What is Music PR?
Have you ever wondered how a new musician shows up in a music magazine? How about when a music video gets two million views in 24 hours? The first part of the equation is the person’s talent. You must have the talent to attract and retain fans. The second half comes from a strong public relations (PR) and marketing strategy. You can do this yourself or hire someone, however, the goal remains the same — create mutually beneficial relationships between you and your audience. These connections can lead to media coverage, opportunities for shows, increased ticket revenue, and new fans. The correct publics for you are determined by the business goals you set for yourself. PR and marketing professionals will then use a variety of tools to get your message to those people. Here are two of the most common strategies:
MEDIA RELATIONS
Journalists receive hundreds of emails a day from musicians claiming they are the biggest act of the year. How do you stand out from them? Most PR pros, unless just starting out, will have a network of journalists that they took the time to develop. There have been face-to-face interactions, conversations on topics outside of music, and possibly general life updates. But what does that mean for you? Let me ask you this, are you more likely to open an email from someone you know or a complete stranger? A PR person's connections provide you with a prime opportunity to land a placement in addition to having newsworthy material.
SOCIAL MEDIA
If you don't have a social media presence, you're already behind. Social platforms have become a musician's best friend allowing them to bypass traditional media. There are a lot of new questions that pop-up, however. Which ones should you use and how do you develop those into places people regularly check? First, you want to find out where your fans get their information from the most. If it's Facebook, make a Facebook page. If they don't use Instagram, you probably don't need one either. Next, you're going to need to determine what type of posts people want to see from you. Do they want pictures of you practicing? Do they want your random thoughts throughout the day? A PR pro can help guide you through this process and drive up your engagement which translates into long-term fans.
WHAT WE DON'T DO (USUALLY)
We don't book shows, but placements can lead to venues discovering you or a musician asking you to open for them. We don't get your music airplay, but we might write the one-sheet used to promote you. We don't manage you or take part in other various business activities outside of public relations. We don't distribute or sell your music, but we will give it to journalists so they can write about it.
Hopefully, we answered some of your questions but if not, email us. We love to have our brains picked. You can also email us if you're interested to see what Dominant Seventh can do for you! We care about the music community and the newbies just getting started. You can check out SonicBids' Blog for a day in the life of a publicist which is what inspired our post!