Sometimes the best-performing content on social media for musicians starts with a strategy. Sometimes it comes from spotting the right moment, having a bit of fun and running with it.
For The Last Pioneers, some football-inspired covers during the World Cup did exactly that. One TikTok reached 246,000 views, while their Instagram content saw a huge increase in reach and engagement. The idea came entirely from the band, but through their ongoing work with LMSUK account specialist Tanya, they had someone on hand to help turn that idea into content ready to make the most of the moment. Let’s take a look at When Timing Pays Off and more on our social media tips for musicians.
Right Content, Right Moment – Social Media for Musicians – Timing is everything.
The Last Pioneers weren’t setting out to create a viral campaign. They were having fun with the excitement surrounding the World Cup and creating content that felt relevant to what people were talking about at the time.
One particular post, built around the hook “The whole of England tonight”, landed at exactly the right moment. It tapped into a shared national feeling without feeling like the band were forcing themselves into a trend. The content was still centred around their music and, crucially, it was timely.
That’s something artists can sometimes overlook when planning social media. Not every post needs to be mapped out weeks in advance. Leaving room to react to what’s happening around you can create opportunities that a rigid content calendar simply can’t predict.
Working With Their Account Specialist
The creative idea belonged to The Last Pioneers. Tanya’s role as their LMSUK account specialist was to support them in getting the most from it. Working with the band, Tanya edited and trimmed the content, added captions and refined the visuals to make sure the finished posts worked effectively across social media.
There was no need to overcomplicate an idea that already felt natural to the band. Instead, the focus was on taking what they had created and making small refinements to give it the best chance of connecting with their audience.
It’s a good example of what working with an LMSUK account specialist can look like. It’s not about taking over an artist’s social media or forcing them into a particular style. The artist still brings their personality, ideas and creativity, while their account specialist can help shape, refine and strengthen the content around them. Social Media for musicians can look different for every band, artists and creator, its important your content stays true to you. In this case, The Last Pioneers brought the idea. Tanya helped them make the most of it.
The Results
- The first World Cup post took off. On Instagram, it achieved approximately 20 times the views of the band’s typical posts that week, alongside an engagement rate around 68 times higher.
- TikTok went even further, reaching approximately 246,000 views, making it the band’s highest-performing post across the period by a significant margin.
- A follow-up football-related post didn’t reach the same heights, but it still performed well above the band’s usual TikTok baseline, reaching approximately 101,000 views.
This is a great example of how moment-led content can work. The first post captured the conversation at its strongest. The follow-up still benefited from that momentum, but naturally didn’t have quite the same impact.
The Momentum Didn’t Disappear Overnight
One of the most interesting parts of the results was what happened next.
- A Stereophonics cover posted on 22 June reached approximately 17,700 views and 1,693 likes on TikTok, again performing well above the band’s usual levels.
- It suggests that the increased attention around the World Cup content helped create a wider period of visibility for The Last Pioneers, rather than producing one isolated spike and disappearing immediately afterwards.
- By 25 June, views had begun settling back towards their more typical range, but the band had gained valuable exposure to a much larger audience in the process.
Turning Reach Into Audience Growth
Views are great, but they aren’t the only number that matters.
- Across the five-week reporting period containing the World Cup content, The Last Pioneers’ Instagram follower growth was approximately five times higher than during the previous five weeks.
- On TikTok, they gained 821 followers during the reporting period, a strong result against an existing audience of around 13,000.
- It’s important to put those figures into context. The available analytics cover the wider reporting period rather than providing a precise day-by-day breakdown, so we can’t attribute every new follower directly to one World Cup post. Other activity during the period, including show announcements and subsequent cover content, will also have contributed.
- However, with the leading World Cup post achieving around 20 times the band’s normal Instagram reach and 246,000 TikTok views, it was clearly a significant part of that period of increased visibility.
What Can Other Artists Learn From This?
The lesson isn’t simply to jump on every trend. It’s about recognising the overlap between what people are already talking about and what makes sense for you as an artist. The Last Pioneers didn’t abandon their identity to chase World Cup engagement. They found a way to join the conversation through music, which made the content feel natural.
For artists, that can mean:
- paying attention to cultural moments your audience genuinely cares about
- reacting quickly rather than waiting until the conversation has passed
- finding a musical or creative angle that still feels like you
- keeping content concise and easy to consume
- being ready to follow a strong post with more relevant content while people are paying attention
Most importantly, don’t underestimate the ideas that start simply because they’re fun. Sometimes those are the ones audiences respond to most.
Good Social Media For Musicians Is a Collaboration
This win wasn’t about LMSUK handing The Last Pioneers an idea and telling them what to post. It came from the band knowing their personality and having the confidence to react to a moment, combined with the support of an account specialist who could help refine the content and get it ready to go.
That’s the relationship we want to build between our artists and account specialists.
A strong social media strategy gives you foundations and consistency, but it should also leave room for personality, experimentation and spontaneous ideas. When something has potential, having someone alongside you who understands your content can help you act on it while the moment is still relevant.
If you’re struggling to work out what your social media should look like, or you want someone in your corner to help turn your ideas into stronger content, book a discovery call with LMSUK to find out more about our artist support.
For artists who prefer to work independently, the LMSUK Backstage Pass: Musicians Toolkit is £10 per month, with instant access to tools, templates, opportunities and resources created for independent artists.