🎵 How to Build a Content Plan

Which platform is right for you?

Before you try to “win” social media, it’s worth asking a simpler question: where should you actually be showing up?

This blog focuses on Instagram not because it’s the only platform that matters, but because it’s one of the few places where music, visuals, and storytelling collide in a way that can genuinely grow an audience.

With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram alone is already a crowd bigger than most artists could reach in a lifetime. You don’t need to be everywhere. In fact, trying to succeed on every platform at once usually leads to burnout and blurry identity. There are enough people on one platform alone to give you an amazing career.

The real move is focus. Pick one or two platforms where your audience lives, learn how they work, and show up consistently enough that people start to recognise you. It's much better to build a strong signal in one place than scatter noise across five.

The rules of the game

Social platforms shift constantly. What worked six months ago can quietly stop working overnight, which is why staying up to date isn’t optional, it’s part of the job.

One of the easiest ways to keep your finger on the pulse is to follow Adam Mosseri (@mosseri), he's the head honcho at Instagram and regularly shares how Instagram is evolving straight from the source.

But before we dive into the latest changes, it helps to understand the basic rules of the game. Instagram’s goal is simple: keep people on the app for as long as possible. It pushes content that holds attention, gets rewatched, shared, or saved, and clearly signals what it’s about. In other words, the platform rewards content that’s easy to understand, quick to hook, and satisfying enough that people want more. Once you understand that, the updates start to make a lot more sense.

Five Instagram changes you need to know

Instagram started 2026 with a lot of important updates. I've picked the top five here that I feel are important for you to know as a musician and artist aiming to grow a fan base.

1. “Your Algorithm” = Fans Choose What They See

Instagram has handed users the steering wheel. People can now filter out what they don’t like and double down on what they do.

Why this matters:
If your content is vague or inconsistent, fans might unknowingly filter you out.

👉 Your move: Be unmistakably clear about your sound, vibe, and identity.

2. Topic Clarity Is Now Brutal

Instagram categorises your account based on your last 9–12 posts.

What that means:
If your content is all over the place, your reach will be too.

👉 Your move: Think of your profile like a radio station, not a chaotic playlist. Pick a lane and stay in it.

3. Watch Time Is King (Shorter Often Wins)

A fully watched 30-second video beats a skipped 60-second one every time. You can actually post a video that's up to 3 minutes long but it will have to be bloody good if you want people to make it to the end.

What that means:
Your videos need to grab attention and keep it.

👉 Your move:

• Start with the hook
• Lead with your strongest moment
• Ask yourself: would someone replay this?

4. Longer + Episodic Content Is Back

I'm about to contradict myself but long reels have a place too. In fact Instagram is encouraging series-style content. This is called episodic or benchmark content. You could break this up into a 'what will happen next' format or have a theme for one day of the week. For example look at my Friday reels where I shout about an artist I love.

What that means:
This is where content planning really works in your favour.

👉 Your move:

• “Making this song” episodes
• Studio diaries
• Song breakdown series

5. Goodbye #

Hashtags are fading. Keywords are rising. Think about what words or phrases define you and work those into all of your captions.

What that means: Instagram is now basically a search engine.

👉 Your move:
Write like a human, but with intent:

• “UK indie artist”
• “afrobeats love song”
• “live acoustic performance”
• Take a look at my captions. They all end with a couple of sentences that describe me for people new to my channel. I've written that as a pocket explosion of keywords.

🎯 Building a Content Plan as a Musician

A content plan isn’t about posting more. It’s about posting with purpose. Think of it like designing a world your audience wants to step into again and again.

1. Choose Your Lane (Platform Focus)

Trying to dominate every platform is like playing five gigs at once. You’ll just sound bad everywhere. So focus on one or two. Think about where your audience might actually live. For example if your music appeals to Gen x you won't find many of your people on TikTok. Don't forget YouTube either - after all it's the second biggest search engine after Google (who own YouTube).

2. Choose Your Identity (Your “Channel”)

You should be able to describe your content in one sentence. If you can’t, Instagram definitely can’t.

Think of this as your mission statement. If someone asks you what you do and you have one sentence to mail the answer, what are you going to say?

Then make sure every single thing you do on your channel fits with your mission statement.

That means all these are important:

• All of your posts and captions
• How you reply to posts and the people you DM
• The people you follow and who follows you

👉 Rule: Instagram looks at every aspect of your behaviour and bases it on how you show up in the Insta world. If you have other interests outside your channel, start another channel and do that stuff there. I have a private channel for that very purpose. Anything not related to Monoki happens there.

3. Set Clear Goals

Without goals, content becomes noise.

Break it down:

• Long-term (1 year): Audience size, income, recognition
• Mid-term (6 months): Growth milestones, releases
• Short-term (1 month): Content output, engagement targets

4. Pick a Sustainable Posting Rhythm

Consistency beats intensity. You don’t need to post daily. You need to post reliably. If you post good quality content it will still be getting engagement 24-48 hours later or even longer! The longer your post remains active the more people Insta will let in the door. So give each post room to breathe.

The algorithm doesn’t “punish” older posts outright, but it prioritises showing people newer content from accounts they follow. If you post daily, your newest post will generally get the first push in your followers’ feeds, which can reduce the reach of yesterday’s post unless it continues to get engagement (likes, shares, saves, comments).

Bottom line: Posting every day isn’t inherently bad, but if every post is vying for attention, some may get “lost in the shuffle.” It’s better to focus on quality, strong hooks, and strategic timing than just posting for the sake of daily consistency.

5. Plan Around “Drop-Off Points”

Think of your plan like going on a long journey. What are the important places you want people to see along the way? Your 'drop off points' are gigs, releases. All the things you put in your regular work diary that are worth shouting about.

👉 Example:

Let's say you're releasing 8 songs as a mini album. You might want to think about releasing that over time rather than all at once (called a waterfall release). Maybe you'll release 3 songs, one a month on DSP and whilst making the whole album available on physical formats. Suddenly you have 4 things to talk about over the course of 3 months.

Add to that any promo gigs or appearances you might be doing to push the album. Suddenly you're building a content plan.

🧩 Your Content Toolkit

Think of your content like a setlist. You need variety, but it all fits the same vibe.

Types of Content

• Passive vs Active
  Easy-to-watch vs requires engagement
• Promote Old Music
  New fans haven’t heard your old songs
• Repeatable Formats
  Same idea, different execution or just content you can repost again and again.
• Benchmark / Episodic Content
  Series people come back for
• Talking Head Reels
  Build connection, not just sound

Stories v feed posts

Your followers are much more likely to see your stories - the feed can often be clogged up with ads and suggestions. Therefore don't forget to share your feed posts to your stories. If your reels are less than 60s long, the whole thing gets seen in a story.

Don't overwhelm your followers with stories. Aim for a max of two or three live stories at a time.

⚙️ Content Must-Haves (Non-Negotiable)

Every post should tick these boxes:

• A strong hook (first 1–2 seconds)
• Keyword-rich captions (not hashtag spam)
• Built for full watch-throughs
• Potential for replays and shares

Longer videos are fine, but only if they earn attention. Otherwise, keep it tight.

📊 How to Actually Measure Progress

Instagram gives you clues. Most artists just ignore them.

Pay attention to:

• Follower vs non-follower reach
• Who watches your Stories consistently
• Completion rate on Reels

👉 Stories = nurture your fans
👉 Feed = find new ones

🧠 If You Remember Only 5 Things

• Be consistent in style and genre
• Hook attention in 1–2 seconds
• Optimise for shares, not likes
• Use keywords, not hashtags
• Build repeatable content formats

🎤 Need more help?

The goal isn’t to “beat the algorithm.” It’s to become the kind of artist people actively choose to see.

When your content is clear, consistent, and addictive in small doses, the algorithm doesn’t feel like an obstacle anymore. It starts behaving like a very enthusiastic tour manager, quietly putting you in front of the right crowd night after night.

But I understand all this can still feel pretty daunting so how about you and I sit down and work this out together?

In a content planning session we'll:

• Establish a system to make planning easy.
• Define your channel identity.
• Set clear goals and drop off points.
• Build a posting schedule to include all the elements that will help you grow.

Special offer: Book a two hour content planning session for just £60

Click below to book or find out more.