HOW TO GET PRESS

posted in: Music News

Believe it or not, it’s a lot easier to get press for your band now than it was five years ago. You have the blogosphere to thank for that people. And since anyone can be a published writer, the opportunities for press coverage have increased exponentially.

When you’re starting to compile press clips from scratch, we suggest you concentrate your efforts on blogs. Here’s why:

1.    Blogs are more accessible. Most are operated by single individuals working from home, as opposed to the complicated infrastructure of major publications. In other words, you’ll have more luck getting a response from a blogger than the managing editor of Rolling Stone.

2.    Blogs are better predictors of what’s hot. There are a few reasons for this ”the youth factor, less bureaucracy and processes, the fact that most bloggers write for passion and not a paycheck.  And you’d better believe that the senior editors of major Websites, magazines and newspapers are avid blog readers.

3.    Blogs have less rivalry, more eyeballs. Bloggers have a symbiotic relationship with one another. You’ll notice that many music blogs will link to each other, which increases the traffic on each site.

Choosing The Right Blogs

The rules here are simple: Look for blogs that cover your kind of music. Check the dates on each post to ensure that the blog is updated regularly. Look and see if readers are actively commenting on the posts. And, above all else, make sure the blogger knows how to write! No one will be impressed by a press quote that sounds like it was written by a four-year-old.

Here some of the most trafficked music blogs out there in cyberspace. Take a look, and be sure to check out the external sites that each is linking to. This will clue you in on the most salient blogs.

Stereogum
Brooklyn Vegan
Daytrotter
Idolator
Gorilla Vs. Bear
Prefix Magazine
My Old Kentucky Blog
An Aquarium Drunkard
2 Dope Boyz
I Guess I’m Floating
Chromewaves
Large Hearted Boy
Music (For Robots)
Fluxblog
Muzzle of Bees

Getting The Press Machine Rolling

Before you reach out to bloggers, do a little research. See if you can dig up the name of the person behind the generic email address ”if you can, use it. Give a brief introduction (one or two lines) and mention any cool recognition you’ve received. Always include direct links to your MP3s! The less clicking a blogger does to hear your music, the better. Keep track of each person you email, and give them a week to respond. After that, it’s OK to follow-up. If you still don’t get a response after following up twice, move on. There are plenty of other bloggers to fry. Uh, you know what we mean.

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