So you’re thinking of starting a music blog? That’s a great idea! As you may know, many bloggers nowadays are making up to seven-figure incomes. That’s way more than you could possibly dream of, so you can say that it’s worth trying to start your own site as an artist.
So, what should you do and where should you start? Don’t worry; you’ll learn everything you need to know in this post.
Table of Contents
Tip # 1: Choose your domain name
A domain name is basically the URL address of your blog. For example, if you need to type in MyMusicSite.com to enter your site, your domain name would be MyMusicSite.com.
To be honest, choosing a really cool domain name isn’t really that important. I know many bloggers who have succeeded without a one.
Anyway, so how do you choose a good domain name?
- It has to be short so people can remember it easily.
- It has to have meaning. For example, it can be the name of your band, or if you’re a solo producer, it could be your own name.
Some great examples of good domain names are:
- SmartPassiveIncome.com: You instantly understand what the site is about. The title is short and catchy.
- CreateAndGo.Co: It’s short, easy to remember and gives you an idea of what the site could be about.
- NeilPatel.com: As I mentioned before, your site could be named after you, and this is exactly what Neil Patel did here. This is an example of personal branding. Meaning that he just called his site after himself, and he’s super successful in the marketing field right now
Now that you’ve come up with a great name let’s look at the mechanics behind setting up your music blog.
Tip #2: Choose a blogging platform
In order for people to access your site, it has to be hosted online on something called a “server.” There are different companies offering free and paid hosting services. This means that they will be responsible for keeping your site online so that people can access it at any time.
So how do you host your blog? Which hosting company should you choose?
As you can imagine, there are many hosting services that you could go for. However, I’ve researched the topîc extensively in the past, and I can help you narrow down your choices.
Here are the best three platforms you can choose from:
WordPress
This is the most popular platform. This is basically a software that you can install (I’ll explain later) and use to create content, manage and run your site. Most successful creators use it and recommend it to newbies. The other reason why you should consider using WordPress is that it’s highly customizable. You can install a variety of plugins (add-ons, extensions) that will help you customize your blog.
Wix
Wix is a user-friendly, drag-and-drop blogging platform. It can be suitable for those who are looking to create a really beautiful site with the least amount of effort. What I really noticed about Wix is that it has awesome built-in designs so you can create beautiful sites quickly.
Weebly
This is very similar to Wix. Weebly is also a drag-and-drop platform. It’s straightforward and won’t leave you confused.
Tip #3: Host your blog
Remember how we talked about hosting platforms earlier? Well, I’ll explain a little more here.
Basically, to be able to run your site, you need two things. First, you need a hosting service. The goal of this is to allow your readers easy access to your site at any time. The second thing you need is blogging software. This software enables you to modify your site, create a design, publish posts and manage your blog as a whole.
In other words, you need your site to be online so people can see it, and software to help you modify and manage your blog.
Some of those “blogging platforms” like Weebly and Wix offer both of these things together. This means that when you’re using Weebly for example, you get to host your site AND manage it with their software, which very convenient.
The other option is to host the site yourself. What does this mean? Well, there are some companies who just offer you the hosting part, and you can install your own software to be able to manage your blog. One of these companies is Bluehost.
Bluehost enables you to host your blog in exchange for a fee every month, or every year. After you’ve created an Account on Bluehost, all you have to do is install WordPress, and you’re set.
Tip #4: Choose the best social media platform for you
If you want to be a successful blogger, you’ll most likely have to be involved in social media. It’s the best way to directly communicate with your followers, and get a feel for what your audience wants from you.
Here’s what you need to do :
- Choose one or two social media platforms at most.
- Look for the platforms where your target audience (people interested in what you have to offer) hang out the most. Where are they most active?
Tip #5: Find a place to host your music
If you’re going to start a music blog, I think it’s safe to say that you’ll probably produce some sort of music, right? Well, you’ll also have to think about where you’re going to host that music online.
You have many different choices. There are many platforms that can do the trick. Sites like Youtube, SoundCloud, Spotify, and tons of others will help you to host and share your music with the world.
Begin by choosing one of these platforms.
Tip #6: The tools you’ll need when you’re starting out
There are a few tools you’ll need when you’re just starting out as a music blogger. Here are the basic ones:
- Optimizilla: This is a tool that compresses the size of an image. When you write a blog post, you’ll usually use an image at the beginning. This tool will help you compress the size of that image before using it to make your site load faster.
- Headline Analyzer: This tool will help you craft catchy headlines for your blog posts. Once you type in your blog title idea, it will give you a score that tells you if your headline will make people click on it or not. However, I advise you to not always count on this tool. While many successful creators recommend it, you should also be able to judge your headline by yourself.
- Grammarly: This tool is the Holy Graal of bloggers. It points out your writing mistakes as you write, so it’s super useful. You can find it for free in the Google Chrome App Store.
Tip #7: Set up a simple newsletter
Have you ever heard of newsletters? Most likely you have. You see them all the time on other blogs. They always have an opt-in form or a pop-up asking you to subscribe. Did you know why bloggers use them? It’s because they want to build a relationship with you.
Here’s how it works: First, you go to a blog; you like the content you’re reading. Then, the blog asks you to opt-in for an e-mail newsletter to offer you something in exchange. Sometimes it’s a free course, a PDF, or anything else that has value. Once you’ve given your e-mail address, that blog will regularly send you new content to your inbox, and if you’re interested, you’ll read that content.
Once you become a regular reader, you’ll be more likely to purchase a product from that blogger, and then, the blogger makes money.
Basically, bloggers try to earn their readers’ trust so that the reader becomes a customer, and that’s exactly what you should do.
I recommend you use MailChimp if you’re a beginner. It’s simple and user-friendly.
Tip #8: Post on a weekly basis
Consistency is key in blogging. If you stay silent for too long, your readers will get bored and move on to the next music site.
So, what does being consistent mean? How many times should you be posting on your site? I recommend you just post once per week. This is the sweet spot between quality and quantity. Posting one week is enough to keep your content fresh, and it will give you enough time to come up with different ideas and plan your next post to offer quality content on a regular basis.
Tip #9: Find out where your target audience is hanging out
There’s probably some site, forum or online community where you can find your target audience. You need to find those communities and join them. Don’t overdo it. Just join three of them at most to see what they’re talking about, what their interests and problems are, and how you can help them.
For example, let’s assume that you want to start a site about music production. You can go to Google and type in “forums for music producers.” A bunch of forums will appear. Just select the most popular forums, join them and see what people are talking about. You’ll probably find that they’re looking for good software to use, or that they are struggling to promote their music.
By listening to others and solving their problems, you’ll offer useful content that they will love, and so they will come back to read more from you.
Tip #10: Listen to your audience
Don’t write about what you like, write about what your audience wants. That’s a golden rule in blogging. You have to remember that the final goal of your blog is to offer content to other people. That’s why you need to listen to their needs and desires, and then create content that they will find useful.
That’s how you can succeed as a music blogger.
Tip #11: Use video content
I wouldn’t advise you to do this right away, but it’s good to know this for the future. Many big names in the marketing industry say that video content is the future. You can actually see that well-known marketers are creating more and more video content. For example, Neil Patel and Pat Flynn started using Youtube not so long ago. That’s because they know that video will be really popular in the near future, so they’re using that to promote themselves.
If you’re just starting out, don’t use video. Trust me; you’ll be overwhelmed. Running a blog and a Youtube channel at the same time will become exhausting, and you’ll become so confused about what to do.
Instead, take this as a reminder for the future. Once you have established your blog as a well-known source in your field, then you can start thinking about expanding your business to produce video content.
Tip #12: Learn about digital marketing
If you want to become a music blogger, then you obviously have to promote yourself. How? You should start learning about digital marketing. There are two really good resources that I recommend:
These are two of the biggest names out there. Go to their sites and learn as much as possible about digital marketing. They will teach you everything you need to know from setting up a newsletter, promoting your content, outreach, and more.
Tip #13: Don’t apply everything I mentioned in this post all at once
“Why,” you ask? Because you will surely be overwhelmed. Start small. First, you have to create your site, then set up a newsletter, and then look for ways to promote your content while you’re learning more about blogging. The rest will come naturally as you develop your site. With time, you’ll learn more about using sophisticated software and programs. Besides, your readers would be happy to see your progress. Don’t put all your cards on the table right away. Evolve as you go.
What now?
If you decided that WordPress is the right platform for you, I recommend you check out this Blue Host review and then create an account there, install WordPress and get started.
Hi Rafik,
Good job overall.
Here are some things to pay attention to.
Don’t link to sites that look exactly like ours. I’ve removed the site you had quoted. It’s okay to link to WordPress, Bluehost, any other relevant sites that don’t post the same content we do.
Grammar and punctuation had to be improved quite a bit.
Try to use “many” instead of “a lot.” Example: it’s wrong to say “a lot of musicians.” You can COUNT musicians, so instead, say “many musicians.”