How To Promote Your Music In Nigeria 2021 Step By Step

So you are searching for how to promote your songs in Nigeria, you saw Shoutmeceleb Entertainment and click on the link now what? 

 

In today’s post, I will show you how to promote your music in Nigeria as an artist. I have at least 17 steps that you can follow today.

 

As a matter of fact, this method of music promotion in Nigeria is used by big artists in other countries as too. 

 

For example, Davido and Wizkid use at least 3 of the 17 in their music marketing strategy in Nigeria. 

 

Wait! 

 

Before you and I dive into how to market your music in Nigeria as a new artist, here is a bullet point of what this post will talk about. 

 

• What is music promotion? 

 

• What are the merits of music promotion in Nigeria? 

 

• What are the demerits of music promotion in Nigeria? 

 

• How do I promote my songs in Nigeria? 

 

• conclusion

 and now that you know what this post will cover, come let me show you the several ways you can market your music. 

 

but first, let’s go through some basic things like what is music promotion. 

 

What Is Music Promotion in Nigeria 

 

Music promotion is simply the process of getting your music to reach more people that love to listen to songs. 

 

However, you have to know that there are different genres of music in Nigeria. 

There is Afro-pop, Afrobeat, Afrofusion, dancehall, Afro House, Afro hip hop, gospel, and highlife. 

 

The Nigeria music market favors Afrobeat because this is how artists like Davido and Wizkid took the genre international to a wider audience. 

 

Having said that if you really want to know how to promote your music in Nigeria, then you need to know the genre that is favored the most. 

 

A good rule of thumb would be for you to record and produce songs in that same genre to reach your target audience. 

 

Although the taste of Nigerians for music is unquenchable, other genres the citizens consume include hip hop, blues, and soul. 

 

With that out of the way, come let’s talk about the importance of music promotion in Nigeria. 

 

What Are The Merits Of Music Promotion In Nigeria

 

In 2016 I met DJ O2 in Delta State Nigeria during a music concert held at the Warri Township stadium. 

 

He and I exchanged pleasantries and spoke about artists in the locality of the state. 

By this time, artists like Erigga, Shaun Bebe, Shoshocute, Victor AD, Twest were all on the spotlight. 

 

DJ O2 said the one important lessons artists haven’t learned is that music is not just dependent on how good you are. 

 

A lot of it is dependent on how to market your music in Nigeria because it’s a very competitive market. 

 

This was the first time I realize that it was about advertising your song to reach wider demographics (ones interested in your song). 

 

Now will be a good time to tell you to get into music if you know how to sing. 

 

but first, you definitely should check out this article on how to become a popular musician in Nigeria for a headstart. 

 

Having said that, here are the advantages of music promotion. 

 

• You will reach more audience when you promote your music 

 

• You will gain more followers on social media 

 

• Big records label can decide to sign you 

 

• You will make more money from people streaming your songs 

 

• Other big artists will discover you and may want to collaborate 

 

• You will become famous if your music promotion goes viral 

 

• Radio and TV stations will call you for interviews thereby increasing your popularity 

 

Okay, you have seen the merits so you may be wondering if there are merits then there should be a demerit right? 

 

Well, there are demerits to music promotion in Nigeria, especially for upcoming artists. 

 

Demerits Of Music Promotion In Nigeria 

 

However, the advantages of advertising your music in Nigeria far outweigh the Disadvantage. 

 

Having said that, here are some of the disadvantages (demerit) if you will of promoting your song in Nigeria. 

• It is expensive to get on the really big platforms 

 

• If you do not have any knowledge about this, you can lose a good amount of money without getting any results

 

• You may get scammed if you are perceived as new to the music business 

 

Note: if you want to counter scams on music promotion then you must learn to read reviews online. 

 

A good rule of thumb is to look for reviews that has more than 500 feedbacks. 

 

This will give you an idea of whether to trust such promotion platforms, tools, and software. 

 

So now you have the basic knowledge about what music promotion is, some of the pros and cons right? 

 

Here is what I will do next! 

 

I will show you the different music promotion strategies in Nigeria. 

 

This way you will learn how to promote your music in Nigeria in 2021. 

 

Come let’s get on with it because there is a lot to go through. 

 

How Do I Promote My Songs In Nigeria 

 

How can I promote my music in Nigeria? You can promote your music in Nigeria through free and paid platforms. Social media and music streaming platforms like Apple are two of the many several ways one can promote his or her songs so read on to find more ways. 

 

If you are going to succeed in the music business then learning how to promote your music in Nigeria is a viable skillset. 

 

This is because by the time you drop a song, promoting it is no longer the problem for you. 

 

With that said here are 17 different ways to market your songs in Nigeria. 

 

I saved the best for the last so make sure you read through this article word for word. 

 

Here is a complete list of 17 easy ways to promote songs in Nigeria in 2021. 

 

• Word of mouth & Flyers 

 

• Launching album/listening party 

 

• Facebook

 

• Twitter 

 

• Instagram 

 

• Youtube 

 

• Tiktok 

 

• Influencer marketing 

 

• Apple music 

 

• Spotify music 

 

• PR music promotion agencies

 

• Radio 

 

• Website 

 

• Email marketing 

 

• Audiomack 

 

• Electronic press kit

 

• Blogs

 

Now come let me show you how to promote your music in Nigeria using the above listed 17 methods. 

 

1. Word Of Mouth/Flyers 

 

You have a hit song, and now it’s time to reach your potential fan base but you are clueless as to how to reach more fans with your music. 

 

Enter the word of mouth/flyers… 

 

I know you are thin this is probably an ancient traditional tactic, right? 

 

Well, if it is not working fine I would not border adding it to this list. 

 

So here is what you want to do once you have your first song or album as an independent artist. 

 

Go out there to your locality and start telling people about your latest song. 

 

Tell friends, producers, directors, guitarists, drummers, and so on. 

 

To make the process easier and quickly reach more people without tiring out using flyers. 

 

You don’t have to break the bank because tools like canva.com let you use their tool to create flyers. 

 

All you have to do is create an account and you can use tools on the dashboard to create your flyers. 

 

Essentially you should aim to create at least 500 flyers to reach a wider audience. 

 

2. Launching Album & Listening Party 

 

So you have just used word of mouth to reach more people, now what? 

 

Well, you can also use launching your album and listening party to reach and connect with lovers of music. 

 

The flyers you used in the previous step already provide you with all the people you need. 

 

Now just throw a not-so-fancy listening party which is below $500 the equivalent of N180,000. 

 

Hand out a couple of snacks, drinks and start launching and doing your launching party. 

 

In the age where everything or everyone is now digital, people will upload short clips of your listening party to their Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram accounts. 

 

This gives you more exposure and potentially reaches friends of friends of the people you invited. 

 

3. Facebook 

 

If you really want to reach more demographics then Facebook advertising has to be one of your many music promotion plans. 

 

This is because FB is the second most popular site in the world when it comes to users. 

 

This means potential music lovers hang out here every day in different groups that talk about music.

 

Here is what you should do especially after you have all your artist profiles set up on Facebook. 

 

This includes contact address, email address, phone number etc.

 

Step 1

 

Now join each of these groups and answer some relevant questions about their problems. 

 

The more solution you bring to their problems, the more you come out as an authority in your space. 

 

Naturally, people will start to visit your profile to learn more about you and listen to your songs 

 

Step 2

 

Chances are step one is a very tedious process to go through and the result is usually slow. 

 

So you want the fast road right? 

 

Well, I have that for you and what is that? 

 

Enter Facebook advertising… 

 

Here is what you need to do. 

 

On your Facebook account go to Facebook Ad manager from the drop-down menu. 

 

If you can’t find it then simply type Facebook Ad manager into Google and click on the first result. 

 

Login with your Facebook account and watch this video below. 

 

4. Twitter 

 

Twitter is another friendly social media for music promotion. 

 

The first time my friend used it he got crazy reach and it works just like Facebook. 

 

The only thing you need to do is use popular trends that are related to music to get more visibility. 

 

Here is what you need to do… 

 

Create a new post just as you would on Facebook, look at the trend table on the right-hand side of your laptop screen, and use hashtag trends related to music. 

 

This will make sure people find your songs, listen to them and if they like them, they will start to follow you. 

 

Another thing you can do is use Twitter paid ads to reach more people with your songs. 

 

Here is how you can achieve this… 

 

• Type Twitter advertising into Google and click on the first result 

 

• Go to the Twitter ad page to set up a running ad 

 

• Once you are done setting it to your preference hit the publish button 

 

If the above steps look intimidating then watch this short video to learn how to advertise on Twitter. 

 

5. Instagram 

 

The world has gone full-blown digital and the increasing numbers of people on these platforms are why it’s one of the best ways to promote your music in Nigeria. 

 

The funny thing is with a little bit of money you can get your music to the right audience. 

 

Videos work best on Instagram, especially because the platform is gearing towards competing with TV ads. 

 

Assuming you have created your Instagram profile (use public figure Instagram profile). 

 

Upload a short video to the platform and ask your friends and family to share it. 

 

Once they do, you can reach more people who will listen to your song. 

 

However, it’s important you know that this process is slow except you went viral on Instagram. 

 

If you wish to go viral on Instagram then read this article here. 

 

Now if you want a faster approach then use paid advertising on Instagram. 

 

All you have to do is search Instagram advertising on Google and then click on the first result on the SERPs. 

 

Once you have done that follow this video step by step to learn how to advertise on Instagram. 

 

6. YouTube 

 

Another way you can promote your song is through YT. 

 

This is 3rd most popular site in the world as of 2021 with more than 1 billion users. 

 

You would be missing out if as an artist you are failing to maximize the full potential of this platform. 

 

Since it offers both free and paid promotions, it’s my all-time favorite, especially for break-out artists. 

 

Here is what you should do! 

 

Create a youtube channel with your already existing Gmail account. 

 

If you don’t know to create a YT channel profile then read this article here. 

 

Once you are done then start uploading your songs to the platform. 

 

After uploading it, share the URL of the song or video with friends and family. 

 

However, if you want more reach then run YouTube ads to reach the majority of your audience. 

 

Having your songs on YouTube even provides you an opportunity to make money on the side with Google AdSense. 

 

7. TikTok 

 

This is the new kid on the block hence why there is so much fuzz about it currently. 

 

So what better way can you promote your songs than up on the trend. 

 

TikTok is easier to reach more people hence why the growing popularity. 

 

Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that have become increasingly harder to reach more audiences, Tiktok helped simplify that. 

 

So here how to take advantage of this growing trend to promote your songs. 

 

Set up an account on Tiktok and start uploading your videos and songs. 

 

Tip: Include trending hashtags to your post to help it get easy discovery. 

 

You have to understand that Tik Tok is just one of the many online music promotions in Nigeria available to artists.

 

My advice, jump on Tiktok before it gets really saturated just like the others on this list. 

 

8. Influencer Marketing 

 

What is influencer marketing? Simply put it’s the process of reaching out to people with a larger audience to help you get your songs in front of their audience. 

 

Since there are different social media influencers, pick what works best for you. 

 

I would also suggest that you use micro-influencers on social media to reach a new audience. 

 

This is because their charges are usually low. 

 

Now you have to know that engagement is key to using influencers. 

 

So pick an influencer with an engaging audience because this way you can maximize the potential of their audience and even gain new followers. 

 

So how can you find influencers? I have provided you with this link to read up on finding influencers. 

 

This will be a topic of its own but if you follow the tips I have given you above, you should be good to go. 

 

9. Apple Music 

 

Things are changing really fast; back in the day, what you needed are PR marketers.

 

but today, that has changed really fast since it’s become a digital age.

 

Gaining more knowledge on how to promote your music in Nigeria means you also need to know about music streaming platforms. 

 

Enter Apple one of the fastest-growing music streaming platforms on the planet. 

 

So how do you use Apple Music as a streaming service to promote your songs? 

 

In other to get your songs on Apple, you need to pass through platforms like Tunecore. 

 

So the first thing you need to do is register an account with Tunecore which should cost between 50 dollars to 150 dollars. 

 

Once you are registered with CD Baby, read this article to show you how to get your songs on Apple music. 

 

10. Spotify 

 

Spotify have also made music streaming a competitive environment for Apple music. 

 

So you definitely need to get your songs on there too and the best way to do this is to sign up with Ditto. 

 

You can pitch songs to individual curators and take advantage of Spotify for artists. 

 

However, it’s easier said than done so since this is a huge topic to cover I recommend you read this article here. 

 

It will help teach you how to promote your songs on Spotify. 

 

Also while on Spotify, you can create your own playlists because Spotify uses algorithms to display and push playlists to its audience.

 

11. PR Music Promotion Agencies 

 

The cost of music promotion in Nigeria when using PR promotion agencies can be on the high side. 

 

So if you are an upcoming artist, I will be honest with you, you just can’t afford it. 

 

Nonetheless, I still have to show you how to use these guys. 

 

There are a couple of music promotion companies in Lagos that offer music marketing services. 

 

Here is a list of some of the music promoters in Alaba market Lagos state. 

 

• Beat N mix studio

 

• enuelmedia

 

• 1710 media

 

• target media

 

 Should these does not work for you then here are some really famous names of online music promotion companies in the world. 

• Your Army
• Cyber PR
• Planetary Group
• Prescription PR
• Global Publicity
• Urban Dubz
• Vision
• Burstimo

 

PR agencies have lots of connections in the nook and cranny of the music industry around the world. 

 

This is why it is important to work with one but not before you have seen their track records. 

 

Essentially, you need to see testimonies of previous works that they have done with other artists. 

 

The kind of result they achieved with such artists, and make sure they have worked with about 3 different artists before choosing to work with such PR team. 

 

You also need to ask them how they are going to track the progress and result. 

 

This is because you don’t want to give money to an agent who has no music marketing strategy. 

 

Here is how to go about it… 

 

First contact any of the listed names on the site, Facebook PAGE, Instagram handle or Twitter handle. 

 

Book a meeting and use the above vetting procedures to prospect each company you are in contact with. 

 

12. Radio 

 

Another way you can promote your music in Nigeria is through Radio broadcasting. 

 

In Nigeria there Beats 99.9 FM, 96.7 FM, and more, what you need to do is get their contacts and book a meeting. 

 

The purpose of this meeting is to work out a price that is fair to you and the radio broadcasting station. 

 

This may be a traditional way of music promotion that is consistent with the old ways. 

 

However, you will be surprised to know that a lot of Nigerians still listen to radio stations. 

 

Plus Android Phones and iPhones even made it easier by incorporating FM into phones. 

 

13. Website 

 

Since you asked about how to promote your song in Nigeria, I thought I would add this to the list. 

 

This is because owning your own website where you can promote your music is better than using other people’s platforms. 

 

At least with your site, you have control over everything and anything without someone giving you shitty rules. 

 

I would love to show you how to build your own music website but that will take forever. 

 

So here is what I will do for you, go to this link and read everything you need to have your own website… 

 

Back in the day, this process used to be hard, now it’s just clicking a couple of buttons, and you are done. 

 

• You can buy hosting service here 

 

• Then read up this article on the top 10 things you must do after installing WordPress. 

 

14. Email Marketing 

 

One of the most effective ways have seen people use email marketing is in affiliate marketing. 

 

but the truth is that Email marketing is not reserved for affiliate marketing alone. 

 

If you really want to have control over your audience then you need to have their email addresses.

 

This is because whenever you release your music, you could immediately send them a notification. 

 

Once they receive an email with new music in their inbox, they are bound to open it and listen to it. 

 

So how do get started with Email marketing? 

 

The first thing you need to do is use tools like Hellobar to collect an email address. 

 

but no one would just give you their email address for free so you need to give them something for free before collecting their email address. 

 

Examples of things you could give out for sign-up include PDF files of anything, T-shirts, your best-curated playlist, etc. 

 

Once you have enough emails collected, you can use Hello Mail to send out messages to your email subscribers. 

 

15. Audiomack

 

One of my favorite free platforms I always recommend for upcoming artists. 

 

All you have to do is get signed up for an account and start uploading your music to the platform. 

 

A lot of Nigerians use this platform to discover new up-and-coming artists. 

 

16.  Blogs 

 

Just like your website, you can also get your music on blogs in Nigeria to promote your songs. 

 

blogs like Naijaloaded, Justnajia, Tooxclusive are examples of music promotion sites in Nigeria. 

 

You can use these platforms to get your music in front of their audience. 

 

Naturally, Nigeria bloggers write about musicians in the country. 

 

Here is what you want to do to get your music in front of the audience of Naijaloaded and Tooxclusive. 

 

Go to the website address Naijaloaded.com, Tooxclusive.com and look for their contact page. 

 

Once you find it, get their contact address and shoot them a mail. 

 

Asked them if they would love to write about your songs. 

 

If you get a reply, send the song down and agree a fee if there is any. 

 

That’s all and your song will be published on these platforms which will get you more views and download. 

 

17. Electronic Press Kits 

 

What is an electronic press kit or EPK? It is the resume of your brand. 

 

It contains everything about your music career, from videos to photos, to tours, to updated bios, and heck even your contact. 

 

A good rule of thumb is that you have it ready to go by the time you drop a new track. 

 

It will help you book shows and show what you have in hand just in case you meet other of your musical colleagues. 

 

Conclusion 

 

When looking for different means on how to promote your music in Nigeria, you have to consider every option at your disposal. 

 

If I were you, I would go with Facebook, YouTube, Website, Audiomack, and Email marketing. 

 

This is because you won’t have to break the bank to easily get your song online. 

 

Over to you now! 

 

What music marketing strategy would first try out from this list? 

 

Leave a comment below with your thoughts and I will be sure to follow up with you. 

 

If you find this post helpful then please consider hitting the share button and follow us on Instagram. 

 

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Music Promotion in Nigeria by Mone Emmanuel

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