Mastering Music PR: A Guide for Emerging Musicians

This beginner’s guide offers emerging music essential strategies for successful music PR. By following these practical PR tips, musicians can enhance their reach, build a strong brand, and accelerate their careers.

from Horus Music

So, you’ve written a song and you’re ready to get it out into the world. With over 100,000 tracks delivered to Spotify every day, standing out from the noise is now more essential than ever. Whilst playlisting has remained a common buzzword in the music industry, there are plenty of other options to help promote your music in 2024.

One of the most effective ways to generate interest around your music is through PR. Having online or physical outlets feature your music or review your song can be a strong catalyst for increasing interest in you as an artist. Many artists often use quotes from these features for press releases, bios and talking about their successes. Landing PR features can also give you another angle to talk about your song, rather than spamming your audience with the same ‘Listen Now’ message.

But what is the best way to approach carrying out a PR campaign without breaking the bank?

There are several steps to take before opting to undertake a PR campaign. We recommend measuring where you’re at against our tick list below.

1. More than 3 releases already live.
2. Existing following across key DSP’s including Spotify.
3. Clear direction of genre.
4. Existing social media presence and growing following.
5. Additional activities ongoing surrounding the release such as live shows.
6. A compelling story surrounding the release.

Making sure you hit the above points before looking to start a campaign will set you up for the best chance possible at success. This is because the DIY music landscape has become increasingly popular. Artists now have the tools readily available to record, release and promote their music without the intervention of a label. With more artists choosing the DIY route, this means it is more competitive to secure press features and playlist placement.

The above criteria outlines how we make decisions on which campaigns to take on for our in-house PR services. If you’re wondering if a paid campaign is the right direction for you, use the above check list to measure whether this could be your next move.

The type of artists who see the best success out of paid campaigns are aiming to build upon their existing fanbase. They also have a strong message surrounding their music and a compelling hook to help them stand out from the crowd.

Case Study- Ed Geater ‘You’re Still Here’

Recently, we worked with singer-songwriter Ed Geater to support the release of his single ‘You’re Still Here’. During November 2022, Ed jetted off to the other side of the world with his music publishing team, our sister company Anara Publishing, for a song writing camp at the prestigious Karma Studios in Thailand. Little did Ed know; his life was about to change forever.

Having spent most of his 20s caring for his dad who was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia at just 60 years old, Ed’s dad sadly passed away in 2020. Ed knew he wanted to write about his experience and use his music as an outlet for everything he had bottled up. Not yet able to find the words, Ed’s trip to Thailand ignited the spark that later became ‘You’re Still Here’.

With the help of Jack Garratt and Andy Tubman, Ed wrote his single ‘You’re Still Here’. Finally ready to share his story with the world, ‘You’re Still Here’ is Ed’s journey of navigating grief, finding peace, and learning to live with a heavier heart.

With a strong story surrounding the release, our team were able to secure the support of two major charities, The Lewy Body Society and Head for Change. In addition to music press, we also landed Ed an interview feature on Sky News. The interview was conducted on live television during Dementia Action Week on Ed’s release day. Following the feature, Ed saw a significant increase in engagement with his work and was able to achieve his goals.

Music PR Tips For Emerging Artists

If you’re worried the story surrounding your release may not be the most engaging, there’s still plenty of options to explore with PR.

All campaigns big or small begin with a solid press release. This is a concise body of text which clearly conveys information about you as an artist and your release. A press release is your one shot to attract the interest of journalists, playlist curators and industry executives, so it’s important to make sure this is as good as possible!

Digital Press One Sheet

Our digital press one sheet service is included with our PR campaigns. However, they are also purchasable for artists of all levels. Whether you’re just starting out your music journey, testing the waters with a PR campaign or a fully established artist ready to take your next big jump, our digital press one sheet service can help transform your career. To claim yours, click the link here.

Discounts with Groover

Once your press release is ready, your next step is to source contacts. Whilst this is taken care of for you during a paid campaign, sourcing contacts independently can become quite overwhelming. That’s why we’ve partnered with Groover. Groover offers independent artists a direct platform to submit music to a range of industry professionals, from media outlets to labels and playlist curators. Through our partnership, Horus Music artists can also receive 15% discount. For more information on Groover and how to claim your discount, click here.

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If you’re interested in learning more about our PR services or want to submit for a paid campaign, click here. You can also email our team at social@horusmusic.global to discuss your needs in more detail.