Why use a shortened URL (as a D.I.Y. Rock Star)?
This post is loosely based on Gab & Jam 284. Why use a shortened URL (as a D.I.Y. Rock Star)?
(video: https://bit.ly/284shorturlsvid and podcast: https://bit.ly/284shorturlspod )
As a D.I.Y. Rock Star, you will LIKELY find it necessary to share links to your music and your merch. Wouldn’t it be great if you could tell how many folks are clicking on the links from Instagram or from Twitter or from wherever? And wouldn’t it be great to also name each link, so that it’s easy to tell which link is for which song? Well, that’s JUST what you will be able to do, if you use a URL shortener.
Inspired by https://www.cyberprmusic.com/musicians-guide-to-using-bitly/ and by https://blog.hootsuite.com/what-are-url-shorteners/
*This is a non-sponsored post.
What is a shortened URL?!
Well, when you access a web page, the really long set of characters that is in the browser bar is the page’s URL. So, when you want to share a web page with someone, you must select it and copy all of that, so that you can paste it into an email or a text. What a URL shortener does is to take that really long set of characters and create a shorter, easier to share link out of it. THAT’S what we mean when we talk about a “shortened URL.” So, if you want to share your newly uploaded song from SoundCloud, you would copy the link and it would look like this: https://soundcloud.com/bloomingprejippie/sets/gab-jam-talk-show-playlist However, once you copy the long link into a link shortening app or website, your link will look like this: http://bit.ly/allgabandjamscplaylist You can see where the shortened link has its advantages—even if it’s for the OBVIOUS reasons where it’s less to look at on the page—but here are some OTHER reasons that are LESS apparent.
Here are 3 superb reasons to use a shortened URL
as a D.I.Y. Rock Star:
1. Data
Gives you data on where, when, source, and how many times folks clicked on your links. Sometimes, it’s nice to refer back to see where you are getting the most traffic, since if you’re touring or something similar, you might want to make that location a part of your plan. Ultimately, it gives you an indication of where folks are engaging with whatever content you are sharing, which is helpful when you have to decide where to put your time, since time and effort, for a D.I.Y. Rock Star, are two of our most important resources.
Social Media Tips: https://bit.ly/socmediablog
2. Helps your branding
One of the coolest things using a URL shorteners can do is to let you customize the back half of the link. –Remember, how we said you can name the link to reflect the name of the song you are sharing? It is yet another way of letting potential clickers know what they might expect. Here’s an example of a link I share when we are sending prospective stakeholders information about our last album: https://bit.ly/SugarFitlanding This way, the person who is interested in our funk album, Sugar Fit, will see that this gives them more information about it.
Branding for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: http://bit.ly/brandingassetblog
3. Helps you “file” it effectively
Also, ANOTHER advantage to being able to customize the back half of the links is that you can change the link to reflect your properties –like https://bit.ly/227muiscaldisc5blog –which helps me know that this post is connected to episode 227 and that the topic is “musical discoveries number 5” and that this particular link is heading to the blog post. Needless to say, when produce QUITE a lot of songs—not to mention podcasts, blog posts, and other YouTube videos—you need SOME way to be able to catalog it all and, MORE IMPORTANTLY, to be able to find it long after it has been created. You can imagine that within a year, if you don’t have some way to discern one shortened link from another, it will be murder to be able to find ANY of those files. This is ONE way to help with that.
File Management for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: https://bit.ly/229filemgmtblog
4. You can tag the link
You can also add tags associated to the link, so that it’s easier to find again. —This MAY NOT seem important now, but we are have created nearly 300 podcast episodes, over 300 videos on YouTube,, and nearly 300 blog posts. Every now and again, I need to find an older one to share again, but if I have not tagged it correctly—and early on, I DIDN’T—it is very hard to find, which means sometimes I might “miss the moment” on sharing it again.
Here are some apps for link shortening:
There are MANY different apps that will do the job and, although we used Bitly , here is a list of others:
1. Bitly
2. ShortURL
3. Ow.ly
4. T.co
5. Tiny URL
6. Rebrandly
7. Hyperlink
8. Tiny.CC
9. Bit.Do
10. ClickMeter
11. Shorte.ST
12. Cut.Ly
13. Clkim
See the episode for the full discussion.
As you know, when you are a D.I.Y. Rock Star, you end up doing it ALL at some point or another—from writing the songs to mixing the album to promoting it. Using shortened URLs will help you do some of this additional heavy lifing better.
What about you? How have YOU figured out how to get MORE out of your time and energy?
Did you know that along with putting together our next album, we are working on our first book?
Here’s the link, if you want to pre-order: https://bit.ly/prejippiebklanding
Here’s what we’re into now:
· We’re featured in Variety Magazine! https://bit.ly/featuresxsw2023
· One of our videos for our song, “Tell Me What You Want,” is going gangbusters in Vietnam! https://bit.ly/tellmewhatyouwantvid
· “Faith in Me” on Union 999 Independent Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3Jusm2Q
· “I Miss You” got picked up for a Spotify Playlist! https://spoti.fi/3jha4HP
· Tom Ray’s Art Podcast: https://bit.ly/tomrayspodcast2june2022
· “Sugar Fit” on Darkest Corners of the World Podcast S2 E3 http://bit.ly/sugarfitdarkestpod
· “Flying High” (from “Sugar Fit” album) on Toes in the Sand Playlist http://bit.ly/toesplaylist
· “Sugar Fit” on his Spotify “Indie: Undiscovered But Brilliant: Vol. 3” http://bit.ly/SugarFitonPlaylist2
· “Sugar Fit” on No Sugar Radio http://bit.ly/nosugarradiosugarfit
If you like this, you might enjoy:
· Blooming Prejippie Travel Adventures playlist: https://bit.ly/travelplaylistvids
· Basic Recording Studio Setup: https://bit.ly/246basicstudiopost
· What to do when real life interrupts your artistic process? https://bit.ly/241reallifeblog
· 7 Strategies for rebounding from creative burnout: https://bit.ly/239digoutofburnoutblog
· How to give better interviews (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/236betterinterviewsblog
· How to give better live performances: https://bit.ly/219betterliveblog
· How to collaborate better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/Ep163collaborateblog
· How to write quicker, but better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/228writebetterblogpost
· Should you ever play for free? https://bit.ly/214playfreeblog
· 17 Tips for taking better band photos—ESPECIALLY if you taking them yourself: http://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
· First Music Video? 10 Best Websites for Free Stock Video Footage: http://bit.ly/freestockvideosprej
NOW:
Funk album, “Sugar Fit,” by Bourgeoisie Paper Jam http://bit.ly/BandCampPMG and
follow on Spotify at https://bit.ly/bpjspotfollow
More Ways to experience B L O O M I N G P R E J I P P I E :
· All things “Sugar Fit”: https://bit.ly/SugarFitlanding
· Blog: http://bit.ly/bpblogsubscribe
· Shop: https://bit.ly/prejippieshop
· Patreon: https://bit.ly/PMGPatreon
· YouTube: http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
· Gab & Jam podcast: https://bit.ly/gabandjamhq
· Soundcloud (music): https://soundcloud.com/prejippie
· Join the Bourgeoisie Paper Jam Street Team! https://bit.ly/BPJstreetteam
· Be the NEXT D.I.Y. Rock Star Handbook Pre-order: https://bit.ly/prejippiebklanding
· Funky Happy People (Who Listen to a Variety of Genres of Music) Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/funkyhappyjoin
· Be the Next D.I.Y. Rock Star Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/diyrockstarjoin
Please subscribe. Thanks. http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
Until next Monday, here’s wishing love, peace, and chicken grease!
