How Twitter Can Drive Your Mixcloud Plays…
Twitter is used by over 310 million active users worldwide, so if you’re pushing your mixes on Mixcloud it figures you’re going to get more plays if you know how to play Twitter…. right? Although Twitter might not automatically be the first place you think of when it comes to promoting your mixes, something with such a big audience quite simply cannot be ignored if you really want to maximise your plays.
I’m sure you know how it works. You basically use the @ mention to interact with others with the benefit being that it encourages more of an open conversation than other social tools. You can open an account today and tweet whoever you like.
You can post on Twitter much more frequently than facebook – some people post over 20 times each day. It’s a good opportunity for you to tell fans what you’re up to every day.
Getting Started on Twitter
Once you’ve got an account set up on Twitter, add a profile picture & header photo. These are pretty much the same as the Facebook profile/timeline images.
To find friends to follow go to Settings > Find Friends. This allows you to import your “Gmail” or “outlook” email contacts to see who has Twitter.
Start following other DJs you like. “Like” their tweets and try to engage with them.
Try to get into the habit of sharing photos/videos on Twitter too – even if it’s you just playing around with some new sounds in the studio.
How to get more plays on your Mixcloud Mixes with Twitter
Have you ever put a new mix on Soundcloud / Mixcloud and wanted to get more plays? This tip is a good way of getting other DJs to promote your mixes, and it’s really simple!
So let’s say you’ve just polished off a new mix; the entire thing is bounced, tracklisted and uploaded to Soundcloud or Mixcloud.
Now, find all the producers/remixers tunes who you added to the mix in the search function, and make note of all their Twitter names (also known as “Twitter handles”).
For example: you have a mix with 20 different producers featured in it and you’ve now got a list of all 20 producers in the mix. Twitter only allows tweets of 140 characters so if all the DJs won’t fit into 1 tweet, schedule some tweets over a few days. Start the first tweet off with something like:
“New [YOUR DJ NAME] out now, featuring tunes from @DJ1 @DJ2 @DJ3 @DJ4 @DJ5. Check it out here: [LINK TO MIX]”
DJs will be notified of your tweet and some of them will even check out your mix. If you’ve decided to include their tune – chances are they might find some other tracks in your mix they also like.
Even if they don’t listen to your mix, there’s a good chance they’ll retweet your post to their followers. After all, you’re promoting THEIR music – so it’s self-promotion for them! This works especially well with the smaller DJs & producers, who are building their following. Don’t expect the bigger guys to RT (retweet), but at least you’re on their radar as they will have seen it.
Some of the smaller DJs will follow you from it too – which is a great opportunity to DM (direct message) them and start a new conversation. Plenty of opportunities can arise from this – so many musical collabs have happened simply because of Twitter!
Jokes Kill it on Twitter
You might have a really funny joke in a 3,000-word blog post you’ve written, but chances are it might go unseen.
Given that Twitter is limited to 140 characters per tweet, jokes can be easy to digest for people. If your personality & tone of voice suits it, use jokes in Twitter for maximum exposure. The more Twitter followers you have – even if you get them as a result of non-musical activity – the more Mixcloud plays you will ultimately get for your mixes.
