How to Promote Your SoundCloud Tracks

Last Updated on June 10, 2019

SoundCloud isn’t just fantastic for helping music lovers to discover new artists and tracks. It’s also a tremendous way for independent artists and bands to make some money from their work. In the years gone by, the best way to get your music heard and bought was to approach a small record label, or to keep gigging. These days, it can be as simple as uploading a few tunes to the right platform. Knowing how to promote your SoundCloud tracks, however, takes a little more research.

If you’re interested in learning how to promote music from SoundCloud, it’s important to set expectations. There are millions of listeners out there – and you’re going to be very lucky to go viral overnight. That being said, what is the true recipe for success? Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to get people to sit up and listen.

How to Promote Your SoundCloud Tracks – The Outline

You’re going to be making miracles if your album gets millions of hits in a weekend. It’s tempting to leap straight in and start promoting, but the fact of the matter is, most successful artists and labels based on SoundCloud will have had a firm plan in mind. So where do you start with yours?

• • Start thinking about the people who will want to listen to your music. Don’t be afraid to stereotype.
• • Look at artists and music which appeal to those demographics. Start joining groups and forums and talking about music similar to yours.
• • The best in-road to online success is to show listeners that your music fits in with their favorite genres and styles. That means you’re going to need to build an idea of a typical fan. What does your average fan listen to other than your tracks?
• • Once you’ve got a good idea of who your typical fan is, start looking for them. This means getting into social media, YouTube and SoundCloud’s wider community. We’ll cover this in a little more detail shortly.

This is just a brief look at what you should be considering when building your ideal demographic. Now, let’s take a look at physical steps you can start taking towards online fame!

1. Tag Intelligently



Whether you’re looking for SoundCloud promotion on iPhone or Android, tags work just the same. Just as hashtags allow you to explore linked topics and ideas across social media, make sure you’re smart about how your songs are tagged. Consider your target demographics and your typical fan. What tags and are likely to find the most relevant listeners? This is perhaps one of the most organic ways to learn how to promote songs on SoundCloud.

2. Go For Pro Membership

SoundCloud Pro is probably most useful for artists who are actively promoting themselves. The subscription service’s on-board analytics allow you to see who listened to you, and who else they’ve been tuning into. You can also see which websites and apps are linking to you the most, meaning you can really start to hone in on where and how your listeners are finding you. You can use this set of statistical software alongside those which come on-board with social media channels, too. Speaking of which…

3. Get Social

Interested in knowing how to promote your SoundCloud tracks without using social media? Forget it.



The fastest route to the widest audiences is through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr and more. The same goes for general business promotion, too. Social media has really revolutionized the way we promote ourselves and hear about new opportunities and brands.

You don’t have to be using all of the platforms at once. SoundCloud will let you link and share to all of the main players, so you simply have to choose which of the networks appeals to you – and your typical fan – the most.

• • Post songs on SoundCloud to post directly to your social media accounts. This way, you’re not having to update every channel manually. Make sure you’re connected through Facebook pages and specific Twitter and Instagram accounts, for example.
• • Really drive engagement from your followers and fans. Ask them to interact with you and to share thoughts and opinions. You can even offer freebies and exclusive tracks occasionally to drive further engagement.
• • Think about how you’d like to be approached as a fan – and put those ideas into practice!
4. Look for Promo Channels



A brilliant way to really push your work out to the wider masses is to hunt down specific promo channels on SoundCloud. These channels actively highlight and promote new artists and tracks. To be able to curry favor with said channels, however, it’s worth following and commenting on their uploads. Once you’re a valued member of the community, you can submit uploads to them, and they may be more likely to give you airtime.

5. Leave Your Comments on Your Own Work

This sounds weird at first, but remember how big DVD director commentaries were for a while? With SoundCloud’s waveform system, you and your followers can leave comments and messages at specific points in songs. Why not use this to your advantage? By giving insight into the making of your tracks, you can help to humanize your brand.

You can also use this to ask for direct feedback. It may sound a bit strange to be opening dialogue up on the track itself, but it’s another great way to engage with your public.

6. Keep Going



This point makes sense in several walks of life – but just keep going. The more you upload, the more you take, the more you connect with people – the easier success will come. Insert ‘buy’ links into your songs. Opt-in for advertising to drum up extra cash. Try making a living out of it!

Getting popular on SoundCloud takes time and effort, and plenty of it. Knowing how to promote your SoundCloud tracks to the right people is only half the battle. You’re going to need to follow up and follow through time and time again.