How Do You Market Music Without Spamming Everyone? (YouTube's Algorithm, Actually)
- Slackerman Music
- Jan 19, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 12
This article was originally published in the Indie Music Feedback blog.
The YouTube Algorithm: Your Secret Weapon
So you've googled "how to market your music on YouTube" and found yourself drowning in advice about posting 47 times a day on TikTok, DMing influencers who'll never respond, and spamming Reddit threads until you hate yourself. Fun times.
Here's a different approach: What if you could use YouTube's algorithm to do the marketing FOR you? Organically.
Without the hustle.
Without feeling like you're selling your soul for 3 likes and a bot comment. Sounds too good to be true? Let me tell you a story.
But first, a word from our dear Mr. Jordan Peterson:
Why Marketing Feels Gross (And Why That's Actually Normal)
I have always noticed that people with creative backgrounds are always adamant about the idea of selling themselves. That the very idea of ‘marketing’ their product or their craft is always seen as something ‘evil.’ But yet there is this lingering desire or yearning to be seen or heard. Also, many times you will find tutorials for "How to EQ wave patterns to make it sound like a crying baby..." or "How to paint realistic clouds using your Mom's burnt spatula... Amazing results!" but you never see a tutorial on "How to sell your art and make a little money from it. Even dimes."
So let’s say, you do want to be heard, and you do want people to listen to your music, you set up the basic requirements; Write. Produce. Record. Distribute. Share. And hope it spreads out like wildfire…
And, that’s the end of the line. Hope.
(Well, there’s friends and families to share, but we all know how that turns out…) You also have to be honest with yourself at least that the “…spreading like wildfire” bit is not really going to happen.
But, don’t fret. If you feel that you are not good at marketing, I believe there is still a fighting chance… and you can do it for free.
The YouTube Algorithm: Your Secret Weapon
Yes... back to the story… It starts with this Band called American Football.
It was a real thrill to see them release their first-ever music video in 2014. This was after 14 years of them being disbanded and decided to get back together.
So I watched this repeatedly from when it first came out. Then one day, I saw this thumbnail being suggested repeatedly by Youtube…
That Time a Chinese Band Converted Me Through Silly, Silly Thumbnails.
At first, as the smug little snob that I am, I scoffed at it… Who wouldn’t? So I try to brush it off as best as I can. But that artwork was very curious and totally enticing. So I gave in… My curiosity came over me. So I listened, knowing what to expect.
I thought to myself, “Emo sound, but only in Chinese…” so no harm, I clicked on it and true enough, the first track was totally familiar and it was exactly what I was expecting…
But came in the 2nd song…
Suddenly, I am addicted to their music, listened to the rest of the album, and was on a search frenzy trying to find more about them. I basically went into a rabbit hole...
I believe they released their music in 2015, but I never heard of them until 2017. Long story short… I’ve been converted.
Story over. But did you see how did that work!?!
The best part of it all was that it was really, very, organic. I didn’t get a silly bot-message in Chinese suggesting that I listen to their music.
Another fun fact: These guys got a chance to play with American Football.
Need proof?
You can read articles here if you need more convincing…
Breaking Down What Actually Happened (The SEO Part)
I am on YouTube, aside from the usual meme and cat videos I regularly watch, I’m also a regular browser of music. Over time, the YouTube algorithm figured out what kind of music I listen to.
Looking back at the video tag for the album, here’s what I see (as of the writing of this article):
Looking at the American Football video, here are the video tags (as of the writing of this article):
How YouTube Suggested Music Saved Me From My Own Snobbery
So what can we take away from here?
Straight to the point, the YouTube algorithm can help your music reach people you don’t know in a very organic way. If you find the time to set it up properly and go through it, your music can start creeping out and possibly be heard by the right people. The kind of people you want to listen to your music.
Back then, one way of discovering music organically is when you hear it over the radio or a PA system, but even during that time, you have to either ask someone nearby who might know who’s playing or wait for a DJ to pop up near the end of the song to say who was playing. Another way of discovering music is through trading cassettes through friends or while channel surfing over the TV.
In some ways, YouTube kind of works that way… it has 2 billion users worldwide. Your chances of getting at least 100 from that number are really high if you at least try to work on your tags. Think of tags as spiders that crawl the web suggesting your content to people who will potentially lend you an ear. Instead of running around the web, looking for places to share your work, SEO technology can do the work for you. Even at a slow pace.
Questions You Probably Have (That I Had Too)
"Wait, can you ACTUALLY market music without spamming Reddit?"
Yes. I know it sounds fake, but YouTube's algorithm legitimately works if you set it up right. Chinese Football? Never DMed me. Never posted in a Discord server. (at least I was not in that Discord server ever...) Their video just… appeared. Because someone, somewhere, optimized their tags properly.
"How long does this take to work?" Painfully long. 3-6 months minimum. The Chinese band took 2 years to reach me organically. But here's the thing - once it starts working, it compounds. Their video kept showing up until my curiosity broke me down. That's the power of repeated exposure through discovery. "What are the 'right' tags for music?" Your genre (lofi, trip hop, indie) Mood descriptors (chill, study, relaxing) And artists you sound like. (Gorillaz, Nujabes, etc...) Basically: think about what YOU would search for if you were looking for music like yours. Then use those as tags. You can also read to understand more about Tags here.
"Do I have to do the social media hustle too?"
Not if you don't want to. This guide is specifically for people (like me) who'd rather optimize once and let the algorithm work than post TikTok videos every day. Pick your poison. I picked SEO.
So What Now?
Look, I'm not saying this will make you blow up overnight. It won't. But if you're tired of the constant self-promotion hustle, if you've been wondering "how do I market my music on YouTube without feeling like a spam bot," this is your alternative. Also... I am only using Youtube here as an example. Other platforms provides you with tagging options too. But I am certain that the principle is basically the same. Heck, you can even copy-paste whatever tag set you came up with on the other platform.
So... How Do You Market Your Music on YouTube Without Feeling Like a Sellout?
Upload your music. Optimize your tags. Be patient. Let the algorithm do its thing.
Will it take time? Yes. Will some people still never hear you? Also yes. But the ones who DO find you? They're finding you because they were actively looking for music like yours. That's a real audience. Not bots.
Real people who chose to click. And honestly? That one or two plays a day can compound over time. I should know - I've been doing this for years now.
Want to see this strategy in action? Here's my music:
Youtube - Spotify - Bandcamp
Look, if you're great at building community and enjoy engaging on Reddit or Discord, do that. It works for a lot of people. I'm just offering an alternative for those of us who'd rather optimize tags once than post daily updates. Both paths are valid - just depends on your style. Your call. 🎵
Another Day, Slackerman
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