Artist Advice: Networking for Artists | How to Avoid That Awkward “Check Out My Music” Convo

Networking. You’ve Heard the term, you know you should be doing it but what exactly is “it?“

Most artists think waaaay too hard about it, while others don’t think about it at all. In both instances, the artists fail to make any sort of real connection. So this article is here to hopefully uncover the “mysteries” of networking and put it in simple and easy steps to help you make better relationships.

Because that’s essentially what networking is about, relationships. Truly and genuinely connecting with people.

Many people hate the term “networking” because they see it as “talking to people only because you want something from them” which is definitely NOT the case.

As a matter of fact, the best networking happens when you are genuinely interested in learning about the person you’re networking with.

So lets start by talking about the two different types of people, or in this case, artists.

Most artists tend to be introverts. So if you’re one of those people who just likes to focus on the music and you’re not really a “people” person – see this as an advantage. Why? Because the fact that you generally don’t want to be bothered means that you’re probably not a pushy person. You understand that people don’t like to be pushed into anything, which can be an advantage when it comes to networking because it’s all in the approach.

Now on the other hand, you might be the social artist – the one that enjoys going out to events, meeting new people and of course, you don’t have a problem with hitting someones inbox with a music link. That’s all good and well and can also be used as an advantage when it comes to networking, however in order to really connect with people, you might need to tone it down a bit.

The key is to find a happy medium between the two. BALANCE is key to networking.

My best networking tactics: The Rules of Networking

Personally, I’ve gotten indie artists posted to numerous mainstream outlets, have made some amazing connections with people who I personally am a fan of and truly look up to, and I’ve built a community of artists, bloggers, journalists and just all around amazing people who keep me motivated, teach me new things on the daily (whether they know it or not) and ultimately support my endeavors. Because of this, it’s given me numerous opportunities to continue to do what I love on a daily basis.

But I don’t do this by speaking with every person I come across and telling them about what I’ve got going on. I do this by genuinely and selectively building relationships with people who I could possibly help in some way.

So networking rule #1 is: Don’t try to talk to everyone. Instead, look to build relationships with people who you can help or those who already show interest in what you have to offer.

Now if we want to relate that to an artist, there are a few ways that you can help people: you can pack out a show, you can use your audience to bring exposure to their brand, you can supply background music to their commercials, you can give them content needed for their outlet, or maybe you can put money in their pockets for their services. Whatever the case may be, you must understand that most of the time, just saying “hey check out my music” is NOT networking,

As a matter of fact, networking is never about YOU, it’s about THEM. Your first conversation with someone should be mainly about the person on the other end, it should never be a sales pitch. That’s where most artists go wrong. You wouldn’t believe how many times artists hop in my mentions or DM’s with just a random link to their music – they don’t follow me, they don’t introduce themselves, I don’t know them from a can of paint, yet all I get is a music link. I see other industry professionals express their aggravation towards this tactic ALL the time.

Can you see how that’s just NOT an effective way to network?

If not, let me break it down even more.

You are sending your music link because you want that person to take the time out to listen to your song and maybe even share it AND give you feedback – YET, you didn’t even have the common courtesy to say hello.

In the words of Stephanie Tanner from Full House, HOW RUDE!

You have to remember that these are REAL people on the other end. People with emotions. Popping up out of nowhere with a request is unheard of in the real world, and this same rule applies online.

Networking is not a 1 time thing (I call that “wham bam thank you mam” networking). That’s not the goal here. When it comes to networking, the ultimate goal should be relationship building – and great relationships take time to build. So your ultimate goal when networking should be to make a connection and a good impression. You want to create a good start to a budding relationship.

So although you may want that person to listen and give you feedback or maybe even post your music, that probably shouldn’t be the first thing you EXPECT when networking. The only expectation you should have when networking with someone is to make them aware of you and have a great start to building a real relationship.

So Networking Rule #2 (which happens to be one of the BIGGEST and most effective rules of networking) is that your first conversation is never about you, it’s always about them.

Don’t worry about pitching your music. Don’t worry about asking to get booked for a show. Just genuinely “build” with the person. Ask them about what they do and how they got there. Talk about their experiences and relate to them.

Great networking happens when you take the time to learn about the person. This of course doesn’t necessarily apply to meeting people out at events, but outside of that, networking takes time.

Networking Rule #3: Give it time.

The key to making the best connection is to learn more about the person before reaching out to them. That way, you can relate to them, plus it shows that you’re genuinely interested in supporting them too.

So Networking Rule #4 is: Researching those who you want to build a relationship is a MUST.

I’ll give you a scenario from an artists standpoint:

Lets say you really want a certain outlet to post your new video.

Most artists would do something like this…

When instead they should do this:

1. Check out the content that gets posted to the outlet you want your music on. See if your music would be a good fit.
2. While reading through the articles on the site, take a peep at the author. Follow them on Twitter. As a matter of fact, connect with them on as many social networks as possible. Share a post that you really enjoyed and shout them out.
3. Engage with their tweets over a period of time (retweet them, share your thoughts on something they posted, check out their personal website if they have one, etc.). Get to know them over time. Don’t be in a rush to reach out and ask them for a favor. Support them.

And when you do finally decide to reach out, formally introduce yourself. By that time, they’re probably already at least somewhat familiar with your name because you’ve been interacting with them on social media for a while. So simply start a conversation with them. Don’t send them a link to your music. If anything, ASK them if they accept music submissions and find out how they prefer to receive them. Actually, check their twitter bio before you ask if they accept music submissions, they might have their submission email right there in plain sight (in that case feel free to send them a professional email addressed to them personally). Whatever you do, don’t send a link to your music until they let you know they’re interested in hearing it.

So Networking Rule #5 is: Don’t force the connection. 

Which leads me to my next and last rule of networking…

Networking Rule #6 – When all else fails, be professional.

What do I mean exactly? Well, there’s a few characteristics of being professional. All of the above points I’ve made represent professionalism, but what I really mean is – make sure that you’re representing yourself in a professional manner. Speak to people like you would speak to your boss. Be respectful. Use proper grammar and formal introductions.

Overall, when you decide to take yourself serious, other people will too, and things like this just won’t cut it anymore…

What are your favorite networking tactics? Tweet me and let me know!

Artist Advice: 6 Things You Can Do Right Now to Make Your Brand More Visible

Your music is good, you’re live show is good, so why is it that you’re not seeing the traction that you want in your career?

If you’re having a hard time getting new people to notice and take a listen to your music, there are a few small things that can make a big difference. 

Here’s a list of 6 things that you can do right now to make you easily searchable, look more professional, and attract new followers and fans:

1. Take Your Profiles Off Private. Being an artist and having a private social profile is one of the biggest contradictions of today. How do you expect a million people to like your photos, follow you, and retweet you if they can’t see your pics or tweets because your profile is private? You either want to be seen, or you don’t. As an artist, you want to be seen right? If there are certain individuals who you do not want lurking around on your Instagram or Twitter page, just block them, it’s that simple!

2. Make sure all of your social networks have the exact same name.  When you’re on stage, would you rather tell the crowd to follow you on Twitter @Best_Rapper784_ or follow you on Twitter @BestRapper? What’s easier to remember? The second option of course. And wouldn’t it be even better if all of your social networks had the same name? That way they can follow you everywhere without you having to tell them a different name for each one. We also suggest that your username is the same as your website domain. For instance, we’re @ExclusivePublic on all social networks.

3. Put up the same profile picture on all of your social networks. Make sure that you’re using a high quality photo (preferably one from a photo shoot or a cool shot taken at one of your shows). You are representing your music, your artistry and your brand. It’s important that you look professional and that you’re easily recognized.

4. Spice up your Twitter bio with something catchy. Whether you add a cool lyric to your bio, or add your own unique tagline, you’ll definitely want your Twitter bio to say something other than indie artist, for bookings contact [email] – BOOOORING! There’s a million indie artists out there with booking info in their bio. What makes you stand out? Show your personality. Make people want to follow! And don’t clutter it up with a million hashtags either.

5. Buy your domain name and put up an official website. When people search for you, what comes up? Can they go online, buy your music, buy a t-shirt and a ticket to your next show? Can they subscribe to your mailing list? Can they even find you at all? Having your own official website makes it much easier to find you online and it’s an amazing way to keep your fans in tune with you and coming back for more. Once you create your website, be sure to add it to your Twitter bio, Facebook page, Instagram Bio, Youtube page, Soundcloud, and any other website that you use for your music.

6. Create a logo that represents your brand. Put this logo on all of your digital marketing materials (your flyers, cd covers, etc.) as well as on your merch. This is completely optional, however you must remember that the more people see something, the more it sticks in their head. If your logo is found on all of your flyers, banners, business cards, album artwork, website, stickers, your merch and everything in between, the more it will get stuck in peoples minds. Take Nikefor instance… we bet you just thought about that check mark or their tagline, “just do it.”

Overall you’ll want to remember that most of the time, the simpler the better. The easier you make it for people to find you, the more people will find you. The easier you make it for people to contact you, the better.

Artist Advice: 10 Ways to Get More People to Your Next Show

Performing live is one of the most crucial aspects of having a successful career in music. It’s also one of the best ways to earn an income as an artist. Booking shows takes a lot of work, especially in the beginning of your career, however packing out each show is an even bigger task.

Here are 10 promotion ideas to help bring more people to your next show:

1. Talk to the venue about ways to promote the event. Can they post a flyer at the venue? Add a digital flyer to their website? Post the flyer on their social media pages?

2. Offer pre-sale tickets at a discounted rate using eventbrite.com or splashthat.com. You can take it a step further by making it required for someone to sign up to your mailing list in order to have access to the discounted pre-sale.

3. Get social. Attend a lot of events around the date of your event. Support other artists in your city. Mingle at the events, and maybe even have tickets on you and give out free tickets to a few special people.

4. Create a Facebook event 1 month before your event and post on the page daily (Facebook sends everyone notifications every time you update your event).

5. Create a Facebook Ad the week of the event and target the area immediately surrounding the venue.

6. Put up big flyers in your area and the area surrounding the venue. Nothing looks more like a big deal than seeing someones face plastered really big all over every street corner. You can use clubflyers.com to print your flyers at a reasonable price.

7. Text people and let them know about your show. Do not send a group text! Send individual texts with special invites to those that you feel would be interested in going.

8. Promote your show regularly (daily) on all of your social networks. You can even give an incentive for others to share/post by telling them whoever shares the flyer with a certain hashtag gets in the show for free (or for a discounted price, or they get to attend the pre-show meet and greet).

9. Add a few other upcoming artists in your area to the bill or add a headliner. If you don’t think you can pack out the venue on your own, you might want to think about inviting a local artist with a decent buzz to headline the show for you. Make sure that it’s in your budget and also make sure that they agree to promote the show and that their fan base would enjoy your music.

10. Send a special invite out to your mailing list to announce the show and the pre-sale tickets (a few weeks before the show) and then send another email the night before reminding them of the show.

Artist Advice: 8 Ways to Get People to Share Your Song

Does promotion often feel like pulling teeth?

Has it been hard for you to get people to share your music?

If so, continue reading. We’re about to clear things up for you.

The truth is, paying for promotion and getting your music on bigger outlets can do wonders for your career. HOWEVER, your core fan base is actually your most effective form of promotion.

If you can get all of your fans to share your music, their friends will catch on, and then their friends will catch on. Before you know it, you’ll have an army of people listening and sharing your music.

Here are eight ways to get people to share your song:

1. Ask them. This might seem obvious, but it’s so obvious that a lot of artists overlook it. In the marketing world, we call this a “call to action.” Sometimes you have to give people a little nudge and let them know what you need them to do. So for instance, if you post your new video and someone likes it, send them a personal message and thank them for listening and ask for them to share. Simple right?

2. Send an email to your mailing list. Maintaining a weekly or monthly newsletter is an awesome way to keep fans in tune with you. You can send an email out to hundreds or even thousands of people at once (but make sure you have their consent). Send an email out to your mailing list that informs them of your new release and politely ask them to share it if they like it. This also works with my next point…

3. Give them an incentive. When you see a commercial on TV, you’ll usually see an incentive to buy. For instance, “purchase this now and receive a free ____” or “log on within the next 10 minutes and get 10% off.” People love incentives. They make them take action. So when it comes to getting people to share your music, you can tell them that if they share it with a certain hashtag (so that you can keep track), they’ll get a free sticker, or discounted merch, or a ticket to your next show, etc. Get creative.

4. Set up a “pay with a tweet” campaign. This is an amazing tool that a lot of artists are still unaware of. However, I’ve seen it done, and it really works. With a “pay with a tweet” campaign, when you send out your song, in order for the person to download it and listen they have to click a button that shares the song first in order to receive the download link. Need help setting this up? Lets chat!

5. Have a contest. Having an interactive contest is a great way to get your fans involved and taking action. Something as simple as having people share your cover art with a certain hashtag and whoever gets the most likes or has the most shares gets a prize, preferably some sort of merch. People love merch.

6. Work the crowd at your concerts. When you’re on stage you have power. We do this at our events and we know it’ll work for you. When you’re on stage, tell everyone to take our their phones and tweet something (usually it’s a specific hashtag). By doing this, you’ll gain more fan interaction and you can personally reach out to everyone that shared the hashtag and get them to share your song too.

7. Reach out individually. You’ll notice that there will be certain people that always reach out to you, like your posts, like your pics, etc. These people are often your best candidates for helping you with promotion. Reach out to them personally in a private message and thank them for their support. Let them know that you need their help. I bet you can get them to share your song! Notice that we didn’t ask you to ask a random person. Only ask those that are already in tune with you; it’s much more effective.

8. Send them a text. Mobile marketing is awesome because you get right to the source – their phone. People always have their phones handy. So, if you have their number, shoot them a text and let them know you need their help. Ask them to share your song or video. The most they can say is NO, but if you have their number that means you know them so they might be more receptive.

Things to remember:

1. The easier you make it for people to share, the better. If they can click one button to share, you’re more likely to get better results.

2. People love to get free stuff. Give it to them (but grab their emails and contact info in the process).

Awesome Resource Alert! Check out one of our new favorite tools to get your fans to share your content as soon as you release it. It's called THUNDERCLAP and it's awesome!