IX Daily
The Hip-Hop Blog: IX Daily
The Hip-Hop Blogger: Nick Younes
What do you look for in an artist when they reach out to your blog? Why do you post them and what kind of approach actually helps them get posted?
I look for a cohesive music release that is actionable, with a plan, and purpose. If you just send me a link to a SoundCloud track, chances are I won’t even bother writing back. An artist really needs to grab my attention in the first 5 seconds of the track, music video, or body of work up until the first drop, or chorus.
Your visual identity needs to be on point, and you should have a basic social media presence. You need to be able to pitch your release with enough context for me to write about it. I hate lazy submissions, they show a lack of interest. If you show genuine effort in wanting to put yourself out there, I’ll be more than glad to give some effort to check your stuff out.
When I post about an artist, it’s because I know my audience will dig the release and that they’ll have a reason to take the time to click play and discover more.
With over 500 submissions a week, there’s a lot of good ones that can fall through the crack just because of their weak approach at giving bloggers incentive to check it out. It also helps to know a bit about the culture of the blog you are submitting to.
Social media push is another aspect that seals the deal. If you show incentive in promoting the article through your channels, then that gives more incentive to want to give you a spot of the platform. Unlike most other blogs, your numbers on social media are not a deciding factor for wanting to write about your music.
Nick Younes, IX Daily Hip-Hop Blog
Can you also tell me reasons why you absolutely DO NOT post an artist?
Badly executed music videos; if you do not have the budget and right resources, do not make a music video.
Songs that are not mixed and mastered are the worst.
Empty email submission with just a link with no information.
Email submissions where you cc (instead of bcc) 200+ blogs at the same time.
Artists need to treat blog submissions like an elevator pitch. You got 5 minutes or less to convince the blogger to write about you, make it count.
Nick Younes, IX Daily Hip-Hop Blog