Better ways to spend €100 than on ads in 2026
What’s changed in the shopping list.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Better ways to spend €100 than on ads in 2026
The question is still whether an ad is really the best use of that money.
Why it matters
Two years ago, I made the case for spending €100 on other things rather than a social media ad campaign. In this updated version, we look at where that €100 can go today.
I’m still critical of advertising as the default tactic for emerging artists. I’ve written about strategic approaches to advertising before and created a five-step flowchart to help artists decide whether to invest in advertising.
Let’s say an artist has €100 burning a hole in their pocket. What would be a better investment than running an ad campaign? The good news: in 2026, there’s more to do with that €100 than there was in 2024.
How it works
Here’s where I’d put €100 instead of an ad campaign right now. Some are brand new, and some are pulled from things I’ve already written about. Let’s extend this list together, leave your suggestions in the comments.
Handwritten notes to your actual fans. Pick your twenty most loyal fans. Send each of them a short, handwritten card, because a personal note is the ultimate luxury product nowadays.
An afternoon on (AI-)findability. Use an AI-coding model to add proper Schema markup and clean metadata to your website. Align it with how fans, industry pros, web crawlers, and AI discover artists. €100 spent here compounds for years.
One really good press photo. Hire a music photographer for a portrait you’ll reuse everywhere for a year.
Bank a favour. Invest €100 in someone else. Invite a fellow artist or industry pro for a Guanxi-coffee. Offer help, a listening ear, or company. See what you can do for someone that can move your career when you need a favour in return.
Take a course. Get better at what you’re good at, or take something completely new that can move your career forward, like a coding or design course.
Get a gym pass. Gyms are great places for music. Beyond the health benefits, which undeniably benefit your music career, gyms are spaces where people discover music while doing something positive. It’s valuable for artists to understand these dynamics.
Print (eco-friendly) stickers. Hand them out and put them up yourself around your local venue’s neighbourhood. People who walk by daily (a.k.a. the venue promoter) see them every day.
Buy a digital wellbeing tool for yourself. We’re all addicted to social media and our phones. I use a physical app blocker (Tap Out) to block distracting apps. It works a bit too well for me, but it does help me spend less time on my phone and focus on more inspiring things.
Yes, but..
Running ads isn’t a bad tactic. It’s just not the best tactic for every artist with marketing money to spend. Earlier, I created a five-step flowchart about when artists could run ads and when they shouldn’t, which aligns perfectly with this topic.
Take action now
Pick one of the ideas above to commit to this summer, or..
Your thoughts
..add your ideas in the comments below.
Further reading
Don’t run ads: Better ways to spend a hundred euros (The Fanbase Builder)
Should artists run ads? (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists should do things that don’t scale (The Fanbase Builder)
Get found by bots using Schema markup (The Fanbase Builder)
Simple things artists can do to attract music supervisors (The Fanbase Builder)
The Guanxi approach to networking in music (The Fanbase Builder)
Battling social media addiction while working in music (The Fanbase Builder)
Results from a three-month social media break (The Fanbase Builder)