Alright, recording artists, podcasters, authors, and other creatives. One week ago (in the U.S.) was Tax Day, and now it’s time for inventory. Okay, maybe it’s not actually on the calendar, but go with me on this because it’s something you don’t want to file an extension for, to use an April 15th analogy.
Remember that song that you wrote that you were really proud of? Ya’ know, the one that you had great excitement for releasing. You did so much promo in the leadup to it, telling everyone why this one was so special. Your social media posts explained why the song meant so much to you. In fact, you went out of your way to emphasize why you couldn’t wait for everyone to hear it once it got released.
And podcasters, you’ve had the same experience. There was someone you interviewed that was an episode that you just knew was going to be hugely impactful – both for your audience as well as for your show itself. This was going to be a conversation you were going to be more excited than usual about releasing. You couldn’t wait to see and hear what people’s reaction was going to be and, of course, you waited with optimism to see the impact that it would have on your downloads.
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Authors, I work with a lot of you as clients too. I know that you can relate to each of the above scenarios because you work much, much longer at what you create than a songwriter does. You, as a result, feel immense pride when you cross the finish line and have a physical copy of your book in your hands, regardless of how many pages it turns out to be. Thus, that book launch is just a magical time for you. In the old days they would talk about “waiting by the phone.” You wait by your email and/or notifications for feedback from readers.
So, after all of the above, why get to a point where those truly meaningful creations get forgotten about like some childhood story? “Oh yeah, yeah, that’s right. Wow, I haven’t thought about that one in a while.” Sound familiar?
On the one hand I could point to an author client of mine whose book came out seven-and-a-half years ago and the fact that we’re still promoting it, but you might say, “Well that’s probably because they haven’t written anything since.” While you’re right, that’s not the reason we keep spreading the word about it. The story still matters all these years later.
In fact, I have another author client who this year is going to release their sixth book, yet I still leverage opportunities that promote the first three!
Do you listen to my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast? On there I’m often heard reacting to something a guest says during our conversation by pointing out a similarity to a guest on a past episode, and I not only encourage the audience to go back and listen to that, but I make sure to put a link (under “Mentioned and/or related episodes”) on the show page. (YouTubers can do something similar.)
On a related note, every Sunday on the official Instagram account for the podcast I always post a quote from a past episode, to highlight something that was said and thus invite people to go hear the full conversation. (YouTubers can do this, and authors, you can pull out a quote from one of your past books!)
Performers, my gosh, you probably have it the easiest of everyone. When you’re on stage, before or after the original song of yours, without sounding like an infomercial, be sure that you’re telling the audience how/where they can get that song. (Pro tip: Pick the ONE destination you really want them to go to the most, rather than saying, “anywhere you get your music.”)
Parents don’t stop talking about their kids just because they’ve gotten older and are young adults now. So often songwriters refer to songs as their babies. Be a good mom or dad, then, and don’t stop talking about those tracks just because they’ve aged. Whether a song, a podcast, a book, or a YouTube video, carry on the pride you have in your work and don’t forget that you always have something to promote.
Thoughts? Questions? Stuck? Call me and let’s have a ten-minute conversation to get you pointed in the right direction. For twenty years I’ve been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, small business owners, podcasters, and more. Let’s jump on a call so you can benefit from all my years of experience and keep you moving forward.