When starting out, growing a following can seem like an impossible task. If you play it smart, however, it’s actually much simpler than it appears. As we’ve stated before, it is hard in that you must play a lot of shows and make sure that you get your name and music out there, but the process actually gets easier as you expand outward.

It gets easier because your early efforts build velocity.

Let’s start at the beginning. You form a band, write some songs and play shows locally. At first, you’re playing to empty clubs and get friends to come to your shows. You keep at it and eventually, you notice the crowds getting bigger and bigger; and instead of friends, the crowd is full of strangers. If this is the case, you’ve built a local following and can move to the next level.

It’s time to begin to gradually move your shows out of your immediate area and on to outlying areas. Depending on the geography of where you live, this could mean the surrounding cities, counties or even states – the idea is to move out just enough that some of the fans will make the trip to see you and new people can get exposed to you at the same time. Remember, the psychological effect of seeing that someone else likes a band, is that a person will be more open minded to that band’s music.

This radial approach will ensure that there is always a fan presence at your shows and will start a chain reaction on many fronts. Besides making it easier to get new fans, your reputation will begin to grow among the local media outlets, which will eventually lead to a reputation that precedes you among club owners and promoters. It will also strengthen your following locally.

If you continue on this course, you’ll go from having a local following to a regional following, a regional following to a coastal following which will quickly turn into a national following.

Enough attention at any level will breed new attention at the next level. Start small, stick with the fundamentals and build your successes and you will get to where you want to go.