Gigs are few and far between. Venues have been shut down and we’re all pretty much stuck at home. As independent musicians, we are naturally heavily engaged in our online communities ranging from social media to live streaming platforms. But when we stop gigging, stop going out, and stop life as we know it, the content we can post becomes extremely limited. Let’s face it, there’s only so many interesting pictures you can take from your backyard. I, for one, have been struggling to post engaging content on my social media due to a lack of gigging and quite frankly a lack of motivation. However, as entrepreneurs, we have to remain consistent with our fans during this pandemic in order to maintain momentum and keep our business afloat.
We did a lot of digging to identify some practical topics and themes we can write about on social media that keeps our audience engaged in spite of the solitude. In this article, we’ll share a 30-Day Coronavirus Content Calendar for musicians to stay active, engaging, and motivational during the shutdown even when you don’t feel like it. The good news is, after the 30 days is over, you can rinse and repeat by starting the calendar all over again with new content using the same themes. Check it out below.
Day 1 – What music are you listening to today and why?
This is pretty self-explanatory. Since you are a musician, your fans would probably be interested to hear some recommendations from you about the hottest music. Share what you’re listening to and give some quality recommendations. Don’t be afraid to shout out a fellow indie artist who has similar music as you. More than likely, your fans would be interested in them too. Another option for this post would be what books you’re reading. You can also recommend a reading list to your fans.
Day 2 – Who is your Quarantine Hero?
Share a post or picture from someone you admire during this pandemic. It could be a government leader, a celebrity, a fan, or a family member. Talk about how they’ve inspired you or maybe simply kept you sane during this time. Use this time to ask your fans who their Quarantine Hero is.
Day 3 – Talk about what you’re doing differently during this time with your music.
Lots of artists are sharing free music to give their fans something to listen to. Other musicians are live streaming more with customized “Quarantine Tunes.” While other musicians have taken to their neighborhoods or porches to share their music. This pandemic is impacting each of us in different ways. Be open with your fans about how it’s impacting you and what you’re doing as a result.
Day 4 – Behind the scenes captions of an old picture.
Since you’re most likely not gigging live, there are still other ways to incorporate live performances into your content strategy. Namely, old gigs. Why not share a picture of an gig you’ve done in the past and talk about what was happening behind the scenes at that moment in time?
Day 5 – How are you staying healthy?
What’s your policy on social distancing? How are you keeping yourself and your family healthy? What do you think about face mask mandates? Do you have custom face masks as part of your merchandise offerings? These are all relevant, hot-button issues that you can use for your content strategy during these times.
Day 6 – Song lyrics.
Any original song of yours is always relevant and a very easy form of content that showcases your music. Try to pick lyrics that tie in with today’s struggles.
Day 7 – Your at home music set-up.
Most mainstream content creators, celebrities, and even news outlets are reporting from homes and basements. Do you have an at-home set-up as a musician? How has your space changed to accommodate for live streams, or doing videos from home? Showcase that.
Day 8 – New content.
Do you have any new songs or new inspirations? Talk about it. Let your fans know what you’ve been up to lately as an artist.
Day 9 – Share a snippet from an old interview.
There’s no shame in rehashing old content especially if you can find a way to put a fresh twist on it. Go into the archives and find an old interview and share it. Talk about how your life is different or why you still feel the same way.
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Day 10 – Answer a frequently asked question.
If you’re looking for video content, this topic is a gold mine. Try answering one question per video or post. Major points if the question is a pandemic-oriented one.
Day 11 – Create a pandemic specific merch item and showcase it.
Dropshipping is a musician’s best friend. There are many items you can design, create, and sell without leaving your bed. The key is selecting items that will be useful to your fans. Did anyone say custom face mask? Check out Printful to get those creative juices flowing and create/sell custom merch items that your fans will love. P.S. Printful also takes care of order fulfillment and shipping from their end. So you won’t have to buy any product upfront or maintain an inventory.
Day 12 – Weekly Shout Outs, Weekly Messages, Weekly Anything
One way to get your fans engaging with you is to do a weekly post of some kind. It could be a weekly live stream. But if that’s too much of a commitment, there are other things you can do like shouting out a fan each week, or talking about a specific topic each week. For example, I wrote an entire album about natural hair. So each Wednesday, I dedicate a post about what it’s like wearing your hair naturally. I ask questions, I post pictures of my hair, and we talk about hair care. It’s gotten some great feedback! The beauty of this type of post is that you can use it every week without looking redundant because each week is a different aspect of the topic.
Day 13 – Thank someone special.
At some point along your journey someone helped you, encouraged you, and supported you. Show your gratitude by thanking them.
Day 14 – First time.
As musicians, we always have first encounters and first times with everything ranging from our first gig, our first instrument, our first blog post, etc. Share a first-time memory and talk about why it was significant in your career.
Day 15 – Ask a pandemic related question.
There are so many questions you could ask on this topic. And this type of post is very engaging. Most of all, it will promote a sense of unity and a message that even though we’re at home and not experiencing community quite like we’re used to, we’re still not alone. Here are some example questions to get the ball rolling…
- What are you most excited about doing after the pandemic is over?
- What was the last restaurant you went to before the pandemic started?
- What’s your favorite homemade bread recipe?
- What are you doing differently at home now that we’re grounded?
- Is anyone gardening? What are you growing? Pictures please.
- What new local restaurants are you supporting?
Day 16 – Link to a recent blog post.
Blog posts are great for social media platforms! You can highlight a snippet and then link it back to your blog post. For ideas on blog post ideas check out our articles here and here.
Day 17 – Practice Photo-Op
Share a picture and caption of you practicing. Just because gigging has slowed down it doesn’t mean practice does. A responsible musician never neglects practice.
Day 18 – Highlight yourself.
Your fans want to get to know the real you! Use this time to focus on that a little more. Highlight a member of your band. If you’re a solo performer, share a picture and a little known fact.
Day 19 – What causes are you supporting?
Are you supporting any causes? If so, which ones and why? This is a great opportunity to bring some extra exposure to your favorite charities or causes and give your fans a little more insight into who you are as a musician and a person.
Day 20 – Discuss a hot topic in the music industry.
We borrowed this from our list of regular content ideas, but it’s even more relevant now. There is always news about what’s going on in the music industry as it relates to COVID-19. You can discuss who’s doing concerts and what the safety measures are and whether or not you agree with them. You can discuss any virtual concerts being put on by mainstream artists. You can also discuss the toll the pandemic is taking on your favorite venues.
Day 21 – A motivational quote and image.
Everyone needs a little motivation here and there. Plus, it’s super quick and easy to find a good motivational quote and share it with your fans.
Day 22 – Trivia Q&A
Test your fans’ knowledge about you and your music. This is always a fun and very engaging go-to post idea for musicians. It promotes audience interaction and it helps them to get to know you more.
Day 23 – Showcase other platforms.
If you’re on Facebook, tell your Facebook fans that you’re on Twitter and vice versa. Use this as an opportunity to raise your reach.
Day 24 – Promote a service.
Did you recently launch a new paid service to help cover expenses? Maybe you have a songwriting workshop, or you’re giving virtual guitar lessons? Promote it on social media. If you don’t have a service you are selling, promote a service you’re using. It’s likely someone else will find value in it too. Some examples include Teleadoc, Meal Delivery, Zoom, etc. Pssst, why not promote a free trial Audible subscription on Amazon so your fans can listen to all those new books you’re going to recommend and get two free books!
Day 25 – Your mission/values/purpose
We talk at length on this blog about using your mission, values, and purpose to attract and establish a loyal fanbase. It only makes sense that you would incorporate these elements into your social media content strategy.
Day 26 – Meanings behind your music.
If you’re a musician with original music, this can be a great time to review your older music. Talk about the meanings behind your songs. Talk about why you wrote them. Their inspiration. The instrumentation. Who’s featured in the song? What musicians contributed to the song? Take your fans behind the curtain and share more about each of your songs.
Day 27 – Family life or band culture.
Each band and musician has a personal culture. A way of life and a set of values and modes of operation that’s unique to them. Talk about your band dynamics. Talk about how you work through issues together. Talk about your song-writing process. If you’re a solo performer, talk about your family dynamics and why you’re wired the way you are.
Day 28 – How has the pandemic impacted you personally?
Each of us has a different story to tell about how the pandemic is affecting them. Share yours with your fans.
Need ideas for what to post on social media? Click here to get our free content calendar for musicians.
Day 29 – Share your favorite pandemic tips.
There are many things you can talk about when sharing tips about the pandemic. You can talk about ways to keep germs away. How to make your own sanitizer or face mask. You can talk about setting up your own zen or creative room. You can talk about how to not feel cooped up at home. You can even suggest games or books to read to keep yourself busy. Here’s your chance to talk about what you’ve learned during this time and how you’re coping.
Day 30 – #withme
The #withme hashtag is trending. Whether it’s sewing, cooking, watching a show, singing, or tasting wine, you can engage with your fans by promoting your next #withme event ahead of time and invite your fans to do it virtually with you.
Even though the pandemic has put a damper on our social life, there are still many ways we can engage our fans and keep things interactive. Besides, the pandemic has actually created an entirely new realm of content that we can use to further relate with our fans. Do you have any other content ideas? Tell us in the comments section if we missed anything or if you’ve used any of these ideas before. We’d love to hear from you.
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This is an incredibly cool and helpful resource! It helps artists stay connected, creating, and productive during what is turning out to be a dramatically stressful time. Thanks for sharing hope!
Hello Vox! Thanks for reaching and sharing your thoughts. Indeed it is a very stressful time and this calendar started out as a way to keep myself connected. But it was so helpful, it made sense to share. Stay safe and best wishes.
Yeah, this is really good. It seems like now is the time to set up a plan and schedule for your musician content, whether it’s for Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, your blog, you name it. Then once things start to get back to some kind of normalcy, you’ll be locked in!