Tips on Self-promotion
This is geared towards promoting music, but it should be easy to apply generalize these tips to apply them to most kinds of self-promotion.
1) Find pre-made markets: Promoting a project is very expensive in terms of time. The same way you try to find the most bang for your buck when you buy things, you should find the most efficient ways to spend your time. Rather than try to promote to random people, try to focus on places where people who are likely to like and support my music would be – at live events featuring music similar to my own, on the websites related to similar artists, in places where people into art and creativity in general are likely to gather, etc.
2) Share the process: Art is exponentially more enjoyable and enticing when you are connected to the process in some way. Any time you interact with people, you have a great chance to connect them to your process. Don’t shove it down people’s throats, but encourage them to ask about your project and your creative process. If they are interested in learning more, make sure you tell them more.
3) Give them a taste: You can tell all kinds of people about the stuff you’re working on, but talk is cheap. The best way to get people to see you as an artist isn’t to tell them about your art – it’s to show them your art. If the telling gets someone interested, that interest will quickly get old if there’s nothing more. Make a promo CD, put some free songs online, do what you need to do to make sure you’re putting your art where your mouth is.
4) Be ready for a sale: Not everyone you talk to is going to buy a CD on the spot. Not every visitor to your website is going to order a CD their first time there. Still, some people will want to buy immediately. If they can’t, they may end up forgetting, losing interest, or spending their money on something else in the meantime. You should always be ready for a sale. If I’m on your website and I want to order a CD, I should be able to do it right away. Don’t delay the sale by making me go through some unnecessarily long or complicated process first, make it quick and simple. CDBaby is great for that. Don’t rely on CDBaby though. If we meet in person and I want to buy a CD, don’t make me wait until I have access to a computer to get it and don’t tell me you’ll have copies on you another time. Have it ready.
5) Be easy to find: It’s so frustrating when I google an artist whose performance I enjoyed and nothing comes up. It’s frustrating at first, but then I usually forget about them. Don’t be forgotten. Make sure more info is available for people who seek it out. In this age of information, people should be able to easily find your music and (going back to tip #2) info on your process (i.e. bio, blog, etc.). Try googling yourself to see how easy you are to find.
