Sound Advice
A free bi-monthly e-zine for musicians & music entrepreneurs who want online and offline marketing, promotion and PR tips for navigating the new music business. Learn more
A free bi-monthly e-zine for musicians & music entrepreneurs who want online and offline marketing, promotion and PR tips for navigating the new music business. Learn more
I travel a lot to speak at music conferences and I see this all of the time: Musicians squirming in their seats as I present ideas on how to improve their marketing. The idea of having to do one more thing is just unbearable to them, and they literally begin to melt down in front of me.
One of my best friends is an artist - a dancer - and she literally takes to bed after she has to write a press release; it literally makes her sick.
You will NEVER achieve the success you want it if you try to do it all alone and take on things that stop you dead in your tracks!
I can not stress this enough: You MUST learn to delegate, and get the stuff that makes you completely stressed out off of your plate.
Two issues are up for you right now from reading this:
1. You can’t afford to pay someone to help you
2. You don’t want to give up control and you feel a need to do it all yourself
Right?
Step 1: Figure Out What To Delegate
The first step in your journey is you need to figure out what you want to get off of your plate. Is your MySpace page hogging up too much time? Do you need help with PR & Marketing? Do you just need someone organized to help you file papers and organize your home office?
Step 2: Write A “How To” Guide For Each Task
I urge you to take the time to do this BEFORE you get anyone in to help you! Take a few hours to write a guide on each task explaining it exactly the way you do it. This is called systematizing and it will be critical for your success in achieving your goals around outsourcing. Imagine that the person you are writing these guides for has NEVER done any of the tasks you are about to assign. Type them out.
This is CRITICAL to your success with delegating because when people are left to their own devices they may not perform in the way you want them to.
Start With Small Tasks - 1 to 2 Hours at Most
Start with small tasks that can be achieved in an hour or two to see if your new intern / assistant is up for it (not everyone will be good at everything) and make sure you ask them what they would like to focus on – Facebook or MySpace. Or maybe they are better in person, and they want to pass a clipboard around at your show to help with newsletter sign ups.
Or maybe they are creative writers and their talents will be best used writing press releases or designing logos and graphics for posters, flyers and websites.
Hold Them Accountable
If they are working for college credit make sue they provide you with a spreadsheet of all they are doing, or at least a report that breaks down their time and what they did with it. They will probably need to do this for school anyway.
Inspect and comment on their actions - remember when you were in school how you were graded and checked-up on. If you do not inspect the work that interns are doing for you they may go off course.
Where To Get Good Marching Orders
Cyber PR’s Sound Advice
http://www.arielpublicity.com/sound_advice/index.html
I have written many step-by-step guides on how to be your own publicist, how to get reviewed on blogs, how to get started on Twitter, how to install Facebook apps, etc. Look through my articles, have your new intern read them and follow along to the letter!
Bob Bakers Buzz Factor
http://www.bob-baker.com
I love Bob and he writes great material and wonderful books that your intern can read and follow along. I love his MySpace and Guerilla Marketing books - buy them.
Derek Sivers’ Blog
http://www.Sivers.org
Derek has many marketing tips plus a great FREE book to download to get your interns motivated.
Inner Rhythm
http://www.innerrhythm.org
Download Kavit’s free ebooks here. They will walk your interns through the new realities of the music business. Start with the fabulous “How To Design A Winning & Profitable Music Business.”
New Music Strategies
http://newmusicstrategies.com
Andrew Dubber’s New Music Strategies attempts to unpack and explain what’s going on in the online music environment - and from that, develop strategies. I love his ebook called “20 things” it’s indispensable
Rockstar Life Lessons
http://www.rockstarlifelessons.com
Carla Lynne Hall is my Mastermind forum manager and an amazing strategist herself. Her blog is wonderful too! I suggest diving into the “Recession Proof Musician” series.
Chris Brogan’s Blog
http://www.chrisbrogan.com
Expert social media strategist Chris Brogan has a great blog packed with ideas on how to create a social media strategy that works for you, and yes a great series of ebooks too.
The Musicians’ Atlas
http://www.musiciansatlas.com
An indispensable guide to help with tour PR, and marketing
CD Baby Podcast
http://www.cdbabypodcast.com
Free audio podcasts for download crammed with ideas to get your interns motivated
The Indie Bible
http://www.indiebible.com
I love this wonderful directory of outlets to send your music for every imaginable genre; plus tips written by industry thought leaders.
Step 3: Go Get Help
Here are some solutions to consider… this is my guide to getting the help you may need. I broke it up starting with free solutions that won’t cost you more than your time to options that you will pay for:
Getting Help FOR FREE
Get students to help you while they earn credit for school:
Entertainmentcareers.net & Music-Jobs.com
These websites will let you post as an employer for free - post as a record label (that’s what you are) and ask for help with PR and marketing. Offer college credit only. You will be amazed at how many young people who need to get credit for school are turning to these sites to find interesting internships.
http://www.entertainmentcareers.net
http://www.music-jobs.com
Your Local College Or University
There are a few places on campus to try:
The Career Services department
Music school
Communications department
Look for classes on PR, marketing and online strategy. I suggest that you connect directly with the professors and leave a courteous message asking them if they require internships and if they have any students who like music and may be interested in working for your record label.
There is always a class that is studying marketing and PR and students need to come up with “marketing plans” and “publicity plans” all of the time. Ask the professor to have the class come up with one for YOU as an artist instead of a hypothetical business. You will be amazed at what a team of young people who are not jaded by the music business may come up with.
Photography and Film Schools
Students studying photography would be delighted to take photos of a band - they get an assignment complete and you get free headshots!
This also works for film students (free video for YOU).
Production Schools
Students learning about audio production may also need to record. Research which audio schools are in your area and call them up!
Identify Your Superfans & Motivate Them
Ask your mailing list if anyone on it can give you a few hours a month assistance in exchange for free show tickets, T-shirts and beers at the gig.
Email Signup At Gigs
You can also create a column on your email signup list that you pass around at gigs asking - would you like to be in our virtual street team? If they say yes - add them to your team!
Email Signup On Your Site
And you can add a signup box to your website using a free widget from Reverb Nation to capture your fans who may want to help you.
Free Online Tools To Use
Reverb Nation
http://www.reverbnation.com
Reverb Nation has an entire street team management system that you can use for free to delegate tasks and keep everyone organized
See How Others Do It - Then Copy Them!
By joining other musician’s street teams you can see how they delegate and copy what they do. Google will get you there in a few clicks.
Paid Services
In some cases you do get what you pay for so you may want to spend some money. This does not have to break the bank at all - here are some of my favorite places to go for paid help!
Elance
http://www.elance.com
Elance is a fabulous site where service providers of all types bid against each other (eBay style) to work for YOU!
There are tons of categories here and you will find almost anything you need - graphic designers, copyeditors, writers, virtual assistants etc. You can also get a MySpace page skinned for a lot less than you would imagine.
I have used this site to get my books designed, powerpoint presentations done for a fraction of NYC prices and through this amazing site I found Kristie, my fabulous VA (virtual assistant) who checks my email, helps me keep track of all sales of my books at Amazon, and runs both ReviewYou.com and my affiliate program; yet I have never met her face-to-face. There are countless reliable VA’s who prefer to work from home (many are moms with children in school so they have extra hours during the day).
You can set the price you want to pay. The best part is that Elance has an escrow service so if the provider does not deliver a satisfactory job, you will not release your money until they do!
TIP: look at each person’s reviews and only use providers that get fabulous reviews and high ratings from other Elance users to avoid disappointments.
Bio Writing - Ben Lazar
http://www.arielpublicity.com/ariel_publicity_site/AP_bio_writing.html
I have a full-time bio writer on my staff who will craft an excellent bio for you. He is a 17-year music industry veteran and has served as a major label A&R guy for years at Island Def Jam. Plus he has also booked the entire CMJ Music Festival so he really knows how to hone in and focus on a band’s message and help you get it across.
Review You - Guaranteed CD Reviews
http://www.ReviewYou.com
I created this site to help musicians get one review at a time guaranteed from expert music writers - buy one or buy 10 and save a fortune in postage and PR pitching / following up agony.
Bandletter - Will Design and Send Your Newsletters For YOU! http://www.bandletter.com
I co-own a service that is hands down the easiest solution to managing your newsletters - why? Because my partner Kevin will do it all FOR YOU - all you need to do is write the copy. Kevin will design, and send each newsletter, clean up your mailing list from the bounce backs and advise you on the best strategies for getting your fanbase to buy.
Hire a Teenager in Your Family
Trust me THEY know how to work MySpace much better than you 
again don’t set them off to figure it out on their own - give them a syllabus with steps to take.
TIP: Buy them Music Success In 9 Weeks, The Indie Bible, Musicians Atlas or Bob Baker’s fabulous books!
Good Luck with delegating and please post your stories in the comments!
Here’s to your success!
Ariel
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Money is on everyone’s mind during this weird time. The news seems to be screaming out a new bad thing happening in the economy everyday. My advice; turn off the news. Don’t listen to all of the negative messages. It won’t help you succeed. It will only make you focus on the negative stuff and what you focus on expands.
Here’s the good news. I have an amazing, new, special report available on my website and it’s an in depth interview with Randy Chertkow about how to create multiple streams of income as a musician during this crazy time.
Here is a brief excerpt of the entire interview which includes the list but to read the entire in depth conversation I conducted with Randy just a few days ago, please visit http://www.arielpublicity.com and enter your name and your e-mail address on the boxes on the page. Don’t worry if you’re already opted into my newsletter list. You will not get opted in again, I’ll make sure of it.
As a way to jump-start your multiple streams of income, I am launching my cyber PR Roadies program. It’s my new affiliate’s program which will help you earn more money by sharing my book, PR services and products with other musicians.
Click here to find out more and download the full special report on how to make more money
http://www.arielpublicity.com/affiliate
37 Ways for Musicians to Earn Income
Randy Chertkow’s Multiple Income Stream List
(With a few Additions from Ariel)
Randy: The easiest path to multiple sources of income is to have a day gig, and make music your night gig. I don’t know why more musicians consider it so terrible to have a day gig. Most of the stuff you’d do with music is at night anyway, so the day gig doesn’t tend to get in the way as much as you’d think. In fact, in our own band, we found that our day jobs made us spend our time much more wisely, and we were actually more productive. (We released 365 songs in one year from thesongoftheday.com, all while having day gigs. Our nights were spent in the studio.) We found that others that we knew that quit their day gigs in order to “dedicate themselves” just organized their lives around meals, and still did their work at night.
If you want to dedicate yourself to music, let your music career tell you when that time has come. This is what happened to the musicians that we interviewed for “The Indie Band Survival Guide” that went out on their own. They started to make some money from the music, and at some point, they got enough income that it made sense for them to quit their day gigs.
If you want to make money at music and solely at music, here’s a list of stuff that’s all related to music just to give you ideas. We’ve either done these, or know people who do them:
and…the list goes on. Your best bet is to take a talent that you’regood at and apply it to music somehow.
The full in-depth interview on how to make money with Randy can be downloaded from my website – http://www.arielpublicity.com/affiliate
Just enter your name and email address and it will get sent to you automatically! (Don’t worry you will not be opted-in to my list twice, the magical email elves will make sure of it). You will be signed up to My affiliates program as well so you can recommend us and make money!
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By Ariel Hyatt (@CyberPR) & Laura Fitton (@Pistachio)
I recently interviewed my friend Laura Fitton AKA Pistachio (that’s her twitter handle) and I asked her to walk with me through creating a musicians roadmap for Twitter. It answers the question: If you wanted to create a community to promote yourself as a musician on Twitter and you didn’t really have a lot of technological “social networking know how” How do you do it?
The full interview can be found on my blog here: http://arielpublicity.com/blog/archives/148 and I encourage all of you to please go to my blog and leave your feedback.
Step One - Think About Your Brand First
Set up and account and use your brand name, your band, whatever name it is that you want people to be able to find using Google. That’s very important. Don’t just pick a name you like. Whatever name you choose on Twitter it becomes very Googleable.
So the thing you want fans and prospective fans to find you as. If you’re just starting out, you might use a generic like singer/songwriter or something. But choose something you’re comfortable with, that you want to do well in search results and that’s the name you want to get out there.
Step Two - Sign Up
Go To: http://twitter.com to sign up.
First: You may want to watch the video that gives an easy-to understand overview of Twitter - It’s right on the homepage - just click the button that says Watch a video!
Second: Twitter will take you through a few sign up steps and you will enter your username and your password and your email
Third: Twitter will help you search your email address book to see if anyone you know is already on it. You may be surprised at just how many people you know are already using it. You will also have the option of sending email invites to your friends.
TIP: Take some time and set up your profile properly. Think about it this way: You probably had a website made for your music and that either involved spending a bunch of money or hitting up a friend for a favor. You put a lot of thought into it and you really worked it out. Well, here’s a chance to have a free website. It’s not going to be as souped up as your own website, but put a little bit of time. You can set up a static electronic image as your background, just single image, maybe an album cover, maybe a candid of you on the road. Put up a good profile picture. Tha’s the little, tiny square picture that goes next to all your messages. If you’re in Twitter, you’ll see what I mean. Write a couple things about yourself. Make sure there’s a link to your web page. Just get it all nicely set up so it looks cool when you get there.
Step Three - Link Your Mobile Phone
You should enter your cell phone number (it is up to you if you want to accept tweets via texts) this depends on your text messaging plan and your tolerance to loads of texts hitting your mobile constantly. You will have the option of receiving tweets to your phone from individuals so you can have only a few select people tweet straight to your phone.
TIP: To text from your phone send messages to: 40404 and they will immediately go to your Twitter feed
TIP: To message friends that follow you from your cell phone you can type d (for direct) then their username.
Step Four- Search Keywords
Next go to the search page: http://search.twitter.com
On this page, start searching key words, words that are important to you, topics that you like to write about, words about the music you play, whether it be the genre or the instrument. And f you want to really bond with other musicians just to start, you can even search the brand names of your band equipment. Like your amplifiers are from so-and-so, you search that keyword, you’re going to find a bunch of other people who’ve made remarks about that word. That gives you a jumping off point.
You can click in each of their profiles. Remember how I said reading one to four pages of someone’s Tweets gives you a surprising accurate sense of their personality? Just find random strangers that way and start following them and see if you have anything in common. If you don’t, you just stop following. That’s the way to find people with common interests.
Step Five - Link Twitter To Update Status At Facebook
Next go here: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2231777543&b&ref=pd and you can link your Twitter page directly to your Facebook and you will be able to update your status on Facebook by using twitter from your phone
Step Six - Follow At least 100 People
Twitter does not work in a vacuum (OK - unless you are Dave Matthews!) But even Dave is directly responding to people and really connecting with his fans - It’s amazing to see.
Here are some people to check out and follow:
TIP: Take the time to look at each persons profile to get to understand them more deeply
Ariel
http://twitter.com/cyberpr
Laura
http://twitter.com/pistachio
Musicians Who Twitter
http://twitter.com/DaveJMatthews
http://twitter.com/SLessard
http://twitter.com/QtipTheAbstract
http://twitter.com/matthewebel
http://twitter.com/NicholasHoward
http://twitter.com/Reykjavikband
http://twitter.com/andrewhand
http://twitter.com/joshcharles
http://twitter.com/kellyrichey
http://twitter.com/NatalieGelman
http://twitter.com/carlalynnehall
http://twitter.com/HeatherMariePh
http://twitter.com/jodyg
http://twitter.com/steinebone
http://twitter.com/MarkWilliams13
http://twitter.com/johntaglieri
http://twitter.com/KaitlinMcGaw
http://twitter.com/RBPviolinist
http://twitter.com/IncaMaya
http://twitter.com/kalliopimusic
http://twitter.com/bjork
http://twitter.com/tellingontrixie
http://twitter.com/SaraBareilles
http://twitter.com/JeffKrantz
Music Industry Thought Leaders
http://twitter.com/dubber
http://twitter.com/kavitharia
http://twitter.com/MrBuzzFactor
http://twitter.com/sivers
Music Bloggers & Podcasters & Zines
http://twitter.com/rnrgeek
http://twitter.com/coverville
http://twitter.com/fave
http://twitter.com/weheartmusic
http://twitter.com/indiefeed
http://twitter.com/cc_chapman
http://twitter.com/billpalmer
http://twitter.com/jeffhinz
http://twitter.com/wellroundedradi
http://twitter.com/zaldor
http://twitter.com/MikeyPod
http://twitter.com/rubyfruitradio
http://twitter.com/cybster
http://twitter.com/indieradiochatt
http://twitter.com/fascinated
http://twitter.com/DprShadeOfSoul
Web Thought Leaders & Brilliant Marketing Peeps
http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan
http://twitter.com/briansolis
http://twitter.com/davedelaney
http://twitter.com/cspenn
http://twitter.com/leelefever
http://twitter.com/stevegarfield
http://twitter.com/charleneli
http://twitter.com/Ed_Dale
http://twitter.com/jeffpulver
http://twitter.com/jowyang
http://twitter.com/jasonvo
The Superstars Of Twitter
http://twitter.com/BarackObama
http://twitter.com/scobleizer
http://twitter.com/leolaporte
http://twitter.com/kevinrose
http://twitter.com/JasonCalacanis
http://twitter.com/dooce
http://twitter.com/laughingsquid
http://twitterholic.com/twitter/ijustine/
News Feeds, Celebrities & Products
http://twitter.com/cnn
http://twitter.com/nytimes
http://twitter.com/CNETNews
http://twitter.com/bbctech
http://twitter.com/nprnews
http://twitter.com/BreakingNewsOn
http://twitter.com/digg
http://twitter.com/JohnCleese
http://twitter.com/andersoncooper
http://twitter.com/woot
http://twitter.com/macworld
http://twitter.com/amazonmp3
http://twitter.com/pandora_radio
http://twitter.com/GuitarWorkshop
http://twitter.com/RhapsodyMP3
People Who Work At Ariel Publicity/ Cyber PR
http://twitter.com/cyberpr
http://twitter.com/cyberprvideo
http://twitter.com/cyberprurban
http://twitter.com/cyberprsports
Step Seven - Tweet 3x A Day
At first it seems really weird - just keep answering the question “What are you doing?” It will feel strange to just broadcast what you are doing at first but soon it will all make sense!
TIP: Don’t Over Hype Yourself If you set up a Twitter account and every day, every Tweet just says, buy my album, buy my album, you’re not going to get any audience there.
Step Eight - @ People you like!
To comment back at things you would like to react to or to connect directly with someone just tweet: @ and then their username. So if you want to say something directly to Derek Sivers type @Sivers - this will turn up in the @ Replies in Derek’s Twitter dashboard and he will see your comment.
TIP: This is a public message that everyone on Twitter will see.
Step Nine - Connect Directly
To send someone a direct and private message - go to your dashboard homepage at Twitter and click on the right where it says “Direct Messages” and then choose the person you want to send a message to from the pull-down menu at the top of the page
TIP: This is a private message that only that user will see.
Finally, please read the full and in-depth interview with Laura which will give you useful strategies and insights about how to best maximize Twitter!
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A few weeks ago, I threw a book launch party for my friends, Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan to celebrate the launch of their new fabulous book, “The Indie Band Survival Guide,” published by St. Martin’s Griffin here in New York, and I was honored to be interviewed and prominently featured in the PR chapter. Weighing in at 329 pages, it is jam-packed full of incredible information.
“The Indie Band Survival Guide” is a book that all artists, independent or not, need to own.
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Randy & Jason are founding members of the Chicago based independent band Beatnik Turtle, and this book started out as their blog where they chronicled their personal experience releasing a whopping 18 albums, touring, building a formidable following, and writing music for film and TV. This book was not motivated by money or a desire for fame. It came from the 12 years of experience as independent artists that they achieved directly by releasing albums, and as they learned along the way, they wrote it all down. As their lessons and experiences grew, so did their blog, and because of their blog a literary agent approached them, and they got a publishing deal.
It was very hard not to write a hundred page review of this book Randy & Jason share exactly the same philosophies and opinions about the realities of the ‘new’ music business and their insights are striking and very important to understand to stay ahead during this wild west time of the music business.
When I started Ariel Publicity in 1996 there was ONE conversation that took place at all music festivals like SXSW and in my office and anywhere you went where there were musicians present. That conversation was: “How am I going to get signed?”
The first key point this book makes is: Back in the day when getting signed was the principal goal of all artists, the entire game was all about winning over just a few key record executives in the business. Today, the rules have completely changed and this is no longer true at all. It’s now the sole responsibility of the artist to take on what an entire staff used to do, and there is a lot to take on.
This book begins by reminding artists that you don’t have to do it all alone, and that technology is wonderful and helps empower artists, “but it’s not the technology that will get your music listened to, booked, distributed, played, seen, and publicized.” It’s people. People make things happen for musicians…
Here are some highlights that struck me:
- Randy & Jason take you through the myths and realities of old-school music business versus the new music business, including how commercial radio works and why independent artists will have to spend between $20,000 and $100,000 to get commercial radio airplay
- Why signing to a major label makes no sense in this day and age
- Why networking is key and how it doesn’t have to feel icky
- How to use your fans to help you network and get the word out about you
- People who have met you or seen you play live are likely to be in the minority of people who will listen to your music now that the Internet is the number one medium for music delivery
- The importance of a good website and why just having a MySpace page is a big mistake and how to plan it soup to nuts and how to make people return to your website over and over
- A complete guide to blogging and micro-blogging and the benefits
- The ins and outs of social networking
- How to create a CD, home studio versus pro studios, everything about CD manufacturing and merchandising with a complete bulleted list, which they provide so you don’t even have to think. You just have to follow the list and get your CD released
- Copyright laws and trademark your rights to the songs and recording in a handy flow chart that breaks down every aspect, from sampling to who pays you to trademark
- Why multi-tasking is totally necessary for artists in this day and age and why having multiple income streams is what will make you money in the long run.
- The death of the big splash - The new approach for releasing albums is slow and steady wins the race
- How to get booked at clubs and house concerts, charity events, festivals, college gigs and weddings
- How to get your fans to help you get the word out
This book is an indispensable goldmine and a must-have for every independent musician’s library. No matter what level you are at in your career, you need to own this fabulous book, The Indie Band Survival Guide.
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Here is a free preview on their website: http://indiebandsurvivalguide.com
Don’t miss out on a chance to change your music career for $14.95 - buy this book today!
Amazon Link:
http://tinyurl.com/indieband
Check out photos from the release party on Flickr!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arielpublicitypr/
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The #1 Technique to Swiftly Increase Your Fanbase
The number one problem I encounter time and time again with musicians is: Creating music comes naturally. Marketing, self-promotion and business do not. Bands want to focus solely on creating music and I speak to many artists who flat out refuse to do more than the bare minimum amount of marketing. The problem is they are not having the same amount of success as my artists who spend time focusing on growing their fanbase and communicating with them regularly.
Content may be King. But, Marketing is Queen
There is no one coming to rescue you from the downward spiral that the industry is facing at this very moment. It is up to you to empower yourself to succeed. In this issue of Sound Advice I will give away the #1 secret I have seen that really works for meaningfully building a fanbase.
This issue is a long one because I wanted to tell the story that prompted it - to skip to the meat of this article and learn my #1 technique for building your fanbase, scroll down to the section that says: 1% OF EVERY LIST BUYS
THE BACKSTORY: THE BAND WHO CAME TO MY OFFICE LAST WEEK
Last week, a client (whose band name will remain unnamed) who I have been working with for more than 4 months wanted to take a meeting to go over the progress of their CYBER PR campaign. Four months ago they came in and I explained my theory of how to combine social networking with fan building and Internet marketing to make more fans - and in the long run, more money. They sat through the meeting and they took notes and went away with a laundry list of things to do in conjunction with their campaign.
Fast forward to now, and we were having almost the exact same conversation. Again, I explained the ways they can improve their online reach. I showed them all the sites and techniques. I swivel my chair around and there they are they staring at me blank-faced and cross-eyed from the amount of information I’ve just bombarded them with.
Musician: “So now that we have a new album coming out, how can we get some real traction for it?”
Me: “So, you just spent hard earned money on four months worth of a campaign with me and you did not implement any of the key points and advice?”
I wanted to grab them by the shoulders and shake them: Why did you hire me? Why did you sign up and spend money on a campaign that you did not put any work into? Instead, I took a deep breath.
They sheepishly admit that they’ve checked out all of the advice that I’ve given them, but they have not actually followed any of it.
Musician: “We spend our time thinking about song structure and lyric writing.”
Me (exasperated): “I know you do, but now you need to focus on expanding your fanbase. So, How many people are on your mailing list?”
Musician: “300.”
I have just discovered this bands #1 problem, and I am pretty sure that their website is at the root.
Me: “Let’s go look at your website”
THE BAD NEWS ABOUT MAKING AN IMPACT AS A MUSICIAN IN 2008: MEANINGFUL FANBASE BUILDING TAKES TIME
Building a community of fans to rally around you and support you and interacting with them in a meaningful and connected way is both labor intensive and time consuming.
In fan building and social media (much like in the music business) you cannot jump to the front of the line. To make it today as a musician (I don’t care if you are independent and totally DIY or signed to a major label) you must focus on building your fan base.
This band is in a great position and has received more attention than many independent artists. Their song has recently been featured as the theme song for a popular TV series and they are prominently featured in the credits. As a result, they are getting a good amount of traffic to their website, approx. 100 people a day.
I log onto their website and here is what I see: the top one third of the screen (which is the most important real estate on any website) is the name of the band and their logo in very large letters. Below that was a quote from Jimi Hendrix.
I scroll down to the next 1/3 of the page and below the Hendrix quote it finally says that their song is featured on the TV series.
Me: “Where can I sign up for your mailing list and how can I get this song?”
Band: ” Keep scrolling down.”
I scroll down and finally see a link to their MySpace page where the hit song is available for streaming. I keep scrolling and I can finally see the tiny box that says: Sign Up For Our Mailing List.
Me: “Why is there a quote from Jimi Hendrix?”
Band: “Because we love Hendrix and we think it looks cool.”
Here is how this band was totally ripping themselves off and the way they can totally turn this around to swiftly build a larger newsletter list - and subsequently a larger fanbase).
One hundred people coming to their site each day is a lot of potential new fans. The problem is each visitor was going straight to the link to the song they were interested in, streaming it from MySpace and going away never to return again.
This band was not taking advantage of their situation at all because the moment an interested potential fan landed on their site they were looking at a huge logo and a quote from Hendrix; neither of these two things address what a visitor wants when he comes to a website. People are totally self-motivated. When a visitor comes to any website he is thinking one thing: What’s in it for ME?
Problem: The band was wasting prime real estate (the top 1/3 of their home page) and there was nothing in it for the fan who was clearly visiting the site to find the song from the TV series.
According to a Google study the average visitor will spend 3.5 seconds on your website before they click away so you MUST capture them quickly and offer them something!
If this band had announced at the very top of the website: “Hey! Enter your email address here and get a free MP3 of our new hit song from the TV show!” They would have instantly satisfied the fan by answering the ‘What’s in it for me”‘ question AND they would have been setting themselves up for the #1 most effective way I know for building a fanbase which is the first step towards making more money: Building Your Email List And Sending Effective Newsletters.
Statistically speaking, 1-3% of people off of any random mailing list will buy what you have to offer them. So if you and I created an email list right now and offered a widget for sale to 1,000 people, between 10 and 30 would actually buy it.
So, if my band had an average list , out of 300, between 3 and 9 of them would purchase an album or a single or an offering of some sort. This is not great news for them considering they would like to sell their new album to their fans.
The average percentage rate increases when you have rapport with your list and you communicate with them regularly and consistently. The list begins to know and trust you, and then feel more comfortable buying from you.
MEASURING RESPONSE IS CRUCIAL
Many artists rely on Facebook blasts and MySpace bulletins, which is a fine way to communicate with your fans. The problem with this is you don’t know what your open rates are. In other words, you don’t know how many people are actually reading your e-mails. I love many Web-based applications, and I strongly recommend that you use them. However, being in control of your own e-mail list lets you control the message and the money. If MySpace shuts down and Facebook changes their rules overnight, you won’t lose your precious contacts because you will be in control.
EMAIL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ARE KEY
A critical key to newsletters is, you must have an e-mail management system that tracks and measures results. If you are still using your regular email program by BCC’ing people, I beg you to stop now.
I suggest using ReverbNation’s free e-mail management program, which provides tracking. For a more customized experience I recommend bandletter.com. This is a service that I created with my business partner, Kevin. He will hold your hand through the entire process of creating your newsletter. He will also send it out for you, clean up the bad emails that bounce back, and remind you when to send out your communications. BandLetter is $29.97 a month and Kevin will design a beautiful newsletter that matches the look and feel of your website. I also like: Constant Contact and Aweber (these also cost approx $30 a month).
HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR NEWSLETTERS
Once you have the email management program in place and you have imported your email address into it it’s time to write your newsletter. Here is how to do it so that you will engage your fans:
THE SUBJECT LINE
Keep your subject line short and sweet. Studies show that including the reader’s first name in the subject line grabs their attention and increases your open rate. There are many e-mail management programs like that can very easily insert first names right into the message.
THE BODY OF THE NEWSLETTER
PART 1: THE GREETING
You want to have something upbeat and a quick sentence or two that is relatable, short and sweet. Your subject line should be no more than 55 characters so people can read it without clicking. Here are some captivating words that will work:
Join me for…
Find out how…
(First name here), did you know that…
Subject lines like this will pique interest.
PART 2: TELL THE READER WHAT TO EXPECT
It’s a very good idea to let the reader know what will be included in each newsletter. So, if someone wants to only read the part that is interesting to him he knows where it will appear.
I structure my Sound Advice ezine newsletters like this:
1. First, I write: In This Issue:
2. I start with a quick summary of what I have been up to or some quick news (a few sentences).
3. The article’s topic with the title, which is the feature of my newsletter.
4. Where is Ariel? - This is where I list my upcoming engagements and invite people to join me for events and conferences.
5. A call to action, such as join me on Twitter, or Facebook buy my Music Success in 9 Weeks book, attend a conference, etc.
Here’s an example from a past Sound Advice:
In This Issue:
1. Update from New York City - Finally getting warm!
2. Where’s Ariel? Come Celebrate My Birthday with me in St. Louis!
3. Now Is Gone - A book every self-promoting musician should read!
4. Join me on Flickr!
PART 3: THE BODY OF THE NEWSLETTER = THE MEAT
TELL A STORY & HOOK THEM IN
The body of your newsletter is where you have a chance to shine and an opportunity to be totally different from the pack. Most bands make the mistake of just pimping themselves out on their newsletters - HEY FAN BUY MY STUFF! This is NOT the way to make people feel closer to you.
Some ideas are:
1. Notes from the road
2. Stories from the studio
3. Writing your next record - The process of writing new songs
4. Your vacation, your kids, your pets
5. Your day job. What you do when you are not making music
6. Reviews of bands you like
7. Topical: the election, the environment, etc.
The key here is to create something that will help your fans connect to you in a deeper way. People love stories so make it story-focused.
TIP: Keep gig lists short. If you have a long list of upcoming gigs, you don’t want it to take up the whole newsletter. Have a list of cities and dates and link to a full show list on your website or your MySpace. Use the ReverbNation show widget that lists all the show details that your fans can click to.
TIP: If you have a long article or thought stream, include just part of it in the newsletter and link to a website or blog where you include the remainder of the piece.
CALL TO ACTION:
At the bottom of your e-mail is a call to action. This is something that engages your reader to take action. For example:
1. Join me on MySpace, Twitter, Flickr, Utterz, or other social networking sites
2. Sign a friend up to my e-mail list and receive a special bonus
3. Vote for me on a website for a contest
4. Leave a comment on a site, via e-mail, on a blog etc.
TIP: Another great call to action is to use your newsletter to create an excuse to personally connect with your fans. Invite them to a bar, to another artist’s show, or for a game of pick-up football in the park. Something your fans will like, and in an environment where you can connect with them.
By closing your newsletter with a call to action, you are actually encouraging your fans to be closer to you. This allows them to become involved very easily and doesn’t leave your reader cold with the e-mail abruptly ending.
I hope these newsletter tips have helped. I would love to see yours - feel free to sign me up to your list at: Ariel@ArielPublicity.com and to get in touch with Kevin from BandLetter contact him at Kevin@BandLetter.com
BONUS: For my 5 top techniques for building your newsletter list please read this article http://arielpublicity.com/blog/archives/85
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A Sure Way To Get Googled & Connect with New Fans
Amazon.com, we all know is a wonderful site, where you can buy books, CDs, DVDs, and appliances, and it magically knows what you like and want by suggesting things to you based on what you have bought in the past.
Amazon is the biggest online seller CDs in the world and I know that they take 55% of your selling price but many people use it exclusively to purchase music. So if you are not on Amazon sign up immediately to sell your music there.
Amazon is a fabulous self-promotion tool and you can use it to:
Here’s what to do: Go to: http://www.amazon.com
If you do not already have a profile you need to create one.
1. Create a profile with your photo and a short bio about you. Each member of your bandshould also do this.
2. Create several listmania lists of CDs that you recommend, and put your own CD into these lists
I just created: A Musicians Guide To Understanding The “New” Music Business:
To see it click here
Notice how I put my own book on it first ? You will also notice that I was very upfront about the fact that I am the author of this book and I included a review written by someone else (Thanks Mari Rosa) to back me up.
I suggest creating listmanias that are listing artists that you fit in well with, and get compared to, and name the list something like: For Avid Fans of Joni Mitchell, or I did a quick search and found an intriguing title: The Greatest CDs That You’ve Never Heard and a useful list: Music to fall asleep by. Both of these are excellent ideas.
Listmania - Not Just For Music
Don’t just stop with CDs and music make lists of books that you love, or DVD movies that you suggest. Think of your average fan, and what they might like. They probably like what you like, and when they are googling you, or something they like, your Amazon profile and list will show up. This is a great way to show that you are well-rounded person. He reads, he’s a film buff, and a subtle way of branding your own music on to a site that is full trafficked by other people. This is also a great way to bond with your fans on a whole other level.
Get Reviews - Build your Amazon reputation by asking
Not only should you review your own music on Amazon, but you should review other artists you like and respect. Also, do not be shy to ask your fans and family to review your CDs as well. People always read customer reviews, and well reviewed CDs get bought.
Buy Yourself!
Another way to make sure that you show up for fans of other artists is purchase your CD from Amazon, while you purchase a CD from one of the bands that you get compared to often.
You’ll have to do this a few times, but it’s well worth the investment, because at, when people are searching for products, Amazon will tell them: Customers who bought this item, also bought - and your album will show up!
There are dozens of other ways to use Amazon and I would love to hear your Amazon self promotion stories - please post them on my blog at http://www.arielpublicity.com/blog
Here’s to your success,
- Ariel
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One key thing I have learned over the past few years of attending workshops and garnering techniques from some of the worlds most successful people is: Those people did not get there alone. Success takes support and this issue of Sound Advice will show you how to create a support group that can help you stay on track and achieve your music career success. It’s called a Mastermind Group.
I hear it all of the time - musicians call me up and say: “If only I had a manager,” or a booking agent or a record label etc. And I in turn say: It’s hard to get a manager when you are just starting out However its not hard to get some help!
For those of you in bands: Does this scenario sound familiar? One person is in charge of doing all of the business affairs and the other members of the band just show up (sometimes they don’t even show up on time!) If you’ve got a band of hired guns, this sadly is your cross to bear. However, if your band is considered an equal team, I highly suggest that you include your band members in your mastermind group. If you are the only active member of your band on the business side that’s OK - you can build yourself some great support with non- band members.
What a Mastermind Group is
A mastermind group is a small team of people that meets one to two times per month, sits down, and brainstorms together, creates goals, makes lists, talks about objectives, and keeps each other accountable so that that you will move forward with your goals and achieve them faster.
What a Mastermind Group is Not
A Mastermind is NOT band bitch session where you air your dirty laundry and get angry at each other (We call that a band meeting ). A mastermind meeting is a place for goals and a place for action and a place where you can really focus on yourself and your career.
Setting Up Your Mastermind Group
I suggest you create a group of four to six people - if you are married or part of couple and you want to set and achieve goals with your spouse or significant other I suggest a group of 3 couples (it’s OK to have different goals). If you are not part of a couple, I suggest a group of three to four others in addition to you. These people do not have to be in the music business, and it may actually be better if they are not. These people also do not have to be reaching for the same type of goals - they will however need your good input to achieve them, and you will need theirs.
Steps To Take
Setting Achievable Goals Is Key
Be careful when setting your goals. Start with ones that you can achieve within the first month (redesigning your newsletter, re-writing your pitch, booking one gig etc) so you feel like you are accomplishing small victories along the way.
Please read my previous article on how to set goals and achieve them here:
http://www.arielpublicity.com/sound_advice/setting-goals.html
At Your Scheduled Date and Time
Between sessions, you should be in touch a few times to make sure measures are being met.
Set up a Wiki
A Wiki is a great way that everybody can stay in touch without losing track of e-mails. I recommend
Ning - http://www.ning.com
PB Wiki - http://www.pbwiki.com/
Keep a Reading List
Have a reading list of books and links to articles that may be helpful to the group and reasons why you are recommending these books on your group Wiki. Books on Time management or on small business or on how to tour - whatever you are trying to accomplish there is probably already a book or an article out there.
Join My New Mastermind Group For Extra Support
I just started a mastermind group that already has 80 artists in it helping each other out with goals. To get a free membership all you have to do is purchase my book: Music Success in 9 Weeks http://www.cyberprbook.com
Have Fun
The last piece of advice I’ll give is This process should be fun!
This is you creating your career as a musician and it should feel like a joy, not a dreaded homework assignment.
I’d love to hear about your Masterminds. Please report them to me at Ariel@arielpublicity.com
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Google, in my humble opinion, is the most amazing invention since anything else I can really think of. And Google is not just a big search engine, although it would still be awesome if that’s all it did. Google is, quite simply, a portal truly puts all of the worlds electronic information at your fingertips – there’s a good reason why the word “Google” has become synonymous with searching online. Here are 3 Hot Tips designed to help you through all of Google’s awesomeness and use it to your benefit.
1. Google Alerts
Have you ever spent hours trying to track down articles on a certain subject, topic or even about your band / your brand? With Google Alerts, whatever words you select will be searched by Google and emails will be delivered to in your in-box.
To Setup A Google Alert
2. Google Blog Search
This is basically a filter for only searching Blogs; and with 80 million Blogs out there, on top of all the websites, this is a great filter for all the noise. This is also a great place to track your band on blogs. To search on Google’s Blog search, go to this link: http://blogsearch.google.com/
3. Google RSS Reader:
FIRST: Watch this video: It only takes 3 minutes and 43 seconds
http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
Now that you know exactly what this is from watching RSS in Plain English,
Setting up your RSS reader is the perfect way for getting the information you want (not only from blogs but from also from other sites you frequent) to come to you instead of having to check constantly to see what has been updated.
4. Gmail
If you still have an AOL or hotmail address, you’re in trouble. Gmail just may be the best e-mail program/website on the planet. Many bloggers and new media people use Gmail and it shows your in the know, so get signed up. Just a few great features of Google e-mail are searchable by topic or word and they provide a huge amount of storage space.
Using Gmail as your default -mail host, you can set up an URL and add GoDaddy for 7.95, then point it to the server and voila! You have a customized e-mail addresses for free.
5. iGoogle – Your customizable home page
Whether RSS, certain news links or weather, Google home pages tools can certainly help you. Google does not have to be this one-frame box. By opening a Google account, you also gain access to iGoogle, your personal home page. Here you can add just about any sort of information you like; from the silly, such as small Flash games, to the more serious such as tracking mentions of your or your brand’s name on the Web.
6. Froogle
I love getting a great deal and the Google shopping site, Froogle, will help you find all of the sites and tell you where to get the best price. For example, my best friend’s wedding dress that was $1,500 in New York City, was $695 on Froogle. This is a great place to search for deals: http://www.froogle.com
Hope these 6 Hot tips help!
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BOOK REVIEW:
Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs by Geoff Livingston and Brian Solis & How It Relates To PR & Marketing In The “New” Music Business
“The PR revolution will be socialized. Engage or die.”
“Communications have evolved more in the last 10 years, than in the previous 100.”
- Now is Gone
Now Is Gone addresses the issues that the marketing and PR world are currently facing in the new world of online social networks, transparent communication and the rise of the customer as the critic. This book struck a nerve that is so close to my own experience as a recovering traditional publicist and I have to share it’s message with you. If you are handling your own PR and marketing this book should be at the top of your required reading list.
Incredulous musicians consistently ask why I gave up handling traditional PR (my firm handles online PR only). Over the years I have placed thousands of articles, calendar listings, TV bookings and radio interviews and I was good at it, but the truth is, I began to loathe it. Two things contributed to this:
1. The PR game never changed – it was the same grind every day and creatively I felt stifled.
2.It was getting harder and harder to manifest results for my artists (and creating lackluster results was no fun).
Now Is Gone addresses why these 2 things became so real for me. The highlights follow and I have put them into perspective so that they apply directly to the music business and musicians throughout, I have quoted from this wonderful book heavily.
Engaging Directly Is No Longer Unprofessional
“Social media is exposing PR’s weaknesses and calling for reform…this is our chance, not only to work with traditional journalists, but engage directly with a new set of accidental influencers, also know as enthusiasts or citizen journalists. We can talk with customers now also content producers directly.” As a musician this puts you at an interesting advantage. It used to be somewhat unprofessional to approach the media without a publicist. The opposite can be the case today if you choose the wrong publicist to represent you online.
Participation Is Not Optional
The good news is it has never been easier to create a community around your brand. There are no more gatekeepers; there are now self-appointed gatekeepers who contribute to their communities in a real way. You must participate and this book argues that: “If you want to survive in this economy, you can’t just sit on the sidelines, those who participate genuinely, will succeed. Everyone else will either have to catch up or miss the game…. Participating here is not optional, how effectively you participate (online) will determine the success or failure of your company in the long-term.”
An NYU study that came out this past February proved concisely that if a CD is reviewed or mentioned 30 times before its release on blogs, it will sell 3 to 4 times better than if its not mentioned. This is a powerful and direct argument to begin participating online and get directly engaged with bloggers. One key piece of advice to keep in mind: “Once you send your pitch, let it go. That means do not follow-up or harass the blogger/content creator at all. Pressure equals bad write ups about your organization.” So if you get no response after your try to reach a blogger move on. There are 80 million more to choose from.
Observe Before You Dive In
“If a marketer is bent on exploiting anything, it will likely bite him in the ass,”
says Todd Defren, principal at SHIFT Media. This was always the case of course, but
in the social media world, the difference is that you’ll be found out more quickly,
and the punishment can be harsher and more long lasting. My advice is to start any
social media campaign by listening and quietly participating as a user, not a
marketer.”
Press Releases Don’t Work Anymore
“…As a society, we’ve gone from the era of mass production, mass merchandising, and mass marketing to one where customization is key . . . as far as most reporters and editors are concerned, [press releases are] over-produced, they lack differentiation, they generally aren’t relevant, and they vast majority are not worth coverage.”
- Sally Saville Hodge
Publicists were trained to do PR in a certain way: write a press release that tells the story and send it around to the media. Journalists will then pick up on the story the release and Voila! (This, of course is a way simplified summary).
In the last few years journalists have been receiving too many useless press releases that contained information that was not useful to their readers. “The online environment changed into a truly socially interactive world, where content users or readers have just as much impact as content makers. In this new era, social media networks with Wikipedia, Facebook, YouTube, and the asset of blogs are constantly evolving and changing the way people perceive communications.”
The Commodity Online is Time
And now the bad news: This takes WORK. Social communities take time to build up. People will not trust you and follow you overnight. This is where many artists have deep frustration with social networking. Stick with it. It may take months and even years in some cases.
“In order to reach people, we have to figure out who they are and where they go for information. You’ll quickly discover that a magic net doesn’t exist.“ This is an amazing point. It takes trial an error to discover how to connect and who to connect to.
“Content creators must diligently engage the community with appealing content for the life of the new media initiative, not just for the first few months.” So stick with it. Regular and consistent contribution is key.
Part of participating in a social network is investing the necessary time
to create valuable information for the network.
Let It Go
“You must be prepared to give up control of your message, know the community you intend to participate in, commit resources base business transparency in full.” Musicians tend to like to be in control of their art which makes sense – BUT be warned Social networking is not your art or your music – let it go and let people have it, comment on it, use it and it’s OK.
“Companies risk brand reputation by not participating, but at the same time they risk brand perception if they approach new media with a mindset of message and brand control without regard for two-way conversations.”
It’s NOT About You … It’s About THEM
“Inspire your community with real exciting information. Don’t waste their
time with product details.” I learned a HUGE lesson when I launched Cyber PR – I was spending a LOT of my time explaining the way the site worked and how it worked to both artists and journalists and then I realized: Nobody cared…. They wanted to know what was in it for them and that’s what everyone wants to know at every moment when engaging online. So, answer the question: What’s in it for them?
“Part of participating in a social network is investing the necessary time
to create valuable information for the network.” and I realized all I needed to do was consistently deliver value.
“One of the biggest sources of corporate failures in new media is treating the media form as a propaganda mechanism.” This is why your Hey check me out messages that you are blasting on MySpace are falling on deaf ears. You must say something about THEM first to engage. Get your self-hype out of your head and be a contribution.
New media destroys the idea of targeting your audience. Why? Because there is no more audience. The single notion that one message inspires everyone is absolutely ludicrous in the new world of community marketing.
“Blogging mostly has indirect effects. You are building an online resume
for yourself that is going to reward you in ways you really can’t predict. Honor
your readers’ time, give them great stuff to think about.”
“Customers today expect to be understood and they expect to be listened to.” So make it a two way street. Make SURE that people can comment back and let their voices be heard.
Goals & Measurement Are Key
“It is important to know what the team is trying to accomplish, and that means creating measurement goals for the content; knowing how many readers you want, how many views you need, what image you hope to convey.” If you are working alone that’s OK begin to set goals for yourself so you can achieve benchmarks to help motivate you and keep you in momentum.
To Sum Up
Social Networking and building relevant communities are critical in this brave new online world. Those who participate will benefit deeply. Those who don’t will get left in the lurch scratching their heads wondering what happened. Get in the game but do it with some strategy. To blindly dive in is not the best advice. Follow the new rules and reap the benefits.
Buy Now Is Gone
Amazon Link
Read The Ongoing Conversation by The Authors
Buzz Bin
http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/blog/
PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com/
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So – as you know I am a newsletter evangelist! I believe it is the NUMBER ONE thing that will help you create a career in the music industry. Communicating with your fan base regularly and consistently. If you do not already have a schedule mapped out for sending your newsletters – get your calendar out NOW and pencil in 12 dates – 1X per month (I suggest you send your newsletter 2X per month but start with once a month and grow from there). Studies show that the best days to send newsletters (for the highest open rates) are Tuesdays and Wednesdays so make sure to send them out mid week.
Here are 5 critical things to keep in mind as you are crafting your newsletters:
1. Keep Your Subject Line to 55 Characters
Most e-mail programs cut off the subject line after 55 and 60 characters, so keep your subject line short and sweet, and to the point; five to six words max.
2. Get Personal
Saying something personal brings you closer to your fan base. So share a photo of something you love (your pet, your kids, your friends), or something fun and non-music related you did recently like a vacation.
3. You Don’t Have To Have A Show To Send A Newsletter
How about just inviting everyone on your newsletter out for drinks evening, or to join you for a show, or share something fun that you’ve done recently; again, or maybe you just purchased a new album and you love it, and you want to talk about it.
4. Mailing Address & Unsubscribe Link
Know that by law you need to put your mailing address and an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each of your newsletters. If you are uncomfortable adding your home address, then open up a P.O. Box and use that.
5. First Names Get Attention
Use their name. The best way to get anyone’s attention is to include their first name in the subject line of an e-mail, something like this:
Hey Kevin! Summer News From the Darrin James Band.
It’s catchy, and it gets people’s attention immediately to the subject of your e-mail. Bandletter can help you customize your e-mails so that your first names of your e-mail list appear in the subject line. Testing shows that the response rates will go up 50%-70% or more if you include first names.
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Musicians Working Together to Make a Difference
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