How Peggy Gou achieved success using social media
Peggy Gou continues to gain momentum as one of the underground scene’s most influential artists. Having only released her first track in 2016, her rise to fame was extremely impressive. Through her career she has gained support at an exponential rate, becoming a household name through her music as well as her social media use. We’ve taken a look at exactly how Peggy Gou managed to rise to fame so quickly and the role that social media played in her success.
Originally from Korea, Peggy Gou is now based in Berlin, a place that many would hail as the home of techno. Her sound definitely fits under the techno umbrella and she has built up a huge level of respect from listeners within the underground scene, quite a feat for an artist who has only been releasing music for the last two years. Despite the popularity of her releases and live performances, much of her success has stemmed from her infectious personality and the way that she stands out among the crowd online.
Standing out
As an artist, standing out for the right reasons is one of the major factors in launching to success. It is no longer enough to simply create good music and perform well. In the current climate, with so much competition out there, it is imperative to have your own brand, your own identity, and your own recognizable sound. Being recognized is key to reaching further success, as being memorable allows you to secure your position in peoples minds.
Being unique is something that is difficult to force, the most effective way to stand out from the crowd is to find your own differences and celebrate them. Being unique doesn’t mean reinventing yourself into a character that does not fit in with the crowd, being unique is about knowing what sets you apart from other producers. In a commercial sense, artists such as Marshmello, Steve Angello, and deadmau5 have all embraced their differences in order to stand out from the crowd. As with the commercial scene, the underground scene also requires artists to stand out in order to really be heard.
Peggy Gou has always embraced her own differences and has never been afraid to show her personality to the world. Through her social media, she lets her audience in and allows fans to get a true insight into who she is. Her Facebook and Instagram posts regularly feature humour and never appear forced. She always shares her personality with honesty and integrity, letting viewers in while celebrating her differences.
Breaking up the promotion
Rather than posting promotional content 24/7, Peggy Gou posts whatever is on her mind. She shares humorous moments from her day-to-day life, as well as videos depicting special performances that stood out from the rest. Many artists feel that in order to further their career they must consistently promote their latest single, music video or an upcoming show. When your audience feels that the content you provide is forced and only focused on promotion, emotionally they will switch off. It is much more difficult to build a relationship between an artist and their fans when they artist is focused on promotional content alone. In order to bridge the gap, humour, honesty and integrity are the key to building a meaningful relationship.
Advertising has shifted over the years and brands are finding now more than ever that their content has to appear less forced. Now that social media advertising is a lot more prevalent, the methods used for promotion have shifted at high speed, completely reinventing the way adverts are geared towards consumers. Covert advertising is much more valuable, which is one of the many reasons that influencers have become so much more integral, as they provide viewers with a more genuine insight than a television advert with actors. With promotion becoming less and less overt, artists like Peggy Gou continue to build momentum through lack of forced advertising.
Viral content
Last year, Peggy Gou went viral when she shared a video from her performance at Glastonbury in the UK. Rather than making the post about her own prowess as an artist, she shared a humorous moment in which members of the crowd held their shoes in the air. At festivals, attendees holding their shoes in the air has always been known as a sign of approval, but when watching Peggy Gou, fans took this a step further by chanting ‘Peggy shoe’. This soon caught on and fans at Peggy Gou’s following shows continued to show their approval by waving their shoes in the air. Although the moment itself was completely unforced and Gou merely took to social media to share it, viral content like this is a great method for creating a movement and spreading awareness around your brand.
By sharing another video to show that she shoe waving was catching on, Peggy Gou reinforced her viral content. She always makes sure to keep her social media as a light-hearted place with genuine, humorous content, something that many artists could learn a great deal from. When your content goes viral, it is important to reinforce it by revisiting it at a later date in some way. In Peggy Gou’s case it was another video of fans waving their shoes in approval, but there are plenty of other ways to reinforce viral content.
Rather than promotional content, Peggy Gou focuses on updating her audience with her life. Many of these updates include funny clips from her day, in the particular clip below, she can be seen riding a giraffe while listening to music. The giraffe itself features regularly across her social media content. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the giraffe has become an aspect of Peggy Gou’s branding. As an artist, find something that makes you stand out and incorporate it into your brand. Being different is powerful, always look to stand out.
Create trends
Many artists fall into the trap of trying to follow trends rather than create them. This can often be seen by the way artists dress, their genre choices and their social media content. Copying other artists is something that will weigh you down and impede your progress. Instead, learn from those who stand out as different and be inspired by their branding. Instead of recreating their content for yourself, learn from their content and improve your own as a result. In striving for better results on social media, it is imperative to learn from others. In order to really learn, you must establish exactly why the content in question has provoked such a positive response.
When looking at Peggy Gou’s viral ‘Peggy shoe’ video, this is something that cannot really be recreated. Instead of looking to create your own version, think about why the video did so well. It was funny, it was spontaneous and it was unique. Often, the best content is spontaneous and natural, requiring little thought or planning. Make the most of special moments that translate well on camera and don’t forget to share them with the world.
Using humour to connect
The use of humour on social media is highly underrated by artists. Having a professional account that focuses on your musical career does not mean that you need to keep your posts serious and music-oriented all the time. In order to connect with your audience, you must share more than just your work. Showing that you are human through humour is an ideal method for connecting with your audience. Humour, in the right taste, always provokes a positive response online. If your audience enjoys your posts, they will be more inclined to follow you and stay connected.
One aspect to be aware of however, is that it is imperative to know your audience. Know when your content is funny and when it is crossing the line. It only takes one poorly thought-out joke to offend your audience. For this reason, it is always best to steer clear of any humour that is associated with religion or culture. If you’re unsure about whether a joke crosses the line, ask somebody you know to read it before it’s published to make sure that it wont be taken as offensive.
The most important lesson to be learned from Peggy Gou’s social media presence is the importance of being real. Personality is something that cannot be forced, don’t strive to be a character that you are not. Find out what makes you different and embrace your differences in order to stand out from the crowd and truly shine. Artists often fall into the trap of being too formal on social media and not allowing their audience in. Without letting your audience in, the chance of making a meaningful connection with them is somewhat diminished. Allow people to see the real you in order to connect and don’t overflow your channels with promotional content. While promotion is necessary for all artists, it is important to strike the right balance between promotion and reality. Provide your audience with entertainment through humour and they will be much more likely to engage with your promotional posts when those occur.