The Biggest Mistake Indie Artists Keep Making

How's that for a clickbait title? Completing the series discussed here, and really hammering home something that made my life harder than it had to be in my old career.

You’re a smart artist. You’re savvy to social media, promotional techniques, and how to carry yourself like a star. Most importantly, your craft is on point; people want to see you perform, promoters want to book you, and everybody wants to buy your merch.

Awesome.

How hard are you making it for them?

Full-Contact Promotion

Let’s say that I’m a concert promoter, and I want to book you for a show. How do I get in contact with you? DMs on Twitter? Facebook Messenger? Leaving a comment on your Instagram?

Because if that’s the answer, you’re missing out. Friend of the Blog¹ Jonathan Killstring had this to say:

“Back when I was a concert promoter, I was the crazy young kid, because I’d actually talk to people through MySpace, which was the big platform at the time. Even then, I preferred to do everything in email. Booking agents, other promoters, tour managers – everybody used email. Back then we had Blackberries, today it’s smartphones, but it’s the same thing; a contact email for the band — one that people actually check — is what people in the business are looking for.”

If you’re not making it easy for people to contact you, you’re making it hard.

Don’t make it hard.

Centralize

Make an email address. One Email Address. YouOfficial at Gmail dot com is probably available, so stop reading and go register the address. We’ll wait.

You back? Awesome.

Once you’ve established your primary contact email, use it for everything. Talking to a promoter? Official address. Ordering Merch? Official address. Setting up an interview with a college newspaper? Ordering CDs? Purchasing online promotion?

You get the idea.

Make it Easy

Using your primary email for everything means that it’ll be in your contacts’ address books, making it easier for them to reach out to you in the future. Still, there’s no substitute for making that easy in the first place.

Plaster this thing. Your website, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube – if someone’s looking at a site affiliated with your band, they should be able to find your contact info. Don’t hide it under paragraphs about your influences – put that ish right up top.

People trying to contact acts aren’t looking to waste time checking messages across platforms, and if it’s not easy to get a hold of you, they’ll find someone who makes it easy. Basically,  the more effort someone has to go through to contact you, the more likely it is you’re missing out on gigs, press coverage, and other opportunities. Heck, you’re probably missing out on concert attendance and album sales.

Don’t make it complicated. Have a dedicated “contact us” section with your email.

The Ball’s in Your Court — Don’t Drop It

This should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway; if someone gets in contact with you, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t leave them hanging. Get back to people within 24 hours, even if it’s just to say “I’m thinking about it.”

Make life easy for industry professionals, and they'll happily return the favor. Make life harder for them, and they'll be more likely to find someone who won't. 

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1 - At this point, I was pretty sure they weren't going to pay me, and it was starting to show. It is possible that I am no longer a friend of the blog. /kanyeshrug