Gaana goes influencer-first to promote UGC feature, HotShots

Gaana taps into a network of 400+ artists, content creators and influencers to push HotShots as a #MadeInIndia platform for short format content.

Ever felt the urge to listen to the whole song after coming across snippets online? Or attempted to visualise the many ways a song could be depicted if real people were dancing on it? With HotShots, Gaana is attempting to mix the two to create a platform that has it all. To their credit, they have been able to create a library of over 45 million songs across genres in several Indian languages. Gaana Originals has helped them create exclusive tracks that aren't available on other platforms. Over time, the app has become a hotbed of content possibilities and now, they are going all out to leverage it.

Simply put, Gaana HotShots would allow content enthusiasts to create short videos on the app. It would also include HotShot Challenges wherein music, comedy and dance talents can be showcased under an umbrella theme.

While Gaana has had video content on the app for a while now, the UGC feature for users to create and share their own content has been added after the ban of TikTok in India. With HotShots, Gaana aims to establish their app as the go-to destination for all genres of digital entertainment.

The app has partnered with 400 artists and content creators who this week would start actively creating premium content for Gaana users. The artist roster includes personalities such as Awez Darbar, Nagma Mirajkar, Jannat Zubair Rahmani, Avneet Kaur of TikTok fame. However, the emphasis in artist line up remains more on singers, including many regional artists.

Talking about the social media strategy to promote Gaana HotShots, Prashan Agarwal, CEO of Gaana tells us, "Our strategy is content and artist/influencer-led, where we have tapped into our network of 400+ artists, content creators and influencers across Facebook, Instagram and our internal platforms."

Gaana has added a button on the centre of the lower panel of the screen for users to access HotShots on the app. They are also pushing the feature through banner and other ad placements in the app.

Leveraging influencers

The two prominent hashtags being used to promote the app are #GaanaHotShots and #MadeInIndia. These are being used by the official social media pages of the app as well as the artists and influencers highlighting their association with the project.

Artists and content creators being promoted by Gaana include Anushka Sen, Jannat Zubair Rahmani, Avneet Kaur, Riyaz Aly, Nagma Mirajkar, Awez Darbar, Khan Bhaini, Karan Aujla, Gurnazar, Ammy Virk, B Praak, Sukhe Muzical Doctorz, Gurlez Akhtar, Amrit Maan, Satbir Aujla, Darshan Raval, Sidhu Moosewala, Sharry Maan, Nikk, Parmish Verma, Karan Randhawa, Guri, Garry Sandhu, Jassie Gill, Jass Manak, Sunanda Sharma, Mankirt Aulakh and Gur Sindhu.

Each creator in the line-up has been featured as an exclusive poster on Gaana's Facebook and Instagram pages. Other creators have been sharing their posters on their personal profiles, spreading the word in their capacity, among their followers.

Also Read: Spotify India campaign pushes K-Pop playlists to meet increasing demand

Driving content creation

Leveraging shoutouts by artists and creators, Gaana is communicating to aspiring creators that HotShots is a platform where they can showcase their creativity. A user-base of 150 million is another key selling point. Lastly, collaborations and branded content are up for grabs for influencers creating content on the platform.

"Our huge user base and roster of lead advertising clients is the biggest incentive for creators to join our platform. We also have a rewards program for consumers — should we extend the same program to the creators is a decision that will happen in due time," Agarwal explains.