1. Have A Social Media Presence and daily Posting Practice<\/strong><\/h3>\nYep, I started with this and not with music – GASP! \u00a0Too many musicians underestimate the importance of a social media presence.\u00a0 This directly relates to the success of a music PR campaign.<\/p>\n
There are two reasons why it is so essential before you release especially before you launch a music PR campaign to have strong socials.<\/p>\n
WHY?<\/strong><\/p>\nIMPORTANT REASON #1 – Music Bloggers Check Your Socials<\/strong><\/p>\nWith so many musicians and music publicists inundating inboxes of bloggers, it’s inevitable that they will check the social media presence of each submission. They do this to filter who to consider for coverage.<\/p>\n
This doesn\u2019t mean that you need to have a HUGE social media presence.\u00a0 However, it means that you need to be consistently posting content. This content should communicate who \u201cyou\u201d are, and you need to be engaging with your fans (and the media too!)<\/p>\n
Ultimately, apart from being introduced to music, bloggers are also interested in driving traffic to their sites. A blogger wants to know that if he or she is going to take the time to cover your music, you will be able to return the support by sharing the feature with your fans, helping the blogs to build their followings as well.<\/p>\n
IMPORTANT REASON #2 – Music Bloggers Expect Mutual Promotion<\/strong><\/p>\nIn order for PR to truly be effective, each feature needs to be properly leveraged through social media to mobilize the existing fan base.<\/p>\n
In other words,\u00a0music PR is a two-way exchange – each feature is new content that you can use to engage your fans without having to say \u2018listen to my music\u2019\u2026 this form of sharing your successes is a much more subtle form of self-promotion than the much dreaded shameless self-promo that too many musicians practice (and no one likes).<\/p>\n
Again, having hundreds of thousands of fans isn\u2019t the point here, but rather you need to have a consistent content strategy in tandem with your\u00a0music PR campaign\u00a0 that covers all 6 rooms of your social media house<\/a>,<\/b><\/u><\/span> which includes (but isn\u2019t limited to) Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram<\/a>,<\/u><\/span><\/b> Blog, Newsletter.<\/p>\nDownload my Social Media Management Spreadsheet to organize all of your posts:<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1728714\/aba85638-88c0-4f72-85db-9415a6edda14.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nHere is how often you need to post to each social platform in order to remain \u2018consistent\u2019:<\/strong><\/p>\nFacebook Page: <\/strong>3 posts per week – Boost at least 1<\/p>\nInstagram: <\/strong>Post at 3-4 times a week. Try to post at least one STORY<\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span> a day.<\/p>\nTikTok: <\/strong>2 \u2013 3 Per week minimum<\/p>\nNewsletter: <\/strong>1 newsletter<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/a> per month<\/p>\nYouTube: <\/strong>At least 1 new video per month (note this doesn\u2019t need to be a professional music video)<\/p>\n2. Release Music Consistently<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nThe ideal scenario is that you have at least a few singles or an upcoming EP (containing at least 4 songs) that is set for release around 1 to 2 months from the start date of your music PR campaign. For the most part, bloggers don\u2019t like to mention an upcoming release if there is too much lead time between their feature and the release.<\/p>\n
Don’t forget the blog readers (who are your potential fans!). With the web being the way it is, readers are confronted 24\/7 with loads of information and new music. Therefore, it\u2019s really not in your best interest as an indie artist to space singles and EPs light years apart from each other.<\/p>\n
Keep the rollout tight and the momentum up, while at the same time being flexible in case something takes off.<\/strong><\/p>\nIt IS certainly possible to do a PR campaign for music that has been previously released. When publicizing\u00a0previously released music, understand\u00a0that there will be journalists who will pass based on the fact that the music hasn\u2019t been released within the last three months.<\/p>\n
3. A Professional, Compelling, Telling Bio (We Call It A Signature Story)\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nA professionally written bio that weaves a compelling story about who you are and what makes you unique is not something to overlook. A great bio (we call it a signature story around here)<\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span> is an essential asset to an effective music PR campaign.<\/p>\nYour bio should serve as a one-stop shop for bloggers to get the facts on you, your project, where you\u2019ve been, and where you\u2019re going. And, even though your music will speak for itself, you\u2019re going to want to talk about yourself and your music in a way that will entice people to click that play button.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, one paragraph saying that you are a musician from so-and-so making rock music that will blow everyone\u2019s mind is not going to make anyone want to click that button. What will make people listen, is a bio that communicates your story <\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span>and pays acute attention to detail and nuance. \u00a0A professional bio can run you a few hundred dollars, but it\u2019s reusable and will come in handy long after your campaign has ended.<\/p>\nNote:<\/strong> There are bloggers out there who will repurpose your bio in order to create enough content for their blog posts. \u00a0This is, good news for you if you have a strong bio! The fact that many bloggers will re-purpose the bio means that you now have the opportunity to control the messaging of their features, telling their readers the important points about you that may stick out to fans as unique and intriguing.<\/p>\n![\"examples](\"https:\/\/www.cyberprmusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/examples-of-great-artist-shots-2-768x768.png\")
L-R Top Simply Rayne, Eli Lev\u00a0 \u00a0L-R Bottom – Beau & Luci, The Krickets<\/p><\/div>\n
4. Professional Promo Photos & Great Cover Art<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nDo you know what gets people to click on your write-up? The promo photo or the cover art – EP \/ Single \/ Album – depends on what the blog features. It might be kind of sad, but it\u2019s true. If you have any doubts, just think of your own initial reaction when checking<\/p>\n
out artists who are not yet known to you. Because of human instinct and the fact that we are exposed to thousands of well-orchestrated images PER DAY, you\u2019ll want to pay close attention to the messaging in your photos.<\/p>\n
Above you will see 4 band and artist promo photos from some members of our Cyber PR artist family. \u00a0These photos have performed very well with the media and they capture the essence of the artists. \u00a0I included photos with 4,3,2 and 1 artist for reference.<\/p>\n
What do you want the takeaway to be for potential fans\u00a0who\u00a0see your promo photo and album cover?<\/strong><\/p>\nYou can\u2019t get away from needing great photos. All bloggers, podcasters, and sites like Spotify will want a photo or cover image. Many new media makers have a quality standard to uphold and poor photos of you and\/ or your band could actually be a deal breaker<\/p>\n
On the other hand, unique, creative, and well thought out promo photos and album covers can be the icebreaker needed to get bloggers to check out your music.<\/p>\n
Here is some cover art we love…<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.cyberprmusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Untitled-design-21-768x768.jpg\")
Top L-R Kill J – Quasi album cover, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Oddments album cover\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bottom L-R Terror Jr. Sugar single cover, \u00a0Jasper Sawyer Semi-Discovered Music of Jasper Sawyer mixtape cover<\/p><\/div>\n
5. A Niche to Conquer for Music PR \/ Some Serious Consideration of Genre<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nIdentifying a specific niche to target and\/or pinpointing your genre is a critical component of any successful digital music PR campaign.<\/p>\n
GENRE:<\/strong><\/p>\nThe media is getting to a point where it sees\u00a0“singer-songwriter” and eyes glaze over. You probably are a singer-songwriter, and that simple categorization may not work for everyone.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to think of the publications you want to be in,\u00a0read them<\/em>, and see how they describe\/talk about music. If they label everyone as a singer-songwriter, you\u2019re good to go! If they are approaching things from a more intricate perspective,\u00a0 think of yourself in those terms. You don\u2019t have to be a music journalist. You just have to be conscious.<\/p>\nThere are many more genres (and sub-genres) than just rock, pop, country, jazz, EDM, etc. Get specific and it’s okay to reference other artists \/ compare to give context. Music blogger will like to know who you sound like.\u00a0 However, note: getting compared to someone is DIFFERENT from being influenced by another artist!<\/p>\n
NICHE:<\/strong><\/p>\nIt is important to note that your niche does not, in any way, need to reflect your genre of music. Anything that you are passionate about, anything that has inflicted you as a person (such as a disease or social plight) or any part of your upbringing that has helped to define who you are as a person and a musician can be a great niche.<\/p>\n
The idea here is that on music blogs, you are just another musician being covered, however on, say a positivity blog or an anime blog, you are the one or one of the very few musicians being covered making your story and your music far more unique which can help it to resonate with the reader-base.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BONUS: Music PR Strategies for Building Traction on Spotify & On Soundcloud<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\u201cIf you don\u2019t have fans, listens, and consumption on Spotify (that you have to create) you are dead in the water.\u201d \u2013 Brian Vinikoor.\u00a0 This means you need to understand the Spotify Basics first!<\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
IMPORTANT REASON #1 – Music Bloggers Check Your Socials<\/strong><\/p>\n With so many musicians and music publicists inundating inboxes of bloggers, it’s inevitable that they will check the social media presence of each submission. They do this to filter who to consider for coverage.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean that you need to have a HUGE social media presence.\u00a0 However, it means that you need to be consistently posting content. This content should communicate who \u201cyou\u201d are, and you need to be engaging with your fans (and the media too!)<\/p>\n Ultimately, apart from being introduced to music, bloggers are also interested in driving traffic to their sites. A blogger wants to know that if he or she is going to take the time to cover your music, you will be able to return the support by sharing the feature with your fans, helping the blogs to build their followings as well.<\/p>\n IMPORTANT REASON #2 – Music Bloggers Expect Mutual Promotion<\/strong><\/p>\n In order for PR to truly be effective, each feature needs to be properly leveraged through social media to mobilize the existing fan base.<\/p>\n In other words,\u00a0music PR is a two-way exchange – each feature is new content that you can use to engage your fans without having to say \u2018listen to my music\u2019\u2026 this form of sharing your successes is a much more subtle form of self-promotion than the much dreaded shameless self-promo that too many musicians practice (and no one likes).<\/p>\n Again, having hundreds of thousands of fans isn\u2019t the point here, but rather you need to have a consistent content strategy in tandem with your\u00a0music PR campaign\u00a0 that covers all 6 rooms of your social media house<\/a>,<\/b><\/u><\/span> which includes (but isn\u2019t limited to) Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram<\/a>,<\/u><\/span><\/b> Blog, Newsletter.<\/p>\n Download my Social Media Management Spreadsheet to organize all of your posts:<\/strong><\/p>\n Here is how often you need to post to each social platform in order to remain \u2018consistent\u2019:<\/strong><\/p>\n Facebook Page: <\/strong>3 posts per week – Boost at least 1<\/p>\n Instagram: <\/strong>Post at 3-4 times a week. Try to post at least one STORY<\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span> a day.<\/p>\n TikTok: <\/strong>2 \u2013 3 Per week minimum<\/p>\n Newsletter: <\/strong>1 newsletter<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/a> per month<\/p>\n YouTube: <\/strong>At least 1 new video per month (note this doesn\u2019t need to be a professional music video)<\/p>\n The ideal scenario is that you have at least a few singles or an upcoming EP (containing at least 4 songs) that is set for release around 1 to 2 months from the start date of your music PR campaign. For the most part, bloggers don\u2019t like to mention an upcoming release if there is too much lead time between their feature and the release.<\/p>\n Don’t forget the blog readers (who are your potential fans!). With the web being the way it is, readers are confronted 24\/7 with loads of information and new music. Therefore, it\u2019s really not in your best interest as an indie artist to space singles and EPs light years apart from each other.<\/p>\n Keep the rollout tight and the momentum up, while at the same time being flexible in case something takes off.<\/strong><\/p>\n It IS certainly possible to do a PR campaign for music that has been previously released. When publicizing\u00a0previously released music, understand\u00a0that there will be journalists who will pass based on the fact that the music hasn\u2019t been released within the last three months.<\/p>\n A professionally written bio that weaves a compelling story about who you are and what makes you unique is not something to overlook. A great bio (we call it a signature story around here)<\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span> is an essential asset to an effective music PR campaign.<\/p>\n Your bio should serve as a one-stop shop for bloggers to get the facts on you, your project, where you\u2019ve been, and where you\u2019re going. And, even though your music will speak for itself, you\u2019re going to want to talk about yourself and your music in a way that will entice people to click that play button.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, one paragraph saying that you are a musician from so-and-so making rock music that will blow everyone\u2019s mind is not going to make anyone want to click that button. What will make people listen, is a bio that communicates your story <\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span>and pays acute attention to detail and nuance. \u00a0A professional bio can run you a few hundred dollars, but it\u2019s reusable and will come in handy long after your campaign has ended.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> There are bloggers out there who will repurpose your bio in order to create enough content for their blog posts. \u00a0This is, good news for you if you have a strong bio! The fact that many bloggers will re-purpose the bio means that you now have the opportunity to control the messaging of their features, telling their readers the important points about you that may stick out to fans as unique and intriguing.<\/p>\n L-R Top Simply Rayne, Eli Lev\u00a0 \u00a0L-R Bottom – Beau & Luci, The Krickets<\/p><\/div>\n Do you know what gets people to click on your write-up? The promo photo or the cover art – EP \/ Single \/ Album – depends on what the blog features. It might be kind of sad, but it\u2019s true. If you have any doubts, just think of your own initial reaction when checking<\/p>\n out artists who are not yet known to you. Because of human instinct and the fact that we are exposed to thousands of well-orchestrated images PER DAY, you\u2019ll want to pay close attention to the messaging in your photos.<\/p>\n Above you will see 4 band and artist promo photos from some members of our Cyber PR artist family. \u00a0These photos have performed very well with the media and they capture the essence of the artists. \u00a0I included photos with 4,3,2 and 1 artist for reference.<\/p>\n What do you want the takeaway to be for potential fans\u00a0who\u00a0see your promo photo and album cover?<\/strong><\/p>\n You can\u2019t get away from needing great photos. All bloggers, podcasters, and sites like Spotify will want a photo or cover image. Many new media makers have a quality standard to uphold and poor photos of you and\/ or your band could actually be a deal breaker<\/p>\n On the other hand, unique, creative, and well thought out promo photos and album covers can be the icebreaker needed to get bloggers to check out your music.<\/p>\n Here is some cover art we love…<\/strong><\/p>\n Top L-R Kill J – Quasi album cover, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Oddments album cover\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bottom L-R Terror Jr. Sugar single cover, \u00a0Jasper Sawyer Semi-Discovered Music of Jasper Sawyer mixtape cover<\/p><\/div>\n Identifying a specific niche to target and\/or pinpointing your genre is a critical component of any successful digital music PR campaign.<\/p>\n GENRE:<\/strong><\/p>\n The media is getting to a point where it sees\u00a0“singer-songwriter” and eyes glaze over. You probably are a singer-songwriter, and that simple categorization may not work for everyone.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to think of the publications you want to be in,\u00a0read them<\/em>, and see how they describe\/talk about music. If they label everyone as a singer-songwriter, you\u2019re good to go! If they are approaching things from a more intricate perspective,\u00a0 think of yourself in those terms. You don\u2019t have to be a music journalist. You just have to be conscious.<\/p>\n There are many more genres (and sub-genres) than just rock, pop, country, jazz, EDM, etc. Get specific and it’s okay to reference other artists \/ compare to give context. Music blogger will like to know who you sound like.\u00a0 However, note: getting compared to someone is DIFFERENT from being influenced by another artist!<\/p>\n NICHE:<\/strong><\/p>\n It is important to note that your niche does not, in any way, need to reflect your genre of music. Anything that you are passionate about, anything that has inflicted you as a person (such as a disease or social plight) or any part of your upbringing that has helped to define who you are as a person and a musician can be a great niche.<\/p>\n The idea here is that on music blogs, you are just another musician being covered, however on, say a positivity blog or an anime blog, you are the one or one of the very few musicians being covered making your story and your music far more unique which can help it to resonate with the reader-base.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t have fans, listens, and consumption on Spotify (that you have to create) you are dead in the water.\u201d \u2013 Brian Vinikoor.\u00a0 This means you need to understand the Spotify Basics first!<\/u><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n2. Release Music Consistently<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
3. A Professional, Compelling, Telling Bio (We Call It A Signature Story)\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
4. Professional Promo Photos & Great Cover Art<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
5. A Niche to Conquer for Music PR \/ Some Serious Consideration of Genre<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
BONUS: Music PR Strategies for Building Traction on Spotify & On Soundcloud<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"CYBER](\"https:\/\/www.cyberprmusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/CYBER-PR-EMAIL-LIST-SIGN-UP-768x432.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"