If you’re an independent or up-and-coming artist, your focus is obviously on your craft. Whether you’re a singer, songwriter, rapper or musician, you probably spend most of your time working on your music. It’s the most important thing, after all. It’s what drives you, how you express yourself and for many it’s how you pay the bills.
But promoting yourself and your music is also crucial. After all, what good is that masterpiece you just recorded if there’s no one to hear it? If you want to make an actual career out of your music, you can’t just record a song or album, put it on a streaming service and sit back. You’ve got to promote your work to build a fanbase and get noticed.
Most artists do at least some promotion themselves by creating social media accounts, sharing links and inviting friends and family to follow along. That’s a good start but it won’t get you very far. Most serious artists eventually hire a music promotion company to handle the work for them, and there are a lot of options out there for online music promotion.
Music PR agencies (the PR stands for public relations) offer many different music PR packages for aspiring artists and established industry pro’s alike. And there are several music PR agencies out there, so how do you choose the company that’s right for you? Here are some things to look for in a music PR agency.
A good PR company will spell out exactly how they’re going to promote you and your music. You don’t want to pay money to someone who makes vague promises about getting you exposure; instead, look for a company that outlines a plan for getting you that exposure, including what mediums (radio, blogs, social media, etc.) they’ll be targeting.
Artists should also look for agencies that offer options, not a generic one-size-fits-all approach. Maybe you’re just looking for a press release, or to get a story about your new project in a music magazine. Maybe you want to get your music promoted on popular playlists. Maybe it’s a radio interview you’re interested in, or boosting your social media following. A good PR company gives you options so you can choose what works best for you.
Those options apply to pricing, as well. Maybe you’re just dipping your toes in the water of music promotion and you’re interested in a cheaper starter package. Maybe you’re super serious about growing your fanbase and getting industry exposure, and a more extensive campaign is what you’re looking for. Maybe you’re signed to a major label and you want to throw the kitchen sink at a PR campaign.
Another thing to look for in a music PR company is an agency that will work with you, not just for you. For instance, if you start a PR campaign that includes press releases or magazine articles, you should get a chance to see the finished product before it’s published and weigh in. Maybe there’s something you want to change, or add to the story. A good PR company will work with you to make those changes so you’re completely satisfied.
We’ve talked a lot about PR campaigns and packages, but some are probably wondering: what is a PR package? Music PR companies usually offer several different services. Some artists just want help premiering a new single or project. Some want to get listed in an A&R directory so industry insiders can find them. Some may want to conduct a press conference, or have an animated lyric video produced.
Then there are PR packages, which combine several different services into one campaign. These can include magazine articles, your music being promoted on social media by influencers, radio/podcast interviews and more, all rolled into one package lasting up to several weeks. It’s the best way to promote yourself on multiple fronts at once and gain huge exposure on several different platforms.
Interested in seeing more about PR campaigns? See what Starlight PR has to offer.
