In a world filled with social media and clickbait, sometimes artists have to come up with interesting tactics in order to drum up attention for upcoming music and tour dates. Here are the top tip-offs that your favorite musician might be hitting the road soon.

1. They Delete Everything off Instagram

We’re looking at you Kendrick, Taylor and Future. When an artist removes hundreds of pictures from an otherwise active Instagram account, it’s a clear ploy to get the attention of the public. It obviously works, because we’re talking about it right now, but I wouldn’t sacrifice five years of my highly-curated Instagram gold for shock marketing tactics.

2. And Then Start Posting Cryptic Messages on Social Media

After they’ve grabbed everybody’s attention with their bare social media accounts, the current trend is for the artist to then post a cryptic message, tweet or video signifying that “something. is. coming.” But what?!?!?!

3. They Have a New Album Coming Out

Naturally when an artist has a new album coming out they need to hit the road in promotion of said material. So when somebody like, say, Miley Cyrus drops a new record without a tour already on the docket, you can safely assume an announcement is on the way. More often than not, a musician will announce a new album is on the way and then release tour dates on the same day the record comes out.

4. They Announce a Small Run of Club Shows That Will Inevitably Sell Out in 5 Minutes

Artists that are re-entering the spotlight after taking time away to work on new music will sometimes gauge public interest with a small string of concerts at tiny venues. If they sell out quickly, a much larger tour is added. Or, like Lady Gaga on her Dive Bar Tour, one can garner more buzz and attention for a large-scale tour when they first perform at sold out, more in-demand locations.

5. They Straight Up Tell You On Social Media

Refreshingly, sometimes in leu of mysterious messages and media blackouts a musician will be so excited for a tour that they’ll hop online and announce it before any dates are confirmed. Most recently, Lana Del Rey did this over Instagram telling fans, “I just wanted to let you know that we are planning a world tour… Can’t wait to tell you more,” and teased a few cities on the docket.

Want to make sure you know exactly when your favorite musician is hitting the road? Track them on SeatGeek to get alerted when dates are announced in a city near you.

(Image courtesy of Eva Rinaldi via Flickr.)