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How to market yourself as a singer – Time to shine

August 22, 2023 • 8 min read
Stop believing in the “starving artist” stereotype and learn now about music promotion. We know that it’s a lot of work but this article will show you how to market yourself as a singer! From streaming platforms to social media, you need to put your songs out there and build an audience. A distributor can be an ally in that path and Magroove is a free option founded to support indie artists. So get ready to learn about the following topics:

Branding

To answer the question of how to market yourself as a singer, first you need to strengthen your own branding. Okay, but what is branding? It’s the process of developing a strong and identifiable perception of, in this case, a musician. Basically, it’s how you will stand out from others. Having a strong brand means more confidence to create music, set goals, and make decisions. To achieve that, try to find your identity as an artist and maintain a consistent messaging to the public. Work on your storytelling and work on a more professional image. But be careful to fit a cohesive speech on different channels. It is easier to recognize a branding by the visuals with distinctive design. For example, a logo, press kit or website may be the first impression someone has of you. So these elements should cover aspects that represent you and are particular to your work. Put your essence in it: the message you defend, your mission statement, your personality and more.

How to Market Yourself as a Singer with Streaming Platforms?

Streaming platforms are the first thing you should consider in the plans on how to market yourself as a singer. Why? Well, Spotify alone has more than 500 million users. Is that not reason enough? During the past two decades, this new way to listen to music changed the way people search for new tracks. And they developed modern tools like Pre-Save campaigns and playlists to boost releases! You need to upload your songs to these platforms in order to grow your audience globally. So, it’s vital to find a music distributor that can help you with this task. Here enters Magroove: a service founded to help indie artists with free and easy solutions. We will put your tracks in more than 40 high accessed streaming platforms worldwide like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, and more. Plus social media libraries like TikTok and Facebook! how to market yourself as a singer You can keep 100% of your royalties, and we never charge upfront. You will only be charged if you make more than USD 5 a year per release. We will keep USD 5, and all above is yours. If you earn less than that, don't worry: your music won't be taken down. And it’s not just that: we also provide smart features to support your promotion for free.

Pitching

In order to become popular, make contacts and appear in important and famous spaces, you will need to pitch yourself. Alright, for starters: know your audience and study the market. It will help you to direct the efforts and be more effective. Now it’s time to send your music to blogs, playlists, press, local radio, bookers, and entertainment venues. But don’t do it randomly. First, prepare a list with names that work with a music genre related to yours - and update it constantly. Be sure to be concise and polite in the message: these people are usually very busy. Explain why you think your sound fits that space. If you are releasing a single, album or EP, give the main information, date and name, and talk a little about it. Grab attention, make your pitch stand out. Don't forget to end with a link to your music and to a portfolio, like an electronic press kit, with more content about you. Of course, approaches might differ depending on who you're contacting. If it's a blogger or journalist, for example, you can take the opportunity to offer an interview or exclusive content. If it's an entertainment venue, how about listing live performances you've already done? And have you ever heard of elevator pitch? Imagine this: you are in an elevator and suddenly a major contact from the music industry comes in. What would you do? You should be prepared to present yourself fast. This is just an idea of how relevant it’s to polish your speech so the speaker gets his message across efficiently. Know your goals, target public, and main content.

Playlist Pitching

Now, if you're looking to get into a curated playlist, we've got a template for you! Trying to be on those playlists is fundamental. Think about it: they are a way to reach a huge new audience of people who already enjoy a sound like yours. So how about the following message? You can search for curators and contact them directly.

Hey! I’ve really enjoyed the playlist you’ve created and I think it matches with my music and artistic message. I’m sending this email to inquire about your submission process. 

On (date), i released my new single (name). OR: I will release my new single (name) on (date).

(Talk a little bit about your single).

I’d be honored if you listen and find a good fit for your playlist. Here’s the link: (link).

Here's my portfolio with more information about me: (link). 

Also, go to your Spotify for Artists page to send upcoming, unreleased songs to their curators. They will add your pitched track to your followers’ Release Radar playlists. And you can pin it to your This Is playlist. It's easy: log in, select “Pitch from next release”, pick a song, and fill out the info. Magroove can help you with that too! how to market yourself as a singer

Build a Portfolio

You didn't think we'd let you down when building the portfolio, did you? It’s essential for you to present and sell yourself as the great talent that you are! Let’s think about two ways to be ready to anything:
  • Electronic press kit (EPK): An EPK can help to generate buzz around upcoming releases, book concerts, and boost relationships between artists and journalists. In order to compose it, you can add professional photos, press releases, contacts, links to songs and music videos. Also, concerts’ schedule, a brief biography, relevant press appearances and even awards. Don’t forget your portfolio should express your branding and visual identity.
  • Website: You can also have your own website. It’s important to gather imperative information and use tools to increase your numbers - like SEO, newsletters, and mailing lists. When someone types your name on Google, for example, it’s very likely that your official webpage will appear first. So keep it updated!

How to Market Yourself as a Singer with Social Media?

Nowadays, social media is the key to how to market yourself as a singer. It's your opportunity to get closer to the public and build a fanbase. Be on all the major ones: TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, at least. Each of them has particularities: some are more focused on videos, others on photos, or on text. Therefore, you need to be aware of creating your own content for each profile. Keep them updated! Take the chance to share not only your releases, but also behind the scenes, fun facts about you, high quality photos, news teasers… The sky's the limit for your creativity. Always engage and interact with your followers. This will increase your audience and retain your fans. One idea is to release easter eggs about releases that only the fanbase would understand and let them unravel the mystery and collaborate on the release. More than that, social media has already helped hundreds of artists to go viral. Why not come up with a dance or challenge for TikTok or Instagram Reels with your new track? Maybe even create a photo filter with something about your new music video? Twitter will love a question and answer session with a hashtag! And Facebook is the ideal place to create a group uniting the fandom. how to market yourself as a singer

Merch

Another tip on how to market yourself as a singer is to sell merch. And Magroove offers a webstore builder with free custom products, automatic production, payments and global shipping. Of course: all with the lowest fees in the market. Fans love to buy items about their favorite singer. Besides CDs or vinyls, you can sell t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and more.

Music Videos

In a world taken over by screens, videos attract a lot of public attention. That's one of the reasons why music videos haven't gotten old. They are still a differential and opportunity for you to express yourself as an artist. Work on the concept, colors, costumes, sets and even choreography, as it makes the sense for your project. It's a good addition to your portfolio to impress both new and loyal listeners. Another idea is to produce lyric videos, they are easier to make and help the public to know the lyrics of the single. Also, don't forget to post videos singing a cappella, show your vocal range!

Paid Advertising

If you decided to use Ads, don't abandon the other organic tactics, add the two. For paid advertising, you can choose which platform you will invest your budget on. For example Spotify, Google, Instagram, TikTok or Facebook. Then, target users who are more likely to like your music, use your visual identity and maintain objective communication.
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