Oftentimes, artists will have a difficult time at successfully publicizing their art. You might wonder how to set the right expectations in order to get the most out of a campaign. To achieve these expectations, you must look into music PR. Ariel Hyatt sits with Andre from the amazing DiscMakers to discuss PR and publicity myths, tips, and campaigning.
Watch part 1 here and part 2 here!
What Is Music PR?
PR takes many forms as it continuously changes as the years go by. Its history comes from a relationship that existed between a person (you) and all of the journalists. Publicists were the central point between people and journalists. However, as we adapt, we are seeing a shift in PR. With the popularity of social media increasing, music PR is now known by: anything that is communication from you and goes out to the world is public relations.
The Importance of the “Elevator Pitch”
If someone comes up to you and asks “what does your band sound like?”, you better have an answer. Anytime you’re in public, you should be prepared to give a short, succinct answer. This pitch should give who you’re talking to a very clear description of what your band sounds like. You don’t want to mention too many genres or too many comparisons in order to not confuse the media.
When you’re coming up with your 15 second elevator pitch, there is something to be aware of. With social media taking up so much of our lives, there has to be a distinction made between posting something cool and how you define yourself. If you post 5 witty words that have nothing to do with the actual sound of your music, you can make it really hard for the members of the media to understand.
Your Story Is Important For PR
When creating your story, the first thing you really want to think through is: what is your hook? This doesn’t have to be some huge dramatic event. A hook can be anything you want it to be as long as it is something that people can walk away from remembering. You also want a bio with that moment, that hook. It needs to be something that can add on to you as a person.
The next thing you’ll want is great music. This pertains to whether your music is well-producer, mixed and mastered, and well-thought out. After you check those two boxes, you can work on creating a release schedule. You can work with others, including publicists and anyone you sign up with. These meetings will be discussion about when the best time is to release your music. Keep your schedules flexible as what you show up most likely won’t be what you end with.
You’ll also want to have really good visuals. Multiple photos are going to be a necessity because the rotation created by social media will tire out the reposted photos at a much faster rate. Lastly, you’ll want to have your brand portrayed. It has to send that same message across all your social channels. It should be very clear to anyone who comes across your brand.
How To Get The Most Out Of Music PR
Unfortunately, there is no hard set rule for what to do in order to get the most out. Something you want to always do is consult with your team. Anyone you hire on and your publicist you should be able to communicate with because you are paying for their expertise. You might want their help on which of the tracks are the strongest and work best with the publicist’s contacts. Let the publicist give you the reasons why the songs they chose are the best and what their plan is for those tracks.
After getting their feedback, you can set a plan for release. If you have 3 tracks, you can release one track and release the next one 3 weeks after and so on. You might want to be releasing a new song every 3-4 weeks, but be flexible with your PR. If you have something that is performing well, don’t take it off at the end of its 3rd week. Give it some time to stay in the spotlight before moving onto the next, Being flexible will allow you to get more marketing time for your music.
Why Would Publicists Turn You Down?
There are hundreds of thousands of music publicists out in the world. Each and every one of them is unique and offers something different to the table. This also means that you are not for everyone and not everyone is for you. There are going to be a few mismatches until we find the right one. Publicists know their limits and know where they can successfully promote, so if they turn you down, it just means they can’t provide you with what you deserve. So, you move on and keep moving on until you find your match.
If you have goals that aren’t in alignment with the publicity team you want to hire, don’t try to force a relationship. If they feel as though they cannot achieve your goals, they will turn you down. In addition, you need to make sure your brand is developed and represents you and your music. If you have no followers on social media, don’t have a nice website, etc., publicists won’t want to work with you or might start you at a beginner level.
Setting Expectations
When you hire someone and you hand over lots of money, your expectations are unreasonably high. It is recommended that you should be your own publicist to begin before deciding to hire a publicist. The reason for this is to give you real experience on what publicists have to deal with daily. Until you know how hard it is, until you have lived it, you won’t understand nor value all that your publicist does for you.
For more marketing and publicity key tips and tricks, purchase Ariel’s latest book The Ultimate Guide To Music Publicity. Learn how to successfully stick to your marketing plan without having to hire a publicist.
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