I see so many ways artists ruin what could potentially have been a great relationship with a blogger all the time; especially considering I’m one myself. I’ve gotten approached so many wrong ways it’s sickening. All of this free game out here, and some artists still don’t have any manners. I suggest you all go through my Music 101 Blogs and read up on the best approaches when reaching out to blogs, but in the meantime, also read this on what many of you are doing wrong.
- Stop tweeting links to the bloggers! How many times must WE ALL say this? Not only is it considered spam, but its just lazy. You can email that same link along with a proper write up to the blogger’s submission email.
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Stop using other forms of social media (IG, Facebook, etc) to send us links. I never thought I could get more annoyed over how ya’ll abuse Twitter…but some of ya’ll actually drop links on my Instagram posts and then have the nerve to tell me to check you out. Nigga…
Read more after the jump…
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Don’t get testy when we haven’t responded when YOU feel we should have. Many of us get flooded with emails daily, and its hard to get through all of those, while dealing with real life at the same time. Patience is a virtue. There’s nothing wrong with following up, but ugly emails like the one you see above are quick ways to get you blackballed. (And yes, some of us can get that ass all the way blackballed)
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Not following submission guidelines. That’s such an annoyance. Most of us post our guidelines right on the front page of our sites to make it easy for you. Always remember that everything you do is a representation of who you are. If you send me a sloppy email, I’m gonna assume your music is low quality; but if you take the time to send the email properly as I asked, off top I’m going to give you a serious listen.
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DO NOT…DO NOT EVER PAY FOR A BLOG POST. So this one isn’t necessarily about ya’ll ruining something, more about them trying to ruin you. Yeah I know, a lot of these new rookie bloggers are raping our culture, but many more of us aren’t. Everyone knows you’re supposed to pay for work, right? Posting a blog entry takes 5 minutes, tops. That’s not work, so don’t pay for it. If they try to say “we’re giving you exposure”, ask them what their stats are. Because most of the shitheads who charge for a post are only getting 50-100 views a day, if that. Also remember that its public record, anyone can check and see how much traffic a site gets. Don’t let these culture vultures fool you; use your money wisely.
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[…] Music 101 Blog: 5 Ways Artists Go Wrong When Reaching Out to Bloggers […]
awesome post, I’ve learned a lot with this material. Thanks
Great post! to the point. When I am at stage when it is time for me to reach out for submissions I will be sure to do this by the letter.
I can’t believe you have to be taking that kind of abuse for how you run your own blog! Valid points, in particular the one about not paying. Too many indie artists are too willing to fall for the “we’re giving you exposure” nonsense. Thanks for your honesty.
Real talk my cousin wasted like $100 on getting exposure and he still only gets 30 views a day. I ain’t about to mess up like that, or at least that bad
sound advice 🙂
hello this is mondo from smarterhiphop.com I agree with everything except the not paying for blogs I feel like artist should donate to a blog he are she feels is doing its job and plus if that blog has helped them in the past for free and they benefited . I know plenty of people who have gotten deals and more from our post and have gave back to us. This is how things should be So I don’t think is wrong for a real true blog to ask for donations this keeps the site up and running with some type of reason otherwise what are we blogging for paying for domain names / website fees & more just for artist to benefit its must be mutarial exchange.