Hey everyone! I asked the Xube to allow me to remain anonymous, but I wanted to share my experience with something that made a huge shift in my music career. I’m a singer-songwriter… which is another way of saying I’m a part-time barista, full-time social media manager, and occasional musician.

Sound familiar?

For years, I was stuck on the content hamster wheel. I’d spend hours editing a 30-second Reel, post it, get a quick flurry of likes, and then… nothing. I’d announce a new single on all my platforms, and it would feel like shouting into a hurricane. I had 10,000 “followers,” but I couldn’t sell 10 tickets to a local show.

The problem wasn’t my music (at least, I hope not!). The problem was that I didn’t have a connection. I had an audience. An audience is passive. A community is active. An audience is rented. A community is built.

I realized I was building my entire career on “rented land.” If Instagram decided to change its algorithm tomorrow (which it does, like, every Tuesday), I could lose my entire business. I needed a direct line. I needed a way to connect with more fans that I owned.

The answer, my friends, wasn’t a new social media app. It was email.

“Email? Seriously? Isn’t That for Old People?”

I know, I know. I thought the same thing. Email feels like something your boss uses to schedule a “mandatory fun” team-building day.

But here’s the lightbulb moment: When someone checks their email, they are in a different mindset. They aren’t mindlessly scrolling. They are intentionally looking at messages sent directly to them.

An email in an inbox is personal. A post in a feed is public.

My goal shifted. I stopped trying to collect followers and started trying to build a community. And to do that, I needed a simple tool that wouldn’t make me want to throw my laptop out the window. After trying a few clunky platforms, I landed on Aweber. And honestly, it changed everything.

Here’s how I did it, step-by-step.

Step 1: Building the “Velvet Rope” (My Landing Page)

First, I needed a way to get people on my list. You can’t just put a sign-up form on your website and hope for the best. You have to offer something of value.

Musicians, we have the best stuff to give away. I’m talking about:

• An exclusive acoustic version of your most popular song.
• A “demo vault” of unreleased tracks.
• Handwritten lyric sheets (scanned as a PDF).
• A 15% discount code for your merch store.
• A personal video explaining the real story behind your latest single.

I decided to offer a free download of an acoustic track that wasn’t on Spotify. I used Aweber’s landing page builder—which is legit drag-and-drop easy—and made a simple, beautiful page in about 20 minutes. I didn’t need to know any code. I just put my artist photo in the background, wrote “Get the exclusive acoustic version of ‘My Song Title’!” and added the sign-up box.

I put the link to this landing page everywhere: my Instagram bio, my YouTube description, my X profile. It became my main call to action.

Step 2: The Automated “Welcome Wagon” (This is the Magic Part)

This is where I really started to connect with more fans in a way I never could before. Aweber lets you build “automations” or “campaigns.” This sounds technical, but it’s not. It’s just a pre-written series of emails that go out automatically.

Think of it like having a personal assistant who greets every new fan for you.

When someone signs up on my landing page, they don’t just get one email with the free track. They get my “Welcome Sequence.” It looks like this:

• Email 1 (Immediately): “You’re in! Here’s your free track.” This delivers the promise right away. I also include a quick, personal “thank you” video, just me and my guitar.
• Email 2 (2 Days Later): “The Story Behind the Song.” I tell them the real story of why I wrote the song they just downloaded. Was I heartbroken? Was I stuck in traffic? This builds a personal connection.
• Email 3 (4 Days Later): “My Top 5 Influences (You Might Be Surprised).” I share a mini-playlist and talk about the music I love. This shows I’m a fan, just like them. I also ask them to reply and tell me their biggest influence. (This is engagement, baby!)
• Email 4 (7 Days Later): “Want to See My (Very Messy) Studio?” I share a few behind-the-scenes photos and talk about my songwriting process.

While I’m writing new music or playing a gig, Aweber is working for me, turning a casual listener into a super-fan. It’s the single most powerful tool I’ve found to connect with more fans at scale, without losing the personal touch.

Step 3: What I Talk About (Hint: It’s Not Just “Buy My Stuff”)

My social media is where I promote. My email list is where I share.

If you only email your list when you want them to buy something, they’ll tune you out. I follow the 80/20 rule.

80% of my emails are pure value and connection:

• “Hey, I’m working on two new demos. Which one should I finish? (Hit reply and let me know!)”
• “I just played the weirdest gig of my life. Here’s the story…”
• “Here’s my ‘Inspiration Playlist’ for this month on Spotify.”
• “Exclusive first look at my new album artwork.”

20% of my emails are the “ask”:

• “My new single just dropped! Please go pre-save it!”
• “We just got new T-shirts in, and as a thank-you, here’s a 10% off code.”
• “I’m playing a show in [City]! First 10 people to reply get a free sticker at the merch table.”

The Results? They’re Real.

Before I started my list, launching a new single was a crapshoot. Now? When I launch a single, I email my list. I see an immediate, trackable spike in streams and sales.

When I book a gig in a new city, I can use Aweber to “tag” subscribers who live in that area and send them a personal invite. The last time I did this in Chicago, the front row was filled with people who had replied to my email.

Stop building your house on rented land. Social media is the party where you meet new people. Your email list is your home, where you invite them back to have a real conversation.

If you’re an unsigned artist, your most valuable asset isn’t your follower count; it’s your community. And an email list is the best tool to build one. It’s the only platform you’ll ever truly own, and it’s the most powerful way I’ve found to connect with more fans for the long haul.

Want to write a guest post for The Xube? Contact us today. You can link back to your socials or remain anonymous. It’s up to you.