It’s time to get your music promotion kicked off on the right foot. If you’re creating quality music, it’s time to create a promotional strategy to go along with it. There is a multitude of talented musicians out there and sadly some of them will never get the audience they deserve. Don’t let yourself be one of them.
To achieve success as a musician, it is essential to prioritize promotion alongside creating quality music. Establish your personal brand by sharing your unique story, and develop a professional website to connect with your audience and monetize your efforts. Consider launching a PR campaign to enhance your visibility, as professionals bring valuable contacts and expertise. Additionally, familiarize yourself with the basics of promotion to engage constructively with potential partners, treating your music as a legitimate business.
This happens so frequently to so many talented performers because they don’t factor in promotion as an important part of their career. Promotion is so exceedingly important because that’s how you, as a musician, are introduced to the public – who will potentially become your fans. If the public doesn’t know you exist, you have no audience. If the public does know you exist but doesn’t like what they see ( or has no feeling about you one way or the other, which is almost worse), you have no audience. You don’t have to have an audience to be a musician, but you absolutely do if you want to be a successful one. Let’s talk about the best promotional strategies for the upcoming year.
Table of Contents
Brand Yourself
Everyone has a defining “story” that’s driven them to become an entertainer that stems from an important place in their personal history. Successful entertainers know that digging deep and finding that human element will help them to create a foundation to build their personal brand. It does this by giving their audience a solid place to connect with them.
Create And Monetize Your Own Website
Even if you’re starting out with a small budget, creating a professional looking website has become fairly simple these days. Use high quality photos and keep your information up to date. Set an attainable posting schedule when you’re just starting out so that you can continually drive traffic to your site. Once you have consistent traffic, you can monetize your website by joining affiliate programs, selling your merchandise and music, and adding a donation button. Adding a link to your email list on your website will also keep your audience updated on any new releases or events in your career.
Launch A PR Campaign
Bringing in a professional in to help promote your releases and events is important. Public Relations professionals exist for a reason, it’s a specialized field that takes extensive planning and strategy. They also have professional contacts and relationships with media professionals, which means they’re more likely to take you seriously and want to cover your work if they are introduced to you via a PR expert.
Do Your Own Research
While it’s always beneficial to obtain a pro to help with your outreach, it’s equally beneficial to do your own research about the basics of promotion. There’s no excuse these days not to know at least the bare minimum of what promotion entails and what to expect from a reputable company, especially if you want to work with one (you do). It’s always ok to ask questions of the people you work with, however, you get a lot farther in the business world when you ask educated questions. Treating your music as a business and presenting yourself as a professional is the best way to ensure success.
Laurel Daggers is a writer and the Business Development Director at AMW. Currently residing in Los Angeles, CA, she writes about social media and entertainment business strategy.