SoundCloud is a platform where a lot of people thrive. But the good news is that there are a lot of easy steps that you can take to make your profile more discoverable. 

Below are some of the steps that you can do to have a more discoverable SoundCloud profile:

IMO if soundcloud goes under, preserving shares/likes/follows is more important than preserving music files. artists need discoverability.

— yan (@bcrypt) July 13, 2017

Step #1: Create an excellent first impression

Your display picture and header image are the first things that people will see when visiting your profile. For this reason, having a design that can be easily recognized goes a very long way. It is worth noting that your avatar will appear a lot smaller on the stream of your followers. So, you must keep your avatar attention-grabbing yet straightforward. While this may seem like a natural step, you will be surprised by its impact. 

Besides, make sure that your bio and social links are given importance as well. Take advantage of your bio by telling people an introduction about you and your music and encourage your followers to repost if they like your music./

Also, you need to make sure that all the links in your profile are updated. This will help your followers reach you better on other social media and gain a much deeper connection with you and your music. 

Step #2: Use SoundCloud’s Spotlight feature

In case you are haven’t got the memo yet, SoundCloud has this Spotlight feature that allows you to pin a maximum of five items like tracks or playlists at the top of your profile page. Doing this will help you expose your potential followers and fans to some of your best works. You can also utilize this feature if you have a new song that you want your fans to see.

Step #3: Work With Other Collaborators

It is a fact that there will always be better collaborators than you. There are even a lot of them who are better when it comes to marketing. Try to collaborate with them as an advantage. If you have friends who are SoundCloud artists, team up with them by following each other’s profile, reposting them, and commenting on one another’s tracks. You can also try to collaborate on creating a new music track to increase your audience and expand your reach.

Step #4: Focus on your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts

For you to crawl at the top of search engines, you need to maximize your search engine optimization efforts. Google and other search engines will only recognize you if you have clarity and space. So, rather than using compounded titles like “morningsunshine,” it would be so much better if you are going to use “Morning Sunshine.” While this edit may seem simple, it guaranteed that it will help you have a higher place on Google search results. SoundCloud also said that it would also help you appear on search engines if you repeat your Display Name in your Profile URL. You can also link your SoundCloud account to your other social media profiles.

Step #5: Use download gates

Download gates are simply software tools that you can use to give something away in exchange for social interaction. You can use download gates to create a “Free Download” button. If someone trying to download your song is not following your account yet, you can use the download gates to prompt them to follow you in exchange for a free download of your album or track.

Download gates can help you get more followers when you release a track. Some of the best ones to consider are Hypeddit, Toneden, as well as Artist Union. 

Step #6: Utilize your tags

It would be convenient for people to find your music if your tracks are properly tagged. However, it is essential to note that you must keep your tags relevant to your genre. Also, be sure that you stick into only one genre. If you tag multiple genres into your tracks, it will prevent you from being seen by your target audience. Apart from the genre, you can also add moods and locations as tags for your music. Proper tags make all the difference if only you make it concise and accurate. The more precise your tags are, the more chances that your music will be discovered by your target listeners.

Step #7: Use SoundCloud Promotional Channels

SoundCloud promotional channels host an artist’s music on their own account and broadcast it to their larger audiences. Although these channels are usually called SoundCloud labels, they are far from what you think. SoundCloud promotional channels do not distribute music to Apple Music, Spotify, and other music streaming sites. Besides, the founders of these channels moderate when it comes to their acceptance guidelines. 

Since discoverability on Twitch has become a bigger issue and it's harder to get noticed, streaming full-time has become harder too.

If you like the content someone is putting out, share it! We don't care where, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter… Let's bring word of mouth back!

— ShannaNina 🍐 (@ShannaNina) January 4, 2018

Moreover, relationships with SoundCloud promotional channels are pretty easy to maintain through direct SoundCloud messages and Facebook messenger, which makes it easier for you to pitch your tracks. The bigger the channel that hosts your music, the more benefit you will get from your featured track. But it is worth noting that SoundCloud promotional channels are precise when it comes to genre. So, you have to make sure that you are pitching accordingly.

Step #8: Create a unique album cover

Your album art is the representation of your music regardless of where it goes. For instance, when you share your album on your social media pages like Facebook and Instagram, your album cover goes with it. In an example that your album gets picked up by a blog and featured it, of course, they are going to use the album art as a representation of the album itself, right? For this reason, you must keep in mind that your album art is also an essential part of your music. Apart from that, unique cover art will help you stand out.

Date: May 19, 2020 / Categories: Getting Discovered, / Author: E O