Over the past year, SoundCloud has emerged as an essential hub for independent creators to connect with new audiences and expand the reach of their content. The platform has shifted its strategy to be more creator-focused by building out new technology and offering more promotional opportunities to help increase discovery. Most recently, SoundCloud experienced a rap revolution, where many of its top performing hip-hop artists were able to break into mainstream music and top trending charts. For example, one of rap’s hottest acts and Vydia’s own, Lil Pump, had his song “Gucci Gang” (which initially debuted on SoundCloud) peak to reach No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100. As SoundCloud continues to create more opportunities for creators to find success, now is the perfect time to polish your SoundCloud profile for optimal streaming success, here’s how:

Effectively Optimize Your SoundCloud Profile:

With 76 million active users and 12 hours of music uploaded every minute, it is important to make sure you have a strong and professional SoundCloud profile. Properly filling out all available information can help your SoundCloud profile stand out above the rest. When creating your profile make sure you keep the following in mind:

  1. Optimize Display Name & URL: Make sure people can easily search for you on the platform- your username should be your actual name or the name of your band, without any special characters or dashes. Additionally, your profile URL should be straightforward, like your name or the name of your band.
  2. Include a Profile Image: Every profile should include an image of you, your band, your logo, an album cover, etc…You want people to be able to recognize you not only by your name, but by your image too. SoundCloud requires the image to be under 2MB and recommends you use an 800 x 800 square for the best results.
  3. Add Social Links: It is extremely important to promote yourself across all platforms. Let your fans know where they can find you online (social media sites, your website, a blog page, etc). This will help you promote your latest singles across all channels which in turn could help increase your following overall.
  4. Highlight Songs on Your Spotlight: Your SoundCloud profile typically displays your latest tracks at the top of the list. With a premium SoundCloud account, you have the ability to highlight specific tracks and playlists you want to appear at the top of your profile.
  5. Engage With Your Followers: Once you have all of the above set up, you want to make sure you are engaging with your followers. Start by following other artists and labels of interest and commenting on their tracks. This could help you create ties with some very important people in the music industry.

Effectively Optimize Your SoundCloud Tracks:

Not only is it important to have a fully optimized SoundCloud profile, it’s equally crucial to have optimized SoundCloud tracks. Follow these tips to make sure your tracks are as refined as possible:

  1. Track, Album, Playlist Titles: A clear track/album/playlist title will let listeners know exactly what they’re listening too. Remember, you don’t need to add the track numbers to your titles as they are displayed next to each track. Also, when uploading to a label or editorial account, title your tracks as “Artist Name – Track Title” to ensure they show up when people search for the artist. If you are a podcaster or journalist, include important information such as celebrity guests and discussion topics in the title.
  2. Images & Descriptions: Your music should look just as good as it sounds. Upload high-resolution artwork for your tracks and albums. The ‘description’ section is the perfect place to give a brief overview of your tracks/album, credits to the song, lyrics, and to shout out to any collaborators and featured artists.
  3. Tags With Genres & Moods: Take advantage of SoundCloud’s algorithmic recommendation system by tagging your tracks with the appropriate and relevant genre, subgenre, and mood tags.
  4. Build Your Discography: Any playlist you mark as an album, EP, or compilation will be displayed in the order of release date. A chronological Discography will make it easier for fans to locate older or newer tracks.
  5. Edit in Batch: Work smarter not harder. If you want to add album information, artwork, etc… to multiple tracks, SoundCloud allows you to edit them all together all at once.

Polished SoundCloud profiles and tracks can be the key to optimal streaming success and brand growth. For more tips on how to help grow you brand, read our weekly blogs.