Thread by @sarahlay

Nobody:

Me: Sure, I’ll share some thoughts I’ve been having recently on what you should, and shouldn’t, do when you’re trying to get coverage for your band (especially new & emerging artists)

What better read is there on a Sunday evening? NONE.

THREAD!

First up, who am I to offer up advice on getting coverage for your band? In my years as a music journalist I’ve been an editor of @louderthanwar, & written for the likes of @drownedinsound, @loudandquiet, @getinherears & @godisinthetv. I now run @popoptica.

I also co-founded @TheRecklessYes with @razorcuts and look after all the press for our roster (@TheQuill @WEARELIINES @fightmilkband @Bugeyeband +++ so many more). I’ve also done bits of PR for people like @ChrisHelme & @teamloverecords. Means I’ve seen press from both sides

What’s the challenge? The internet is the great leveller right & it’s easy for you to pitch…sort of. But there’s an awful lot of people trying to get coverage, & Majors / Big PRs still get to jump the queue for a lot of publications

As an editor I’ve sometimes had more than 500 emails a day - mostly as a volunteer with a day job. How do you get my attention in the noise? You don’t do it by sending a generic mail-out that shows no idea about my publication or me as a writer

Personalised email goes a long way - address me by name, show some knowledge of what the publication is about or recent things you’ve read. Don’t CC a ton of other people. Seriously, this is the worst (and potentially illegal). It’s not cool

Do you need to hire a PR? Not immediately as a new band - there is a ton of stuff you can do yourself. It’s time consuming, it needs authenticity (wild right - spin has no place here), & sometimes you’ll be disappointed

But you can do the work and find blogs and writers who will love you & want to enthuse about you - they are trusted by people who will buy your music. These are the people doing some of the most underrated but important work in modern music writing, I think

Doing it yourself - what do you need in your press kit (EPK)? First point here - don’t attach music files to your email - ALWAYS link to a private stream, and a place to download from (like Dropbox). Preferably link to an online press release too (like in Drive)

Make sure the download folder includes band images & artwork. Put socials & tags in your press release. If you have press quotes add them, if you don’t no panic. Some writers like a FFO (For Fans Of) suggestion others don’t. Get a good biog written for you preferably

Submission platforms. Ok. Lots of people have found success with these. As a journalist / editor, it’s not the way I would ever want to accept a pitch. I’d also question how much they help you build an ongoing relationship. Either way NEVER pay directly for coverage

For me, relationship is key. There is a grassroots layer of bloggers who are passionate about music, understand their scenes inside out, sometimes feed up recommendations for bigger publications, & will slog away covering a band through their early days

Find those people - some of my faves are at @eventhestarsuk @Dreaminisfree1, @Joyzineuk , @godisinthetv , @getinherears , @scrtmeetingblog, @echoesanddust , @SmallMusicScene , @TravellersTunes, @circuitsweet, @loudwomenclub, @GoldFlakePaint, @LoudAndQuietMag & @cambmr

Not all of these sites are MASSIVE but they are so tightly linked to an active network of music lovers they are invaluable to artists - 100 interested readers is always way better than 1000 indifferent ones

Plus those people don’t copy and paste your press release. This is a total no-no for me as a PR, label, and definitely as a writer. No value to band. No value to reader. It’s a practice which is doing no-one any favours. Original content or go home

Hiring a PR. Like any member of your team they should add value. There is always an element of risk so make sure you’re happy with the cost even if you get little coverage out of it. Some PRs work on a commission basis - if you can find one that’s a fit this is GOLD

I have PRs I trust because they have tried to get a feel for my taste / the publication’s approach & use some imagination. They’ll send me specific feature pitches & highlight interesting stuff about the bands. They don’t add me to their mailing list & consider it job done

I don’t want an echo chamber where the same bands get coverage. Sure I’m going to have my faves. I’m going to prefer some genres & records on a personal level. A good general writer wants to explore beyond their comfort zone, & give context & constructive critique to everything

However, if someone only writes about one genre don’t pitch them outside of that & expect them to be all over it. For me it’s less about genre & more about artist - the writing is always about connection, context, and kindness in critique

Pitching & getting coverage isn’t the end of it for you as a band. You should be sharing the hell out of everything you land, & not just once with a RT. Keep going, get it across all your channels. Add a quote to your next press release. Community, yeah?

Before I end I want to address the elephant in the thread: does music journalism even matter anymore? To me, it’s a tentative yes & a ‘depends why you’re asking’. Personally writing is intrinsic in connecting to the music & good for my mental health...

On a wider level good coverage & support helps grow a band & connect to new audiences. What doesn’t matter so much is cut-&-paste-throw-it-out-once-on-social types of coverage. These aren’t worth your time & as an artist I’d recommend you drop chasing that & go direct on socials

There is kudos for sure in getting covered on some sites but as a label we see a way clearer direct impact on emerging artists from quality coverage in smaller blogs most of the time. If you’re new / smaller artist really think about quality over quantity (or scale) to start with

However you decide to approach your promo & whatever coverage you want remember music is community, a connected eco-system. Most of us in grassroots music aren’t getting paid much / at all. Respect boundaries, be a nice person, rest often but keep going. Your music matters

So, that’s a quick bit of advice if you’re about to embark on some promo for your band. Hopefully some of it helpful

You can find me writing over at @popoptica - say hello before you slide into my DMs requesting coverage & please, don’t add me to your mailing list 💖

I knew I’d forget something so - ADDITIONAL - lead in times. Do not underestimate the time needed to really meet your promo potential. For press allow 12-16 weeks. Online maybe 8-10. The looser your relationship with a blog the more time you should give to building up to pitch

Maybe I’ll put together some thoughts on how to get going as a blogger sometime...if anyone is interested in that? I don’t know it all so sort of hoping these threads open a wider conversation...

Always forget someone on these things - @thezineuk is brilliant too.

And on radio you want @JohnKennedy @charlieashcroft @steve_lamacq @amylame @shellzenner @OFIMondayRadio @PostcardsFTU, the @GIITTV podcast & pretty much all of @RadioMatlock