SoundCloud Insights can help take your SoundCloud game to the next level by supercharging your audience growth. Whether you’re a budding artist looking to reach more listeners or a seasoned producer aiming to expand your fanbase, understanding the power of SoundCloud Insights is a must.
SoundCloud offers a treasure trove of data and analytics to help you skyrocket your audience numbers. Its Insights feature serves as a backstage pass to understand who’s listening, where they’re from, and how they engage with your tracks. So, in this blog post, we’ll check out how SoundCloud Insights can help you grow your audience.
How does SoundCloud Insights work?
SoundCloud Insights works by providing you with detailed analytics and data about your tracks and audience engagement. It’s like having a personal dashboard that offers valuable insights into how your music is performing and who is listening to it.
Here are some of the SoundCloud Insights data sets:
1. Plays, Likes, Reposts, and Comments
These metrics are the bread and butter of SoundCloud Insights. They show you how many times your tracks have been played, how many people hit that lovely little heart button to like your music, who shared your tracks by reposting them, and even who took the time to leave a comment.
2. Number of downloads
If you enable downloads for your tracks on SoundCloud, you give your fans the ability to save and own the original file of your music. This means that they can effortlessly download your track’s pristine audio onto their computers, allowing them to enjoy your music whenever they please. This type of Insight data shows you how many times your track was downloaded.
3. Top listeners and geolocations
SoundCloud Insights allows you to identify your top listeners, those fans who are consistently engaging with your music. You can also discover the locations where your tracks are most played. This information helps you understand your audience demographics and tailor your content accordingly.
4. Traffic sources and embedded player metrics
SoundCloud Insights provides data on how listeners are discovering your tracks. You can see which websites, social media platforms, or apps drive traffic to your SoundCloud profile. Additionally, you can analyze the performance of embedded players on external websites, giving you insights into where your music is being shared and played.
How SoundCloud Insights can help you grow your audience
You can make informed decisions to grow your audience by leveraging these insights. Here’s how you can use SoundCloud Insights effectively:
1. Identify popular tracks and trends
By analyzing the metrics provided by SoundCloud Insights, you can identify your most popular tracks and understand the trends that resonate with your audience. This knowledge helps you create and promote content that aligns with your listeners’ preferences. Doing this means you can attract similar-minded audiences and keep the ones you already have.
2. Engage with your audience
SoundCloud Insights enables you to engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages. Building relationships with your fans fosters loyalty and encourages them to become active supporters and advocates for your music. This way, they can also recommend your music to others, helping you grow your audience.
3. Promote your SoundCloud profile
With SoundCloud Insights, you can gain insights into the traffic sources driving listeners to your profile. Utilize this information to strategically promote your SoundCloud tracks on social media, other platforms, and websites where your target audience is active.
4. Optimize your track Descriptions and Tags
SoundCloud Insights helps you understand which keywords, tags, and descriptions resonate with your audience. At the same time, it also lets you know which tags and descriptions make your music more discoverable. Use this knowledge to optimize your track metadata, making it easier for new listeners to discover your music through search queries.
5. Identifying trends in Genres, Styles, and Themes
SoundCloud Insights isn’t just about individual tracks; it can also help you identify broader genres, styles, and themes trends. Watch for patterns and commonalities among your most popular tracks as you explore the data. You gain valuable insights into the sonic flavors that make your audience groove by identifying these trends. You can then tailor your future releases and promotional strategies accordingly.
6. Collaborating with listeners and other artists
Here’s a secret weapon for audience growth: collaboration. SoundCloud Insights can help you identify listeners who consistently engage with your music and share your tracks. These super fans could be your golden ticket to expanding your reach. Reach out to them, collaborate on projects, or even feature them on your tracks. SoundCloud is a melting pot of talented artists. Collaborating with other artists brings fresh perspectives to your music and exposes you to their fanbase. It’s a win-win situation to help you grow and reach new ears.
7. Plan promotions and possible tour cities
SoundCloud Insights can provide valuable data on where your music is gaining traction. Pay close attention to the geolocation insights. These hotspots could be your target areas for promotions and potential tour destinations. Knowing which cities have a buzzing fan base allows you to plan strategic marketing campaigns, target local media outlets, and connect with venues in those areas. It’s like having a virtual map that guides you toward your biggest supporters.
How do I check my SoundCloud Insights?
Getting a glimpse into the performance of your tracks on SoundCloud is a breeze. Let me walk you through the three places where you can view your insights and give you a rundown of what kind of juicy details you’ll find in each section.
1. Track and Playlist pages
When visiting your Track or Playlist page, scroll down below the waveform. There, you’ll find a treasure trove of insights waiting for you. From overall plays, likes, comments, and reposts to downloads, it’s all neatly laid out for you. Remember, though, this feature is currently available only on the web version of SoundCloud.
2. Insights Summary
Head over to your Stream page and spot the Insights Summary section. It’s like a snapshot of the last 24 hours and the previous 7 days of plays. You can easily track how your tracks perform in terms of plays during these time frames.
3. Insights Overview page
It’s like having your analytics dashboard. Here, you’ll get an in-depth look at all of the tracks on your profile and how they stack up against each other. You can dive into the insights of each track or even break it down by categories like plays, likes, comments, reposts, or downloads. This level of detail gives you a comprehensive understanding of how each track resonates with your audience.
Are SoundCloud Insights free?
SoundCloud Insights is available for free to all SoundCloud users. Whether you’re a new artist just starting or an established musician, you can access the insights and analytics provided by SoundCloud without any additional cost. SoundCloud offers this powerful tool as part of its platform to support artists’ journey to success.
However, the free Insight data is limited. And if you wish to unlock more analytical powers, users must upgrade to a paid plan.
Tips for growing SoundCloud
1. Regularly upload high-quality tracks
When it comes to growing your audience on SoundCloud, consistency is key. Regularly uploading high-quality tracks is like fuel for your music career. SoundCloud users are always on the lookout for fresh and exciting content, and by consistently sharing your best work, you keep them engaged and hungry for more. Plus, uploading frequently increases your visibility on the platform and can lead to more plays, likes, and followers.
2. Optimize them for discoverability
Don’t let your amazing tracks get lost in the vast sea of SoundCloud. To maximize discoverability, it’s crucial to optimize your tracks. Start by giving them descriptive and catchy titles that reflect the essence of your music. Use relevant tags, genres, and mood keywords to help listeners find your tracks through searches.
3. Submit your tracks to Playlists and Repost channels
Playlists and repost channels are like gateways to a wider audience on SoundCloud. Many curators and influencers are constantly looking for fresh tracks to feature. Reach out to relevant playlist curators, repost channels in your genre, and submit your best tracks for consideration. If selected, your music will be exposed to a larger fanbase, potentially leading to more plays, followers, and increased visibility.
4. Join Exchanges
Collaboration is a powerful tool in the SoundCloud ecosystem. Exchanges allow you to collaborate with other artists to mutually support each other’s music. By participating in these networks, you can increase the reach of your tracks as they get shared and promoted across multiple artist profiles.
5. Use Promote on SoundCloud
Promote on SoundCloud is a feature that allows you to boost the visibility of your tracks to a targeted audience. It’s an effective way to get your tracks in front of a larger audience and potentially attract new fans. With Promote, you can choose specific demographics, genres, and locations to reach the right listeners more likely to resonate with your music. Remember that “Promote on SoundCloud” does involve a cost, but it can be a worthwhile investment if used strategically to expand your reach.
Conclusion
By leveraging SoundCloud Insights, you’re gaining a deeper understanding of your audience and unlocking the power to engage with them, collaborate, and plan your promotions strategically. So, turn these insights into action because your audience growth is just a few beats away.