Video has, without a doubt, become one of most powerful forces in the world of social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube are ruled by funny schemes, cookies tutorials, and AGT covers that accumulate millions of views.

We know that viral videos have helped helped launch comedians and cooking channels… but how can it help the indie artist?

Here we bring you a step-to-step guide, with one goal and one action, to help you start planning a captivating music video in hopes of increasing your social media growth!

Goal #1: Think Outside of The Box

How many times have we seen the traditional music video? A guy and a girl, a party scene, or a band on a stage?

All of these videos have their place and time, but if you’re looking to create something that will stand out and be memorable – you will have to think completely outside of the box.

Ask yourself this: What is something that you wish you could always do? What would you find interesting on camera? What would surprise your viewers?

Action #1: Do brainstorming sessions!

Visit your local cafe, and bring a notepad or laptop to brainstorm!

Listen to your upcoming single over and over as you brainstorm concepts, moments, and ideas.

What does the song symbolize? Is there a deeper meaning or a story? What lyrics stand out to you and how could you play off of that?

You are the painter of your own picture! The writer of your own movie! Remove any limits and write down anything that comes to mind. 

Goal #2: Find The Right Team 

Finding the right team is going to be essential to making your experimental music video idea come to life.

This is also where budget comes into play.

Each video will require a different skill set, and one is not better than the other!

Once you’ve established your wicked music video idea – you’ll need to find someone who is good at that one specific skill. 

You don’t always have to hire a fancy music production company to achieve the look you want. Let’s say you want to shoot it all on film! Then find a videographer who has experience in those types of videos.

Or, perhaps you want to do a viral social experiment and set it to your music! Since most viral videos on Facebook are shot on iPhone, with the right eye you could pull it off.

In this case, you would need to find a friend who could pull this off.

Action #2: Search for your team!

The most important thing you should remember when finding the right crew is to look at their previous work. Have they already successfully created the look you’re looking for? 

Search on Instagram, Youtube, or even Facebook to find videographers and directors with #hashtags! 

Sometimes the most innovative crews are up and coming – not just the award-winning production companies that are at the top of the google search. Younger videographers won’t break your bank, and together you can work to create something really special for the two of you.

You could also visit film schools to find the next big video crew in your area.

Goal #3: Think strategy!

So what really does make a video go viral? Firstly, the content has to be extremely captivating. But sadly that isn’t always enough to win over the oversaturated social media landscape.

Going back to our first goal, think outside of the box with how you can get other people involved! 10 people promoting a music video is much more effective than solely relying on yourself or the members of your band.

How could you get social media influencers involved? Do you have any other musician friends who have larger followings? What about your connections to brands like makeup/clothing companies?

Featuring a brands product in your music video isn’t just for A-list artists.

Companies pay Instagram influencers large amounts of money to promote a product with one picture. In your case, you’re providing them an entire video, with months of promotion that goes into that song! 

Action #3: Pitch, pitch, pitch!

Now you have the idea and the crew capable of bringing that idea to life. What’s next? Create a visual deck to that song as well as a thought out plan of how you are going to promote the video. 

During this time, reach out to any companies or influencers that you believe would benefit from your video. The promotion will be mutual!

These associations will not only help add credibility to your video, but will also give you free promotion. 

Goal #4: Actually going viral

There is no step-to-step guide on how to actually go viral. Many “viral” videos took months of re-strategizing, which included multiple ad formats and huge $$$ that went behind it.

Action #4: Learn all you can about Facebook ads.

Luckily, Facebook has become a wonderful tool that allows anybody the opportunity to reach large amounts of people without a major label.

If you don’t have time to study the Facebook ad world, hire someone who has been successful in this space.

There are countless strategies that can make or break a video. If you only get 1,000 views on the first day, that doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t a captivating video. The best option is usually to get a powerful laptop with high quality speakers for listening to your music. Sometimes, it comes down to the ad and the knowledge of the person running it.

Hitting the books can be very beneficial and I’ve seen it break someone’s career. 

Goal #5: Create viral-worthy content, regardless of the outcome! 

Creating just to go viral is like becoming a musician for the money. In most cases, it comes off as insecure and will only be unhealthy for you.

Viral-worthy content is really just well thought out videos that are interesting to the viewer. Nothing more, nothing less! If you have this mentality with every video you create, you will begin to create a buzz for yourself in your local music scene.

Action #5: Just keep swimming… I mean filming!

If the first video didn’t take off like you’d hope, that’s expected! Music videos are supposed to be a snapshot in time. A piece of the puzzle of a bigger picture. It is what you do next that will continue to build your hype.

It won’t be the first video, it’ll be the second, the third, or the fourth that gets people hooked. Make your last video your best and stay positive. Good things come to those who push through! 

Thanks for reading our latest blog! At The Women’s International Music Network, our goal is to connect and empower women working within the music industry. For advice, opportunity, and music news, follow us on Instagram here!