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PR is changing: Alternatives for Today’s Indie Artists
In music, good PR is extremely powerful. A strong relationship with your audience is enough to give your career legs and have it walk you straight into numerous opportunities; a label’s interest piques when they notice a decent online following, venues are further incentivized to book you when they know you’ll bring in a great crowd, other artists will invite you to collaborate if they see that you proudly promote your work and engage with your following.., the list goes on. Although we’ve all absorbed the age-old proverb that you shouldn’t care about what other people think about you, the music business does ask that you care a little bit, and curate a public image that is both likable and authentic to you. Through what means can you mold this image?
Traditional vs. Modern PR
The music business landscape was once devoid of “content”; pre-internet, the only way for artists to touch base with the public was through interviews, live shows, and press releases. The rapid development of technology brought with it an entirely new set of means of communication, and thus, new channels to manage and use when addressing an audience. Just a couple decades ago, PR was meticulous and followed a standard procedure. Now, social media leaves us no choice – every post has the reach to garner huge amounts of attention and act as a public statement. New PR lives on social media, demanding a casual air about it, as well as abundance and consistency. Where promotion was once seasonal, professional and neutral, it is now casual, constant, and oversaturated.
As an independent artist, how do you stand out as so many others also attempt to break through the noise and have a solid, loyal fanbase? We advise that you take control of your own narrative where you can, and make your music available everywhere. This way you are the source of your story, and your music will make people want to hear it.
Write Your Own Profile for the Press
Press releases do still play a big role in increasing your music’s visibility, but have an even bigger impact on your credibility as an artist. When established publications write about you, it sends a message to the public that you’re someone to keep an eye on and are worthy of more attention. This only gets more impressive by the day given the sheer number of new artists currently in the scene. So many to choose from, and they chose you.
Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping someone wants to tell your story (and gets it right), write your own artist bio using words and adjectives you’d like to have associated with your music and personality. Provide writers, bloggers, and reviewers with the color palette you want to be described with by giving them a profile they can pull from when writing about you or your project. Better yet, create an EPK (Electronic Press Kit). This is a document that is essentially a cross between a bio and moodboard that represents you as an artist and your musical universe. By including professional photos, previous accolades, and descriptive text about why you do what you do, you’ll give the press an enormous amount of information to pull from that will have already been approved by you. Find media outlets to reach out to by country or genre here – you’ll be able to contact them directly.
Make Your Social Media Reflective of Who You Are
No matter whether you view social media as a personal diary, scrapbook, or place to stalk your idols, it has undoubtedly become the primary way people discover new music.
In order for visitors of your profiles to understand you best, you’ll need to make your IG, TikTok and X pages as reflective of your personality as possible. This can be through captions (serious, funny, loud, subtle) or the photos and videos you choose to post (casual, high-quality, edited, dumps) to the types of stories you share (daily life, memes, announcements) and how intimate you are with your audience. Be selective with your mix of personal content and trends, and only operate based on what you would do for you, not what you think your audience wants from you. This is how you will remain authentic online.
Engage with your community as if they are your friends to create a sense of closeness between you and your following – answer comments and DMs when you can, and be sincere. Building a personal connection with your following, no matter how big or small, is a long term investment. When listeners feel a personal attachment to an artist, they often become lifelong supporters.
