Have you ever felt like you wanted to find a way to steal all the fans of that band that is doing better than you? Well, you can. The best part is that you aren’t really stealing them and you won’t get arrested. Find out which bands are similar to you. Their fans can be your fans. If they like that other band then why can’t they be your fan as well?
Don’t forget to read my post about finding who your ideal fan first if you haven’t already. This will help you narrow down on who you are hunting down.
Use high tech ways to steal fans
Look at Spotify, Pandora, etc. for similar artists. Once you have a list of other artists that are like you, you can go find who their fans are. Look at the social media accounts for those bands and see who follows them. I like to do a 5-second glance at their profile to make sure they seem like a good fit for my band. If they do, then I (using my band’s profile) will follow them. You’ll get a lot of follows just by doing that. There is a certain etiquette where people will follow you just because you followed them. Then hopefully your account will pull them in enough for them to stick around for the long term.
If you want to streamline your high tech approach, then check out Crowdfire. This app and website can help you connect with fans based on similar profiles or interests. It also can be used to help make your online presence more consistent with posting. I’ve used it to boost the followers for my band’s Twitter profile.
Find a niche where you can steal some fans from
Do you want to attract fans that naturally hang out at a certain place, or have a certain hobby? If you do then try to work your band into that setting. Maybe it is something one of the members already is interested in. It is best to pursue a group if you are authentic and not faking your interest to only get new fans. People can tell when you’re not being real. My band, Mojo Radio, had some success playing at BBQ festivals. It turns out that blues rock does well with people that love BBQ. It turns out that our band loved to eat BBQ as well. That was a good fit for us and expanded our audience. It can also lead to new connections to people that wouldn’t have ever seen us at a normal live show.
Steal fans at another band’s show
Do you know of another band that is like you, but seems to always draw a bigger crowd? Start going to their shows if you can to see what the fuss is all about. What is that band doing better to bring in the people? Don’t be jealous. You can learn something from their success. Try to talk to the people in the audience and see why they like that band. Don’t be pushy, but mention your band as well. Have some business cards on hand to give to people who seem interested in knowing more.
Meet the band, and ask about doing a show together. That is one of the best ways to steal their fans. Those fans might not know about you yet. Playing with their favorite band makes it easy for them to learn about you.
New fans are waiting for you
The great thing about music is that a fan of another band can always be a fan of yours too. There is no rule that says a person can only like one band. One person can even like as many bands from a genre as they want as well. Sometimes we forget that and think there must be nobody out there left to like our music. Trust me, they are out there waiting to discover great new music. You just need to go out there and find them. Then steal them!
Let me know in the comments if you have ever stolen fans from another band. How did you do it?
