Start loving your audiences and turn followers into Super-fans! Hey Music Makers This is Live Music Producer, Ben Byler. I'm excited to be sharing with you 7 tips to creating engaging performances so you can connect better with your audiences and start building a lifetime of superfans. These tricks of the trade have been passed down over the years and are key to increasing sales growth and followers. I'm going to show you how. But it’s not just about the metrics for long

Whether you know it or not, what you do as an artist on and off the stage is part of telling your story. Stories are part of who you are, how you’re unique, where you’re from, and what you believe in. Stories capture memories and provide hope for the future. They are your most powerful tool and competitive advantage. Knowing your story while leveraging themes for your performances your audience can relate to can help you stand out. In the book “What’s Your Story,” by Ryan

How do you know if people are really going to buy into your story, come see your shows, and want to follow you? The pitch is not only what can I give to my audience, but what are they looking for. This is where research comes into play. You don’t want to go out and put on a show that just focuses on you. You want to connect to a story that’s already being told. You’re part of a greater journey that started long before you got here. Your style, themes, the moments you cr

Now that you have a good idea of what your story is and who your intended audience will be, its time for the magic to start building lasting relationships with your audiences. Simon Sinek in his book "Start With Why" focuses us on not what we want to achieve but why we want to achieve it. To really engage with an audience over the long term on a personal level, they need to believe in not what you’re doing, but why you are doing it. From 15 second TikToks to full 90 minute

"What Art has over real life is the ability to edit. Life in its raw beauty has little sense of structure. It has amazing textures but doesn’t relate to the snappy beginnings or endings of a movie, book, or engaging live performance. By giving your story and performance structure, you amplify the message you want your audience to receive." from Film Flam: Essay’s on Hollywood, by Larry McMurtry. Now you’ve already researched your audience and know your own story. You hav

One of the most fundamental things we can do as artists are just looking in people's eyes during a performance. Why do so many people create followers online singing? Their faces tell a story. They may have a beautiful voice, but again we listen visually first. Every performer on the stage whether virtual or in front of a live crowd has this ability to use eye contact to connect and engage with the audience. It is essential to think of this when building your moments that

Focusing on songs as moments will allow you to work on delivering memorable performances while building a library of experiences you can easily categorize and reproduce. How do you know what moments to deliver and when? Before we talked about your performance as building a relationship with your audience. Part of taking an audience on a journey is meeting them where they are at. When introducing yourself to a new audience, you don’t want to show off to much in the beginnin

You have to know your audience and keep them engaged from the beginning of a show till the end with moments. I’ve worked with singers in a band and turned an entire show into a soap opera by the end of a show. The underlying theme of the show was about relationships. The audience had no idea from the beginning what was going on, but were laughing hysterically throughout the show as the relationships unfolded. We started with this hip chick on stage alone with her guitarist

This last tip is simple and extremely important. Presentation. We all want to look good and have that swag that will make us stand out. Branding your look, staging, and choosing the right environment to shine all play a role in delivering memorable performances. As they say in my hometown Nashville, TN, it all starts with the song. When in doubt about a look, listen to the music. The theme or underlying style you’ve chosen should help you brand your experience. Macklem