Figuring out ways to make money as a musician can be daunting. Far too many artists feel like they’re unable to monetize their works unless they’re a major player in the industry. Luckily, in today’s creator economy, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Kojis present multiple ways for artists at any stage to monetize their artistry, personality, and knowledge, all while becoming closer to fans. Today, we’ll take a deep dive into the Shoutout Koji to explain how artists can create their own personalized videos for fans. This is a great way to connect on a deeper level with your audience all while earning some extra money for your art. Let’s take a look!
What Is A Personalized Fan Video? Why Should I Make Them?
If you’ve never made a personalized video for a fan, it may seem like a strange concept. After all, your audience is there for the music, right? While music definitely comes first, your fans are also interested in getting to know you as an artist.
Fostering a strong connection with your fans can enhance their experience as a listener and allows your audience to get excited for what’s to come. These connection points are exactly the types of actions that can transform you into a lifelong artist for a fan, versus just another face on Spotify. In short, these videos are definitely worth your time.
What Is A Koji?
A Koji is a type of interactive media that can help you sell your products, downloads, services or premium content. To create a Koji, simply select a template and customize before sharing the unique URL on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, or anywhere else!
Personalized fan videos can take many forms, but some of the most common types include customized birthday shoutouts for superfans or a cover or song request. These videos usually don’t take too much time out of a musician’s busy schedule, but they can have a lasting impact on fans.
It’s also an invaluable tool during an album’s off-season. Artists need to actively work to keep their engagement, and by breadcrumbing walled content, you’re able to prep for the next release cycle all while monetizing your work.
Ceating fan videos via our Shoutout Koji works by allowing your fans to request a video behind a pay wall. You set your own price so that you’re being compensated fairly for your creations!
How Do I Use Shoutout?
The Shoutout Koji allows your audience to purchase personalized videos all within the Koji interface. You get to set the price of each shoutout, and can set rules for your creations so listeners know exactly what to expect. Shoutout also supports a introductory video which we highly recommend to increase your chances of landing personalized videos with fans.
From a fan’s perspective, Shoutout provides a backend view of when a video is requested, created, and delivered from start to finish. You can also enabled multiple versions of Shoutout on your Koji page to target different fan markets.
Shoutout also has an incredibly low fee at just 5%, much lower than comparative services, allowing you to beta test your audience and see what types of content perform the best.
What Can A Fan Video Look Like?
There are plenty of different fan video formats that you can customize to meet your brand as an artist. The sky is really the limit to what you can create for your audience, but here are a couple of fan video and locked content ideas to get you started:
- Offer a sneak peak. You can provide fans with early access to music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, or even an alternative cut of your creations!
- Breakdown your beat. It goes without saying that many music makers are music lovers first. You can make breakdown of your music production process or tutorial-style videos for monetizing certain parts of your process. For instance, you could share a quick video on your signature vocal chain, share your favorite sampling methods, or showcase some stellar songwriting tips.
- Show some behind the scenes. What went into making your latest album or EP? What inspired you to write about a certain subject? Share some exclusive footage that gives your top fans a look into how your music was created.
- Share a shoutout. What’s better than getting a birthday shoutout or some words of wisdom from your favorite musician? Shoutouts make amazing fan videos that your audience will cherish forever.
- Cover a classic. If you want to keep your personal side more private, why not offer up customized covers for your biggest supporters? These videos may take a bit more time to create, but you can charge accordingly.
- Freestyle for your fans. Who wouldn’t want a custom freestyle? Have audience members send in certain topics to pay for a custom freestyle beat.
- Make a vlog. Vlog-style or day-in-a-life videos can help your fans connect with you on a more personal level. Show your audience what it’s like being a musician day in and day out.
How To Promote Your Personalized Videos
Once you have your personalized videos, it’s important to take the time to promote your latest offerings to your audience! Consider incorporating some of the following strategies into your marketing strategy:
1. Make a Lot of Noise
A closed mouth doesn’t get fed. An unannounced feature doesn’t get used. Let your fans know when you’ve launched a new supercharged Koji like Shoutout.
Perhaps it makes sense to offer an introductory discount to your first round of supporters! Give your audience a reason to get excited.
2. Blast a Lasting Interaction
The Shoutout Koji makes it easy for creators to share their fans’ reactions to their personalized fan videos via social media. Make sure you’re shouting out your fans who use your personalized videos. The featured fan will love being included on your page and you might just draw in your next personalized fan video supporter!
3. Don’t Forget About The Power of Branding
Remember to brand your Shoutout Koji according to the content you’ll be creating. For instance, an artist making custom freestyles might have a completely different page than a musician taking cover requests.
Customizing your profile takes only a couple of minutes, and you can even change the link text and icons of individual Kojis! You know your audience the best, so brand accordingly to score more interactions with your fans.
4. Explore Evergreen Content Opportunities
While offering your audience birthday and holiday shoutouts is still incredibly valuable, don’t forget to explore evergreen content opportunities. Aim to create some premium content that could connect with your audience in most contexts to help keep the ball rolling.
For instance, if a listener has you cover a song and share it on your story, other fans might follow suit since you don’t need a special occasion to request a cover from your favorite artist. You can make consistent connections with Kojis if you employ a creative approach.
5. Create Periodic Incentives
A great way to drum up fan interactions is to incorporate your Kojis surrounding major milestones as an artist. For instance, you might offer discounts on Shoutouts on the days leading up to your album launch. Keep in mind that you can easily turn Shoutout video types on and off, so offering limited-time deals can help bring in new fans.
Shoutout makes it easy for musicians to deepen their connection with fans. If you’re not creating personalized videos, it’s time to get started! Sign up for Koji for free and build your supercharged bio.