Home pages, blogs, social networking sites, sales pages, press releases and merchandise pages all written to communicate with current or prospective fans, bookers, media, clients, customers or business associates. But, is your copy or your message truly written with those readers in mind?Before you "throw up a home page or a landing page," consider these 3 ideas to help you write your copy so it directly speaks to your reader.Decide who will be reading the piece you are writing:Your target audience for each page of your site, your social networking site or your blog may be different. They each may desire a different experience when they read your copy. Know…
PROMOTION
How To Use Radio Promotion to Boost Airplay and Build New Audiences
July 10, 2016 – Posted in: PROMOTIONI often get calls from artists who want to know more about using a radio promotion company to help boost airplay and build new audiences. Most artists believe they ought to launch into a full-blown campaign as soon as they have their hot-off-the-press CD. Some artists should do just that, others should not, depending on your career goals, of course.Use radio promotions to identify hot markets for touring. Be prepared to tour in the markets where airplay is greatest. The best use of a radio campaign is to track the cities and radio stations that have added the recording. Plan support tour dates in those cities no later than four…
Why Every Performance Counts
July 10, 2016 – Posted in: PROMOTIONWhile driving through Missouri on my way to teach a seminar, I heard a report on National Public Radio about the power of a song. All Things Considered former producer, Marika Partridge, had attended a festival where she heard a song by Pat Humphries nearly one year ago. Her story was about how this one song influenced her, inspired her and stuck with her after all that time.That, in its self, is impressive. To me, though, what is more, impressive and of importance to this article, is how a single event or performance may influence future results beyond your power of comprehension.The above-mentioned event took place at a sing-along at…
How to Turn Your Gigs Into Major Media Events
July 10, 2016 – Posted in: PROMOTIONSo you're barreling along, booking tour dates, doing your promotion, playing the gigs and generally feeling pretty good about the way things are going. Yes? But you're thinking to yourself, "How can I spice things up, make them more exciting for everyone, especially the media and bring a bit more attention to this road show?" The answer—Themes.Upon returning from New Orleans where I moderated a panel on "Accessing the Media." My panelists were a music critic, a publicist and a radio programmer. At one point during the workshop, our attention was focused on creating media events to capture audience, press, TV and radio. We were not talking about media events…
Use the Past to Promote Your Future
July 10, 2016 – Posted in: PROMOTIONNot everyone is an emerging artist. You might be starting a new phase of your career with new band members, a new release and a whole new outlook on the business. In the past, your band had some success, achieved some recognition and toured extensively. Don't just bury the past; use it to boost your new efforts. As you begin to promote your new release and book the release tour, tap into the good will you developed earlier in your career. Your inclination might be to launch this new act without any reference to the past, a clean, new start. That's fine, but why reinvent the wheel? If you had…
Impress the Bookers with User Friendly Promo Packets
June 22, 2016 – Posted in: PROMOTIONI receive many promotional packets. I don't receive nearly as many as a club owner or promoter does, though. As I review the packets, a few main issues strike me—first, the most interesting and important facts are often buried deep within the text. Second, in an attempt to look impressive, the artist includes far too much material reducing the impact of the really "good stuff." And third the material is not well organized. Since your promotional material often serves to introduce your act and create a first impression, it is important to make your first shot count.With that in mind, I'd like to suggest some helpful tips as you pull…
What You Should Include In Your Touring Press Kit: Targeting Your Promotional Material
June 22, 2016 – Posted in: PROMOTIONYou may have heard the expression, "the right tool for the job." It works for home repair, car maintenance and promoting your act. One of the greatest expenditures you may make to market your act is creating an effective promotional package—including your CD or video. This is your marketing tool. It needs to be appropriate to the audience you are attempting to reach. It needs to be right for the job at hand. If you are booking club dates, you must be mindful of who is on the receiving end, opening it, reading it and making the booking decisions. Perhaps you are doing a radio promotion campaign. Again, be aware…