10 things to do for your next release
Originally published in the July issue of Electronic Musician and thanks to diskmakers.com.
It’s easier than ever to release your music to the world. And there is now a wealth of online services that will help you promote, distribute, and share your music. But even though musicians can release material whenever they want – and many fans are happy with the idea that they can download singles – the press, fans, radio stations, podcasts, and even digital distribution stores still ask the same question: “When’s your next album coming out?”
Of course, an album in today’s music world is more than just a physical object. It’s a concept that helps promote your music; it gives everyone something to focus on. Having an album enables events such as a record-release party, gives you a story to tell to help get you reviewed or mentioned in the media, provides you with a group of songs for sale in a digital music store, and gives you something tangible to sell fans after a live show.
No matter what you plan to do with your album, you want to put out the strongest product you can. While many articles in EM delve into the recording and mixing aspects, here we’ll focus on what happens after the mixing is done, but before you actually release your project. We’ve put together a list of steps – presented roughly in the order you’re likely to deal with them during the process – that will help make your album release successful.
10. Put Your Best Song on Track 1
There’s more music out in the world than ever, which means that musicians have to fight even harder for the 30 seconds of consideration that they get from any media outlet, radio programming director, or reviewer that gets their album. In a recent interview in EM, Bob Boilen, the music reviewer for NPR’s All Songs Considered, said that the show receives 200 to 300 CDs per week. Their review method: toss the press release in the recycle bin, slot the disc in the player, and listen to track one. If that doesn’t grab them, they put it on the giveaway pile and move on to the next disc.
Don’t lose the opportunity to reach far more people by leading with a weak track. The rest of the music on the CD won’t matter if no one hears it. Although the actual sequencing of the song order for your CD will likely happen during mastering (see step 8), it’s something you want to decide on before that point.
9. Get ISRCs for Each of Your Tracks
Your songs may make it onto webcasts, ringtones, and all kinds of other electronic distribution methods. Because of this, before you distribute your music to anyone, get an International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) for each of your tracks. This is an international serial number that will uniquely identify each song and can be digitally embedded in the disc subcode (you can do this with many 2-track editors and some CD-burning applications, or your mastering engineer can do this for you) or even into the ID3 tag of an MP3 file. The ISRC code is widely used in digital commerce sites and by collecting societies, so it may affect the royalties that you get for your music.
Note that you need an ISRC for each track separately. In fact, if you have multiple versions of the same song, each of those tracks should get its own ISRC code, as well.
8. Get the Album Mastered
Many musicians are tempted to save money by skipping the critical mastering process before sending their music off to be reviewed, played on the radio, or replicated 1,000 times. Don’t make that mistake. Mastering is a critical and very specialized process, and it is best done by an experienced engineer with the right gear in an acoustically treated studio. Evening out volume between tracks, smoothing out EQ, adding compression and limiting, and getting the benefit of an experienced pair of ears with a fresh perspective on your project is key. It will add that critical polish to your album and help it stand out from the crowd. Listeners and reviewers will look negatively on problems such as jarring volume changes between songs, too much bass, or overly bright or dull mixes, and these problems can’t easily (or cheaply) be fixed once the CD is made and the songs have been put up for sale at digital music stores.
7. Legally Protect the Music
Although U.S. copyright law doesn’t require that a work must be registered with the government to get copyright protection, you can get statutory benefits, such as the ability to recover your legal costs if you prevail in a lawsuit, if you register it within a few months of publication. For musicians, that publish date is usually when a CD is released. Take a little time before the album is released to register both the music (form PA) and the recording itself (form SR) with the U.S. Copyright Office as a collection so you get the full benefit of registration as it is more cost-effective to register them as a whole than each song separately.
Also, before the album release, register the songs with a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) and the sound recording with SoundExchange so that if it’s played and picked up in their surveys, you can get paid for it. If you wait until after it’s been released, you might miss out on their surveys if it’s played.
6. Obtain a Barcode
Although getting a barcode sounds like a trivial commercial step, it’s more important than some musicians think. Music sales are tracked within the United States through Nielsen Soundscan, which uses the barcode as the unique identifier for the album. Without it, the album sales won’t be counted. Also, some musicians forget that barcodes are also part of the album art. They usually need to be obtained ahead of time or it slows the entire process down while waiting for it.
5. Choose an Appropriate Method for Making Your CDs
When you’re ready to make CDs, there are lots of options for manufacturing them. To choose the right one, estimate how many CDs you’ll need for each of these categories: CD sales at live shows, physical CD sales online, PR campaigns, free CD giveaways, college or commercial radio campaigns, and CD review campaigns. Each of these can affect the size of your run, as well as help you determine the quality of disc that you’ll want. If you need a rough guide, just assume that you’ll need at least 100 for each of the aforementioned uses.
Once you know how many and what you’re going to do with them, you can choose the best method for you. Consider one of these options:
- Make It Yourself. You can always use your own computer to burn CDs and print covers and liner notes. This method is certainly easy for demos but very time-consuming. (Think of using scissors to cut perfectly square fold-outs for the CD case 20 times in a row.) Also, it usually results in a low-quality product that is not appropriate for PR campaigns, radio, and CD reviews. It costs approximately $2 per disc if you buy in bulk, use color ink for your cover, and buy empty jewel cases. These prices get closer to $3 to $3.50 if you get a printer that can print on the CD itself and you use higher-quality paper for the insert.
- Buy a Duplication Machine. If you need to be able to make a large number of CDs on demand, bulk-duplication machines may be an option. These machines will usually both duplicate CDs and print reasonable-quality images on the CD face itself. On average, a decent machine costs approximately $1,200; the lower-priced ones aren’t worth buying as they don’t last as long. Figuring in the insert, the toner, CDs, CD case, etc., your cost is around $1.80 per CD once you’ve paid for the machine. This option is probably best if you need to be able to handle a lot of different CD runs on short notice. If you have just a few albums, you’re usually better off going with one of the other methods.
- Duplicate It. There are two major methods that are often confused for making a large number of CD copies: replication and duplication. The latter is for short runs between 100 and 500 CDs. It creates CD-Rs that don’t last as long as replicated CDs do (although they’ll usually last a couple of years or so), and they don’t play in some of the very oldest CD players. The final product looks just as good as a replicated disc, however, because it’s usually made using the same printer for the insert and on-disc images. The result is perfectly good for publicity, music reviews, and submitting to radio stations. The cost per CD is typically between $4 and $5 if you add in the shipping costs to get the discs delivered to you.
- Replicate It. Replicating CDs involves making copies from a glass master disc, and creates the highest-quality product. Most CD manufacturers don’t even offer replication unless you’re going to make 1,000 copies or more (Disc Makers offers replication at quantities of 300). Although this method has the highest up-front costs, it also has the lowest cost per CD with the best result. The prices are usually around $1 to $2.50 for each disc after shipping costs are figured in.
4. Clear the Rights
When you hire a CD manufacturer to duplicate or replicate your CD, the company will ask you to sign a form that you’ve cleared the rights to the music on the disc and the art on the disc and inserts. As always with copyright law, this is more complicated than it seems. If you want to do it right, you need to spend a little time tracking down the info and clearing the rights.
For cover songs, you are required to pay a mechanical royalty for every single copy of the music that you make. This royalty is due when you make a copy, regardless of what you do with the music: sell it, give it away, or even just leave it in your basement. This is why CD houses are required to ask about clearance when they make your discs rather than when you sell them. To clear the rights, start by going to Limelight or Harry Fox. Otherwise, you’ll have to contact the copyright owner directly.
There are only two pieces of good news about this process. First of all, the maximum rate is capped by law, currently at 9.1¢ per copy. Second, cover songs usually are a great way to get people interested in your music as people search for them in popular online music stores. A purchase of a cover that you recorded can turn into a purchase of your entire album.
For any art that you don’t create yourself, you’ll have to negotiate separately with the owner. Often forgotten is that photographers own any photographs they take unless you hired them under a “work for hire” contract. If you don’t have such a contract, it might be necessary to pay the photographer for the use of his/her work in your album.
3. Proof Your Discs
It’s embarrassing if you have discs made that have text mistakes on them. There is no reason for such errors to get through. The best way to avoid such a problem is to get a proof copy from the CD manufacturer and hand it to as many people as possible. Although it’s tempting to skip this step because it usually costs extra, it’s worth it.
No matter how much checking you do on your computer screen before you submit it, there’s something about having a physical proof that forces you to truly look at every word. You will also get a chance to see the alignment of all of your images and the overall effect of the art. These types of mistakes are the kind that can lead to the music being ignored, no matter how good it is.
2. Make Sure Track Names Automatically Come Up In Music Players
When you pop a CD into iTunes or other computer-based music players, the track and artist names usually come up. This makes it easy for listeners to know what they’re hearing, and it is used for the titles in MP3 files when people rip the CD. But for new CDs, all that comes up are generic titles such as Track 1 and no artist name. Fortunately, this is something that you can fix yourself before you send it out to anyone.
The track information is stored in two services: Gracenote MusicID and FreeDB. Both do the same thing: They get a fingerprint of the CD (based on the combination of length and order of the songs) and compare it to their databases. If they have an entry, the track names come up. If they don’t, you will need to fill the track information out yourself, and then use the Submit button in your player. For example, in iTunes, choose Advanced/ Submit CD Track Names after typing in the names, which submits the information to the services. [Note: Disc Makers' Mega Distribution Bundle includes registry with Gracenote and AllMusic.com.]
1. Build In Appropriate Lead Time for Publicity and Promotion
Although some musicians like to release their album the instant that they get it in their hands, that can sometimes interfere with a coordinated media campaign. If you are planning to promote your disc through traditional media (newspapers, magazines, and radio), new media (blogs, podcasts, and websites), and social media (MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter), you need to build in the right lead time to coordinate these campaigns.
Traditional media outlets typically need lead times of three months to schedule their articles. They expect press releases and sometimes require a lot of callbacks to get their attention, which can be time-consuming. If you plan a traditional media campaign to have articles coming out around the same time you release the album, have your discs in hand and ready to go before you even start the campaign.
For social media, it’s best to make it an ongoing communication through the entire process. New media needs just a week or so of lead time for news about a release show. And for the album release itself, you should approach them just before or just after release to announce the news.
As for social media, it’s best to make it an ongoing communication through the entire process – including during the album’s recording – so that your fans feel connected to you and your latest work. By the time the album comes out, they’ll be excited to see the final product. Putting together a street team and finding ways to get them involved is a great way to keep the excitement going while you build up to a release party.
Fade Out
Imagine you’re a music reviewer holding two CDs in your hand: One is a burned CD in a sleeve with magic marker written all over it, and the other is a professional-looking replicated CD. Better still, once the professional-looking CD is played, it’s mastered and the band’s name and song titles automatically pop up in your music player. Which would you pay attention to? Which artist do you think put in the time to want to be reviewed? Considering that most artists only put out a handful of albums, it’s worth the effort to follow through on all of these steps. After all, your music is worth it.
Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan are quite experienced in the art of putting out CDs, having released 18 of them with their band, Beatnik Turtle.
Check out more features, hear great podcasts, get gear reviews, and more at Electronic Musician online.
Read more: Countdown to Your Album — Echoes - Insight for Independent Artists http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/09/Countdown-to-Your-Album/#ixzz0zXBQ8InX
Showing posts with label music publicity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music publicity. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Great Advice from a Music Journalist: Three Things Every Artist Needs
Adam Bernard is a music journalist whose blog Adam's World was voted the #1 music blog by Billboard/Nielsen. He's a pro and often gives great advice as well as editorial. I encourage all artists to read his latest post: Three Forgotton Things Every Artist Needs.
In his words:
"Writing about indie artists can be incredibly rewarding, especially when I see artists I’ve written about rise to new levels of fame, but there are also a few frustrating aspects to it. Recently, certain frustrations have become the norm and they’re frustrations that can easily be fixed. From a journalist’s, or editor’s, perspective the following is common sense, but what we feel is common sense may be something the next person has no idea about, so if you’re an indie artist looking for press, here are three things you really need to have (in addition to talent) that oftentimes get overlooked."
READ about all three essential items at http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2010/08/three-forgotten-things-every-artist.html
In his words:
"Writing about indie artists can be incredibly rewarding, especially when I see artists I’ve written about rise to new levels of fame, but there are also a few frustrating aspects to it. Recently, certain frustrations have become the norm and they’re frustrations that can easily be fixed. From a journalist’s, or editor’s, perspective the following is common sense, but what we feel is common sense may be something the next person has no idea about, so if you’re an indie artist looking for press, here are three things you really need to have (in addition to talent) that oftentimes get overlooked."
READ about all three essential items at http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2010/08/three-forgotten-things-every-artist.html
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Photos Are NOT Frivolous
Your photos are not frivolous, in fact, as the expression goes they "speak a thousand words!" Today, when everyone has mobile phones and digital cameras readily available, we have less control over how photos are taken and where they appear (sometimes a nightmare for me, the publicist) but as an artist or public figure, here are a few tips and tricks to make YOUR photos more appealing!
Take a minute (1:23 actually) to learn from Sardi Klein, longtime NYC photographer and professor at The School of Visual Arts and Pratt, in this informative video.
http://www.dailycandy.com/online/video/how-to/84722/Expert-Tips-for-Looking-Good-in-Photos
"Shiny forehead, freak grimace, bulging eyes — you’ve got an uncanny ability to ruin a photo. And thanks to Facebook tagging, the entire world can witness your awkward mugging until the end of time."
Take a minute (1:23 actually) to learn from Sardi Klein, longtime NYC photographer and professor at The School of Visual Arts and Pratt, in this informative video.
http://www.dailycandy.com/online/video/how-to/84722/Expert-Tips-for-Looking-Good-in-Photos
"Shiny forehead, freak grimace, bulging eyes — you’ve got an uncanny ability to ruin a photo. And thanks to Facebook tagging, the entire world can witness your awkward mugging until the end of time."
Monday, February 22, 2010
Old School Meets New Media: What to Learn from Lady Gaga
Gaga, Oooh La La: Why the Lady Is the Ultimate Social Climber
Leveraging Digital Media and Creative Partnerships Makes Artist a Uniquely 2010 Pop Star
By Andrew Hampp
Published: February 22, 2010
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- As far as breakout musicians go, few artists have had quite the zero-awareness-to-ubiquity time-warp of Lady Gaga. And as far as brands go, few marketers of any kind have leveraged social media the way she has to drive sales of their core product -- in her case, albums and digital singles.
Lady Gaga, with her army of nearly 2.8 million Twitter followers and more than 5.2 million Facebook fans, can move product. Since fall 2008, her digital-single sales have exceeded 20 million and her album sales hit 8 million, all at a time when no one under the age of 60 buys CDs anymore (see Susan Boyle breaking the record for highest first-week album sales last year). Now, she's being courted by marketers to do the same for their products.
Gaga's rapid ascent to the pop-culture stratosphere is often compared to Madonna's, right down to their shared beginnings in the downtown New York club scene before their big record deals. But what makes Gaga's star status, particularly in the marketing community, so uniquely 2010 is that she has achieved as many milestones (if not more) in 18 months than her idol did in nearly a decade. Madonna's notorious endorsement for Pepsi in 1989 -- cut short after her controversial "Like a Prayer" video aired on MTV -- came seven years after the debut of her first single in 1982. Within a year of her out-of-the-box rise to fame in September 2008, Gaga had already lined up Virgin Mobile as a sponsor of her Monster Ball tour; created her own brand of headphones, Hearbeats by Lady Gaga, with record label Interscope; and landed her own (cherry pink) lipstick as a spokeswoman for Mac Cosmetics' Viva Glam, benefiting Mac's AIDS fund. And by January, she was tapped by Polaroid to become the brand's creative director, hired specifically to create new products and inject life into a brand that hasn't been hip for years -- save for maybe a popular reference in Outkast's "Hey Ya!"
Old school meets new media
How did a 23-year-old singer/songwriter achieve so much in so little time? Two words: social media. Sure, Gaga had a fair share of old-school artist development -- radio play -- to become the first artist to score four consecutive No. 1 singles from a debut album. But she's also put a new-media spin on her distribution strategy. The November premiere of her video for "Bad Romance," for example, debuted on LadyGaga.com before MTV or any other outlet could play it -- resulting in a Universal Music server crash, a Twitter trending topic that lasted all week and a cumulative 110 million (and counting) views on YouTube to date, more than any viral music video of yore (OK Go, anyone?) could ever claim. Vevo, a music video site co-founded by Universal Music Group, also recently reported a whopping 20% of its traffic came from just Lady Gaga videos -- as in 1 in 5 videos streamed on the site was likely to be a song such as "Poker Face," "Just Dance" or "LoveGame."
Gaga has already had a similar halo effect on her Mac Viva Glam lipstick. Less than a week into its launch, the lipsticks created by Gaga and her campaign cohort Cyndi Lauper have outsold any launch in Viva Glam's 16-year history, said Estée Lauder Group President John Demsey, thanks to a groundswell of social-media impressions. The launch day of her Viva Glam lipstick ad campaign alone generated nearly 20 million unique views in traditional media, including print and web buys and an appearance on "The Today Show," as well as an additional wellspring of social-media hits per Gaga's tweets to her fans.
"Her fan base and our customer base are very similar in that they are drawn to the outrageous and outspoken, so we could not ask for a better partnership," Mr. Demsey said.
Taking credit for Gaga's sudden assault of the zeitgeist is a relatively easy task, as all parties who work with her on her label, management and marketing teams cite Gaga herself as the ultimate brains behind many of her creative and social-media ideas and tactics.
"When you're dealing with someone as good as Gaga, a lot of it is how to stay the fuck out of the way," said Steve Berman, Universal Music's president of sales and marketing. "Gaga has worked tirelessly in keeping up daily if not hourly communication with her fans and growing fanbase through all the technology that exists now."
Gaga in control
Troy Carter, Gaga's manager since 2007, described their dynamic as "95-5." "The only thing I do is manage the vision," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the time I won't comment on creative, and 95% of the time she lets me run the business. The other 5% is where we debate about things like, 'Do you really want to bleed to death on stage at the [MTV] VMAs?' She wins even when we do have those debates 5% of the time."
Dyana Kass, who heads pop-music marketing for Universal, has teamed with marketing firms like Flylife for Gaga's outreach to the gay community and ThinkTank to supplement her online efforts, but otherwise lets Gaga maintain a hands-on relationship with her fans and marketing empire.
"Lady Gaga has truly turned culture on its head and has done so from the ground up on her terms," she said. "You can't buy that kind of authenticity, and as a result the demand for her involvement in projects is staggering."
Mr. Carter, who manages Gaga's marketing partnerships, added that he doesn't want Gaga to ever look like she's endorsing a brand -- hence why she's created products for Universal's Beats By Dre headphones line, Viva Glam and now Polaroid as its new creative director.
"You won't see her face plastered on any packaging or anything. We're comparing it to when Tom Ford went to Gucci or Steve Jobs went into Apple and brought a different thought process and taste level in. We're looking for her to do the same exact thing at Polaroid," he said. "It's not about her putting her name on something -- it's reinvigorating a brand."
Leveraging Digital Media and Creative Partnerships Makes Artist a Uniquely 2010 Pop Star
By Andrew Hampp
Published: February 22, 2010
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- As far as breakout musicians go, few artists have had quite the zero-awareness-to-ubiquity time-warp of Lady Gaga. And as far as brands go, few marketers of any kind have leveraged social media the way she has to drive sales of their core product -- in her case, albums and digital singles.
Lady Gaga, with her army of nearly 2.8 million Twitter followers and more than 5.2 million Facebook fans, can move product. Since fall 2008, her digital-single sales have exceeded 20 million and her album sales hit 8 million, all at a time when no one under the age of 60 buys CDs anymore (see Susan Boyle breaking the record for highest first-week album sales last year). Now, she's being courted by marketers to do the same for their products.
Gaga's rapid ascent to the pop-culture stratosphere is often compared to Madonna's, right down to their shared beginnings in the downtown New York club scene before their big record deals. But what makes Gaga's star status, particularly in the marketing community, so uniquely 2010 is that she has achieved as many milestones (if not more) in 18 months than her idol did in nearly a decade. Madonna's notorious endorsement for Pepsi in 1989 -- cut short after her controversial "Like a Prayer" video aired on MTV -- came seven years after the debut of her first single in 1982. Within a year of her out-of-the-box rise to fame in September 2008, Gaga had already lined up Virgin Mobile as a sponsor of her Monster Ball tour; created her own brand of headphones, Hearbeats by Lady Gaga, with record label Interscope; and landed her own (cherry pink) lipstick as a spokeswoman for Mac Cosmetics' Viva Glam, benefiting Mac's AIDS fund. And by January, she was tapped by Polaroid to become the brand's creative director, hired specifically to create new products and inject life into a brand that hasn't been hip for years -- save for maybe a popular reference in Outkast's "Hey Ya!"
Old school meets new media
How did a 23-year-old singer/songwriter achieve so much in so little time? Two words: social media. Sure, Gaga had a fair share of old-school artist development -- radio play -- to become the first artist to score four consecutive No. 1 singles from a debut album. But she's also put a new-media spin on her distribution strategy. The November premiere of her video for "Bad Romance," for example, debuted on LadyGaga.com before MTV or any other outlet could play it -- resulting in a Universal Music server crash, a Twitter trending topic that lasted all week and a cumulative 110 million (and counting) views on YouTube to date, more than any viral music video of yore (OK Go, anyone?) could ever claim. Vevo, a music video site co-founded by Universal Music Group, also recently reported a whopping 20% of its traffic came from just Lady Gaga videos -- as in 1 in 5 videos streamed on the site was likely to be a song such as "Poker Face," "Just Dance" or "LoveGame."
Gaga has already had a similar halo effect on her Mac Viva Glam lipstick. Less than a week into its launch, the lipsticks created by Gaga and her campaign cohort Cyndi Lauper have outsold any launch in Viva Glam's 16-year history, said Estée Lauder Group President John Demsey, thanks to a groundswell of social-media impressions. The launch day of her Viva Glam lipstick ad campaign alone generated nearly 20 million unique views in traditional media, including print and web buys and an appearance on "The Today Show," as well as an additional wellspring of social-media hits per Gaga's tweets to her fans.
"Her fan base and our customer base are very similar in that they are drawn to the outrageous and outspoken, so we could not ask for a better partnership," Mr. Demsey said.
Taking credit for Gaga's sudden assault of the zeitgeist is a relatively easy task, as all parties who work with her on her label, management and marketing teams cite Gaga herself as the ultimate brains behind many of her creative and social-media ideas and tactics.
"When you're dealing with someone as good as Gaga, a lot of it is how to stay the fuck out of the way," said Steve Berman, Universal Music's president of sales and marketing. "Gaga has worked tirelessly in keeping up daily if not hourly communication with her fans and growing fanbase through all the technology that exists now."
Gaga in control
Troy Carter, Gaga's manager since 2007, described their dynamic as "95-5." "The only thing I do is manage the vision," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the time I won't comment on creative, and 95% of the time she lets me run the business. The other 5% is where we debate about things like, 'Do you really want to bleed to death on stage at the [MTV] VMAs?' She wins even when we do have those debates 5% of the time."
Dyana Kass, who heads pop-music marketing for Universal, has teamed with marketing firms like Flylife for Gaga's outreach to the gay community and ThinkTank to supplement her online efforts, but otherwise lets Gaga maintain a hands-on relationship with her fans and marketing empire.
"Lady Gaga has truly turned culture on its head and has done so from the ground up on her terms," she said. "You can't buy that kind of authenticity, and as a result the demand for her involvement in projects is staggering."
Mr. Carter, who manages Gaga's marketing partnerships, added that he doesn't want Gaga to ever look like she's endorsing a brand -- hence why she's created products for Universal's Beats By Dre headphones line, Viva Glam and now Polaroid as its new creative director.
"You won't see her face plastered on any packaging or anything. We're comparing it to when Tom Ford went to Gucci or Steve Jobs went into Apple and brought a different thought process and taste level in. We're looking for her to do the same exact thing at Polaroid," he said. "It's not about her putting her name on something -- it's reinvigorating a brand."
Thursday, February 11, 2010
How to Leverage Media Coverage - 5 Easy Tips
See the original article at http://biznik.com/articles/how-to-leverage-media-coverage-5-easy-tips?utm_source=articles&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2010-02-10
You’ve managed to get the media to cover you! Editorial press is not easy to get. When it does happen, it’s exciting! Here are 5 easy tips on how to leverage media coverage far beyond the first time it appears.
Written 2 days ago, read 354 times since then.
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So, through hard work or good luck, you’ve managed to get the media to cover you, your business, or your event. Fantastic! Editorial press is not easy to get, and when it does happen, it’s exciting! Big or small, long or short, local weekly paper or national magazine, media coverage is a testament to your accomplishments.
Once article has been read or the show listened to or watched…now what do you do with it? Did you know that press coverage appearing for the first time is only the tip of the iceberg in how you can reap long-term benefits from just one media placement? Here area five easy, cost-effective tips for how to maximize and leverage your editorial media coverage:
1. Read It Objectively – Many businesses owners are so excited about their press coverage that they don’t really look at it objectively. Try to review coverage impartially, without bias – you’ll often get invaluable insights from what journalists have to say. A neutral look may tell you the coverage is even better, or not quite as positive, as first thought. Look for positive key words and phrases the reporter used that you can pull as brief quotes to use in the future.
2. Post Coverage On Your Website – Having a Press Page featuring media coverage is an important part of a professional website. Showing off editorial placements gives your company credibility, both with those who did and did not see the original feature. Use your press page announce upcoming placements too – i.e. “Look for Joe’s Shoes in the upcoming issue of Fabulous Finds magazine!”
3. Include It In Collateral – When designing brochures, flyers, postcards or other printed marketing materials, consider adding images or quotes from the press. It adds tremendous credibility, and this is at least one instance when it is okay to brag!
4. Frame It – Whether it’s a couple of paragraphs in the weekly paper, a feature in People magazine, or a byline article for a trade journal, people are excited by seeing friends, acquaintances and business associates in the news. Seeing framed articles also builds confidence in consumers when they visit your office. There is no need to spend top dollar on a professional framing job, but do buy a nice frame to display your news. The way it is displayed is part of your company image and you don’t want it to say you are cheap!
5. Talk About It in Person and Online– Make the news part of your elevator speech or introductory message points at networking and speaking events. Include it in a blog post, tweet and e-newsletter too! People love hearing success stories and sharing your media success is an impressive and interesting way to begin a conversation.
Most of these suggestions will also work to promote the news of awards you have won. Whatever you decide to do with your media coverage, don’t keep it a secret! Display it; provide copies of it, create marketing materials featuring it, send it to vendors, distributors and consumers. The key to marketing is to keep Spreading the Good News About You!
Learn more about the author, Erika Montgomery.
You’ve managed to get the media to cover you! Editorial press is not easy to get. When it does happen, it’s exciting! Here are 5 easy tips on how to leverage media coverage far beyond the first time it appears.
Written 2 days ago, read 354 times since then.
Share Share
So, through hard work or good luck, you’ve managed to get the media to cover you, your business, or your event. Fantastic! Editorial press is not easy to get, and when it does happen, it’s exciting! Big or small, long or short, local weekly paper or national magazine, media coverage is a testament to your accomplishments.
Once article has been read or the show listened to or watched…now what do you do with it? Did you know that press coverage appearing for the first time is only the tip of the iceberg in how you can reap long-term benefits from just one media placement? Here area five easy, cost-effective tips for how to maximize and leverage your editorial media coverage:
1. Read It Objectively – Many businesses owners are so excited about their press coverage that they don’t really look at it objectively. Try to review coverage impartially, without bias – you’ll often get invaluable insights from what journalists have to say. A neutral look may tell you the coverage is even better, or not quite as positive, as first thought. Look for positive key words and phrases the reporter used that you can pull as brief quotes to use in the future.
2. Post Coverage On Your Website – Having a Press Page featuring media coverage is an important part of a professional website. Showing off editorial placements gives your company credibility, both with those who did and did not see the original feature. Use your press page announce upcoming placements too – i.e. “Look for Joe’s Shoes in the upcoming issue of Fabulous Finds magazine!”
3. Include It In Collateral – When designing brochures, flyers, postcards or other printed marketing materials, consider adding images or quotes from the press. It adds tremendous credibility, and this is at least one instance when it is okay to brag!
4. Frame It – Whether it’s a couple of paragraphs in the weekly paper, a feature in People magazine, or a byline article for a trade journal, people are excited by seeing friends, acquaintances and business associates in the news. Seeing framed articles also builds confidence in consumers when they visit your office. There is no need to spend top dollar on a professional framing job, but do buy a nice frame to display your news. The way it is displayed is part of your company image and you don’t want it to say you are cheap!
5. Talk About It in Person and Online– Make the news part of your elevator speech or introductory message points at networking and speaking events. Include it in a blog post, tweet and e-newsletter too! People love hearing success stories and sharing your media success is an impressive and interesting way to begin a conversation.
Most of these suggestions will also work to promote the news of awards you have won. Whatever you decide to do with your media coverage, don’t keep it a secret! Display it; provide copies of it, create marketing materials featuring it, send it to vendors, distributors and consumers. The key to marketing is to keep Spreading the Good News About You!
Learn more about the author, Erika Montgomery.
Monday, December 28, 2009
7 Phone Interview Tips
While this article speaks to phone interviews for employment some of the advise still rings true for press or industry interviews. Enjoy.
Telephone Interview Tips
1. Use a landline. You don’t want to risk having problems with cell phone service. It is irritating for employers to conduct interviews if the call breaks up frequently or is dropped completely. If you don’t have a land line at home, just make sure you are in an area with as much cell phone service as possible. Do what you can so the process runs as smooth as possible.
2. Keep your materials handy. In fact, lay everything out in front of you. This includes your resume, notes about your career objective (even if it isn’t included in your original cover letter it’s a good idea to have this out depending on the questions he will ask you), a pen and pad of paper for note-taking and anything else you think may be helpful during your interview. Because you won’t have to schlep into an office, you can have anything out in front of you to aid with your success.
3. Steer clear of distractions. Find a quiet place to interview and stay there! There shouldn’t be any noise in the background to distract you or your potential employer. However, it is understandable that this can be tricky if you have young children at home who need your attention. When you set up your interview appointment, try to schedule it for as precise a time or window as possible. That way, you are able to avoid possible distractions (ex.: your phone interview is between 4 and 4:30, so no one can have company over during that time, the kids are fed and occupied or a sitter will watch them, if need be.)
4. Speak slowly and clearly. When you speak to people face-to-face, you are able to understand what they are saying more clearly because you can see their mouth move. So in a way, you are reading their lips! Neither you nor your potential employer will be able to do this over the phone of course, so speak clearly and a little bit more slowly than you would if you were talking to this person in person. If you can’t hear him, drop hints that he isn’t speaking clearly or loud enough by politely asking him to repeat himself. If this makes you uncomfortable at all you can always blame it on your phone: “I’m really sorry, it’s hard to hear you, the volume on my phone just won’t go up!”
5. Remember – you can’t be seen. That means that anything you say cannot be interpreted by your body language. Beware of jokes or sarcastic remarks that would have been harmless had he seen your facial expression. Maintain your professionalism; stay on target with the interview topics and focus on the key information about you that will get you hired.
6. No eating, drinking or chewing gum! This is self-explanatory. But, we humans are creatures of habit and might pop a potato chip in our mouths at just the wrong moment. However, when I say no eating or drinking I mean during the phone interview. You should eat beforehand to get your brain going so you can focus.
7. Prepare questions ahead of time. Just like in a personal interview, prepare a few questions to ask your potential employer at the end of your phone interview. Some examples are:
“What does a typical day look like for an employee with this job?”
Fortunately, it can be less intimidating interviewing over the phone with these telephone interview tips and you may even feel more confident that you’ll do well. Great! As long as you are fully prepared and take the necessary precautions, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have a successful phone interview.
Posted by: Kevin Cormac | Posted at: 10:00 AM | Filed Under: interview help, interviews, phone interviews | - See original at http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2009/10/7-phone-interview-tips-to-get-job-2.html
Telephone Interview Tips
1. Use a landline. You don’t want to risk having problems with cell phone service. It is irritating for employers to conduct interviews if the call breaks up frequently or is dropped completely. If you don’t have a land line at home, just make sure you are in an area with as much cell phone service as possible. Do what you can so the process runs as smooth as possible.
2. Keep your materials handy. In fact, lay everything out in front of you. This includes your resume, notes about your career objective (even if it isn’t included in your original cover letter it’s a good idea to have this out depending on the questions he will ask you), a pen and pad of paper for note-taking and anything else you think may be helpful during your interview. Because you won’t have to schlep into an office, you can have anything out in front of you to aid with your success.
3. Steer clear of distractions. Find a quiet place to interview and stay there! There shouldn’t be any noise in the background to distract you or your potential employer. However, it is understandable that this can be tricky if you have young children at home who need your attention. When you set up your interview appointment, try to schedule it for as precise a time or window as possible. That way, you are able to avoid possible distractions (ex.: your phone interview is between 4 and 4:30, so no one can have company over during that time, the kids are fed and occupied or a sitter will watch them, if need be.)
4. Speak slowly and clearly. When you speak to people face-to-face, you are able to understand what they are saying more clearly because you can see their mouth move. So in a way, you are reading their lips! Neither you nor your potential employer will be able to do this over the phone of course, so speak clearly and a little bit more slowly than you would if you were talking to this person in person. If you can’t hear him, drop hints that he isn’t speaking clearly or loud enough by politely asking him to repeat himself. If this makes you uncomfortable at all you can always blame it on your phone: “I’m really sorry, it’s hard to hear you, the volume on my phone just won’t go up!”
5. Remember – you can’t be seen. That means that anything you say cannot be interpreted by your body language. Beware of jokes or sarcastic remarks that would have been harmless had he seen your facial expression. Maintain your professionalism; stay on target with the interview topics and focus on the key information about you that will get you hired.
6. No eating, drinking or chewing gum! This is self-explanatory. But, we humans are creatures of habit and might pop a potato chip in our mouths at just the wrong moment. However, when I say no eating or drinking I mean during the phone interview. You should eat beforehand to get your brain going so you can focus.
7. Prepare questions ahead of time. Just like in a personal interview, prepare a few questions to ask your potential employer at the end of your phone interview. Some examples are:
“What does a typical day look like for an employee with this job?”
Fortunately, it can be less intimidating interviewing over the phone with these telephone interview tips and you may even feel more confident that you’ll do well. Great! As long as you are fully prepared and take the necessary precautions, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have a successful phone interview.
Posted by: Kevin Cormac | Posted at: 10:00 AM | Filed Under: interview help, interviews, phone interviews | - See original at http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2009/10/7-phone-interview-tips-to-get-job-2.html
Monday, October 26, 2009
Best to Blog: 5 Tips for Making Your Blog Stand Out
I am always encouraging clients to start a blog and blog regularly, which is a commitment I know, but blogs are an important tool that allow you to communicate with your fans and the industry in a timely manner. Both timing and communication are key and a blog allows you to publish immediately and promote to YOUR audience.
I'm happy to share this article that I think is a great "how to" guide - read below and see the original at http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/10/5-tips-corporate-blogs/
_________________
These days it seems as if every corporation has tried its hand at blogging. The more corporate blogs that exist in the blogosphere, the more difficult it becomes to gain blog subscribers by creating one that’s truly unique. To ensure your corporate blog stands out from the crowd, follow these 5 tips:
1. Talk about something other than yourself. Too many corporate marketers make the mistake of creating blogs as purely another mechanism to talk about their products and services. While increased sales and improved brand visibility may be two fundamental goals of a corporate blog, there are more effective ways for achieving those goals that just pushing product.
The most successful corporate blogs leverage product and service information with relevant industry news, human interest pieces, case studies and other useful information. That balance is what keeps readers coming back time and again.
PC manufacturer Lenovo successfully mixes product information with posts about business, design and technology on its 8 different corporate blogs. For example, its .Roaring Mouse blog, a resource for small businesses, offers insight on topics such as the use of social media in small business, outsourcing tips and small business statistics. The .Roaring Mouse blog puts itself in readers’ shoes to provide the most useful, relevant and timely information—whether or not that involves Lenovo-specific product information.
2. Keep your blog focused. Whatever message you chose to deliver, stick with it. Unfortunately, some corporate blogs lack a clear message and include posts on topics all across the board. Because goals were never defined, these blogs have a difficult time gaining readership.
Blogs gain strong, consistent followings by giving readers the information they want and expect to find. A reader might visit a shoe retailer’s blog expecting to find information on the latest shoes styles and celebrity fashion news. If the readers have to sift through information on travel, home décor, and health & fitness in order to find what they’re looking for, they may not return.
For example, the GM FastLane Blog successfully sticks to its unique niche. The blog’s goal is clear: to provide readers with information needed to purchase and maintain their vehicles. The blog achieves its goal by posting company news and announcements, along with important current issues such as concept cars, alternative energy, climate change and fuel efficiency.
3. Give your blog a distinct personality. Whether you choose to feature just one blogger or multiple bloggers, let the blogger’s voice come through in the posts. Without a distinct personality, your blog will be just like every other faceless corporate blog.
Let your readers see behind the corporate and marketing jargon, and instead discover the real people behind your organization.
Look to Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ BTW blog as an example. From the tagline “Our People and Perspectives” to the author bio page and use of blogger photos, the JNJ BTW blog humanizes the corporate brand for customers. Individual authors write about the topics that best suit their expertise and interest, letting their own voice come through.
4. Have some fun. Another effective method for letting a corporate blog stand out from the rest is to infuse some humor and excitement. Granted, this technique may not be appropriate for all corporate brands. But if you’re able to, consider creating a blog that can be light-hearted, relaxed and at-times funny. It’s just another way to humanize and personalize the brand for customers.
The Southwest Airlines Nuts About Southwest blog is a prime example. Southwest employees blog about their company and the airline industry in general, but do so in a casual, humorous way. The blog also includes fun, behind-the-scenes videos, produced by the employees themselves. Its latest poll asks readers to guess the Halloween costume of CEO Gary Kelly. The choices? “Gary” Potter, Larry Bird, Ben Franklin, Statue of Liberty or Julia Child.
5. Provide readers with something they can’t get anywhere else. Use a corporate blog to announce company breaking news or highlight original research in order to make the blog truly unique. Assuming the information is interesting and useful, readers will keep coming back for more. The simply can’t get it anywhere else. Plus, your customers can form a close connection with your brand because they feel as if they’re gaining an inside look or exclusive information.
The Editors blog from BBC gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the daily happenings in BBC newsrooms. BBC News editors share their dilemmas and issues, as well as dissect news stories to provide readers with even more in-depth coverage.
For example, in a recent post, editor Mike Rudin candidly discusses being sent a video accusing him of “producing a ‘hit piece’ about 9/11” after filming the documentary “The Conspiracy Files: 9/11 – The Truth Behind the Third Tower.” He explains to readers his response and thoughts about the video, as well as provides additional details about the making of the documentary.
The blogging technique seems to be working: Rudin’s post received more than 5,000 comments from readers!
(See original article at http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/10/5-tips-corporate-blogs/)
I'm happy to share this article that I think is a great "how to" guide - read below and see the original at http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/10/5-tips-corporate-blogs/
_________________
These days it seems as if every corporation has tried its hand at blogging. The more corporate blogs that exist in the blogosphere, the more difficult it becomes to gain blog subscribers by creating one that’s truly unique. To ensure your corporate blog stands out from the crowd, follow these 5 tips:
1. Talk about something other than yourself. Too many corporate marketers make the mistake of creating blogs as purely another mechanism to talk about their products and services. While increased sales and improved brand visibility may be two fundamental goals of a corporate blog, there are more effective ways for achieving those goals that just pushing product.
The most successful corporate blogs leverage product and service information with relevant industry news, human interest pieces, case studies and other useful information. That balance is what keeps readers coming back time and again.
PC manufacturer Lenovo successfully mixes product information with posts about business, design and technology on its 8 different corporate blogs. For example, its .Roaring Mouse blog, a resource for small businesses, offers insight on topics such as the use of social media in small business, outsourcing tips and small business statistics. The .Roaring Mouse blog puts itself in readers’ shoes to provide the most useful, relevant and timely information—whether or not that involves Lenovo-specific product information.
2. Keep your blog focused. Whatever message you chose to deliver, stick with it. Unfortunately, some corporate blogs lack a clear message and include posts on topics all across the board. Because goals were never defined, these blogs have a difficult time gaining readership.
Blogs gain strong, consistent followings by giving readers the information they want and expect to find. A reader might visit a shoe retailer’s blog expecting to find information on the latest shoes styles and celebrity fashion news. If the readers have to sift through information on travel, home décor, and health & fitness in order to find what they’re looking for, they may not return.
For example, the GM FastLane Blog successfully sticks to its unique niche. The blog’s goal is clear: to provide readers with information needed to purchase and maintain their vehicles. The blog achieves its goal by posting company news and announcements, along with important current issues such as concept cars, alternative energy, climate change and fuel efficiency.
3. Give your blog a distinct personality. Whether you choose to feature just one blogger or multiple bloggers, let the blogger’s voice come through in the posts. Without a distinct personality, your blog will be just like every other faceless corporate blog.
Let your readers see behind the corporate and marketing jargon, and instead discover the real people behind your organization.
Look to Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ BTW blog as an example. From the tagline “Our People and Perspectives” to the author bio page and use of blogger photos, the JNJ BTW blog humanizes the corporate brand for customers. Individual authors write about the topics that best suit their expertise and interest, letting their own voice come through.
4. Have some fun. Another effective method for letting a corporate blog stand out from the rest is to infuse some humor and excitement. Granted, this technique may not be appropriate for all corporate brands. But if you’re able to, consider creating a blog that can be light-hearted, relaxed and at-times funny. It’s just another way to humanize and personalize the brand for customers.
The Southwest Airlines Nuts About Southwest blog is a prime example. Southwest employees blog about their company and the airline industry in general, but do so in a casual, humorous way. The blog also includes fun, behind-the-scenes videos, produced by the employees themselves. Its latest poll asks readers to guess the Halloween costume of CEO Gary Kelly. The choices? “Gary” Potter, Larry Bird, Ben Franklin, Statue of Liberty or Julia Child.
5. Provide readers with something they can’t get anywhere else. Use a corporate blog to announce company breaking news or highlight original research in order to make the blog truly unique. Assuming the information is interesting and useful, readers will keep coming back for more. The simply can’t get it anywhere else. Plus, your customers can form a close connection with your brand because they feel as if they’re gaining an inside look or exclusive information.
The Editors blog from BBC gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the daily happenings in BBC newsrooms. BBC News editors share their dilemmas and issues, as well as dissect news stories to provide readers with even more in-depth coverage.
For example, in a recent post, editor Mike Rudin candidly discusses being sent a video accusing him of “producing a ‘hit piece’ about 9/11” after filming the documentary “The Conspiracy Files: 9/11 – The Truth Behind the Third Tower.” He explains to readers his response and thoughts about the video, as well as provides additional details about the making of the documentary.
The blogging technique seems to be working: Rudin’s post received more than 5,000 comments from readers!
(See original article at http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/10/5-tips-corporate-blogs/)
Friday, October 2, 2009
Use Video to Your Advantage
Today video is so very accessible and you should be using it to your advantage at every step of your career. Whether you are performing, making new product, at a rehearsal or just introducing yourself - use video and YouTube at every turn.
First up, if you don't have a video camera, I suggest picking up a Flip Cam. They are small, light weight, inexpensive and can be plugged into any computer for quick uploads. They're available at any electronics or office supply store or online at http://www.theflip.com/
Secondly, a recent article by Ksenia Oustiougova a simple and great "how to" for recording a promotional video for online use.
"More and more businesses are realizing the importance of having a video presence online, but often lack the knowledge on how to do it right. We will give you points and advice on how to create the most effective video – doesn’t matter if you do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.
First, don’t film your own talking head, show your prospect in pain:
* Talking head is a leftover from broadcast TV where the viewer was passive. In contrast, computer users create their own experiences, thus being active.
* In an eye-tracing study, viewers of a talking head video spent most of their attention outside the video (on road sign in the background, player controls, etc.); in videos of moving objects and in animations the focus stays sharply on the subject.
* Historically in movie making, by showing the main character in pain you create empathy and anticipation in the audience; by beginning with an explanation of who you are, you bore your audience to tears – they don’t care for you.
Second, don’t tell what you do, show what you do:
* This is a classic for all stories, from 1 minute videos to 2 hour movies. “Telling” means you gave dry information and haven’t involved the viewer emotionally; “showing” means you used specific details to describe the action, letting the viewer experience it - and that makes the viewer believe in your story.
* Compare the following script examples for effectiveness: “We are experts at automating enterprise contract management” VS “A sleek vacuum-like machine (bearing company logo) rolls onto a landfill full of old paper, sucks it all up, spits out neat numbered stacks on the now clean ground.”
Third, leave the last frame on a call to action for a few seconds:
* Don’t leave it on black background, do leave your website on the bottom, a phone number to call, and an e-mail to contact you at.
* Don’t leave just an 800 number with an answering machine on it, rather choose something where people can interact with you right away, like a twitter account name, a Facebook page or an e-mail.
Fourth, do these little technical details correctly:
* Put a play button on the player, so people know this is a video and not just an image (you’d be surprised how many people don't do this - as simple as it sounds).
* Put the length of the video into the player or next to it, so people know if it is 1 minute, 20 minutes, or 1 hour, and can make a decision.
* Do NOT put the video on autoplay, allow people to play and pause the video as they want.
* Have a volume control button, people hate it when they can’t control the sound.
* Best, put video on YouTube and embed the code into your web site page instead of putting it up on your own site – this will let people share it easily. And, YouTube player already has all the controls built in - volume, play button, length of the video - so this will make the job easier for you."
Lastly, you can find examples of good videos all over and I suggest taking some time to do just that. Put a list together of your favorites and why they strike you.
Here are some from BSM:
href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlO7eJD3tpQ&feature=channel_page
href=http://www.batanga.com/en/videos/entrevista-de-cerca-con-carmelina
Happy Planning!
-BSM
First up, if you don't have a video camera, I suggest picking up a Flip Cam. They are small, light weight, inexpensive and can be plugged into any computer for quick uploads. They're available at any electronics or office supply store or online at http://www.theflip.com/
Secondly, a recent article by Ksenia Oustiougova a simple and great "how to" for recording a promotional video for online use.
"More and more businesses are realizing the importance of having a video presence online, but often lack the knowledge on how to do it right. We will give you points and advice on how to create the most effective video – doesn’t matter if you do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.
First, don’t film your own talking head, show your prospect in pain:
* Talking head is a leftover from broadcast TV where the viewer was passive. In contrast, computer users create their own experiences, thus being active.
* In an eye-tracing study, viewers of a talking head video spent most of their attention outside the video (on road sign in the background, player controls, etc.); in videos of moving objects and in animations the focus stays sharply on the subject.
* Historically in movie making, by showing the main character in pain you create empathy and anticipation in the audience; by beginning with an explanation of who you are, you bore your audience to tears – they don’t care for you.
Second, don’t tell what you do, show what you do:
* This is a classic for all stories, from 1 minute videos to 2 hour movies. “Telling” means you gave dry information and haven’t involved the viewer emotionally; “showing” means you used specific details to describe the action, letting the viewer experience it - and that makes the viewer believe in your story.
* Compare the following script examples for effectiveness: “We are experts at automating enterprise contract management” VS “A sleek vacuum-like machine (bearing company logo) rolls onto a landfill full of old paper, sucks it all up, spits out neat numbered stacks on the now clean ground.”
Third, leave the last frame on a call to action for a few seconds:
* Don’t leave it on black background, do leave your website on the bottom, a phone number to call, and an e-mail to contact you at.
* Don’t leave just an 800 number with an answering machine on it, rather choose something where people can interact with you right away, like a twitter account name, a Facebook page or an e-mail.
Fourth, do these little technical details correctly:
* Put a play button on the player, so people know this is a video and not just an image (you’d be surprised how many people don't do this - as simple as it sounds).
* Put the length of the video into the player or next to it, so people know if it is 1 minute, 20 minutes, or 1 hour, and can make a decision.
* Do NOT put the video on autoplay, allow people to play and pause the video as they want.
* Have a volume control button, people hate it when they can’t control the sound.
* Best, put video on YouTube and embed the code into your web site page instead of putting it up on your own site – this will let people share it easily. And, YouTube player already has all the controls built in - volume, play button, length of the video - so this will make the job easier for you."
Lastly, you can find examples of good videos all over and I suggest taking some time to do just that. Put a list together of your favorites and why they strike you.
Here are some from BSM:
href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlO7eJD3tpQ&feature=channel_page
href=http://www.batanga.com/en/videos/entrevista-de-cerca-con-carmelina
Happy Planning!
-BSM
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Creating The Perfect Pitch
Happy to share the thoughts of PR counterpart Ariel Hyatt founder of Ariel Publicity.
________________________________
Creating The Perfect Pitch
by Ariel Hyatt on September 21, 2009
Ariel(Excerpted from Music Success in Nine Weeks, A Step-By-Step Guide to Supercharging Your PR, Building Your Fan Base, and Earning More Money)
Here is a key lesson in branding yourself that can really set you up to have a major breakthrough for your musical career. What you will create here will define you in the minds of your fans and potential fans.
Two scenarios happened to inspire the writing of this:
Scenario #1: I was out at a show at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, and in between bands, I was standing at the bar talking to some friends when someone handed me a show flyer. I was taken with him immediately. I always appreciate anyone who is self-promoting because it is not easy to do and it is especially not easy at a crowded bar on a Wednesday night in downtown Manhattan. I looked down at the flyer and my heart sank. It said the following:
* Name of artist (name is not mentioned to protect the innocent)
* Venue (which was the Mercury, where I was)
* Date and show time
There I was, a perfectly primed potential fan; a customer standing at a bar, out at a live music show and he lost me forever. Why? Because not one sentence was included about what genre of music this artist played, much less what his music sounded like or who he could be compared to. In short, I had no idea what this artist sounded like or what to expect from his show. And to top it off, there was no website on the flyer. On the off-chance that I had taken it home, I would never have known where to find him online.
That was an opportunity totally LOST. Unbeknownst to him, he also handed his flyer to one of the most successful entertainment attorneys I know (who was in the middle of signing six artists to record deals), an A&R executive, and one of the best booking agents in the business.
We all looked down at the flyers in our hands, shrugged, and carried on with our conversation. He had totally BLOWN it.
Scenario #2: An artist called my PR firm to talk about hiring us for a Cyber PR campaign. Two minutes into the conversation my blood was beginning to boil. It went something like this:
Ariel: “What do you sound like?”
Artist: “I sound like absolutely nothing you’ve ever heard before.”
Ariel: (annoyed and now understanding why he’s not where he wants to be as an artist) “Really? So you’ve invented a new genre of music and you don’t sound like anyone else in the history of music?”
Artist: “Yes”
Ariel: “Can you at least tell me what type of music you play?”
Artist: “It’s old school hip hop.”
OK, finally we were getting somewhere. Now, while I totally understood his point, here’s the problem with having an approach like his: People are constantly looking for a context to put things into. If you don’t provide them with one, they will move on to the next thing that their brains can
actually grasp.
The critical thing that was missing in both scenarios was The Pitch.
The pitch
A pitch. Marketers call a USP (unique selling point), my friend Bob Baker calls a BIS (brand identity statement), and Laura Allen (pitch expert and founder of 15secondpitch.com) calls a 15-second pitch.
Call it what you want, this thing will change the way you market yourself and your music and give everyone a context. It is critical that you have a concise and easy-to-understand pitch that will help you shape your brand.
Your perfect pitch
Your pitch does not have to be lengthy to be effective; it just has to explain your sound and or your live show in a few words or sentences.
Here are some of my favorites from my clients to jump-start your brain:
Leftover Salmon – Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass
John Taglieri – If Vertical Horizon and Third Eye Blind got hit by Train!
Devil Doll – Jessica Rabbit meets Joan Jett
Go to this fabulous website: www.15secondpitch.com. This will help you structure and hone your pitch and it will TIME you too! Note, this site is a business pitch site, but you ARE a business and the structure that it provides is very helpful.
Write out your pitch
Write out your pitch. (Ed. note: for more details and step-by-step guided tour through this process, get Ariel’s book, details are at the end of the article). Read it out loud, standing in front of the mirror. Do you love it? If you don’t then don’t use it.
I once worked with a band that chose the term “Soul Rock” to describe their sound, and after it was published countless times, they were hating it. So make sure it’s something that you can deal with in print, over and over again, and something that you won’t get sick of.
Say it loud
Stand in front of the mirror and practice saying it. Does it feel comfortable to say it or do you feel like a dork? If you feel like you’re speaking your truth, you will absolutely know and then it is the perfect pitch for you.
Still not sure? Read it to a bunch of friends and fans and ask them to work on it with you! Don’t over think it. Keep it simple and as concise as you can.
Place your pitch
Now that you have it, you’re going to place it in the following places. What you are doing now is branding yourself.
Online Branding:
1. On your website’s homepage – yes, on the HOMEPAGE – and on as many pages as you can. Put it at the top of your bio, don’t bury it in the site).
2. On your MySpace page.
3. On your Facebook page.
4. On all social-networking sites that you use and anywhere else you have an online presence.
5. As the signature on your email correspondences, newsletters, and gig alerts.
Offline Branding:
1. On your postcards.
2. On your show flyers.
3. On your posters and anything else you have in print.
Now when you’re out somewhere and you hand someone a flyer announcing your show, you’re handing someone your brand. People will know exactly what you do and it will be effective marketing.
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Music Success in Nine weeksAriel Hyatt founded Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR 12 years ago and her firm has worked with over 1,000 musicians and bands of all genres. The Ariel Publicity mission states that all artists deserve to be heard and there is a place for artists of every level to receive exposure. Go to www.arielpublicity.com to learn more and sign up for Sound Advice, Ariel Publicity’s bi-monthly e-zine for musicians and entrepreneurs who want marketing, promotion, and PR tips for navigating the new music business.
Ariel’s book, Music Success in Nine weeks, is designed to supercharge your PR, help you connect to a broader fan base, and make you more money! Initially designed as a step-by-step program for my clients Ariel realized this is exactly the information that all artists could benefit from. Buy your copy today at http://cyberprbook.com/.
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Creating The Perfect Pitch
by Ariel Hyatt on September 21, 2009
Ariel(Excerpted from Music Success in Nine Weeks, A Step-By-Step Guide to Supercharging Your PR, Building Your Fan Base, and Earning More Money)
Here is a key lesson in branding yourself that can really set you up to have a major breakthrough for your musical career. What you will create here will define you in the minds of your fans and potential fans.
Two scenarios happened to inspire the writing of this:
Scenario #1: I was out at a show at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, and in between bands, I was standing at the bar talking to some friends when someone handed me a show flyer. I was taken with him immediately. I always appreciate anyone who is self-promoting because it is not easy to do and it is especially not easy at a crowded bar on a Wednesday night in downtown Manhattan. I looked down at the flyer and my heart sank. It said the following:
* Name of artist (name is not mentioned to protect the innocent)
* Venue (which was the Mercury, where I was)
* Date and show time
There I was, a perfectly primed potential fan; a customer standing at a bar, out at a live music show and he lost me forever. Why? Because not one sentence was included about what genre of music this artist played, much less what his music sounded like or who he could be compared to. In short, I had no idea what this artist sounded like or what to expect from his show. And to top it off, there was no website on the flyer. On the off-chance that I had taken it home, I would never have known where to find him online.
That was an opportunity totally LOST. Unbeknownst to him, he also handed his flyer to one of the most successful entertainment attorneys I know (who was in the middle of signing six artists to record deals), an A&R executive, and one of the best booking agents in the business.
We all looked down at the flyers in our hands, shrugged, and carried on with our conversation. He had totally BLOWN it.
Scenario #2: An artist called my PR firm to talk about hiring us for a Cyber PR campaign. Two minutes into the conversation my blood was beginning to boil. It went something like this:
Ariel: “What do you sound like?”
Artist: “I sound like absolutely nothing you’ve ever heard before.”
Ariel: (annoyed and now understanding why he’s not where he wants to be as an artist) “Really? So you’ve invented a new genre of music and you don’t sound like anyone else in the history of music?”
Artist: “Yes”
Ariel: “Can you at least tell me what type of music you play?”
Artist: “It’s old school hip hop.”
OK, finally we were getting somewhere. Now, while I totally understood his point, here’s the problem with having an approach like his: People are constantly looking for a context to put things into. If you don’t provide them with one, they will move on to the next thing that their brains can
actually grasp.
The critical thing that was missing in both scenarios was The Pitch.
The pitch
A pitch. Marketers call a USP (unique selling point), my friend Bob Baker calls a BIS (brand identity statement), and Laura Allen (pitch expert and founder of 15secondpitch.com) calls a 15-second pitch.
Call it what you want, this thing will change the way you market yourself and your music and give everyone a context. It is critical that you have a concise and easy-to-understand pitch that will help you shape your brand.
Your perfect pitch
Your pitch does not have to be lengthy to be effective; it just has to explain your sound and or your live show in a few words or sentences.
Here are some of my favorites from my clients to jump-start your brain:
Leftover Salmon – Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass
John Taglieri – If Vertical Horizon and Third Eye Blind got hit by Train!
Devil Doll – Jessica Rabbit meets Joan Jett
Go to this fabulous website: www.15secondpitch.com. This will help you structure and hone your pitch and it will TIME you too! Note, this site is a business pitch site, but you ARE a business and the structure that it provides is very helpful.
Write out your pitch
Write out your pitch. (Ed. note: for more details and step-by-step guided tour through this process, get Ariel’s book, details are at the end of the article). Read it out loud, standing in front of the mirror. Do you love it? If you don’t then don’t use it.
I once worked with a band that chose the term “Soul Rock” to describe their sound, and after it was published countless times, they were hating it. So make sure it’s something that you can deal with in print, over and over again, and something that you won’t get sick of.
Say it loud
Stand in front of the mirror and practice saying it. Does it feel comfortable to say it or do you feel like a dork? If you feel like you’re speaking your truth, you will absolutely know and then it is the perfect pitch for you.
Still not sure? Read it to a bunch of friends and fans and ask them to work on it with you! Don’t over think it. Keep it simple and as concise as you can.
Place your pitch
Now that you have it, you’re going to place it in the following places. What you are doing now is branding yourself.
Online Branding:
1. On your website’s homepage – yes, on the HOMEPAGE – and on as many pages as you can. Put it at the top of your bio, don’t bury it in the site).
2. On your MySpace page.
3. On your Facebook page.
4. On all social-networking sites that you use and anywhere else you have an online presence.
5. As the signature on your email correspondences, newsletters, and gig alerts.
Offline Branding:
1. On your postcards.
2. On your show flyers.
3. On your posters and anything else you have in print.
Now when you’re out somewhere and you hand someone a flyer announcing your show, you’re handing someone your brand. People will know exactly what you do and it will be effective marketing.
____________________
Music Success in Nine weeksAriel Hyatt founded Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR 12 years ago and her firm has worked with over 1,000 musicians and bands of all genres. The Ariel Publicity mission states that all artists deserve to be heard and there is a place for artists of every level to receive exposure. Go to www.arielpublicity.com to learn more and sign up for Sound Advice, Ariel Publicity’s bi-monthly e-zine for musicians and entrepreneurs who want marketing, promotion, and PR tips for navigating the new music business.
Ariel’s book, Music Success in Nine weeks, is designed to supercharge your PR, help you connect to a broader fan base, and make you more money! Initially designed as a step-by-step program for my clients Ariel realized this is exactly the information that all artists could benefit from. Buy your copy today at http://cyberprbook.com/.
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