How DJ/Music Producer BLOND:ISH’s Unique Instagram Giveaway Paid Off
It’s no secret that being a music artist in 2024 is no longer just about the artistry itself. With the ‘tiktokification of music’ and dominance of social media, artists are expected to not only be musicians, but also master marketers on the ultimate quest to go viral. Halsey, FKA Twigs, and Florence and the Machine are just a couple artists who have vocalized the frustrations with the pressure to shamelessly plug away at their music. Yet it’s a double edged sword. I, selfishly, can attest to finding some incredible musicians from social media that I never would’ve found otherwise. Many artists have embraced this new era of digital and found success in this increasingly oversaturated market of self promotion.
BLOND:ISH, a Canadian music producer and DJ, recently posted a giveaway on Instagram that caught my attention at the creativity. Giveaways have always been a way for content creators to get high engagement, but I had never seen a giveaway done with the ‘0 likes’ condition. Typically, giveaways entail users to follow accounts and/or leave comments. BLOND:ISH’s post follows that structure, encouraging people to follow two Instagram accounts and leave a comment on the post, but with a twist. Only a comment with 0 likes would be chosen at random to win. Ooohh spicy! Is that a bit of game theory I smell?
I found this Instagram post interesting to discuss, shareable, and fitting for BLOND:ISH’s brand for a couple reasons:
- The ‘0 likes’ twist to the giveaway gets users to not only comment, but also like other comments to lower the competition. In a way, users can ruin others chances and have to try to think of the most boring, unnoticeable content. This is great for the artist, as this incentivizes users to spend more time engaging with the post and other users. Now that is crafty.
- Consistent Brand Messaging — I’m only a casual listener of BLOND:ISH, but from scrolling through their social media feed, it’s clear that they have a strong digital presence. With 516K Instagram followers, and multiple previous giveaways and similar posts, this post adds something fresh and interesting yet feels fitting and on brand with their other posts. The giveaway’s video content of people partying and enjoying BLOND:ISH’s performance is coherent with the rest of her feed that is lively, bold, and colorful.
3. The post knows it’s audience — One of the reasons it’s so successful is because there is a tangible reward that is exciting, worth pursuing, and captures their audience. If you are a fan of this artist, a free trip to Ibiza and backstage tickets is a bucket list item. Having the prize be for two people makes the post more shareable as well. Artists and brands that know their audience, listen to them, and cater to them are the ones who find the most success and the highest engagement.
Overall, I’d say this giveaway fits BLOND:ISH’s brand and messaging spot on while adding in a new element that will be interesting to see if other artists implement. There is still a much larger conversation being had about the role (and what some would say necessary evil) that social media plays in the world of an artist. In the meantime, it’s alway refreshing to see new ideas and techniques stand out from the deep sea of music and self promotion content. Hats off to you, BLOND:ISH team.
