So you've uploaded a few of your tracks to SoundCloud, and you're ready to see what people have to say. The only problem is that nobody seems to be listening to any of your music. This can be frustrating, but it is something that every new SoundCloud artist goes through. Building a following from scratch takes hard work, time, and dedication.

Put yourself in the listener's shoes. If you were going to SoundCloud to listen to some music, where would you look? A lot of people head to the search bar and look up artists or tracks they're familiar with. Others go to the most popular section and scout out some new tracks. Either way, they are more than likely not going to listen to your music for no reason.

In order to start getting some organic traffic, you need some other form of traffic first. It doesn't matter if the source is paid, referral, or social – you just need something. Once you've got your first thousand followers, the organic traffic will start rolling in. We've got a few tips on how you can get these first thousand followers, so read on!

Invite your family and friends

Obviously this can depend a lot on your situation, but friends and family are a great place to start. Even if you can get a handful of people to start following you and leaving a couple comments it will help. Ideally, you want other people to share your music, so encourage your family and friends to do that. Ask them to share your page on Facebook or other social media sites. This is how you start to bring in viral traffic; it's from your profile getting shared numerous times.Always remember to keep your advertisements to a minimum with family and friends. People tend to get annoyed if you spam their news feeds asking them to help promote you as an artist. Keep it subtle, and make sure you stay humble. Don't make the mistake of acting like you're a hot shot when you don't even have 15 followers on SoundCloud.

Post on Reddit and other forums

Self-promotion can be difficult and awkward at times, but with some practice you can get the hang of it. Posting your music on Reddit is one way of getting a lot of plays, but it's tough to get followers this way. Even so, if you manage to get 3, 2, or even just one new follower from posting a link – it's worth it! Make sure to contribute to whatever Subreddit you're sharing on before you post a link. If you self-promote on your first post, you might get a ghost ban or deleted.

Reddit isn't the only outlet you can use to share your music online. Forums are still around, and you can find some really good feedback on popular music ones. These are usually specific niche forums, so you'll have to do a bit of Google searching to find the right ones. Just like with Reddit, make sure you start posting on other threads first. If you look like a valuable community member, people are more likely to follow your links.

Buy them

If you've tried all the above and still aren't seeing much success, you can always buy your first 1,000. Sure, it would be much nicer if you could have 1,000 legitimate followers, but it's not always so easy. Getting paid followers along with the appropriate amount of plays and favorites is a great way to jump-start your profile on SoundCloud. Remember; you need followers and plays to start getting organic traffic. This is just another way you can go about getting those first followers.

When buying any sort of social media signals, be extra careful when picking out a provider. Some of them are fantastic and will provide you with high-quality plays and followers. But, there are the select few who will take advantage of you and not send what you were expecting. Just be sure to read third party reviews about a vendor before buying, and you'll be okay.

Doing what it takes to get the job done

Now that you've got the knowledge, it is time to get to work. We established early on that those followers weren't going to come by themselves (here are some more tips, too). It isn't going to be a piece of cake getting your first thousand, but much easier with the info shared today. Best of luck!

Date: March 1, 2016 / Categories: Getting Discovered, Tips, / Author: Viv