Every artist says they want to “reach more people,” but that’s not a strategy — that’s a wish. If you want your marketing to work, you have to know who those people actually are. Defining your audience is what decides where you spend your ad money, how you make content, and which fans you actually attract.
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Start with the Ground Level: Your Hometown
Let’s get one thing straight — your city is still your first test market. Grassroots promotion is the default. Collaborate locally, shoot content with other artists, and build those in-person relationships. One of the fastest ways to grow an audience is to collaborate, because you instantly access another artist’s fanbase.
That said, when we talk about “defining your audience,” we’re not talking about who you know in real life — we’re talking about who you pay to reach. Your ad audience. These are the people you’re spending money on inside Meta Ads Manager and YouTube Ads. Defining them correctly is what keeps you from wasting your budget.
Genre and Subgenre: The Starting Point
Genre and subgenre are the obvious first filters. If you make underground hip-hop, EDM, indie rock, or R&B, that’s your starting box. But here’s the problem: Meta’s and YouTube’s built-in genre targeting is unreliable. Their data is messy, and their artist-interest targeting is being phased out. You might see a targeting option for a big artist, but it’s full of noise — random accounts, passive users, and bot engagement.
Your best targeting data always comes from your own audiences — the people who’ve already engaged with you. Once you build custom audiences and retarget them, you know you’re spending money on people who actually care.
Collaborating with another artist who already has a clean custom audience is gold. If their data isn’t botted or inflated with engagement pod activity (more on that here), you can effectively “inherit” their audience and expand yours instantly. That’s real audience building — not guesswork. Learn more about maximizing collaborator relationships here.
Location: Go Where It Counts
Everyone wants fans in rich countries. Everyone wants the U.S., the U.K., Canada. The problem is: ads there are expensive. So if your budget is limited — and it is — you need to get smart. You can find cheaper markets where people genuinely like your kind of music and where your money goes further.
Instead of targeting whole countries, target specific cities. Whole countries are too broad, and algorithms can waste your money on low-quality views. Stick to known music hubs and culturally relevant cities.
- Mainstream U.S. artists: think L.A., New York, Atlanta, Miami.
- Afrobeats or hip-hop artists: consider Lagos, Accra, London, Johannesburg.
- Latin artists: test Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, or Madrid.
- Emerging markets with English speakers: India, the Philippines, Nigeria — but monitor for bots.
The Cardinal Rule: your ad budget is limited. Don’t let Meta or YouTube “figure it out” for you if you’re only spending $2 a day. You have to use common sense and tell the algorithm exactly where to go. Your money should always go toward the people most likely to become real fans.
Language and Cultural Fit
People connect when they see themselves reflected in the art. Go after regions that share your language or culture. Black artists tend to do well across Africa; Spanish-speaking artists often explode in South and Central America; Portuguese artists can find entire new audiences in Brazil. Don’t force it — follow where your sound naturally resonates.
Gender and Age: Test, Don’t Assume
Every genre has demographic patterns. Underground hip-hop? Mostly men. Pop and R&B? Often women, but not exclusively. Female singers will attract both female fans and male viewers — but in different ways. The key is to test.
- If your genre skews heavily male, start there.
- If your music is mainstream, keep both genders on and refine later.
- Always watch who’s actually engaging — your analytics will tell the truth.
As for age, think about your sound’s era and energy. Anything nostalgic or rooted in the 90s/2000s will hit hardest with 30–55-year-olds. Current, social-first genres usually land in the 18–34 range. Line up your age targeting with that reality.
Platform Behavior
Different demographics live on different platforms. Facebook still crushes in older markets and developing countries. Facebook Reels, in particular, are outperforming Instagram in many regions. Meanwhile, younger audiences — 18 to 30 — live on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok. Don’t assume your audience is “everywhere.” Put your energy where your demographic actually scrolls.
Keywords, Hashtags, and Search Signals
Once you’ve defined your audience, reinforce it with data signals that tell platforms exactly who you’re for. Research your hashtags and make sure they’re active — not dead tags. Put your keywords in your captions, bios, and video descriptions. SEO is part of audience definition too. It teaches algorithms how to categorize you, which affects who they show you to.
The Real Goal
Your goal isn’t to “find everyone.” It’s to find the right someone — the people most likely to connect with your music, stick around, and eventually buy something. Your audience isn’t random; it’s built, tested, and refined. The clearer you are about who you’re for, the cheaper your ads get, and the stronger your fan base grows.
Turn Strategy into Action
If you’re ready to define your audience and build your own wall of activity, start with a professional campaign setup and structured targeting strategy — Album Promotion — and related guides like How to Market an Album When You’re Not Famous Yet.
360 Promo is a full-service music marketing, promotion, distribution and admin company. Learn more about us and what we do at 360 Promo, follow us on Instagram and contact us to tailor a plan that works for you.