Hello, everyone! Thank you for finding time in your schedule to spend a few minutes learning about the music business. The post you’re about to read is a guest post from our friends at MUDDY PAW PR, and we really think artists of all sizes should heed their advice.
This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Hello passionate people!
Here are some great tips as to why a PR company can help get exposure on blogs
1. You Have Nothing To Feature
All content is not created equal. This means that although you may have a lot of really cool, older content, without something new to promote, there’s not a lot for blogs to work with. Make sure when you’re approaching outlets you have something new and enticing for them to work with. And tell them what it is you’re looking for. If you just send a publicist an email saying “here’s my band, thanks for listening,” we’re not really sure what you’re looking for. Interview? Album review? Guest blog? Help us out.
What a publicist can do: Not only will publicists have a better understanding of the timing of releases but they’ll also have plenty of creative ideas for ways you can keep the band relevant, and secure you those features. They also have relationships with the blogs you’re looking to target, which is one asset that should never be undervalued or underappreciated.
2. You’ve Sent Your Album Too Late
This is one of the most common issues I run into. Bands who have poured their heart into their latest release, but fail to send it out to blogs until after it’s been released. This is a huge mistake. Even a week after release can sometimes be too late, but I’ve had bands send me releases that were months old looking for a review. It’s not that we don’t want to help you, it’s just that we want to feature new, fresh content for our readers, and unfortunately featuring an album that’s no longer new doesn’t bring in a lot of interest from our readers.
What a publicist can do: Publicists will know the timelines that work best for your particular campaign, and how to stagger your release (and any other releases such as videos that you have in the works) to make sure they’re getting maximum impact.
3. Your Email Wasn’t Personal Enough
This is actually a big pet peeve of mine. Yes, emailing each outlet individually is a bit of a pain, but it’s also the best way to ensure that you capture their attention, and make an impact. If I get an email that says “Hey Angela” and then goes on to address something they read on the site, I’m instantly hooked. I could hate your music, but if it’s a fit for the site, and you took the time to actually read our submission guidelines, I’ll find a way to feature you, 100% of the time.
What a publicist can do: Many publicists actually use the mass email strategy, occasionally combined with personal follow up. I respect it, but I disagree with it. Emails should be crafted to each individual outlet, which takes a bit longer, but we feel garners a higher response rate. There’s nothing that can replace that personal, one to one interaction, and we recognize that.
4. You Offended The Outlet
I know you didn’t mean to, but there’s a good chance if you’re not hearing back, you may have offended the outlet. For instance, did you get the blog or writer’s name wrong? This happens more than you’d imagine. Did you try to personalize it, but forget to change out the last blog’s name in the email? Did you CC everyone instead of BCCing on a mass email? (this is a HUGE no-no). Sending out releases takes a LOT of work, and we understand not everyone has that kind of time. That’s where publicists come in.
What a publicist can do: Part of a publicist’s job is to know everyone. As such, we’re pretty accurate in our correspondence with each blog, and not making those mistakes, because in a lot of ways, these people are actually our friends. We’re familiar with them, and their work, and their outlet, because we’ve worked with them before, and developed a relationship. We also do this full time, 100% of the time, so we have the time to fact check, and double check, and sometimes even triple check, to make sure we’re getting everything straight.
5. You Didn’t Include Enough Information
Each outlet is different, so you’ll have to do your research on this. But one thing I find happening a lot is bands submitting without enough information. You have an album coming out? That’s great! But when is it coming out? You sent me your Soundcloud…but where are your social media pages? Who are the band members? Where are you from?
What a publicist can do: Part of a publicist’s job is to gather all of this information from you right at the beginning of the campaign. We know what outlets need to know, and can help get them that info they need, before they even have to ask it. The less a blog needs to ask of you in terms of material, the more likely they are to feature you.
6. You Aren’t Targeting The Correct Outlets
This is a common one. Different outlets cover different genres, and it’s important to do your research, and make sure you’re not submitting your rock band to a site that covers exclusively hip-hop. It’s time consuming, and it takes a lot of research. Especially when you get within genres. Oh, you’re an indie-rock band? Well this site may look like they feature you, but they actually only feature classic rock, and alternative rock. It’s important to take your time, and find the right outlet.
What a publicist can do: Publicists are already familiar with most outlets genre requirements, and they take the guesswork out of these things. They can locate and target the outlets that are most likely to feature your music with a simple click of the mouse.
7. Your Social Media Presence Is Lacking
This is one of those frustrating, but true facts. For many outlets, social media presence matters, especially in the kind of coverage they’ll offer. If you’re not growing your presence, you’re going to have a harder time. Especially if you’re targeting large outlets and expecting a response, but only have 100 likes. More than just likes though, outlets want to see you interacting with fans, and staying active on social media at least a few times a week, if not more.
What a publicist can do: Many publicists (including Muddy Paw) offer social media packages for our artists. We understand it can be a little intimidating, and a lot time consuming, so we, and many other agencies offer packages that include social media upkeep, strategy discussion, and more to make sure your fans are getting the updates they want.
Thanks for checking out these tips, I hope they’ve helped! Good luck, and I look forward to watching you grow!
Angela Mastrogiacomo is the owner of Muddy Paw Public Relations. Muddy Paw specializes in working with up and coming artists on personalized campaigns designed to bring their careers to the next level. To date, we’ve secured placements on sites such asAbsolutePunk, Property Of Zack, PureVolume, and many more. You can find us atwww.MuddyPawPR.com
