Music PR 101 for entertainers and musicians

Entertainers continue to feel the effects of not being able to perform at LIVE events; however, does this mean all is lost? Absolutely not! This is an ideal time to sharpen your music Public Relations (PR) skills.

For clarity, publicity is focused on stimulating interest in your brand whether it be for a new song release or artistic project, whilst PR influences your fan’s perceptions i.e., they can be left with a stronger image of you and your brand depending on your tactics. How do you get started?

1. Get your social media in check – Being online is a must and that includes having a website. Without a strong online presence, you won’t get the desired results from a PR campaign. Editors and promoters will be checking your social media if they plan to write a feature on you or to book you for an event in the future. Bear in mind, it’s not just about having lots of ‘likes’ or ‘followers’, you should have consistent online activity and engagement with your fans.

2. You need a Press Kit – In today’s digital world, you can’t afford not to have a press kit. In simple terms, besides the music, it consists of three key parts:

Your bio – a concise and interesting one pager [will] suffice; think of it as a sales tool that’s part of your press package. It’s a chance to tell your story! I recommend that you hire a professional to help you to write this.
Your photos – Beyond song writing and performing, visuals matter. Recent press photos and visual materials should not be an afterthought. If you don’t have high quality professional images, arrange a photoshoot. Enticing photos, album art and graphic design go a long way towards grabbing attention, will help to cement your brand and by extension, get people to listen to your music. Furthermore, your music photos should support your lyrical message, music style, social media and web content and help to convey your message as a brand.

Press Clippings – This covers digital and print publicity you have received and includes articles, quotes and music reviews. Remember these are essential third-party endorsements of you; if you don’t have any quotes, then it means your bio has to be even more exciting and interesting.

3. Consider hiring a Publicist – This option may not be feasible for every entertainer ,but whether you hire someone or you try to do it yourself, this is a critical role. Your publicist serves as your media adviser and liaison- they will liaise with the press and establish a working relationship between yourself and those in the media as well as use their contacts to tell your story and establish/promote your brand; they are often the ones driving your PR campaigns, creating your press kits and working to get you featured or reviewed in magazines, blogs among other places. Your focus as an entertainer should be on producing good quality music and if you try to do everything, you will find yourself stretched.

Candice Sealey is the Founder & Principal Consultant at Ignite! a Full-service Marketing & PR Consultancy that helps businesses/brands to stand out, engage and connect with the right people through Strategy, Marketing, Media services and Design solutions.

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