Promoly

Author: pete

  • How To Boost Your Plays Through Spotify Marketing

    How To Boost Your Plays Through Spotify Marketing

    Spotify has become such a major platform for audio streaming that musicians must factor it in distributing their songs. Because of this, it’s not enough to just upload songs while hoping that a ton of people will accidentally stumble upon your music. You will need an approach to get the most listens possible – here are four ways to guarantee that.

    1. Establish your goals

    Before anything else, you must first establish your goals for the campaign. Without it, your marketing strategy will not have any direction and the success of the campaign cannot be measured. Your goals should always dictate your action and it should be clear from the start. If not, the push will be worthless.

    Since distribution will be done online, jot down three social media goals to promote your music. Use the acronym S.M.A.R.T to be guided. S stands for Specific, which means that it must be exactly written. M for Measurable, meaning that the results can be quantified. A corresponds to

    Attainable or controlled optimism. R for Relevant to the business and finally, T for Time-bound which states that the goal must have a deadline.

    2. Target user playlists

    Spotify rewards songs that are frequently added by users to their playlists. They also favour songs that have been shared on other online platforms like Soundcloud or blogs. In contrast, you get penalized when your song is skipped.

    If that’s the case, creating playlists help to bump your popularity up. Combine your song with other popular songs with the same theme or emotion and assign a catchy name for the mix. Your plays will increase as your music is being promoted alongside the biggest names in the business.

    3. Give listeners a preview of your work

    Don’t go for long intros and outros if you want to keep your audience engaged – you must upload tracks that play within three seconds to avoid being skipped. Uploading a shorter version of your song can entice new listeners to follow you as well.

    4. Upload the song before the grand release

    It takes time before Spotify finalizes the songs they want to feature. To ensure that people discover your music, upload the song five weeks before you intend to announce its launch. Leading up into the launch, you can create noise by posting teasers on blogs, getting reviews from early listeners and by spreading the word via social media.

    Take note that YouTube, Soundcloud, and the likes are Spotify’s competitors. To funnel listeners onto Spotify, release 30 seconds of the song on other sites and direct them to hear the full song on Spotify. You can also drum up excitement by sharing promotional material on Facebook and Twitter a few weeks before the launch.

    When it’s time to announce the song, make another wave of announcements on social media. This time, include the link to your Spotify song – this will considerably help engagement.

    Struggling to do all the work yourself? That’s what we’re here for! If you need help communicating your music updates to your followers, give Promo.ly a try! We are a music promo delivery system for artists, labels, and PR agencies, helping you maximize your current mailing list. We’re a music PR service that delivers music to your mailing list, get in touch to see how we can help today.

     
  • How to Market to New Fans You Make on Tour – Music Marketing 101

    How to Market to New Fans You Make on Tour – Music Marketing 101

    After years of hard work, planning, and dedication, you’ve finally done it—you’ve built a sizeable loyal following that awaits every new track you release. It’s been a long journey, but amidst the album drops, the tours, and the marketing, there’s one thing that has and will always remain true: the grind never stops.

    During music releases and tours, you’re bound to expand your reach and gain new fans, resulting in a huge increase in your social media following. You might even get a shoutout from a recording artist you’ve always wanted to collaborate with!

    Any up-and-coming artist dreams of naturally growing their following. However, those that click the “follow” button on Instagram aren’t necessarily going to be around forever. You have to keep them interested and show them that you’re worth their attention. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.

    1. How exactly are you supposed to maintain your newfound fans?

    When your following starts to grow, your dedication to maintaining a strong online presence should as well. Fans are a picky bunch, often willing to drop an artist if they don’t get regular updates. Here’s what you can do to get started:

    Thanks to social media, artists have a ton of different opportunities to keep the conversation going with their fans. By bridging the gap between both parties, social media can help aspiring talents keep their followers engaged and looking forward to the next album drop or concert date.

    A great way to use social media to your advantage is to use the geo-tag tool, which can allow you to see all the photos and videos that your fans took at different shows that you held. Once you’ve found your fans online through the help of the trusty geotag, feel free to personally message them with a tweet, direct message, or comment to thank them for going to your show.

    2. Use social media advertising to your advantage

    While we’re on the topic of social media, did you know that one great way to keep yourself in the forefront of followers’ minds is to run paid ads? With paid ads, you’ll be able to reach a greater audience while ensuring any updates reach your existing fans.

    Want to give it a try? Consider running a paid ad that will promote your latest single or upcoming tour date, giving fans and would-be fans even more reason to follow your page and your journey as an artist. When a paid ad is done right, it can yield fantastic results!

    3. Get your fans to follow you on your artist channels

    Spotify, YouTube, Apple, Amazon, and Soundcloud: what do they all have in common? They can all help your fans discover even more of your material beyond your show’s setlist while allowing them to foster a greater liking to your stuff. Artist channels allow fans to hone their interest in an artist’s material while easily getting updates on what they’re about to do next or release. A great and easy way to get more fans to follow your journey is to put a little self-promotion in between your songs during shows, where you can give your fans the name of your different pages and how they can follow them.

    4. Give your fans something to act on!

    If you’re ready to take things to the next level in terms of keeping your newfound fans (and even gaining new ones), you should definitely try this marketing secret: a call-to-action. As an extremely effective marketing tool, a call-to-action (or CTA, for short) is a marketing tool that you can use to encourage shares, likes, and comments by incentivizing this action for your fans. By giving your fans an incentive towards spreading the word, you can reward them and keep them going with rewards like exclusive content and live-streamed shows.

    Struggling to do all the work yourself? That’s what we’re here for! If you need help communicating your music updates to your followers, give Promo.ly a try! We are a music promo delivery system for artists, labels, and PR agencies, helping you maximize your current mailing list. We’re a music service that delivers music to your mailing list, get in touch to see how we can help today.

     
  • How to Harness Influencer Marketing in the Music Industry

    How to Harness Influencer Marketing in the Music Industry

    Creating and producing music is different from promoting it. The latter takes more than just artistic freedom and talent. It needs a crafty mind and good business sense. 

    While the internet has made it easier for musicians to get their music out there and attract a wider audience, the oversaturation in the online world has created a number of challenges. The competition is quite fierce. However, in today’s day in age, success in the music scene is not exclusive to major labels and popular artists. Even those new to the game have a fighting chance to make it big. 

    A big part of these growing opportunities is Influencer Marketing.

    While this strategy is more popular in the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industries, it is also effective in the music industry. 

    Research shows that 26% of the music industry made use of influencer marketing. And they do so over various platforms. Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have billions of users, and their growing numbers show no signs of slowing down, at least not in the near future.

    Most influencers gain their following on these social media platforms. And that means working with them might be just what you need to widen your audience and increase engagement. But how exactly should you do it?

    Identify Your Platforms

    The online world is vast. Before you take a pick from millions of influencers, you need to determine which platform will suit your needs best. Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are just some of the social media channels that complement the music industry. They are great if you want to market your newest album or expand your audience. But It is important to consider each platform’s benefits before taking your pick so you can more easily plan your marketing campaigns around them and consider which influencers can help you reach your goals.

    Collaborate Creatively

    Sometimes, two heads are indeed better than one. Working with an influencer when it comes to your marketing content can take the burden off your shoulders and allow you more time to devote to your craft. Influencers are professional content creators. So be sure to collaborate with them, while still allowing their unique voice and creativity to shine through. 

    Connect with the Audience on a Personal Level

    Being a musician or producer is a hectic job. Every production requires attention to detail, and the pressure can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, this means that oftentimes you won’t have the opportunity to truly connect and build a relationship with your fans. 

    Influencers, on the other hand, are extremely skilled in connecting with their audience. Their loyal base of followers find their content authentic and relatable, and they often listen to their recommendations. While working with an influencer, this trust can rub off on you, allowing you to widen your reach and increase your music’s engagement.

    Convert Views to Sales

    While influencers can help you generate views and increase your engagement, they can actually do better than mere promotions. Influencers can provide a short music teaser and include a link to buy it, ideally with a special offer of discounts through a unique promo code. This move will help convert your viewers and followers into paying customers.

    The benefits of influencer marketing are numerous. Including this tactic in your marketing strategy can take your next big hit to new heights. What are you waiting for?

     
  • The Ultimate Guide to Starting an Independent Record Label in 2022

    The Ultimate Guide to Starting an Independent Record Label in 2022

    There are a lot of resources out there on starting an independent record label and, frankly, most of them are way too complicated. Luckily, we’ve distilled it down so even your Grandma could start the next Universal.

    (Side note: if your Grandma does start a label, please hit us up cause that’s cool and we’d love to partner and promote!)

    Anyway, moving on…

    Starting a record label involves two key ingredients: a passion for music and an action plan. This guide will give you the latter, but we’re counting on you to bring the former.

    Since you’re already here reading this, we’re going to assume you have the passion in you and you’re dying to get started. So, let’s dive in.

    Starting a independent record label

    This guide’s going to show you how to start a independent record label in six steps:

    1. Ideation
    2. Talent sourcing
    3. Business & Brand Strategy
    4. Legalities
    5. Preparing for Launch
    6. Promotions

    1. Ideation

    Starting a independent record label begins with brainstorming how the record label will stand apart from the sea of labels out there. This is known as a unique positioning or the unique value proposition of the record label.

    To figure this out, the key is to think through what you know best about the music industry. What’s wrong with record labels today?

    Think through an unmet need that currently exists and whether positioning the record label to meet it is a sustainable idea.

    Use this train of thought to pick a vision for your record label that you’re passionate about.

    Picking one that’s trending may sound like a good idea, but this can also mean the trend fades away and you’re left with a failed label.

    Build your record label to focus on something you’re truly passionate about. We believe that the most successful labels out there today got to where they are because the founders picked what they were passionate about. This passion meant they fought through the highs and lows to realize their vision of the label and make it successful.

    Once you’ve found the vision for the label, you can think through the specifics such as: which format do you focus on?

    Determining Format

    Picking the right format for the label to focus on is important. Juggling too many formats can dilute efforts and wind up with your label not doing well in sourcing talent and producing in any of them.

    Pick a few formats that are known to be popular such as CD, Vinyl, and Digital Releases.

    Don’t discount Digital Releases. Streaming is huge right now and Digital Releases primes you well to venture into this distribution channel. This ensures you’re on popular platforms such as SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and Spotify.

    Formats also impact chart eligibility which is the criteria that need to be met in order to enter popular charts such as UK Top 40 or Billboard 200.

    Every track will require an ISRC code (International Standard Recording Code) that helps stores report sales to chart companies such as Billboard. Depending on which region you’re launching the label in, it’s important to look at chart eligibility for different formats. If your format doesn’t allow you to be registered with them, you may lose the chance of being listed on their charts which is lost free marketing

    2. Talent sourcing

    Many start a record label to share music they’ve heard with a broader audience, especially tunes that no other label wanted to put out. But this may not always be the case, or just having one release lined up from an artist you know might not be enough.

    This is where finding music to release becomes the next step. When starting a independent record label, it’s good to have a few releases in the back pocket to help with promotions and finding distribution.

    Play to your strengths when it comes to finding great talent.

    Start with your network and local music venues that you know. Spend time online on platforms such as Soundcloud, Bandcamp, or ReverbNation. Even social media platforms such as Facebook and Tik Tok now boast niche communities where artists publish their music.

    Be patient during this step. It’s better to launch with music that’s true to what the label stands for and believes in compared to releasing something just to get the label launched and going.

    Only represent music that truly moves you.

    3. Business & Brand Strategy

    If you’ve found the talent you like, it’s time to formalize things so you can share their music with the world and represent them with your label.

    This starts with a business plan. Business plans are great in helping think through the nitty-gritty of the record label. What will it be called? How much will it cost to setup? Etc.

    A business plan is also helpful when seeking investment.  Anyone you pitch the label idea to will know you’ve done the due diligence in ensuring it’s a successful venture.

    Here are some questions the business plan should help answer:

    • What’s unique about your record label?
    • Who are your competitors?
    • What will it be called?
    • What’s its branding?
    • How do you plan on marketing the label?
    • How will the record label be legally structured?
    • What products or services will the record label offer?
    • How much will it cost to set up the record label?
    • How much money will it make in a given year? And how much profit?

    We won’t go into detail on how to answer each question above, but we’ll dive into a few that are important in shaping up the record label through the rest of this guide.

    Name & Brand

    When it comes to branding, the name and logo of your record label will be critical.

    We’re big believers in the notion that if the right identity of a label isn’t created, it won’t attract the right talent.

    Brainstorm a few name ideas with your friends. Try to view it through the lens of your target customer as well – the artist. How would they resonate to the name and overall branding of your label?

    Similarly, think through different logo ideas and other branding collateral. What’s the colour scheme of the label going to be? What font will you use?

    The brand identity of your label will be important when it comes to promotion as your label will put considerable effort into marketing its artists work.

    If you don’t have a killer name and brand for your own label, it’s not going to reflect greatly on what marketing you can do for artists that potentially want to join your label.

    If you’re hitting a wall, check out how competitors are branding and see if it triggers any inspiration. If this truly isn’t your forté, then we’d recommend hiring professionals such as a branding and design agency.  They can help craft your brand identity and create marketing assets for you such as logos, typeface, etc.

    4. Legalities

    Now for some grown-up stuff.

    Sorting out the legal aspects of the label is an important step in ensuring credibility when it comes to dealings and as a way of protecting you and the label.

    Firstly, you’ll have to start by setting up the structure of the business:

    The business structure of the label

    One aspect of starting a independent record label will involve structuring the business appropriately.

    Here are a few options to consider:

    Sole proprietorship: This sort of structure means the record label company is wholly owned and operated by just one individual – you.

    That means all of the finances and liability are shared. If the label goes bankrupt, your personal assets are on the line, and if you go bankrupt the same applies to the label’s assets. This set up is appropriate if it’s just you running the label and simplifies the legal steps you’d have to go through in order to get going. Remember, you can always change the business structure later on. 

    Limited Liability Corporation (LLC): If the label is being formed by a group of people, then an LLC makes more sense.

    The owners are also not responsible for any debts or liabilities incurred by the record label. Their personal assets are protected. Setting up an LLC is more complicated and expensive, but it does come with the added personal protection.

    Incorporation: Most major labels will be structured as a corporation. This ensures no liability to shareholders and even the owners are well protected against any issues the label may face such as bankruptcy.

    Incorporation will also allow external investors to come on board without having to relinquish actual voting control of the label. This is by far the most complicated to set up and manage.

    Our advice is to start off with an LLC if there’s more than one of you as an owner the label, and if it’s just you then a sole proprietorship is fine. You can always transition how the label business is structured as the record label grows.

    Setting up contracts

    When you bring on talent to release their music, you’ll have to draft up contracts to ensure the relationship between you and the artists are clear.

    This contract will cover important details such as profit sharing, who owns the masters, royalty agreements, distribution, and promotional guarantees. It will define clearly what you’ll help the artist with, who is responsible for what, ownership, and how revenue is distributed between the artist and your label.

    Licensing

    In addition to contracts. Labels will also have to get clear on licensing and ensure all represented artists are registered with the appropriate companies such as BMI or SESAC.

    These are companies that collect royalties and distribute them to artists. If you miss licensing your artists to these companies, there’s a good chance your label will lose out on much-needed royalty earnings.

    5. Preparing for Launch

    It’s GO time.

    Preparing to go-to-market is the next big step for the label. This will involve understanding how to both promote the label and the artists you represent.

    Distribution

    The first thing you’re going to want to line up is the right distribution channels.

    These are the places where your label’s music is going to be playing or sold. There’s physical distribution such as music stores, and digital distribution through streaming services and online stores (e.g. iTunes). You’ll eventually have to either find companies in these channels yourself or hire distributors that’ll do the work for you.

    Having distribution lined up from the get-go isn’t necessary.

    If you’ve got a compelling brand and a promotion strategy, then that should take you quite far in this technology-enabled day and age. Eventually, however, you’ll want to be on store shelves, and that’s where distribution becomes important.

    Press Kits

    Press Kits help tell the world what your label does and/or who the artist is. Think of it as an entire marketing package that shows what the artist looks like, their bio, demos, upcoming tour dates, and so on…

    These kits can be both physical and digital.

    Digital kits allow anyone to download them directly from your website to use in promotional activities.

    Physical kits come handy when you’re face-to-face with someone that could use it.

    Don’t spend too much energy in filling the press kit with lots of information, keep it simple so that it quickly gives a good overview of your label and the artist.

    Establish an online presence

    If your label doesn’t have a strong online presence, that’s enough for people to doubt your credibility.

    Start with having a website for your label that outlines which artists you represent, your story, upcoming releases, etc.

    Include whatever you think consumers need to know about you. You don’t need a professional to set this up for you.

    There are plenty of web design sites such as Squarespace or Webflow that’ll allow you to create stunning websites with relative ease without breaking the bank.

    Create social media profiles as well on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter. Be active on these platforms, posting updates about your label such as new releases, and use it as a way to interact with the community of other music lovers.

    6. Promotion

    With a site and social media profiles set up, the next step is to begin promoting.

    This means getting your label and artist’s music out there. Get active on various streaming platforms such as Soundcloud and Bandcamp. See if you can host music on Spotify and iTunes and create specific video content for YouTube.

    Do some promotion on Reddit such as in the /r/musicpromotion community and find niche Facebook groups that you can join to spread the word.

    If you know of any music blogs focused on a specific genre, reach out to them and see if they’re willing to promote your artist or announce your label. 

    Think of all the places you use to discover new music talent and stay tuned to the latest from certain genres. Go out and try to promote your label’s music on those platforms!

    Work smart and don’t be afraid to cross-post. If you create a post on Facebook, share it on Twitter and Reddit, and Instagram as well. The key is to try and reach as many people for the least amount of effort. There are even some services out that’ll help promote your music at scale such as promo.ly.

    Starting a independent record label is a learning process and you’ll be making mistakes from day one. Don’t get discouraged when you hit roadblocks.

    Persistence is key in making sure your first release gets out there. Hopefully, with these six steps you’re well on your way to sharing the music you love and the artists you admire with the world.

    PS, If you’re looking to get signed to a label instead of starting your own label, our friends at EDM Tips have covered that in the following link.

     
  • How To Promote Your Music on Reddit

    How To Promote Your Music on Reddit

    If you’re a musician trying to make a name for yourself, you know that hustle is just as big a part of the game as making good music in the first place. After years of honing your craft, writing, perfecting, and finally producing a body of work you are proud of and want to share with the world, you have to switch from artist mode to business mode and get down to the nitty-gritty of doing just that: sharing your work with the world.

    That’s where promotion comes in. Sure, you can wait around for a manager or label to do all the hard work for you. Or you can take promotion into your own hands, taking any means you can think of to get the word out there and to get people to give your music a chance. Naturally, in our day and age, one of the best venues for grassroots music promotion is the internet. You know: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. And one slightly less obvious option: Reddit.

    Why Promote on Reddit?

    For those who may not have gotten the memo about the third most popular website on the internet, Reddit is a collection of forums where users can submit content and vote content submitted by others up or down, affecting how prominently it’s displayed. There are a few things that make Reddit a good fit for internet music marketing.

    First, it’s a highly democratic platform. On Reddit, nobody has more followers or popularity than any other user (for the most part), meaning that something you post has just as much a chance of being seen as any other user’s content. It’s mostly the quality of your contribution that decides how your content is received.

    Further, as we alluded to earlier, Reddit is wildly popular, with over 300 million users, just as many as Twitter. Something going viral on Reddit has the potential to make – or break – a person’s career and, honestly, life in general. Viral Reddit posts have helped people find jobs, helped non-profits receive donations, helped get children’s medical treatment paid for, and have certainly brought massive attention to specific artists and media.

    That means that if you can figure out how to play the Reddit game right, you might find yourself suddenly the owner of a brand new, huge audience.

    How To Play The Reddit Game Right

    If you follow these three golden rules of Reddit music promotion, you’ll have a much higher chance of success.

    1. Become a Member of the Community

    How would you feel if one day somebody showed up at your workplace or neighbourhood and started trying to tell everybody that they’re the hottest new thing in town? You don’t have to answer, we already know: you won’t like it. Nobody likes to be interrupted by a knock on the door from a salesman, and that’s exactly how it’ll feel if you just jump onto a brand-new subreddit and start trying to push your music.

    Especially in smaller subreddits (which is where you should go; we’ll get to that later), the forum members truly begin to feel like a community. They start to remember each other’s usernames, tag each other with nicknames, and build a sense of team identity. If you want these people to seriously consider giving your music a shot, you have to first become one of them. So go on the subreddit. Participate. Upvote and downvote (following proper reddiquette, of course). Get to know the subreddit culture. And then you can start to think about self-promotion.

    2. Be Authentic

    Redditors are a tough crowd. They can smell a phony from a mile away. And they have a really low tolerance for self-promotion. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it successfully; just that you’ll need to be smart about it. The last thing a redditor will respond well to is a user whose post history is made up of nothing but self-promotion, so it’s best to actually participate on Reddit, leaving comments and posts about other things.

    Redditors don’t want to see posts that sound corporate, too polished, or overly calculated. They want to connect with something honest and human. And they love a good story. So when you post, be real. Remember how in college your professors told you not to write papers in “internet speak”? Well, don’t write Reddit posts in “college speak.” You don’t want to sound out of place.

    And don’t try to fool anybody. None of that, “Hey guys! I just came across this cool new band and I think you should check them out!” stuff is going to work. Redditors are too smart for it. They’re like a band of detectives. Approach with respect and just be authentic.

    3. Start in Small Subreddits

    One of the most important parts of making a successful Reddit post is knowing which subreddits to post in. Going too big is not going to be a successful strategy in this situation. There’s just too many fish in those seas. For that reason, we recommend staying away from /r/funny, /r/pics, /r/videos, and even /r/music. Your content will just get lost there.

    Instead, your best bet is approaching smaller or medium-sized subreddits. Don’t worry, posts in these subreddits can still go viral and make it to the front page of Reddit if they’re good enough.

    Here are the best subreddits for music marketing:

    Music Promotion Subreddits

    /r/musicpromotion – This subreddit is specifically made for promoting music, so you won’t get any ire here for trying to market yourself.

    /r/shareyourmusic – Same story. A place made for you to put your work out there.

    /r/mymusic – A good, fairly small subreddit to start in

    /r/thisisourmusic – A medium-sized subreddit that welcomes music creators

    /r/shamelessplug – A subreddit where creators of all kinds can plug their work

    /r/promoteyourmusic – Just like the title says: a place to promote your music

    /r/listentothis – A massive subreddit with a weekly thread for self-promotion

    /r/theseareouralbums – Post here if you have a finished album to share

    Music Critique Subreddits

    /r/musiccritique – A good place to receive feedback and one where you can potentially get featured on the sidebar

    /r/roastmytrack – Here, you’re more likely to get criticism than a large audience, but you might pick up some new fans

    Genre Specific Subreddits

    /r/acousticoriginals – Post here if you make acoustic music

    /r/makinghiphop – Post here if you make hip hop music

    /r/icoveredasong – Post here if you want to share a cover of another artist’s song

    Bigger Subreddits to Give a Try

    /r/newmusic – This is one that doesn’t explicitly encourage self-promotion, so tread lightly

    /r/hiphopheads – A very popular hip hop subreddit that you could potentially have some luck in if you’re careful

    /r/indieheads – Same deal, but for indie music

    /r/popheads – A pretty big pop music subreddit. They’re fairly open to hearing new music but you could get lost in the mix

    There You Go!

    You have the music. We’ve given you the knowledge of how to promote on Reddit. Now go forth and get famous. Just remember us little people when you get there. Good luck!

     
  • Marketing Tips for Musicians – How to Make the Most of Email Marketing

    Marketing Tips for Musicians – How to Make the Most of Email Marketing

    Since the introduction of the Internet, it has been much easier to market and promote various products, services, events, causes, and even art. Social networks, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, have proven themselves to be powerful platforms for raising awareness about many subjects across a wide range of industries. Even if there is no doubt about the power of social media in terms of online advertising and marketing, the fact is that these platforms are not the only feasible and effective way to make a name for yourself.

    Because social media has been proven effective, nearly all advertisers use those platforms. Many posts and ads can saturate Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Your photos, videos, and text posts can go unnoticed, buried amidst the multitude of other posts. How, then, can you market yourself online?

    Email as a Marketing Tool for Musicians

    Although it may seem like a dated marketing strategy, musicians can reach fans and promote their work via email. Building an email list guarantees that you can send content to audiences who may otherwise be distracted with trending content on social media.

    Nowadays, becoming a successful musician doesn’t only involve creating great music. Without the right marketing, branding, and promoting strategies, an artist’s music career is unlikely to begin. While social media sites such as Facebook provides access to millions of music fans, you will be at the mercy of algorithms that you do not have control over. On the contrary, your email list is something that you own and control. You have the choice to create email content as well as choose when and whom will receive your content.

    3 Ways to Make the Most of Email Marketing

    To make sure that email marketing works effectively for your music career, take note of these three tips:

    1. Utilize an email marketing automation service

    It’s not wise to use a personal email account when emailing fans and followers. When you get started in email marketing, consider using an email automation service that will enable you to reach your leads in one go. Some of the more popular options are Aweber and Mailchimp, which provide excellent features on top of their mass emailing capabilities. Mailchimp can be used for free for the first 2,000 addresses. Aweber, on the other hand, is more feature-packed. Although it offers you plenty of functionality, it will cost you.

    2. Include an irresistible call-to-action on your sign-up form

    It goes without saying that you can’t get started on email marketing if you don’t have an email list full of people who want to hear from you. Nowadays, online users aren’t very keen about registering for email newsletters since they believe that they can get the information for free without signing up to anything. Therefore, it’s incredibly important for you to make a case for why they should go the extra mile. Introduce something they can’t resist in exchange for information about them— specifically, their email address. Make sure you emphasize that those who will register on your website or newsletter will get exclusive updates and content. You can also choose to offer something more, such as early access to new music.

    3. Use active or actionable language

    When writing any copy, whether on your social media pages or (especially) in your emails, make sure that you get your point across in a timely manner. Want them to check out your new video? Use a catchy line like: “New music video released. Watch it now!”. Want them to take advantage of a discount? Say, “Get this special limited-time offer!”. Phrases like this not only communicate the whole reason you’re sending out an email, but convey an urgency.

    There’s nothing wrong with using social media to promote yourself, but you may not be reaching as many people as you would like. Consider the use of email marketing to communicate valuable information to a loyal group of fans while building a relationship with them. With these three tips, you’ll start building a name for yourself in no time!

    Promoly is a music promotion platform for musicians. If you’re looking for a music PR service to deliver music to your mailing list, get in touch today to see how we can help!

     
  • How to Promote Your Music Effectively in 2026 – Our Guide

    How to Promote Your Music Effectively in 2026 – Our Guide

    One of the most common methods to advertise or promote is through the internet. It may be cheap and convenient, but it is highly competitive. Amid the thousands of people trying to get recognition, what can you do to be seen or heard?

    Here are some tips you can follow to increase your chances of grabbing attention:

    Personal Selling

    Used when you can see customers face-to-face, this method allows for direct influence. Especially if you’re influential, charming, friendly, and talented, the ability to communicate your product strengths with business contacts can have massive results. Inviting fans over a local store and spending time with them or taking out a supervisor for a meal are a few things you can do in personal selling.

    Direct Marketing

    Direct marketing means you skip any ‘middle-person,’ so to say, and directly communicate with the buyers themselves. This method is only useful if you have an extensive collection of names and people who respond positively to a one-on-one conversation. Sending mails, texting, and other means of one-to-one communication are different forms of direct marketing, and not many bands do this. You can start by calling your fans and reminding them about an upcoming performance. With less competition here, this method is very likely to work for you.

    Radio Promotion

    Getting radio stations to play your music can help make more fans for you and build relationships in the professional environment. Forming a relationship with the DJ will not only allow you to play your music on air, but you will be able to reach thousands of listeners as well. However, regular radio stations are harder to access. Start with local stations, get to know the DJ, and build connections. Soon enough, you will receive invitations for interviews, live performances on-air, even to hold a live show.

    Sales Promotion

    Through the use of discounts and special offers, you can create a stimulated response from your intended audience. Customers will be motivated to spend on your products, and you may have gained more than if you never ran special offers. There are many ways to go about a sales promotion. Having a charming salesperson showcase your products is one of the most effective methods.

    Sponsorships

    Having a sponsor back you up does not only supply you with financial support, but it also gives you a sense of legitimacy. This way, your sponsor can promote you through their products, while you help them at the same time through wearing their merchandise during special events. At the same time, sponsors can hold their events such as giveaways that could potentially attract more fans for your benefit. For someone looking for sponsorship, you can start by heading out to small businesses in your town. They can play your music in the store while you promote them in gigs and other events.

    Do not worry about gaining more customers or fans. Follow the steps and increase your chances. If you work hard, success will surely come your way.

    Promoly is a music promotion platform for musicians. If you’re looking for a music PR service to deliver music to your mailing list, get in touch to see how we can help today.

     
  • How Musicians Can Use Instagram to Expand Their Fanbase

    How Musicians Can Use Instagram to Expand Their Fanbase

    Musicians looking to expand their popularity shouldn’t limit themselves to YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook. They have to use as many social media platforms as possible to reach the most extensive number of audiences. One of the social media platforms that hold great potential is Instagram. With thousands of Instagram users in your community alone, you can use this platform to reach out to prospective and current fans.

    However, merely publishing pictures, memes, viral videos, and quotes on Instagram does not guarantee that you will reach the right audiences. You would need to sit down and strategize. Here are six considerations in your Instagram strategy that you must think about and plan to expand your fanbase.

    1. Create a story theme

    Prospective and current fans would love to know a personal side of you. You can use Instagram to show pictures of who you are or what things inspired you to compose or perform a specific song. The picture or video topics could be about showing you practice or recording. You can also show pictures of your comfort food or brain food and explain how consuming these products drive your creative juices. The theme of your story pictures could be about your fashion, religious beliefs, activism, or community outreach engagements. However, remember to be consistent with the theme you use, so that you can weave a meaningful and streamlined storyline both your old and new fans can grasp and follow.

    2. Focus on Instagram profile pictures

    Your profile’s first nine photos should already encapsulate what your fans would expect from you. Those first nine photos would depend on the genre you perform and the branding you want to impart. For example, if you want to be perceived as someone who can help music listeners to move on from their heartbreak, you can go with picture colours that combine sadness (grey shades) and optimism (bright red colours).

    3. Post regularly and consistently

    Growing your followers on Instagram requires you to keep posting interesting content often, at least three times a day. Consistency shows that you are active online and interested in reaching out to current and potential fans. It adds to the authenticity of your fan service efforts. To make your Instagram releases more regular, you can create your picture or video posts ahead of time and schedule its release using apps like Hootsuite. In this way, your Instagram continues to be active, even if you’re too busy with other engagements.

    4. Determine the right posting times

    In addition to posting often, you need to post your images and videos at the right time. At the most fundamental level, you have to post at times of the day when most of your fans are awake and online. If you are an artist who wants to reach global audiences, you have to consider the time zones for your post schedules as well. You can use tools such as Iconsoquare to find when most of your followers are online. Gather data on your fans’ Instagram use and think about how you can adjust the schedule of your post releases to their usage behaviour.

    5. Make use of hashtags

    Hashtags are more than just an accessory. These words enable you to appear on relevant searches and newsfeeds. Thus, you have to think about the types of hashtags your fans would use to look for you or the type of music you make. At the same time, you also have to create witty hashtags that would resonate with your fans and make you stand out (or even trend!). Note that popular hashtags may change every month, so you have to keep thinking of new hashtags that would align with your fans’ preferences. You can also use hashtags if your latest song or story is related to a trending topic, such as the Ice bucket challenge for example.

    6. Request for feedback

    Feedback lets you hear directly from your fans what they want you to post and what improvements you can make in your posts. It also makes them feel more involved in your career growth, which solidifies and deepens their attachment towards your brand. Use Instagram to ask questions and leave comments on their responses to you online. Prioritize engaging with your most devoted fans to encourage the rest of your following to keep their hopes up of being heard by you as well.

    Promoly is a music promotion platform for musicians. If you’re looking for a music PR service to deliver music to your mailing list, get in touch to see how we can help today.

     
  • Why Music Artists Need to Be Verified on Spotify – What to Know

    Why Music Artists Need to Be Verified on Spotify – What to Know

    With the rise of Spotify, it has enabled bands, singers, composers, instrument players, and other music artists worldwide to share, distribute, and popularize their music pieces to greater audiences. For those who have yet to launch their music career or are in its early stages, having a Spotify presence helps you reach out to your intended audiences and gain recognition.

    However, most budding music artists neglect being verified as an artist in this platform. When an artist is verified, a blue checkmark appears on the artist’s Spotify profile. For most novice artists, being verified is no more than just a blue checkmark—an assumption that costs them money and the opportunity to be famous. Others think that only more established musicians are entitled to its perks. However, what advantages does being verified on Spotify have and how can it help your music career?

    The perks of having a blue checkmark on your Spotify account

    Aside from giving your ego a boost, a whole new market opportunity opens up when you get verified on Spotify. For one, potential and current fans will know that you are the real deal, as you become a legit brand. This means you’ll begin to have a steadier set of followers and album patrons. There are a host of other advantages when you’re verified, including the following:

    1. It helps to streamline your followers and list of releases

    The basic Spotify user account will not include your past and future releases. Because of this, the musical pieces you release are scattered disparately and would only fall under an artist page automatically generated under your name but not under your direct control. It would be difficult for current and future fans to keep track of what you made and distributed. You might not even know that you have new followers as they will follow the artist page that Spotify generated on its own.

    Verification allows you to merge your disparate releases into a list that can be found in a single discography page bearing your name. What’s more is this discography page is tied with your user account, giving you control over the page’s content. You can also post your future releases on the page. All your potential and current fans need to do, is to refer to your discography page, instead of relying on individual searches on Spotify or hearsay from other fans. The added convenience allows more people to enjoy your albums, which translates into more revenue for you.

    2. It helps to personalize your playlists and engage directly with your fans

    Because you are now in control, you can choose the album covers to use, embed links towards your website, and modify the album and track descriptions. Since your fans are all in one place, you can share a new track with all of your followers at once. You can even engage with your fans on a real-time discussion, especially if you are about to launch an album or recently launched one.

    3. It helps to receive detailed analytics about your fans and followers

    Spotify allows you access to data concerning your fans and followers; its Fan Insight Tool speaks for itself. For instance, you can see which songs have the most listeners, and when your songs became a trend. You can use this data to develop a marketing and outrage strategy that will drive more traffic and followers to your Spotify account.

    4. It helps to land first on Spotify search results

    When you are verified as an artist, Spotify’s algorithms would prioritize your songs and display them on the search results of people searching your genre. Human curators of playlists would also take you more seriously. Verification would thus help you stand out from other artists and generate traffic towards your discography page, which means more profit from your music sales.

    Like this article? Checkout how to get your music playlisted on Spotify.

    Promoly is a music promotion platform for musicians. If you’re looking for a music PR service to deliver music to your mailing list, get in touch to see how we can help today.

     
  • 5 Ways to See Major Success in Your Music Career

    5 Ways to See Major Success in Your Music Career

    Every musician wants to make it big. If you’ve ever picked up a guitar, you’ve probably dreamed of becoming the next Kurt Cobain. However, as you may know, it’s not that easy to become a successful musician, especially during the early stages of one’s career. The road to fame and fortune has plenty of potholes that will make your journey difficult. However, you have to keep in mind that if you know how to strategize, nothing can stop you from growing as a musician. That said, here are five ways on how you can succeed as a musician using all the tools at our disposal in this day and age:

    1. Find the Right Channel

    Back in the day, you had to record a demo, send it to a record label and pray that your career takes off. These days, musicians have more options thanks to platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube that we can use to promote our work. Additionally, social media is also a great way to get your music out there. You need to find out who your target audience is and which platform they are most active on so you can reach them. Doing this will help you establish a fan base quickly, which is a priority of any up and coming artist.

    2. Know What Your Fans Want

    Now that you know which platform you need to focus on, the next thing you will need to think about is how you can promote your brand using the features and tools of that platform. Typically, an artist’s follower count says a lot about how successful they are, as it tells you how many are interested in what that artist has to offer. However, you have to keep in mind that every artist has a different path, meaning they have different fan bases they need to cater to. Therefore, you need to figure out what your fans want so you can give it to them. For example, if the majority of your listeners are young and want to interact with you on a more personal level, you may have to allow them to get in touch with you via social media.

    3. Track Your Progress

    Once you know what you want to focus on, you will need to keep a close eye on those metrics and use them as a way to gauge your progress. If you don’t do this, you won’t know where you are in your career, which in turn will make it hard for you to achieve career growth. For example, you may have one hit song that has been played one million times, but you don’t have anything else to follow it up with. The longer you wait to capitalize on your initial success, the less likely it is that you will be able to reach new heights. Therefore, you need to know when the ball is in your court, which is why you need to keep tabs on what’s happening with your career first.

    4. Let the Audience be a Part of Your Success

    The life of a musician is all milestones, as they indicate how far you’ve come. These milestones are also a cause for celebration and they should be viewed positively by you and your fans. You should show your appreciation to them, as they made your success possible! We recommend that you host some special events to let your fans know that they are a big part of your journey. It doesn’t have to be anything grand, just a sincere thank you video on your social media is enough!

    5. Don’t Be Afraid to Change

    As you can see, most musicians typically stick to what works and they keep producing the same content over and over until they become redundant. When this happens, it’s only a matter of time before they start to lose fans, which will lead to their downfall. To avoid this scenario, you need to adapt to the shifting trends of the market while retaining your own unique style. It’s normal to see your follower count drop when you try something new, but you must not let that deter you from your goals.