“Advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for.” —Helen Woodward
Have you ever been in the news? If your answer is “no” as an artist, it means you do not have a music career yet. It’s simple.
Let me explain.
First, being in the news doesn’t necessarily mean showing up on traditional news outlets like Channels, BBC, Radio Nigeria. It could be blogs or social media pages.
And you’d wonder “what do I want to be in the news for?”
Have you ever released a track? Have you ever done a cover? a stage performance? These are newsworthy things as far as the music industry is concerned.
Being in the news is PR and it defines your career, especially in this internet age. Every announcement that has your name in it helps you become more visible.
Just like promotion that we talked about in our last post, PR is also an effective way to pull yourself out of the trenches as an independent upcoming artist.
What is Music PR?
Music PR (public relations), is a form of promotion for your music, projects, tours, or your music brand in general, that generates media (and ultimately public) attention.
To break it down, every form of an interview, album review, press release, newspaper or podcast features, tour announcements, airplay, news announcements, and radio airplay are forms of PR.
As a new indie artist, this can sound like something far to reach, but in reality, even tweets and other social media posts by media personnel or anyone with followers (think influencers) about you and your work is PR.
Ultimately, the goal of a PR campaign is to spread awareness of the news by informing the media.
You might be wondering…
How do I get the media to talk about me?
PR is often seen as “free advertising” since you don’t have to actually pay the media to do it for you. Sometimes, you still have to dedicate a lot of time and resources to get the media outlets talking. You need to put in the work.
And sometimes, you just need to have the right team onboard— know someone who knows people who can tell people about you. For example, you can hire a PR agency that can help you curate a PR strategy that will generate results.
So, lemme show you:
5 Reasons why you should invest in PR
1. It’s Cost-Effective
In today’s industry, PR can deliver crazy benefits that any other marketing communications activity at a very low cost.
You should already know the industry thrives on its relationship with the media. So investing in PR can help you blow by building brand awareness, increasing credibility, improving your stream, establishing a strong presence and controlling your fan base, at low or no cost at all.
2. People get to know who you are
Some artists think PR is only for big artists and signed artists. No, you can’t be more wrong if you think so.
Every artist wants to be known. You also want to stay relevant in the music industry and keeping your name as top-of-mind as possible is the best way to avoid being forgotten. That’s what PR does for you.
Having interviews, sharing your biography, doing tours, and announcing project releases help people get to know you better.
3. It Helps You Reach a Wider Audience
Publicity has the power to help reach a large audience. It gives you a bigger platform and also more credibility.
People often overlook this. Especially in the age of the internet and social media, PR allows you to communicate with a wider audience, and gain attention internationally too.
Imagine during a single PR campaign, you could be on TV, radio, online news sites and in print media. Isn’t that going to take you to millions of people that can potentially be your fan?
4. Improves your Visibility
The internet remains the easiest way for people to find you. Remember, the internet never forgets.
Think about SEO (search engine optimization) which refers simply to how easy it is for people to find it on the internet.
With a PR campaign, you can get featured in several articles online. So when fans type in your name, they can easily find your press mentions and they’ll be able to read about you.
5. Attracts collaborators
Being in the right media at the right time with a great message lets collaborators (artists, companies, and media personnel) know that you’re worth being worked with.
Making good music is one thing, but telling your story and the process of creating really helps people connect with you. If you have good music and interesting PR to back it up, not only will new fans be interested in you, but major industry players, including labels, will also be interested in working with you
Conclusion
PR requires the right strategy at the right time, but when it is done correctly, it really can help you blow. PR is important for both indie and signed artists; upcoming and big artists.
No matter your years in the music industry, your career depends upon your reputation— how often you show up in the news.
Even if you’re not dropping projects, if there’s no PR, your career is as good as dead.
If you need further help on how to get more numbers on your next music project, you can reach out to us today at: Instagram: 69Entertianmentofficial
Email: 69entertainmentbrand@gmail.com
Website: Click HERE
