How to Get Noticed as an Unknown Artist Using Social Proof

In early 2025, a brand-new band blew up with their first release using a simple strategy.

But before I get into how, let's go back a few years.

From Clara Bach to PUNCHBAG

Meet Clara Bach, a small artist from London.

Clara spent years trying to grow on Spotify and TikTok and never passed 1,000 monthly listeners. She made unique, well-produced music with her brother, and still didn't see the growth she hoped for.

Then one day, all of Clara's music disappeared from Spotify. I searched for her on Instagram and TikTok and found nothing.

Then a video popped up in my feed. Clara was in it, but the account wasn't called Clara Bach anymore. It was PUNCHBAG.

Clara had started a new project with her little brother, with a new name and new branding, and a sound that still felt familiar.

Months after launching PUNCHBAG, they started playing shows before they had even released a single song. Then they released their debut single.

At first it was quiet, with a few hundred streams in four days. And then on Friday, Spotify added the song to 20+ official playlists, and the band became the face of Hot New Bands.

Four days after that, the song had over 44,000 streams. They did it with no big social media strategy, no playlist pitching and no ads.

So how did it happen?

What Spotify editors are looking for

Before I released my first single, I told my mixing engineer, "Make sure this is top quality so it gets on editorial playlists."

I wish I could go back and slap myself. I was naive, and I still see so many musicians thinking good music is enough.

Let me be blunt. If the biggest artists in the world released their best songs as unknown musicians, they probably wouldn't land on editorial playlists.

Why? Because Spotify wants social proof. And so does everybody else: your listeners, playlist curators, labels, investors, even random people scrolling. We all look for signs that something is worth paying attention to.

What is social proof?

Social proof is the idea that people see something as valuable when other people publicly back it, whether that's through purchases, reviews or just standing in line. It's the most powerful trigger that makes people take action.

Clara's solo project didn't have much of it. The Spotify numbers were low, the social media engagement was low, and there was no blog coverage.

Before PUNCHBAG released one song, they had a calendar full of shows, weekly blog coverage and high engagement on social media. Before you even heard the music, you knew they were worth paying attention to.

"But Finch, I'm a broke musician"

This is only my theory, but I believe PUNCHBAG had a machine working behind the scenes, like a manager who got them the blog features and booked the shows. Maybe somebody invested in them, maybe they had connections, maybe they had the budget for a full PR campaign.

Either way, it's almost impossible to get that much traction without connections or money.

So what if you have no budget, no connections and only a handful of followers? That's where strategy comes in. Here's how you can start building social proof today, even on a small budget.

Playlists

Playlists are good for affordable streams, and they help the algorithm understand where your music belongs.

• Get your song on cheap, relevant playlists to boost the streams. SubmitHub is a good place to start.
• Post on your Instagram story every time you get added to a playlist.
• Make Reels and TikToks showing how many playlists added your song.

Ads

Ads are great for growing saves, followers and monthly listeners, and for getting your music onto algorithmic playlists.

• Run small-budget ads to grow your saves, followers and monthly listeners.
• Show off milestones, like "10K listeners!" or "1,000 saves!"

If you'd rather not run them yourself, I run Meta ads for one song and send you the numbers.

Social media

Social media is where you show that your audience cares, and that the numbers aren't fake.

• Make content that starts conversations and builds a community.
• When someone comments, reply with a question to keep the conversation going.
• Share every playlist add, show and interview you get.
• Ask your top followers to share your music on their stories, and re-share it.

Blogs and radio

They're not as powerful as they used to be, but they still add credibility.

• Pitch blogs through SubmitHub or by email.
• Post about every blog feature or radio play you get. I wrote a guide on getting your music on local radio.

Shows

Shows help you connect with fans, and they give you credibility.

• Play anywhere, even open mic nights, and make sure you record and post the performance.
• Take professional-looking photos at your gigs and post them.
• Tag the venues, promoters and other artists in your posts to get more exposure.
• Add "performed at [venue name]" to your bio to look more established.

Final thoughts

Industry people aren't stupid. If you have 100,000 Instagram followers and 2 comments per post, or 100,000 streams and 200 monthly listeners, they know something's off.

Engagement from fans is what counts. Build a community, talk to your audience, and make social proof your top priority.

Think smart and think big.