There are a million social media platforms out there.
Your cover band doesn't have to be on all of them.
We’re going to focus on creating a social media content strategy for the platforms that we’ve found have the highest return on investment for cover artists (remember, even if you don’t spend any money, your time is an investment). Between ease of use and functionality, most cover artists will get the most bang for your buck out of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t use any other social media platforms–or that you have to be on all of the above–we’re just sticking with what’s going to work for the vast majority of cover bands. Definitely test out other platforms and see what works best for your band. The most important thing is that you create content that’s appropriate (and optimized) for each platform without spreading yourself too thin.
If you haven’t set up social media profiles for your band yet, check out our Build Your Cover Band’s Online Presence guide and do that first.
If you’re a cover artist, you absolutely need a dedicated YouTube channel. It’s the easiest way to host your demo videos in a format that anyone, regardless of device or browser, can watch.
Anytime you perform, you’re creating potential content for your YouTube channel! If you don’t want to ask a friend in the audience to film for you, get a cheap tripod and set up your phone to record your set. Cut the video into one-song length videos that you can share with bookers and venue owners.
Disclaimer: copyright laws are complicated and the arrangements that copyright owners have with digital distributors are constantly changing. Consult an entertainment lawyer if you aren’t sure if you have permission to post a cover song.
Whenever you create a video for YouTube, share it natively on Facebook too (natively means upload the video directly to Facebook or through your social media manager–don’t share the YouTube link). Sharing natively will help your video look better and reach a wider audience (Facebook would rather you not direct people away from their site).
Facebook makes it super easy to create “events” to promote your gigs. Once a week, sit down with a list of any new gigs you’ve booked and create an event for each new gig. Make sure you tag the venue, set event privacy to “public,” and include the correct date and time for each one. Share the events with all of your fans and friends–and reshare the event on your page the day before and the day of your gig.
If you have pictures from previous gigs or from rehearsals, include posts using them in your Facebook schedule too.
Instagram may not be the best platform for promoting events, but it’s a great way to reach new audiences. The app has been prioritizing its Reels videos in the feed algorithm, so posting short videos of your playing can help you find new fans. Make sure you’re getting a few vertical videos at each gig and post them as Reels, tagging the location you played and letting people know that they can learn more about you by clicking the link in your bio.
TikTok has a lot of the same benefits as Instagram–and you can use the same videos you create for Instagram Reels on TikTok. Literally post the exact same content on TikTok and Reels and you’ll reach completely different audiences. For both Instagram Reels and TikTok, use hashtags related to the artists you cover to help your music find new fans!
It might look like some musicians casually post whenever they feel like it, but most successful artists plan their social media posts in advance–and get better at creating content with practice. Once a week, sit down and plan out your social media posts for the next week. You’ll want to share information about any gigs you have coming up plus photos and videos from past gigs and rehearsals. If you want to make things even simpler, you can use a social media manager like Hubspot or Hootsuite to schedule your posts and monitor when you need to respond to comments or questions on your posts.
Pay attention to which posts (and platforms) get the most results for you and adjust your plan to take advantage of what you’ve learned.