3 Summer Music Promo Tips

Vox Henderson
May 21, 2022
3 min read

Updated: May 22, 2022

This post loosely follows Gab & Jam, episode 232

(video: https://bit.ly/232summerpromovid and podcast: https://bit.ly/232summerpromopod )

Hey, you KNOW how we do—we get inspired by our fellow music promotion folks—so, this post is not much different. This one is inspired by Ariel Hyatt’s post: "Ten Summer Tips for Music Promotion."

We like it, because it helps show you some actions that you can take to move your creative empire forward, which is our regular JAM around here—and is REALLY the reason why we even bother to share this kind stuff with you. –If we didn’t want YOU to be empowered just as much as we are, we would keep all this shit to ourselves…… But we want the be the kind of friend that we like to meet, so here’s us, sharing….

Here's a little context…

In the article, Hyatt suggests that independent artists take a look at some ways to tackle post pandemic summer promo. Yes, things are opening back up. But, no, it’s not QUITE the same. Here are some ways to not only draw potential fans, but to re-engage your current followers, and to have a little fun along the way.

She makes a good point; that “Followers aren’t things you collect, store away, and never tend to again.” She also makes the point that it’s easier to draw folks closer to you, when they have ALREADY expressed interest, than to try to win new folks over. Think about it; they’ve already shown appreciation for you and your music! –So here are some easy ways to do that–starting THIS summer!

Here are 3 Summer Music Promo Tips

1. Get serious about your newsletter

This is what is called “nurturing” your fans. Hyatt says that this is a better bang for the buck than social media, because folks have ALREADY said that they want to hear from you, if they’ve joined your email list. So, give them a REASON to love you even more. Do this by:

Sending out a newsletter-type email AT LEAST once a month
Be consistent
Track effectiveness (by monitoring your open rates)

If you DON’T already have an email list, Hyatt suggests that you start THERE. –While she touts Mailchimp as the provider of choice–likely, because it’s free to get started!--there are quite a few other email providers. So, do your research, and start asking folks to join. As you encounter folks online that want to hear more from you, be sure to ask them if you can include them. –And, if you do live shows, keep a clipboard–or an iPad–at the merch table, where folks can opt in right then and there. –Before you know it, you will have a robust list of folks who WANT to hear more from you. So, be sure to let them hear from you.

As a bonus–and a nod to the summer promo theme, Hyatt suggests that you include summer visuals and emojis in your emails to boost your marketing reach.

2. Ask for interaction

Hyatt says, if the goal is to increase engagement, use TikTok and Instagram stories as a great way to pose questions or fun trivia for your people. She says that letting them express themselves, you are building a deeper connection with them, getting engagement, AND increasing the reach of your profile at the same damn time! –As you KNOW, we LOVE the opportunities to do more than one thing at the same time, so we are VERY likely to use this one.

3. Practice random acts of kindness online regularly

Though this has been one of those that we have tried to be sure to practice, it wouldn’t hurt for us to do this more. So, Hyatt’s advice is to introduce folks who may benefit from knowing each other–which is kinda our idea behind the Be the Next D.I.Y. Rock Star Facebook group (add link). By trying to gather and help others who are traveling on this same creative empire-building journey, we KNOW we make an impact. In fact, we’ve heard folks thank us for providing a way for them to post their links and to fellowship over topics that relate to this unique artistic pursuit.

But THAT ain’t all…

Hey, if you want Ariel Hyatt’s other 7 tips, feel free to roll on over to her post (add link), so that you don’t miss out on other ways to ramp up your summer band promo!