For indie artists looking to build an audience for themselves, a social media presence is a must. One of the best social media platforms to use is Instagram. Many artists, however, struggle with content creation ideas.

While some can afford to hire a manager to handle their Instagram account, others have to do it themselves. This puts them between a rock and a hard place. They have no idea what to do, but they can't ignore Instagram.

If I have just described your predicament, be glad, it doesn't have to be that way anymore. I have ten Instagram content creation tips that will transform your Instagram. Let's have a look...

10 Content Tips for Instagram

Content creation isn't as easy as some people make it seem. The finished videos on Instagram all look so creative and eye-catching, but they're often the product of hours of work. To help bring your Instagram to life, here are ten tips…

Covers

The first content idea for you is making covers. It's an obvious one, but quite effective too. Take a popular song and put your spin on it. Make a video of you singing your cover and you could win yourself an entire army of fans. Two artists who've done this are acapella group, Pentatonix, and singer-rapper duo, Devon Terrell and Futuristic. These two groups became popular for their creative and spicy covers of popular songs.

Of course, they had to put in tons of work to make the audio clean and the videos attractive, but you can do that too. Making covers helps you use music that people are already familiar with to show your creativity and ability.

Freestyles

Another creative way to bring your Instagram account to life is short freestyle videos. This works especially well for indie rappers because it shows your range, natural flow, and creativity. It could be a cover of a popular song with an extra verse of your own, a no-beat freestyle, or a daring freestyle where you play different beats and switch up your flow as the best changes.

A great example of this is Harry Mack. Although he uses Omegle, his concept is what intrigues me. He goes on live with someone and asks them to give him three words to freestyle around, and always smashes it, and he's gaining popularity. Good, creative freestyles are a magnet for fans.

Short skits

As an indie artist, you have to diversify if you want to keep your audience hooked. One creative way to display your talent is to make short skits. In these skits, you'd have to display good acting skills, then display your musical talent as the climax of the skit. Connor Price is my best example of this. His skits are entertaining and he always ends them with a snippet of his song and a link to listen to. I have clicked quite a few times.

As an independent artist, it's essential to have a strong presence on Instagram to promote your music and connect with fans.

Snippets of past performances

As an indie artist, one of the best ways to earn a living is by performing, so chances are you've got a few gigs under your belt. If so, you should make videos of these performances and post snippets on Instagram. These videos will open up a new stream of opportunities because it lets your fans know you're good at performing, and more importantly, that you're great at it.

Make a series

If you'd like to keep the attention of your fans for a prolonged period, make a series. You can make a series about anything, from showing the different stages of song production to the backstage preparation for a show.

Give your fans a peek at something interesting and stretch it over some time to keep the hype up. Of course, beware that you don't make stretch it too far and risk the engagement fizzing out.

Games and contests

The best way to build a connection with fans on Instagram is to interact with them, and one creative way to do that is to organize fun games and contests. You could ask fans to make covers of your songs, create album art for your next project, create a dance for a hit song, or do anything else that will be fun to do.

Contests like this, especially when the prize is quite decent, could fan up a good amount of excitement online. The more people participate, the wider your audience gets.

Q and A sessions

Another way to interact with fans on Instagram is to simply talk to them. IG Live is a feature that lets you interact with fans in real-time. Q and A sessions are especially effective because it requires back-and-forth communication between you and your fans. You can limit the scope of the questions or leave it open, but there will always be people who have questions for you if you've attained some level of success.

How does it feel to be an indie artist? What challenges have you overcome along the way? What's your favorite dog breed? Do you add cereal to milk or milk to cereal? Messi or Ronaldo? Questions like these are what keep the personal connection between you and your fans, and that's priceless.

Polls and surveys

Another way to stay connected to your fans is to make them feel like a part of your journey as an artist. You can ask for their opinions on several subjects from what outfit to wear to a live show to what version of a chorus they like better. No matter how small the decision, your fans will feel part of your process, and that will endear you to them.

Creating a consistent and visually appealing Instagram feed can also help establish your brand and build a following.

Guest appearances

One piece of advice I always give young indie artists is to make connections wherever they go. Meet new people and build relationships because the number one factor to success is access, and relationships give you just that. One of the ways to use your connections is to get them on camera with you.

Guest appearances, especially when the guest is a fan favorite, can be huge for you. It'll fan up excitement and create a buzz in your fanbase. It also opens you up to your guest's fanbase. It can be quite fun too!

Personal info

Finally, another way to connect with your fans is to share personal information. Don't be an open book, of course, but fans love to hear from artists. Whether it's a picture of you and your mom, a family photo, or a video of you playing catch with your son, your fans will love to hear from you. This shows them the human side of you that they can relate to and connect to, and that emotional bond is the most powerful.

Final Thoughts

Instagram is an incredibly effective social media platform for indie artists. To get to a massive audience on Instagram, you have to understand how it works. There's no one rule for how to do it, and you don't have to apply all ten tips to be successful. You must find which tips align with your content and make the best use of them. If you can hack Instagram, you're on your way to greatness. So godspeed, I'm rooting for you.