3 Reasons Artists Don't Grow on Social Media — And Why I'm Guilty of One

I've been doing this wrong.

Nine weeks ago I started posting consistent content for the first time in my career. And I just realized I've been missing something critical.

Before I get into it — let me tell you who I am.

My name is DJ Riddler. 35 years in the music industry. Billboard Top 10 artist. Former radio personality at Z100 New York and KTU New York. SiriusXM BPM host. Former National Club and Mixshow Manager at Tommy Boy Records. And right now — Director of Entertainment at Warehouse Live Midtown Houston.

I started DJing at 17 years old for $50 a night at a teen club in Houston.

Nine weeks ago I started posting consistent content for the first time in my career.

And last week I realized I've been missing something critical.

Here are 3 reasons why artists don't grow on social media — and what I'm doing about it.

Number One — Going for Personality Based Content Over What You Want to Be Known For

An artist or DJ posts a comedy, dance, or cringe video that goes viral.

Now their whole audience and the algorithm are expecting more of that content.

They post music next.

Nobody cares.

Because that's not why people followed them.

If what's working for you isn't what you want to be known for — you become a content creator or influencer who happens to do music.

Not an artist.

Think about how many DJs and musicians you've seen blow up on social media for something completely unrelated to their music. A funny video. A dance trend. A reaction clip. Their follower count explodes. Then they drop a track and the engagement falls off a cliff.

Because their audience didn't follow them for music. They followed them for entertainment. And now those two things are at war with each other.

The solution:

80% of your content should be what you are trying to focus on.

If you want to be known as an artist — post more music. If you want to be known as a DJ — post more of that. If you want to be known as a venue director — post more industry insight.

Whatever you want people to associate you with — that needs to be the majority of your content.

I'm guilty of this.

Nine weeks of talking head videos and industry insights. Career stories. Venue operations. AI and data. All valuable content. All performing well.

But not enough music.

That changes August 7th when my new single I Surrender featuring Madalina Cretu drops on all streaming platforms.

Number Two — Assuming People Care About Your Project

They don't.

Not yet.

Here's what I mean.

You post about your new single dropping next Friday. You're excited. You've been working on it for months — maybe years. You post about it assuming your audience shares your excitement.

But 90% of the people watching have never heard of you.

They don't know your story. They don't have any context. They don't know why they should care about your single.

Any post that needs pre-context is falling on deaf ears.

This is the trap most artists fall into — they create content for their existing fans instead of creating content that converts strangers into fans.

The solution:

Treat every single post like an introduction.

Because for most people watching — it is.

That means:

Lead with your best. Don't assume they know your backstory. Don't reference something you posted last week. Give them a reason to care in the first 3 seconds. Tell them who you are. Show them what you do. Make them feel something.

Win them over quickly. Every single time.

Every post is a first impression for someone. Treat it that way.

Number Three — Quitting Before the Breakthrough

Even if you do the first two perfectly — this one can derail everything you've been working for.

You post for months. Low views. No traction.

200 views. 300 views. Month after month.

And you want to quit.

Most people do.

Think of it like the gym.

You don't see results after one workout. You don't see results after one week. You don't even see results after one month sometimes. But you keep going anyway because you know the results are coming.

Social media works exactly the same way.

Here's the key — don't delete your old posts.

I've seen artists delete everything because the numbers were low. They think starting fresh will help. It won't.

Here's why.

When you finally get that one video that goes viral — the algorithm feeds all your old content to those new viewers. Every piece of content you've ever posted becomes discoverable to an entirely new audience in a matter of hours.

Every post is ammunition.

If you delete your old posts you're throwing away ammunition right before the battle starts.

Don't throw away your ammunition.

The GaryVee Insight That Stopped Me Cold

Gary Vaynerchuk — better known as GaryVee — built a media empire from nothing. He's one of the most followed entrepreneurs and social media experts in the world.

He said something recently that stopped me cold.

An account with zero followers can get more views than someone with 15 million followers.

If the content is better.

Let that sink in.

The algorithm doesn't care how old you are. It doesn't care how many followers you have. It doesn't care how long you've been in the industry.

It only cares if you make people stop scrolling.

They say you have 2 to 4 seconds to get someone to stop scrolling or swiping to the next video. Your job is to keep them there as long as you can. If you can do that — the platforms reward you. And that's how you go viral.

That's the most democratizing thing that has ever happened in the music industry. A kid with a bedroom studio and 200 followers has the same potential reach as a major label artist with 15 million if their content is better.

But only if they don't quit before the breakthrough.

Where I Am Right Now

Nine weeks in. 1,721 TikTok followers. 6,614 Instagram followers.

Modest growth. But my content is reaching well beyond my existing audience. The algorithm is pushing my posts to people who don't follow me yet. The foundation is being built.

Am I doing everything perfectly? No.

Am I guilty of at least one of these three mistakes? Yes — Number One. Not enough music content. That changes now.

Am I going to quit? Absolutely not.

Nobody said reinvention was fast.

It's a marathon. Not a sprint.

But I'm still here. Still posting. Still showing up.

And I'm not done yet.