Twitter Releases Official 'How To Guide' For Artists

Do you constantly follow the daily outbursts and updates from musicians across the world on twitter? Well, as you probably already guessed, it's not all a load of crap but more often than not, part of a much larger marketing strategy.

Last week, Twitter released a 'how to guide' for bands and artists, explaining the best ways to utilise this game changing form of social media. The guide, put together with tips from artists such as Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Gavin Rossdale, Tom Petty, St. Vincent, Bruno Mars, Adele and Amanda Palmer explains different methods of how to engage with current fans and how to gain new ones through a variety of different means. They do however insist that rule #1 is:

"Your Tweets should reflect the things you're passionate about."

You can see the guide in full below:

The artist’s voice empowered:

"The most powerful voice is your own. Whether you’re celebrating a career milestone or need to clear the air, Twitter is the easiest and most powerful way to get your message across, directly and clearly."

Use hashtags:

"Great hashtags are creative, and the best ones compel followers to join the conversation by tweeting with them."

Reply to your fans:

"Twitter will be more fun for you and your fans if you connect with them directly."

Fan interviews:

"Sitting down for interviews with reporters can be laborious and time-consuming — but doing fan interviews via Twitter isn’t!"

Live-tweet events:

"Give your fans something they can’t get from anyone else: your unique point of view."

Include photos:

"Up your game by including photos of unique images and scenes that could only come from you."

Break news:

"You don’t always have to rely on a publicist to say that you’re excited about your GRAMMY nominations; simply tweet it and share the joy instantly."

Break bands:

"Twitter gives you the power to help your followers discover other artists."

Here are two possible approaches for running a band account:

"The first is to have one member manage the band’s account, but consistently point to the usernames of other members."

"The second is to have a primary account in the band’s name that all the members share."

Twitter may be willing to help share your music news:

"Tweet us at @TwitterMusic if you have a question, an experience you want to tell us about, or just share some tunes."