You don't have a talent problem. You have a reason to watch problem.
The music business runs on attention, and most musicians were never shown how to earn it. The advice they did get, like "just post 200 times," mostly burns them out. That isn't your fault.
It is fixable, and it starts with something you already do every time you write a song: tell a story. This guide shows you how to do that on camera, in a way the algorithm rewards and a stranger actually wants to watch.
Get the guide, $27One-time payment. Instant access. No subscription.
If it isn't worth it to you, email me and I'll send your money back. No questions asked.
My own TikTok, straight from the app. The pinned video: 7.4M views.
Same Story, Different Stage
Writing a song and making a video use the same part of the brain. Content doesn't have to be a chore on top of your creative life. It can be another place to use it, and it can be a lot of fun.
I'm Colin. I started out as a frustrated musician. I kept putting hours and money into highly produced music videos I was sure would go viral. I'd go to bed after posting, unable to sleep, waiting to see how they did, and wake up to about 300 views.
What it looked like before: a few hundred views on videos I put hours into.
I got tired of that and decided to figure it out. I made a video called "listening to country songs until they say whiskey" to show off one of my songs, and it got 20K views. Not viral, but better than 300. I did it again and got 30K. Then 300K. Then a million. Then bands I grew up listening to were commenting on my videos.
That's when I figured it out. I repeated it with "listening to emo songs until they say 'tonight,'" and that one hit 7.4M views on TikTok and 2M on Instagram.
Attention is a skill, not a lottery, and every post is a test you can learn from. A hit you can't explain is a hit you can't repeat, so this guide is about the why, not a format to copy.
This guide is what I'd tell you if we were sitting across a table from each other.
What's inside
- Five things you've been told that are wrong. You don't have to post all the time. Going viral isn't the goal. Posting the song isn't the content.
- Why songwriting and content are the same skill. And why being specific is what makes a feeling land.
- The algorithm is the prettiest person in the room. What that means for the first few seconds of every video.
- The content is for the viewer, not for you. Your viewer is a stranger. How to give them a reason to stay.
- The Dinner Table Principle. How to talk to the camera the way you'd talk to a friend, without the cringe.
- Concepts. Why people won't watch a bad one, with real examples of ideas that work.
- What the algorithm wants, what to measure, and how often to post.
- Reading retention graphs, with a real before and after of the same video.
- A checklist for every post, a weekly checklist and a 30-day starter plan.
It's written to be read on your phone, with a short exercise at the end of each section.
Who it's for
This is for you if
- You're a musician or songwriter who wants people to actually care about your music, whether that's a record deal or a respectable living as a self sufficient indie artist.
- You're willing to implement what's in it.
This isn't for you if
- You want to stay mysterious. That used to work.
- You want to keep doing things the way you've always done them.
It isn't a formula and it isn't a promise of results. Every artist's story is different, and what works for you will look different from what works for the next person. I'm not telling you what your goals are or what to say. I'm showing you how to package it so people stop and watch.
No theory. This is my own account, straight from the app: same concept, repeated, with a structure that gives people a reason to watch and follow.
Same idea, repeated: millions of views, again and again.
Where it started: the whiskey series.
The Musician's Guide to Social Media
One-time payment. Instant access.
Get the guideIf it isn't worth it, you get your money back.
Email me at colinlockey@gmail.com and I'll send your money back. No questions asked.
Questions
Who is it for?
Any musician or songwriter, in any genre, at any size. The examples are music-based, but the ideas apply to anyone trying to get strangers to care about what they make.
Do I need a big following?
No. The algorithm shows your videos to people who have never heard of you, and many of your own followers won't see a given post. That's the whole point of the guide.
I hate social media. Is this still for me?
That's usually because no one has taught you how to use it yet. Used well, it can be a creative outlet that adds to your music. The best musicians of all time were great marketers too, they just took their careers into their own hands.
Do I have to post every day?
No. Daily posting without knowing why people watch just repeats your mistakes. The guide shows you how to make fewer videos that work harder.
Do I need to be on camera?
You'll get comfortable talking to the camera the way you'd talk to a friend at dinner. If a format isn't you, you find one that is. Nobody gets forced into a box.
How do I get it?
Right after checkout you land on a download page with the guide as a PDF, in a phone-sized version and a print version. There's no account to make.
How much time does it take?
Plan on about an hour a week on top of filming. You can read it in an evening and do the exercises as you go.
Is it a course or a subscription?
No. It's a one-time $27 guide. There are optional extras if you'd like help afterwards, like a $50 account audit and a one-hour 1:1 session for $150, and the Music Marketing Collective for the full curriculum. There's no pressure to do any of it.
What if it isn't for me?
Email me at colinlockey@gmail.com and I'll send your money back. No questions asked.
Give it a read
If you've been posting into the void, or putting it off because it doesn't feel like you, this is a better way to do it.
Get the guide, $27One-time payment. Instant access. Money back if it isn't worth it.