As an artist, getting your music out there is crucial to your success. With so many channels and platforms to choose from, it can be overwhelming to determine the best approach. That’s where Virtual Publicist comes in, offering a customized and AI-powered solution to help you your manage a media outreach campaign.
Whether you’re looking to grow your fanbase, launch a new album, or increase your press coverage, Virtual Publicist has got you covered. Here are the steps you need to take to maximize your media outreach.
To manage a media outreach campaign use Virtual Publicist database, Smart Lists and the private inbox.
To Maximize efficiency, follow these steps:
Set Clear Objectives for your Campaign:
- Set Your Objectives Before you start your media outreach campaign, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve.
- Whether you’re looking for growth, a new fanbase, album launch, or more press coverage, defining your objectives will help guide your strategy.
Choose a Smart List:
- Once you have your objectives in mind, it’s time to start reaching out to media outlets.
- Virtual Publicist offers suggestive AI created lists, that compiles the top contacts in your industry, theme, and category type. This is a great place to start, as it gives you access to a curated selection of contacts that are relevant to your work.
Build Smart Email Lists:
- Virtual Publicist also allows you to build your own smart email lists, giving you the ability to personalize your outreach to individual contacts. This is often more effective than sending group emails, as it shows that you’ve taken the time to consider their specific interests and needs.
- Start by creating individual lists for blogs, magazines, influencers, content creators, and broadcasters.
Prepare Your Pitch:
- Finally, it’s time to start your outreach. Virtual Publicist’s AI copywriter makes this process simple and efficient by offering tried-and-true pitching formats.
- Choose one of the templates, or use the copywriter to create a custom email that will grab the attention of your contacts.
Best Practice for Your Communications:
Keep your pitch short and sweet:
- People in the music industry are usually very busy, and receive a lot of emails per day. Keep your pitch concise and to the point. Include a brief introduction about yourself, a link to your music, and why you think that outlet or professional would be a good fit.
Follow up:
- If you don’t receive a response to your initial outreach, don’t give up. Follow up with a polite reminder a week later. It’s possible that your email got lost in their inbox or they simply haven’t had time to respond yet.
Keep track of your outreach:
- Use your Virtual Publicist dashboard to keep track of who you’ve reached out to, when you sent the email, and whether or not you received a reply. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you don’t accidentally send duplicate emails or miss a response.
Be professional:
- Always maintain a professional tone in your outreach. Avoid using slang or casual language, and make sure your grammar and spelling are correct.
Offer value:
- Your pitch should focus on how you can provide value to the person you’re reaching out to. Explain what benefits they’ll receive by working with you or featuring your music.
Be persistent, but not pushy:
- It’s okay to follow up with someone a few times if you don’t get a reply, but don’t be too aggressive or pushy. If someone isn’t interested, respect their decision and move on.
Customize your approach:
- Different industry professionals may prefer different methods of communication. Some may prefer email, while others prefer social media or phone calls. Try to tailor your outreach approach to each individual.
Be patient:
- Building relationships and making connections in the music industry can take time. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate success. Keep refining your approach and persisting.
What to do if you are getting no responses from your pitch?
Re-evaluate your approach:
- Take a step back and look at your outreach approach. Is your message clear and concise? Is it personalized and professional? Are you offering value to the recipient? Consider tweaking your approach to make it more effective and adjust the time at which it is being sent.
Narrow your focus:
- Instead of sending out a ton of generic messages, try focusing on a smaller group of people who are more likely to be interested in your music. Research the individuals or organizations you’re reaching out to and make sure they’re a good fit for your music.
Follow up again:
- Sometimes people just need a gentle reminder. If you haven’t heard back from someone after a week or two, send a polite follow-up email. Be persistent, but don’t be too pushy.
Network:
- Building relationships in the music industry takes time and effort. Attend industry events, connect with other musicians and industry professionals on social media, and try to establish genuine connections. These connections can lead to opportunities in the future.
Keep creating:
- While it’s important to put effort into your outreach, it’s also important to keep creating and sharing your music in the traditional way. Make sure you’re consistently putting out high-quality content and engaging with your audience on social media. This can help attract new fans and potentially catch the attention of industry professionals.
Creating a Smart List:
Creating a successful media outreach campaign requires a smart and organized approach. With Virtual Publicist, you have access to a powerful tool that makes this process simple and efficient. Here’s how to create a smart list that will help you reach your media contacts with ease.
Make a List for Each Segment of Your Campaign:
- The first step in creating a smart list is to separate your contacts into distinct categories. This could include blogs, magazines, influencers, content creators, and broadcasters.
- Make sure each list has a clear and descriptive title that reflects the type of media or category you’re targeting.
- Prioritize these lists in a specific order to optimize your growth.
Search for Targeted Groups
- Virtual Publicist provides a roster of contacts that you can search through to find the best fit for your campaign. Simply type in the location and category, and select from the list of contacts.
- This makes it easy to find media partners that are relevant to your work.
Personalize Your Pitch:
- Finally, it’s time to start reaching out to your contacts. Virtual Publicist’s AI copywriter provides templates that you can use to personalize your emails.
- These templates include all the key sections you’ll need to submit to media outlets, making the process quick and easy.
With these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating a smart list that will help you reach your media contacts with ease.
Pro Tips:
- Select a media outreach template from the AI copywriter, including key sections.
- Start with online radio and college stations, then scale to on-air radio stations.
- Read blogs on building your brand as an artist and using media outlets.
- Create a timeline in your scheduler and start preparing your digital assets. This includes high quality images, videos, and other visual elements that will help you promote your work on social media.
- Make sure your digital assets are professional, eye-catching, and clearly showcase your talent.