My Best Tips on Promoting Music With No Budget
Being an independent artist can feel lonely and overwhelming. You might even be under the impression that without money, you’ll never make it. But it's not true. In our digital world, music promotion is free and effective if you put the time and effort into it.
Must-Read: How to Get the Most Out of Your Radio Airplay?
Here are my best tips to promote your music at no cost.
2) WRITE A PRESS RELEASE that contains the name of the artist, release date, the news you'd like them to share, and a link to the song. It can be the make or break as to whether you’re going to get online coverage or not. Writing your press release is pretty similar to writing your band biography except you need to make it more focused around your specific release(EP, single, music video,. It can etc..).
The first paragraph of the press release should be the most engaging and should tell the reader what you’re releasing when you’re releasing, and what sort of sound they should expect if they chose to listen to it. The first line should be something catchy, that has that stand out point and will make the journalist want to continue reading.
Here's what it should look like:
Examples of things that may make you stand out: who you’ve supported, who you’ve worked with, any previous coverage, etc..
On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the actual body of the email, showing the headline needs to be super catchy to actually get the email opened.
3) WRITE A SOLID EMAIL (YOUR PITCH) your email should look professional, straight to the point, not too long, not too short either with enough elements related to you and your release, a download link (dropbox for example) to all the documents you're sending, and all your socials/websites links to your band and music.
To know how you can pitch to radios, click here.
Just submit your music to the YouTuber, let him place it on his vlogs, and voila! Your music will be heard by his followers already, not just a few times, but a good number of times, most especially when you have partnered with a reputable YouTuber.
HOW TO PITCH TO YOUTUBERS:
In order to pitch to YouTubers, you must first figure out the track that best suits the need of the YouTubers. Look for YouTubers who exactly need the kind of music that you produce.
Once you have found the right one, look for the contact details, which are usually on the “About” section. Email the YouTuber and state that you are offering your music, royalty-free and non-copyrighted. Also, state that all you are asking is that your track is linked in the description.
Pitching your music to playlists takes a few steps. First and foremost, you have to ensure that your Spotify account is well geared. This includes an updated bio, cover image, and social media links.
Curating your own Artist’s Pick playlist is also needed to give your song a frame of reference. After that, take your playlist to social media. Promote it as much as you can and have as many followers as possible.
The next step is sending out your Spotify links to newsletters. Also, ask your fans to follow you on Spotify to help Spotify algorithms discover you for Spotify Radio and Discover Weekly playlists. If you have the money, running Facebook Ads is a big plus.
Once you have a good number of followers and listeners already, start pitching your music to unofficial Spotify playlists, including IndieMono, Songpickr, and Double J. Also, look for other artists with the same genre as yours and check out the playlists where they are featured. Reach out to these curators and ask if they can include your song into their playlist.
The hardest part is looking for the contact details of independent curators. If you can’t find such details, follow them and see what playlists are they following. Specifically, look for curators with contact details included.
Pitch your music to them. Keep it short and simple. Most importantly, do not forget to include Spotify link and social media links.
To pitch to editorial or "official" playlists, read this article, they detail every step of the way!
My last tip when trying to promote your music without a budget is to create valuable content. This perhaps is the simplest and easiest thing that you can do to keep your band growing into an artist.
The challenge here is standing out from the rest of your competitors. You don’t simply post, you have to make sure that what you are posting is valuable and is catchy. It isn’t necessary that what you will post is related to your niche, it can be other things as long as they make a good impression.
...TO HAVE CONTENT TO SHARE DAILY
To be a musician isn’t easy. You are constantly torn between your music, your job, your family, and your friends. With this, content creation perhaps isn’t on your list of priorities, but really, it should be there too.
Given how modern the world is, your content tells who you are as an artist. It helps you build your brand which makes it important to be active. This way, you can keep the attention of your audience. Remember, their attention is where the money is.
Of course, some independent stations or blogs need funds to survive and count on donations, and of course, we should support each other, but be vigilant about who and why you pay.
And then of course, for a successful DIY promotion campaign, you'll need to be dedicating the time to it.
Here are my best tips to promote your music at no cost.
ONLINE PROMOTION
The internet has become a very helpful tool for musicians to pitch their music to blogs. Aside from that, it has become a powerful place to let your music be known since this is where most audiences are without costing you anything.HOW TO PITCH TO BLOGS:
1) WRITE OR UPDATE YOUR BIOGRAPHY2) WRITE A PRESS RELEASE that contains the name of the artist, release date, the news you'd like them to share, and a link to the song. It can be the make or break as to whether you’re going to get online coverage or not. Writing your press release is pretty similar to writing your band biography except you need to make it more focused around your specific release(EP, single, music video,. It can etc..).
The first paragraph of the press release should be the most engaging and should tell the reader what you’re releasing when you’re releasing, and what sort of sound they should expect if they chose to listen to it. The first line should be something catchy, that has that stand out point and will make the journalist want to continue reading.
Here's what it should look like:
- who you are,
- what makes you stand out,
- what genre your music is,
- when you’re releasing, what you’re releasing and who influences you.
Examples of things that may make you stand out: who you’ve supported, who you’ve worked with, any previous coverage, etc..
On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the actual body of the email, showing the headline needs to be super catchy to actually get the email opened.
3) WRITE A SOLID EMAIL (YOUR PITCH) your email should look professional, straight to the point, not too long, not too short either with enough elements related to you and your release, a download link (dropbox for example) to all the documents you're sending, and all your socials/websites links to your band and music.
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4) ALWAYS INCLUDE:
Now you’ve got the press release and all the necessary materials and targeted contacts, you can start pitching to blogs. To email these journalists, you simply copy and paste the press release into the body of the email, and then above, you need to write the main pitch. The pitch itself needs to be personal, not a general copy and paste that you’re sending to every journalist you want coverage with. The pitch needs to be a shortened version of the press release, getting to the point, stating what you’re looking for from the journalist but most importantly it needs to have a way to stream the music – we always suggest a SoundCloud link.
This process can be extremely time-consuming but it’s completely free, and can result in some fantastic features which will in turn engage new fans and also boost your overall image and acts as a springboard to further promotion.
4) ALWAYS INCLUDE:
- your audio track available in advance of the release date on a private link to stream the music.
- a good quality picture that is reflective of you or your band as artists. Two pictures, one landscape, and one portrait are best.
- the artwork cover that goes with your single / EP/album.
- look for blogs and magazines that cover artists of your size and musical style.
- then look for the right person to contact.
Now you’ve got the press release and all the necessary materials and targeted contacts, you can start pitching to blogs. To email these journalists, you simply copy and paste the press release into the body of the email, and then above, you need to write the main pitch. The pitch itself needs to be personal, not a general copy and paste that you’re sending to every journalist you want coverage with. The pitch needs to be a shortened version of the press release, getting to the point, stating what you’re looking for from the journalist but most importantly it needs to have a way to stream the music – we always suggest a SoundCloud link.
This process can be extremely time-consuming but it’s completely free, and can result in some fantastic features which will in turn engage new fans and also boost your overall image and acts as a springboard to further promotion.
Must-Read: THE PERFECT CALENDAR FOR YOUR NEXT RELEASE
RADIO STATIONS
Radio plugging is another effective way of promoting your music and can be done for free by pitching yourself. Securing radio play will mean collecting royalties and having a higher chance of being discovered by new fans, both of which lead to growth in your music career.To know how you can pitch to radios, click here.
YOUTUBE SYNC
Another way to promote your music for free is through YouTube sync. This works by providing YouTubers non-copyrighted music which they are constantly looking for. This method is quite easy and effective, plus you basically don’t have to do anything.Just submit your music to the YouTuber, let him place it on his vlogs, and voila! Your music will be heard by his followers already, not just a few times, but a good number of times, most especially when you have partnered with a reputable YouTuber.
HOW TO PITCH TO YOUTUBERS:
In order to pitch to YouTubers, you must first figure out the track that best suits the need of the YouTubers. Look for YouTubers who exactly need the kind of music that you produce.
Once you have found the right one, look for the contact details, which are usually on the “About” section. Email the YouTuber and state that you are offering your music, royalty-free and non-copyrighted. Also, state that all you are asking is that your track is linked in the description.
PLAYLISTS (SPOTIFY, DEEZER, ..)
HOW TO PITCH TO PLAYLISTS:Pitching your music to playlists takes a few steps. First and foremost, you have to ensure that your Spotify account is well geared. This includes an updated bio, cover image, and social media links.
Curating your own Artist’s Pick playlist is also needed to give your song a frame of reference. After that, take your playlist to social media. Promote it as much as you can and have as many followers as possible.
The next step is sending out your Spotify links to newsletters. Also, ask your fans to follow you on Spotify to help Spotify algorithms discover you for Spotify Radio and Discover Weekly playlists. If you have the money, running Facebook Ads is a big plus.
Once you have a good number of followers and listeners already, start pitching your music to unofficial Spotify playlists, including IndieMono, Songpickr, and Double J. Also, look for other artists with the same genre as yours and check out the playlists where they are featured. Reach out to these curators and ask if they can include your song into their playlist.
The hardest part is looking for the contact details of independent curators. If you can’t find such details, follow them and see what playlists are they following. Specifically, look for curators with contact details included.
Pitch your music to them. Keep it short and simple. Most importantly, do not forget to include Spotify link and social media links.
To pitch to editorial or "official" playlists, read this article, they detail every step of the way!
Must-Read: WHAT DOES A PRESS RELEASE LOOK LIKE?
CREATE CONTENT
My last tip when trying to promote your music without a budget is to create valuable content. This perhaps is the simplest and easiest thing that you can do to keep your band growing into an artist.
The challenge here is standing out from the rest of your competitors. You don’t simply post, you have to make sure that what you are posting is valuable and is catchy. It isn’t necessary that what you will post is related to your niche, it can be other things as long as they make a good impression.
...TO HAVE CONTENT TO SHARE DAILY
To be a musician isn’t easy. You are constantly torn between your music, your job, your family, and your friends. With this, content creation perhaps isn’t on your list of priorities, but really, it should be there too.
Given how modern the world is, your content tells who you are as an artist. It helps you build your brand which makes it important to be active. This way, you can keep the attention of your audience. Remember, their attention is where the money is.
IN CONCLUSION…
If you're promoting yourself, you do not need money to promote your music. I repeat: If you're promoting yourself, you do not need money to promote your music. What I mean is, you should NEVER pay to be published, or played on the radio, or plugged on playlists. Those are not legit! They are scams! And so many desperate artists think it is the only way...Of course, some independent stations or blogs need funds to survive and count on donations, and of course, we should support each other, but be vigilant about who and why you pay.
And then of course, for a successful DIY promotion campaign, you'll need to be dedicating the time to it.
