Finding and Retaining Fans—a Basic Funnel

One of the core mistakes I see in the music marketing space is focusing entirely on building a fanbase on Spotify at the expense of everything else.

Yes, I love to focus on Spotify too, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So let’s walk through a basic music marketing funnel to see what pieces we might be missing.

Step 1 - Awareness

The first step in building a fanbase is making sure people have even heard of you in the first place. 

We’re making them aware that we exist. 

Awareness can happen in many different ways, but here are some of my favorite examples:

• Short-form video

• Twitter

• Cold-targeted ads

• Spotify’s algorithmic playlists

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these areas are low-input, high-leverage ways to hop onto someone’s radar. 

Step 2 - Consideration

This is where people begin to engage with what you do outside of that initial piece of content they found from you. 

Consideration happens when people visit your profile to see more, watch or listen to more long-form content like podcasts or YouTube videos, or click through from one of your ads to check out your song.  

On Spotify, this takes the form of someone visiting your artist profile to hear more of your music after they’ve discovered you on a playlist.

Step 3 - Conversion

It’s time to take action. 

In this step, your new fan follows you on Instagram, follows you on Spotify, or, my personal favorite, they join your email list. 

It’s during this phase that we not only want someone to stick with us on platforms we don’t own (like social media), but we also want them to hop into our world too. 

To achieve this, retarget your social media or advertising audience with a free download of one of your songs, or create a newsletter that delivers valuable information. 

If you can get people into your email list, now you have direct access without having to pay for it via ads or rely on algorithms to reach them. 

Step 4 - Loyalty

Now we’ve got a true fan. 

They open every email you send, comment on your posts, and are sure to pick up some merch or attend a show. 

Whatever you do, they are there for it. 

But loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. You have to keep delivering the goods and provide value for your fanbase. 

Continue to earn the loyalty of your fanbase by engaging with them on a regular basis and consistently releasing music and hitting publish on content that they enjoy.

Step 5 - Advocacy

This final step is the holy grail.

You become someone’s favorite artist. 

They tell everyone they meet about you. 

They do your marketing for you. 

This comes from building strong relationships with your audience and earning their trust over time. 

If you can get enough people to this point, the game is won.

Superfans are your superpower.