What is Public Relations (PR) and Artist Development. Pt.1
In short, PR is the strategic communications process that builds a bond that is mutually beneficial to both the musician, and their fans.
It is the responsibility of the PR firm to attract not only media attention through blogs, interviews, and reviews but also help to garner radio airplay, tour/show announcements, and press releases. A lot of newer, or “baby bands” really don’t spend a great amount of time pondering how PR can help them and some bands already practice PR without ever realizing it.
For those who have never thought of how PR can help them I am going to touch on some of the basics.
- Web Presence (Website)- I have seen a lot of artists recently who do not have a website. This is not a deal breaker when I am writing about that band, but having one does help the process. Think of it as your central hub for all things “you” shows, media coverage, videos, song samples etc.. All of these will assist writers, booking agents, and other industry professionals get to know you better.
- Electronic Press Kit (EPK)- This can just be a condensed version of highlights from your website examples can include a photo, bio, upcoming show dates and releases, and media coverage quotes. The EPK can be tailored to the needs of the artist. The EPK can also be sent when booking possible gigs as an add-on to the booking proposal. You can also add social media links as well.
- One Sheet- As the name implies it is simply just one sheet. It is like an EPK, but only much shorter. As a writer, I really enjoy receiving these when a band releases new music.
- Social Media- This is just my opinion, but Facebook is slowly dying as a reliable source for the indie artist. If the artist does not have a lot of money to spend on advertising then their individual reach will not be that great. If one insists on using FB I would suggest sticking to posting one of the more popular insight generating streams such as video. Instagram and TikTok are the most popular at the moment. Twitter is one of those that require constant minute by minute updates from the artist.
- Social Media Sharing- If a writer, journalists, or other blogging outlet are willing to write about your music, then please share what they have written. They appreciate it whenever a band or musician shares and tags their work.
By now you’re probably saying “okay, great I can do all of this for free so why should I hire a PR agency to do it for me?”. To some extent I suppose you are right, but would it really be free? Here are some things you should consider first.
The time you spend cultivating an email list, social media channels, EPK’s, One Sheets, and Web Presence is time that you’re not spending on your music and is actually creating that much more work for you. You need a team of professionals on standby ready to aggressively submit your music to hundreds of writers. Some PR firms will charge upwards of thousands of dollars for a brief campaign for an indie artist. I worked with a PR firm once who wanted £4,500 for just a 3 week campaign. That is why it is important to not overlook the indie PR agencies, as they are better to work with as an indie artist.
One of our favorite UK based agencies is FlutterTone which is headquartered in Ireland. They do some fantastic work on behalf of their clientele with services ranging from PR to lyric video production. I’ve worked with Colm and his team on many articles, and have never had any problems. They are all around great folks to work with. I highly recommend contacting them straight away for your PR needs.
Be sure to follow them on Spotify as well.
