Understanding Working With Music Publicists: How Things Work And Why
PR Campaigns Need To Be Planned In Advance
You can’t just expect things to happen overnight. You have to plan for success with PR just like you would in any other part of life. It takes time to grow. You should be approaching a Music PR Firm a few months before you plan on releasing a record or project, not a few days. I know some people don’t know any better and that’s why I am pointing that out here.
Even After the Music PR Campaign Is In Play, Give It Time To Grow
Know that making a campaign happen takes time. Even the biggest records that are backed with hundreds of thousands of dollars takes a lot of time to circulate and get into the ears of people.
Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” took about nine months before it started really seeing serious momentum on it. Yes…nine months. Nine months for the song that was one of the biggest records last year and that was still spinning when I was in the club last night. Don’t try to micromanage everything they do. They know what they are doing, let them do their job! Just make sure they are reporting that they are doing their job.
Be Ready For Interviews
Music PR Firms are probably not only going to get you placements on hip-hop blogs/websites but they will also potentially get you interviewed by all kinds of blogs/websites.
Be ready for interviews!
Don’t Only Measure Success By The Amount Of Post Ups On Major Sites You Get
Now…anyone in their right mind is always going to look at the success of their PR by the amount of post ups they get. BUT…I want you to take into account that you can’t ONLY measure it like that.
Realistically, if you get posted on one good blog/website, it could lead to that article being shared a ton or your music being shared a ton.
The amount of Likes on your Facebook page, Instagram Followers, or Twitter Followers are much more important than just getting a post up. This means that your music is actually resonating with people.
You could get posted by 10 hip-hop blogs but if you don’t start seeing the people converting into serious fans, then all that was, was your name being seen and views. You didn’t gain FANS and that is the entire purpose of marketing your music.
So, let the Music PR Firms do their jobs and get you posted one place at a time. Then, pay attention to the fans and comments coming in.
You have to measure the success of a campaign by how much buzz and attention you are getting directly, as an artist.
All Publicity Is Good Publicity
Another way to look at the music PR campaign is to realize that if you aren’t gaining fans to your pages, your name is still being seen. These people may hear you again in six months and say, “Hey, I remember that guy/girl from ____” and that’s when all of that prior Music PR work pays off. You want people seeing your name and thinking about you all the time. Buzz is one of the most important factors to a music artist’s career success and longevity.
On another note, even if the blogs post you up saying bad things, you still get publicity and you will still get people talking about you that will lead to real fans.