In our continuing series of finding gigs and building a long lasting and profitable career in music we want to talk about promotional material.
What do you say and how do you say it? The toughest part is to get their attention.
Band booking agents are swamped with requests for live music gigs and promo packs.
So we need to get their attention without breaking their trust.
With that in mind .
.
.
Stay away from B.
S.
statements and hyped up soliloquy in your promo materials We've all been around the block once or twice without our Mommies here.
Or as the saying goes "You can not Dazzle me with Brilliance nor Baffle me with Bull".
Cut to the chase.
Give it to me straight.
Please don't think that I am really going to believe you're ready to take the music world by storm if you're playing pool halls and coffee shops.
Keep it real.
Base your articles and publicity material in the Real World.
You and I are not going to fall for B.
S.
What makes you think anyone out there is any different? Tell it like it is.
Just add a little sizzle to the steak.
Keep your marketing and press statements exciting and entertaining.
We are in the business of fun.
Feel free to be a little wild and outlandish.
It's okay.
People won't mind.
We're in an industry where people are looking for an escape.
Let them have it to take their minds off of things.
It keeps us in business.
Just keep it real.
Take your picture with a donkey for promo.
Just don't be the donkey.
Commit to at least 6 months to any marketing campaign Don't think you're going to hit a homerun every time.
Build slowly and look to just get on base.
A walk is as good as a hit.
You need to give yourself time to find out what works.
Once you do, then do that over and over.
Just be sure to try as many different marketing pieces as you can afford.
Try postcards and Google Ad Words at the same time.
See which one works better.
Change your message to fit different demographics and target markets.
Use your creativity to get their attention.
There was a band that sent me their promo.
I had about 50 bands sending me stuff for this festival and I opened theirs' first because it was not like all the other packets I was getting.
It was kind of lumpy.
Inside was a Nerf Ball with the band's name on it.
Only it was really small and when you got it wet it got really big.
We were whipping this thing around the office and throwing it at each others' heads.
One time we named the band after the promotional item we had in stock.
It was a refrigerator magnet made of knotted ropes in the shape of the letter 'Y'.
So we called the band "Why Knot".
A bottle of aspirin inside and envelope can accent your opening headline that may something along the lines of, "Did that last band you hire give everyone a headache?" Be sure to stay within the bounds of the law and there is no limit to what your fertile imagination can come up with to hook 'em.
These ideas for booking gigs and creating better paying music career are found in the breakthrough new book available at our web site.
Just look at the link below.
There you will find a step by step formula for creating music gigs.
We would love it if you check it out.
Either way, I certainly hope you thought of ways you can find gigs that pay the most money doing what you love - making music.