Twitter is a real necessity for all you young, upcoming rap artists. There is no better way for you to get in touch with industry professionals who can help you, or spread the news about your latest track.

Below are the 5 Worst Fails you can make on Twitter; these are common mistakes but easily fixed! (Note: this is assuming you’ve already created a website to highlight yourself and your music. If you haven’t, read my Basic Social Media Tips for Rap & Hip Hop Artists post.)

5. You’re not following industry experts
Why would you NOT follow record companies, their executives and A&R people? True, they might not follow you back, but it never hurts to stay close to those who can make things happen. Follow them, retweet them and learn from them.

4. You don’t have any information in your Twitter bio
I see this error all the time: a young artists creates a Twitter account with a bio full of hashtags and slang. Bad idea. Tell a little about yourself like where you’re from or what kind of music you perform.

3.  You don’t tweet enough about your music
You really need to focus on sending your music links out to the world. If I check out a new artist on Twitter and on first glance of his Twitter feed don’t see links to his music, I pass. You need to use Twitter to sell yourself and get your music out there. I’ve seen too many accounts where artists tweet about silly stuff or retweet someone’s nonsense. This makes me think they aren’t serious about using Twitter to promote themselves.

2. You don’t have a photo of yourself in your profile
You need to let people know you’re a real person. Put a good photo in your profile. Remember, most people will only see a very small icon version of your photo in their feed until they click on your actual profile, so make sure your photo looks good at a smaller size.

1. You don’t have a link to your music in your profile
I see this too many times; an artist sets up a Twitter account and forgets to put a link to their music site (SoundCloud, ReverbNation, etc.) in their profile. How else will someone be able to find your music? A Twitter profile should be a mini-business card.If you don’t feel comfortable listing your real phone number, then at least have a photo, link to your music, and a brief background on you and your style.