It was nice to see such a good response to last week’s “Top Ten Most Read Blogs of 2022,” although I’m not surprised that there was that much interest. That post enabled readers to catch up on what they might’ve missed last year – and which blogs were the most popular over that twelve-month period.
But to be clear, that list was derived solely from the blogs that were authored by yours truly. So, this week it’s time for the annual look back at the past year’s guest posts.
Let this also serve as an open invitation for anyone who’d like to provide a guest blog for 2023. Familiarize yourself (if you aren’t already) with what typically gets written about on this site and write in with your idea first (before writing the blog) to see if it’s a fit. (Sorry, no blogs promoting your business, product, or service, which also means no promotion of singles, music videos, EPs, albums, etc.)
Here’s a look back at such posts that you might’ve missed last year.
5) “5 Handy Online Marketing Tips for Indie Musicians” (by Cristian Wagner) – Too many indie artists think that posting on social media is the extent of online marketing. This guest blog provided five different techniques that can be employed by those who don’t have the benefit of a record label to promote new releases. Read the suggestions and consider incorporating them as part of your 2023 efforts to get more ears on the music you spend so much time creating.
4) “Embracing a ‘No Limits’ Approach to Your Career” (by MikelParis) – In this post, the keyboard player for O.A.R. pulled back the curtain to give us access to how he has been able to not only hold down that role but succeed at so many other ventures ranging from original songs to multiple livestreams to a musical history show, photographic prints, and corporate product videos. Read his guest blog so that you can more readily embrace – simultaneously – various opportunities that hopefully are coming your way.
3) “7 Best Sites to Submit Music to Radio Stations” (by Amit Sher) – Clearly the goal for anyone releasing music is to get airplay for those songs and this post gives you seven different websites that you can utilize to send your music to with the aim of hitting their airwaves. Spend some time with this resource and make note of the specific instructions for each suggestion so that you put yourself in the best possible chance to get your song(s) aired.
2) “Check on a Friend, Check on Yourself” (by Townsend) – Written by an indie artist who, like MikelParis (see #4 above) has been a guest on the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, this post tackles the tough topic of mental health. The subject has become more and more prevalent (thankfully) and is something that indie artists, unfortunately, are not immune to. Read about Townsend’s firsthand experience with a devastating experience and how she has responded to that as well as her advice for you.
1) “8 Sites to Submit Your Music to Spotify Playlists (Some Free!)” (by Amit Sher) – It’s no secret that with the release of original music comes the goal of getting songs placed on Spotify playlists. It really is all the rage these days, but that, however, is easier said than done. It’s sort of like Rubik’s Cube; it can be done, but it doesn’t happen regularly, is tough to solve, and takes quite a bit of time to learn. Fortunately, this guest blog provides information on eight different places you can send your music off with the aim of getting placed on a Spotify playlist. Perhaps best of all is that some of the eight are free to submit through. Invest the time in not only reading this post but following through to see how you do placement-wise.
Remember, the WELCOME mat is out to get in touch about a guest blog idea that you have. In fact, shhhh, spoiler alert, next Monday (January 16th) you’ll be reading a guest blog that I woke up to in my inbox this morning.
There’s a term out there that I like, which is ‘crowdsourcing.’ As much as I enjoy sharing my wisdom with you each week in a blog post and on the podcast, we all can learn from each other. What do you have to contribute to the creator community?
If instead of a blog post you want to get in touch with me for some assistance, drawing from the help that I’ve given to independent music makers, authors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, and small businesses over the last 19 years, you can now call me, thanks to the Owwll app and we can talk about getting you the help you’re looking for.