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How To Stop The Social Media Tension Between Management and Talent
May 31, 2022
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Lately, a lot of artists have been complaining about their record labels pressuring them to go “viral” on Tik Tok. I noticed this trend last month when Halsey shared on Tik Tok she can’t release a song unless “they can fake a viral moment on Tik Tok.” Halsey is not alone. Twitter user @alluregaga2 screen grabbed other artists’ frustrations:
what tiktok has done to the music industry is upsetting like… pic.twitter.com/bSJ0EIVfv1
— allure (@alluregaga2) May 22, 2022And the beef is piling up. A recent story in Loudwire, covers Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda blasting the music industry for demanding artists prioritize social media content creation.
Shinoda notes, "I'm tired of hearing musicians be told they're not investing enough energy in social media content." He added that every artist he talks to has this feeling.
They are not alone.
I hear this from radio talent, podcasters, as well as folks in other sectors beyond radio.
Here’s why:
With respect to those dolling out empty directives such as “create ‘lots’ of content,” “get ‘lots’ of likes,” and “go viral,” it’s creating tension between management and talent because those words contain nothing.
With that said, the onus is on both sides.
For Management: Offering unsound guidance leads to random business with no discernible direction.
For Talent: It’s time to accept social media. The platforms afford you brand awareness, to be seen as relatable, and help fans feel a part of something.
I know brand building and fan development in the social space can feel overwhelming and elusive.
That’s why all of this tension between management and talent needs a reset.
You probably want to begin with mature communication and a solid plan to make content creation the highest and best use of the talent’s time.
Consider the following steps to plug into to that conversation to get everyone on a healthier social media path:
Don’t Leave Talent To Their Own Devices
Martina Navratilova once said, “No matter how good you are, you can’t coach yourself. We all need sound guidance. Content coaching is key. It’s helpful to have someone keep us organized and remember the ‘why’ we’re even doing this.
The Content Is Not For You, It’s For The Fans, The Audience
While content does need to strengthen the overall brand (station, label, company), you have got to trust talent to create brand-aligned content that is resounding to the audience. The goal is to resonate – not just to be seen.
Don’t Let Content Creators Wing It
Top performers are organized. They work off a cadence, what to post & when, and content pillars that make content creation easier, keeping them inspired.
Study Content Performance
Take the guessing game out of it. Help them measure efficiency (what content works and what falls short), otherwise, you’ll struggle to understand what valuable (“engaging”) content even looks like and will fail to meet fan expectations.
Be Obsessed With The Fan Experience
After studying what resonates - then help them prioritize and manage that content so you don’t burn it out.
Value Balance
Great brands diversify the content that stands out. This is what differentiates them from the pack. Doing the same thing every day – like asking questions - becomes predictable, which turns fatiguing and unmoving. And there’s no value in a passive fan base.
What’s weird about writing this piece, I’m pretty sure Fred Jacobs and I wrote a piece similar to this 10 years ago. Fred is the one who sent me the Loudwire piece, and we asked each other, didn’t we address this a decade ago?
The more things don’t change, the more they stay the same. 😊 Reach out to me anytime on Instagram: @lorilewismedia.
Or email me: lori@lorilewismedia.com.
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