These days it’s both easier and harder to promote a band. It’s easier because there are so many places to promote a band. It’s harder because…there are so many places to promote a band. You need to know where to direct your energy. If you’re …
Introduction
These days it’s both easier and harder to promote a band. It’s easier because there are so many places to promote a band. It’s harder because…there are so many places to promote a band. You need to know where to direct your energy. If you’re not careful you could spend all your time promoting and no time writing songs.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need
* A band
* Internet access
* Graphic design program
Steps
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Step One
Set a budget. Yes, there are a lot of free avenues for publicity out there but they can become oversaturated. Investing some money in advertising can help your band stand out from all the other bands using these free services.
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Step Two
Advertise: on free mp3 sites like Isound or Bandspace, you can order an advanced package that will give you front page advertising, email advertising, or other ad opportunities. Advertise a show in the local weekly. Design a banner ad. It also doesn’t cost a lot to print up flyers or stickers.
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Step Three
Design a press pack—include a high-quality photo, bio, video, and mp3s (for online submissions). You should also invest in promotional CDs to send out to radio stations, A & R people, and review sites, along with the rest of the press pack. Keep the press pack short and try not to boast too much—people will see through this.
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Step Four
Set up a main website. You can have a number of sub-websites on sites that host mp3s, but it’s a good idea to have a main website to act as a permanent press pack—bio, pictures, and sample mp3s.
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Step Five
Contact the music critic from your local newspaper, as well as blogs, websites, or print mags that cater to your type of music.
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Step Six
Play live as much as possible. Mp3s are one thing, but there’s nothing like connecting with fans directly.
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Step Seven
Be in contact with your fans. After a show, don’t hide backstage. Be open to talking with fans—get an email address and give away free stickers.
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Step Eight
Try to generate a “Street Team.” Major labels use street teams to get listeners to generate publicity by posting flyers, handing out stickers, or even just writing a blog entry.
