Promoting and Preparedness: Some ‘How To’ Notes

It’s time for an empty-out-my-notebook blog entry.

In no particular order…

Whatever it is that you create, don’t promote to fellow creators.  They are not your audience.  Go to the people who do consume whatever you put out, whether that’s music or podcasts or books or something else.  Here’s what I mean.

I’m amazed when I see podcasters trying to promote their show in a podcast industry newsletter.  Or similarly, when I see musicians posting links to their new single, EP, album, or video in a Facebook group of other recording artists.  No!  You should know who your listening audience is (podcasters or musicians) and be seeking out those folks where they hang out.

It would be like an author going to a writers’ conference and trying to sell their books to other attendees.  Right?  It’s not even so much a thing of ‘competition’ as much as it is just the wrong people to try to market to.

Another note I jotted down is my surprise at people who don’t promote shows that they’ve been interviewed on (TV shows, radio shows, podcasts, livestreams).  Don’t you want your family, friends, fans, and followers to know what you’re up to?  They deserve to hear what you had to say, so why not tell them and share a link where they can go watch or listen?  This is how you show people that you’re busy (especially during these pandemic altering times) and thus create more demand for you and your business, product, or service.

Here’s something else.  For a couple weeks or so now I’ve been running a survey about the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.  (One person who fills it out will win a $25.00 Amazon e-gift card in a random drawing to be held on September 14th, so, if you haven’t already completed the survey, do so now and maybe that lucky winner will be you!)  The point here is that if you have a podcast or a book and want to get feedback – meaning, rather than waiting and hoping for it to come to you in an email or on a social media post – go ask people for their input.  Instead of guessing what your audience wants (or convincing yourself that they do, even though no one has told you so), solicit their opinions and then react accordingly (for, say, changes to your podcast or what your next book should be about).

This one wasn’t on that list in my notebook, but since it’s happening today, there is another “Be prepared” lesson in this morning’s worldwide Zoom outage.  That is, have alternate methods not only for people to get a hold of you, but, for video conferencing.  Everyone jumped on the Zoom bandwagon when the pandemic forced workers everywhere to stay at home.  I’ve still been on Skype, where I’ve been recording NHTE episodes for six-and-a-half years.  There is also Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, among others.  Include your Skype name in your email’s electronic signature.  When a service goes down, don’t be handcuffed.  It’s like when your Internet service goes down right when you’re working on a deadline.  Tether your phone and voila, thanks to your data, you now can proceed with what you were working on.

Lastly, I’m working on an online course that I hope to have available soon.  It will teach you interview tips, since so many people are staying home and trying to promote their business, product, or service by getting on as many shows as they can.  I suggest you use the newsletter signup box on this page so you can see when that course is ready because it’s one thing to land an interview, but it’s another to get ready for it so that you maximize the potential return from it.  After all, if a musician gets booked to perform somewhere, isn’t there still the task of getting ready for and then actually putting on the show?  Two different things.  I will help you be ready for the interview form of “it’s showtime.”

What else is on your mind that I can help you with?  Tweet at me to @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook or LinkedIn, or even email!  Keep in mind that I also offer private, one-on-one video consultations.