Category: MarketingCategory: Marketing

I started all this as music blogger in 2001. I’ve been flown (all expenses paid) to a music festival in Norway. Interviewed Slayer. Met bands before they blew up.

Below is a lightly edited Email Guidance reply to someone in the midst of promoting their upcoming book:

One of my favorite promos over the years for bands and musicians was the holiday themed round-ups.

Valentine’s Day, tell us about your worst break ups.
Halloween, tell us your favorite horror movies.

Everyone involved had a new album coming up, or a tour to announce, but this was a fun way to learn more about the bands, beyond “hi I have an album coming out.” ZZzzzz.

Now, you don’t need to talk about your favorite horror movies of course (haha), but whatever you’re into, other people are into probably, too. Not everyone, but that’s okay. It’s a busy crowded world out there. Maybe you’ve got a book coming out. Well, lots of people have books coming out!

But only you can talk about the book and your work and your life in the way that you can, so capitalize on that.

While everyone else is screaming “pre-order my book” (boring!), you can talk about that adventure on the river back in 1999, the bookstore you visited that had a cat named Wizard, or the meal that changed your life in Italy (your own stories may vary). Things that nobody else gets to talk about because they’re not you, but they’re tiny glimpses into who you are, which is the first step towards someone thinking, “this story is amazing – oooh, and they have a whole book coming out!?”

We think all our subscribers know everything we’re doing, and that is not even close to true.

• They don’t all know everything your offer.
• They don’t all know about every upcoming event.
• They don’t all know that you’ve got a new song out.

It’s not about repeating the same message over and over again (new song! new video!), but finding creative ways to subtly remind your fans about what you’re doing.

As Cody Cook-Parrott said in our chat, developing the skill of “creative bothering.”

I got a newsletter awhile back from a talented musician, and they casually mentioned they’ve got new music available, but if you want to hear it you need to reply to the email.

In one our Escape Pod Zoom calls someone mentioned how they leave “easter eggs” in their newsletters, usually a phrase that someone needs to include when they reply.

Parker Gates sent me this link (it’s an Instagram link, sorry!) about artist Jon Bellion and how he sent his fans to websites without linking to them (they had to type them into a browser from a screen shot), used message boards, and sent out music via WeTransfer.

Don’t just wonder who your biggest fans are – send them on adventures and see who makes it back alive.

Before seeking more (subscribers, audience, fans), seek flow. This is something I bring up a lot through my Email Guidance offering.

Is your website set up in a way that pulls people in? Or is it a bunch of links to third party platforms that seek only to monetize and collect data from your fans?

Does your sales page include comforting and informative videos about what you offer? Or do you only post those sorts of videos on Instagram for just 3% of your followers to see?

Does your store have more than one item (this one from Laura Kidd 💌 Penfriend) in stock?

We want to expand and grow our audience, but stepping back and making subtle changes to our current operations might be a better place to start.

Caroline in the Garden explains in ‘Stop being ‘demure and mindful’ when sharing your creative work’ how she tried something new to get people to a recent show:

“I made a list of every single person I had ever interacted with that seemed remotely interested in hearing more about my music. Then, I contacted them directly via emails, text messages, DMs and face-to-face. I was going to make sure that everyone I could think of was invited, personally, by me to my show.”

We covered this in our recent Escape Pod Zoom call, about talking to people in person, and texting people about our upcoming events.

And this isn’t just about getting people to your events and shows. Do this for new things you’ve got for sale, a new course you’re offering, or a group Zoom call you’re trying to put together.