32 Ways to Promote Yourself, Your Band or Your New Release (III)

Continuing from the last article

Sneak into media exposure through the side door

22) New Age artist Laurie Z was interviewed on a syndicated radio show called Tech Talk (which is also broadcast on the internet). The program features people who use modern technology in various fields. Past guests have included Tom Clancy, Kurt Russell and Todd Rungren. Laurie was invited to discuss how she’s used technology to create her music and market herself.

The main thing to note in this example is that a musical act is getting media exposure on a non-music show – a valuable lesson for us all. How many potential avenues of promotion are you overlooking because you don’t see an immediate connection between what various media cover and what you produce?

Here are some possible angles for different genres:

23) A jazz musician could hook up with a psychologist or music therapist to discuss the stress-reduction benefits of mellow jazz music.

24) A traditional blues player who has either lived through or learned a lot about regional music history could pitch himself as an expert on local culture.

25) A punk or metal band member could become an advocate for safe mosh-pit etiquette and offer to enlighten kids and their parents on common-sense advice when attending concerts.

26) A rap artist might shed light on the fact that not all rap and hip-hop music is about gangs, sex and life on the streets.

27) A country musician could team up with a fitness instructor and espouse the virtues of line dancing as a fun form of exercise.

28) Become a music trivia expert. Do you know way too much about the Beatles? Or Elvis? Or the ’60s, ‘70s or ‘80s? Or some other musical niche? If so, appoint yourself to be your area’s media consultant on the topic.

Bottom line: You no doubt have many media exposure angles you have yet to use to your advantage. Now is time to uncover them and put them to use!

Still more music marketing tips to consider:

29) Keep in touch with your contacts. Make sure that at least once a month your fans and industry contacts get a phone call, post card, email, or other new offering from you. Are you staying in touch with these people now? Your goal should be to regularly put your name and musical identity into the minds of the people who are in a position to support you.

Tip: Come up with a schedule that would accomplish more frequent contact with the people who matter most to your career. Add this too your monthly calendar.

30) Keep your ears open for ideas. Listen to the music-related things people complain about, and then provide a solution to their problem. For instance, members of the Chicago band Cool Beans heard music fans complaining about all of the negative, angst-ridden lyrics in modern rock songs. Since they play upbeat alternative pop, they started using the phrase “Energetic new rock & roll… without the angst! on all their fliers. Doing so positions them as the “alternative” to gloom rock. And they might not have used that approach if they hadn’t listened to their fans.

31) Spell out your music for potential new customers. New Age artist John Huling puts a brief description of his music on the back of his CDs. By doing so, even customers who haven’t heard his music before can get a quick synopsis of his style and what musical benefits he offers.

Lesson: Don’t expect people to automatically know what your music is about. There is nothing wrong with indie artists putting review quotes and testimonials from happy fans on the back of CD sleeves. Just be picky about which ones you use, focusing more on the quotes that spell out the heart of your musical message and the hard-hitting benefits listener get when they hear it.

32) Make a commitment to do something every day to promote your music. If a day goes by that you don’t do at least some small act to promote your music, you’re cheating yourself. And the promotional action you take doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. Simple actions are effective too – as long as they’re done regularly.

Conclusion: Ultimate success in music comes as a result of the small steps you take consistently on a daily basis. Pick something covered in this series of articles every day and put it to use. Doing so will earn you more fans, more notoriety, and more clout… for weeks, months and years to come!