Are you sure you want to do your own PR?

I had a very interesting Uber ride this week... I called an Uber to make it to an exam on time and like anyone else who gets in an Uber by themselves, I tried to fill awkward silence by talking to this stranger. In a roundabout way, we got to the topic of how he just got off a tour with the B52’s and Cindy Wilson. He is in the music business and does everything from managing small bands to band/artist PR (and somehow Ubering me to my test fits into the equation).

We mainly discussed his work running social media and PR campaigns for music artist big and small. In this blog post I want to have a post-discussion on marketing strategy for a musical act:

A common trend is that young bands want to consistently cut costs. It may be true that a dollar saved is worth more than a dollar earned; however, it is essential for a band to make investments that will help them expand their fan base and make sure they are spending their money appropriately. First and foremost, your sound is the most important thing. An album must be of the highest quality possible and majority of your budget should be going to the recording. What comes after the recorded album is probably the most vital decisions an artist and their team can make?

So what... you recorded an album?

There are thousands of tracks that hit the internet each and every day. You must find a way to break through all the clutter to reach new fans and to KEEP the fans you have. In today’s world, consumers have a very small attention span. Investing in a proper PR manager to market the release of the single…  the album… now your first small club circuit tour… is the key to selling tickets, getting higher rotations on Spotify and maybe selling records.

This is something that could be talked and debated on all day, but it is my personal opinion that you should have someone on your team to run your campaigns for you. This will ensure consistency of posts, maximum engagement, proper outlet use, constant monitoring of certain analytics, and more time for the artist to spend on doing what they do best… MUSIC. Make room in your budget for a professional PR resource.