Do you ever feel like you're drowning in the never-ending demand for social media content? If so, you’re not alone. As someone who's worked with numerous bands, I’ve seen firsthand how it can feel like trying to fill a leaky bucket while juggling flaming torches and singing your latest single. Fun times, right?
The Evolution of Band Content Creation
Music promotion has changed dramatically in the past decade. There was a time when bands could simply be bands. Back in 2015, posting the occasional gig photo or album update was enough to keep audiences engaged. Fast forward to 2024, and the average band is expected to maintain a near-constant presence across multiple platforms, with many successful acts posting three to five times per day.
Recent studies show that bands now spend an average of 15-20 hours per week on social media content alone—an unpaid, part-time job in its own right. This constant content pressure has led to burnout, frustration, and, in some cases, bands abandoning social media altogether. But there’s a better way.
Enter the “Big 3” Method
A friend of mine, Walwin, recently shared a game-changing hack I now recommend to every band: the “Big 3” method. The brilliance of this method lies in its simplicity—three songs, three locations, three angles, all shot in one day. The result? Twenty-seven unique pieces of content to keep your social media fresh for an entire month.
Making It Work: The Technical Side
To make the Big 3 method effective, you don’t need fancy equipment; a recent smartphone with a decent camera will do the job. The key is knowing how to use it well. Here’s a quick technical rundown:
Video: Shoot in 1080 x 1920 resolution for the best vertical video quality. If possible, aim for 30 frames per second (fps) or 60fps if you want to add any slow-motion effects for extra impact.
Audio: While a phone’s built-in microphone can work, consider a small lavalier microphone for clearer audio. Aim for 44.1kHz, 16-bit quality as a minimum for crisp sound that stands out on social feeds.
The Production Process
The Big 3 method is divided into three key phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. Here’s how to tackle each one:
1. Pre-Production
Pre-production is all about planning. Spend an hour selecting your three strongest songs and identify the most compelling 15-30 seconds of each—these should be the hooks or moments that truly showcase your band’s sound and energy. Scout locations ahead of time, ideally ones that are visually interesting and close together to maximise shooting time and minimise travel.
2. Production
On shoot day, plan for about 4-5 hours of filming. At each location, capture three distinct angles: a wide shot that gives context, a medium shot focused on the performance, and a close-up to capture emotion and detail. To keep things efficient, limit yourself to three takes per shot. This isn’t about perfection—capturing genuine, high-energy performances will resonate more with viewers.
Post-Production
Allow around 2-3 hours for post-production. Focus on basic color correction, adding captions or text as needed, and exporting in the formats required for each platform. Consistency and simplicity are more important than achieving cinematic quality. The goal is to create content that looks cohesive across posts.
The Impact: Real Numbers, Real Results
The effectiveness of this method isn't just theoretical. I've seen it work firsthand with bands I work with. Take it from me - there's a clear difference between the scattered, everyday posting approach and this structured content strategy. When bands switch to this method, they typically see much better engagement, more consistent growth, and most importantly, they stop stressing about content creation.
One of my client bands recently implemented this exact method. Instead of constantly scrambling for content ideas, they spent one focused day shooting and ended up with enough high-quality content for a month of posts. Not only did their social media presence become more consistent, but they also freed up countless hours they previously spent worrying about what to post next - time they could spend actually making music.
The Future of Band Content: Working Smarter, Not Harder
The future of social media content isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing it smarter. The Big 3 method represents a shift toward efficient, systematic content creation that maintains quality while preserving your time and energy for what really matters: making music.
With social media demands constantly evolving, having a system like this in place is essential. The Big 3 method allows you to stay ahead of these demands while avoiding the burnout that can come from trying to be a full-time content creator.
Ready to Level Up Your Content Game?
Give the Big 3 method a shot, and let me know how it goes. And if you’re planning to shoot content for new tracks, make sure they’re mixed to sound as good as they look. Reach out if you need help getting that perfect mix for social media.
P.S. Want to see this method in action? Check out Walwin’s profile (@_walwin). His execution of this strategy is spot-on, and it’s inspiring to see how well it works.
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