is that artists should be doing more covers on social media.

Why? Because a cover means it’s a song people already know and will be able to recognize, and if it’s a song they love, they’ll listen to any version of it once.

Also, covers are a free opportunity to show off your style by putting your own spin on it. You lure them in with something familar, but keep them there by adding your own flavor and delivering something new.

Plus, if you’re in a state of writer’s block, covers are always a way to put in reps without actually writing something new. It’s a nice little bonus to the content.

3. Share new ideas

Everybody loves a rough “new song idea” video. Why? Because they’re getting in on the ground floor of something.

It’s the same reason why gatekeeping exists, everybody wants to be the cool one who found it before anyone else.

And in that same vein, it’s a free opportunity to test out some new ideas that you’ve been working on. If you have a verse for a song you aren’t sure if you want to finish, throw it out there and see how it’s received.

One thing I want to call attention to here is that there is a potential downside: if people love the song and it goes crazy on social media, they’ll want it out immediately. So if you start sharing ideas, be prepared to jump into production on one if it starts gaining traction.

It’s a great way to capitalize on momentum, but it can also get overwhelming if that happens.

4. Document

Another great way to build your artist world on social media between releases is to document what you’re already doing as an artist, especially if that includes working on what’s next.

Similar to the last idea, people love a work-in-progress because they can watch it come to life before their eyes. They can join you on the journey from idea to final product.

Bottom line: content lives in everything you’re already doing, so take advantage of what you can when you have space on your social calendar to fill.

Consistency counts

Social media is one of your greatest assets in building a fanbase and growing your career. And the best thing you can do to is to stay front-of-mind by regularly showing up with something “new”.

New in the form of new content, of course.

Not only does it keep you in front of your fans, but it extends to those that are on their way to becoming your fans. And to top it all off, it crafts more of your world for your fans.

Artistry is bigger than just art, so share your artistry too.

With content as your tool, build a world you’d want to live in as a fan.

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