What Artists Can Take Away From Facebook’s News Ban

Yesterday in Australia we were rocked by the Facebook news ban wiping all news content from our feeds and from outlets’ pages. So, we decided to break down what artists can take away from these rather tricky times.

Content is Key

Up until now, sharing online media coverage was a fantastic way for artists to populate their Facebook pages. But since the ban has made things a little more complicated, artists will have to take a look at how they connect with their audiences online.

The news ban acts as a reminder of the importance of artists creating and sharing their own content. Whether it’s acoustic videos, behind the scenes shots or Q&As, artists should always have a catalogue of content at the ready to keep their audience engaged and up-to-date. Relying on publications’ content to keep Facebook profiles active simply won't cut it right now. So it's time to get creative.

Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket… Or Platform

For artists who’ve focussed all their time and energy on building their Facebook following, and that following only, it’s a great time to reconsider that approach. For the time being, platforms like Instagram and Twitter will be key when it comes to directly sharing links to any content sourced from a news domain.

Artists with strong engagement and followings on various platforms have an upper hand. If there’s a premiere, review or interview they want their audience to check out, their reach across the platforms outside of Facebook will certainly help them out with that. Artists who've let those other platforms fall by the wayside should definitely be looking at strategies to establish their following there.

Given its link-sharing abilities and impressive organic reach, Twitter is one platform in particular that shouldn’t be overlooked, it offers an excellent platform for sharing original content and media coverage, and it fosters fan engagement.

Own Your Data

If there is one big takeaway from this it is the importance of artists owning their data. Mailing lists are not given enough airtime, but are another great way to stay in touch with an audience and to seize control over the content sent directly to them, news links and all.

It might be a waiting game to see where the Facebook news ban takes us in Australia, and if this trend spreads overseas, so there’s never been a better time for artists to take a long, hard look at how they engage with their online audiences.

---

---

Related Articles

---