Are you working on releasing a new song or album and want to get exposure with a feature on a well-respected blog? Whether you’re submitting to very popular blogs or small indie blogs, there are a few things to do before sending that perfect email.
One thing musicians fail to realize is that some blogs do not accept some genres of music. For instance, even though it happens these days, it is not right for a Hip-hop blog to feature an Afrobeats song just because it’s currently the in-thing. There is always a blog out there interested in your genre or style of music but your music has to sound good and your submission has to stand out!
In this article, we highlight 5 important things to consider before sending your music to blogs or music curators.
1. Make A List of Blogs That Write On Your Genre
Instead of getting a generic list of music blog emails, do your research and categorize the emails based on genres. As stated early on, it is not right for a Hip-hop blog to feature an Afrobeats song just because it’s the in-thing.
You should submit your music to blogs/websites that publish on your type of sound or genre. Sending an email blast to blogs that don’t even publish on your genre shows the editors or journalists you don’t patronize their blogs. It also shows you are not serious about your brand as an artiste since it reveals you don’t have any standards and want any kind of publicity.
2. Follow The Blog’s Submission Guidelines
Following a music blog’s submission guidelines is very crucial to getting noticed and featured. It is, however, one of the things artistes and their teams overlook. After they get the blog’s email address, they just proceed to send the mail which is then not given any response or feedback. Most blogs have specific guidelines you need to adhere to in order to get featured.
3. Get The Correct Contact Information
You need to find the correct email address of the blogs or writers/journalists responsible for your favorite music articles. Some blogs have a form on their contact page where you can submit your music. Others have specific email addresses you need to send music submissions to. For others, you’d need to pitch to the writers- for these types, it’d be best to address the person, a “Hello Editor” won’t cut it. Stating the writer/journalist’s name shows you appreciate the writer’s writing enough and want to genuinely read his/her thoughts on your new music.
4. Proofread Your Press Releases!
To be taken seriously, try avoiding common spelling and grammatical errors. The article should not necessarily contain flowery words. A clear and simple approach is a much better way for music bloggers/journalists or curators to understand you.
Most music bloggers are professional writers. Submissions with lots of errors can be off-putting to them. So try getting professional press releases prepared for you. You can contact music PR agencies like UR-PR, Burstimo and Liberty Music PR to get professional public relations services.
5. Include Your Music & Social Media Links
Instead of jamming up a blogger’s inbox with huge music or video files, it’d be best to attach links to your songs and social media pages.
Bloggers can easily check out your music whether it’s on YouTube, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Spotify, or Audiomack. But do a double check to see if the links work perfectly. A broken link will affect your chances of getting featured even in the future. Remember first impressions matter.
You will have to add a brief bio and an electronic press kit that talks about your musical journey thus far and a little info about the song or body of work you are submitting.
Find out our recent article on 7 ways to increase Spotify streams & followers.
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