Instagram Isn’t the Same as PR
Here’s the most common mistake I see in the social media accounts of arts organizations—they treat social media like a PR ticker tape.
This is a problem for many reasons, but two stand out:
Orchestras are wasting marketing budget on dead-end posting.
Orchestras are missing out on the most effective tool they have for attracting new audiences.
Here are some examples of what I’m talking about:
Posting still photos from a performance, with a caption featuring quotes from recent newspaper reviews
Awards announcements, showing video from the award ceremony or cover art from the album receiving the award
Photos of the orchestra/soloist headshots, with a caption giving details on upcoming concerts
I see a lot of posts like these from orchestras of all sizes. This type of content is essentially preaching to the choir—it assumes the Instagram viewer understands why the award, or the artist, or the repertoire matters. It assumes they have already bought into the idea that orchestras matter. It assumes that the only thing preventing this person from buying a ticket is that they forgot to check the orchestra’s concert schedule.
These types of posts are just repackaged PR material. And each is a huge missed opportunity.
Orchestras know that the fight for attention has never been tougher, and that classical music literacy is at its lowest point in hundreds of years. This means you should not post as if your audience 1) knows about you and 2) cares about you.
Instagram’s biggest strength is its ability to give someone a glimpse into a world they aren’t a part of. This is why people follow influencers they’ve never met, movie stars they admire, and individuals pursuing crazy goals like renovating broken-down Scottish castles. Instagram is the most effective tool humans have ever created for connecting unfamiliar people and ideas (so is TikTok, but that’s a topic for another day).
Since classical music is still unfamiliar for huge swaths of prospective audiences, orchestras should play to Instagram’s strength and use it to reach out to new listeners.
I’m not saying that you CAN’T use your Instagram to remind an audience that a blockbuster concert is coming up. But I am saying that your social media content SHOULD focus on:
“Stopping the scroll” (this usually means posting video reels where there’s a strong visual “hook” within the first two seconds)
Creating content that intrigues new concertgoers, without assuming they are familiar with classical concerts
I’ll talk more about what DOES work in future blogs. Meanwhile, here’s a litmus test you can use for your content—if the content seems appropriate for LinkedIn, it’s just rehashed PR material. And while PR can be powerful, it can’t help your Instagram reach millions of new listeners.