How to Build a 6-Month PR Campaign for an Album Release & Tour

Let’s Explore a Hypothetical 6-month PR Campaign!

(Please note that for educational purposes I have chosen an excess of album release goals. When making a promo plan, or any sort of plan, you ought keep your goals within the realm of possibility.)

 
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Congratulations! You have Recorded an Album! Unfortunately for you, the work has just begun. Whats the point of Recording an album if nobody knows about it?

Goals for your PR Campaign:

Pre-Album Release Promo Goals

  • Create an invisible promo page on the website for anyone that is going to share your media (Editors, promoters, radio hosts, music directors, playlist curators)

  • Create 1 full length music video (live performance/in-studio) from the new record (album single).

  • Create 1 <60 promo video that highlights the album release

  • Upload mastered songs from the album to Sync Licensing websites

Pre-Tour Promo Goals

  • Album supported Tour Dates updated onto your Spotify Account

  • Facebook Event “landing pages” created for each show + market

  • Updated City Event Calendars in each market

  • Updated EventBrite/BandsInTown directory for each tour date

  • Street Team Coordination for target markets (1-5 people on the ground for distributing physical promo, 10-100 people online distributing digital promo)

PR Goals

  • Album Feature/Coverage in 5 National Music Magazines

  • Album Reviews in 5 Digital Blogs

  • Album “Single” played on: 20 college radio stations, 15 non-commercial radio stations, & 5 Actively curated Spotify Playlists

  • Instagram/Snapchat story takeover’s prepared for each market These can be with the venues, other artists on the bill, or even Ticket Giveaway winners.

Content Creation for Advertising & Marketing

1 Short Promo video

  • This promo video should be less than 15 seconds and prepared vertically for Instagram/Snapchat Story Advertising.

  • This will be day-of-show advertising only, using geo-targeting to advertise to an audience within a geographical distance from the venue

2 Unique photo + text Combinations

  • These are for Facebook advertisements

  • Make them general for the whole tour, or dial them into specific markets that you need to improve or want to sell more tickets in.

  • Focus on strong headlines

  • You should make 2 of these ads to A/B test their efficiency when reviewing your analytics

A/B Testing: is a randomized experiment with 2 variants. In Advertising, split testing lets you compare your advertisements against each other to determine effectiveness.

1 <60 promo video

  • Prepare this video for Facebook (landscape) & Instagram (square).

  • The promo video should promote awareness for the performance and showcase your music

  • You should use this video to target towards a Cold Audience and spread awareness about the show. Make sure that you are leading to the Facebook Event page and not a ticket link!

** If your advertising budgets are prepared ahead of time, the venue may cover this cost under their marketing expenses in your contract.

Tour Poster

  • This is usually in 17x11 inch format, and sent out to Venues and Street Teams across your tour

  • You will also use this for the Tour Announcement on Social Media and for digital marketing

Snapchat Geofilter graphic

  • In each market, you can set up a Snapchat geofilter in the vicinity of your performance

  • Geofilter: Snapchat geofilters are overlays for Snaps that can only be accessed in certain locations. They're very similar to digital stickers, except they are actually built into the program. Geofilters change depending on where someone is when they take a photo or video, up to a certain geographical range and for a specific duration of time. Anyone can create a Geofilter!

6 Months Before Album Release

Written Press

  • Write a Press Release announcing the record/tour

  • Gather a list of weeklies/bi-weeklies and any local news outlets in the markets you are playing on the album release tour

  • Write the first editorial pitch to send to music magazines and blogs that would be interested in the record. This could be an Interview with the band, an exclusive pre-listen, single leak, or album review.

Radio Promo

  • Hire a Radio PR team to push your record to college and non-profit community radio stations

OR

  • Do It Yourself. Gather a list of stations and DJ’s that might want to spin your record. Be diligent in collecting accurate information and only choose DJ’s that would be interested in playing your music.

Social Media

  • Begin Planning a Live-In-Studio-Stream of the album to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or other live streaming platforms.

  • Plan a Q&A session with the band to discuss the album and announce it to your audience so they can prepare questions.

  • You can recycle this content into an interview pitch to editorials later in the PR campaign.

Touring

  • Hire a graphic designer to complete the Tour Poster, Album Artwork, advertising materials, and any other design work you may need

4 Months Before

  • All written press and video promo material should be finished

  • Discuss which markets will receive the most attention for your advertising and marketing efforts.

  • Finalize album release budgets and tour budgeting

  • Confirm dates and holds on the tour

Challenge any existing holds that help route you to more $$$

  • Begin building your Tour Budget

3 Months Before

  • Write an editorial pitch offering the exclusive release and coverage of the album single

  • Open up album pre-sales to the public to bring in some revenue and help offset your marketing expenses

  • Announce the tour

  • Create FB specific Event pages for each show on the tour to be used as landing pages for your marketing efforts

  • Double check that all ticket purchase links are accurate and working

  • Update your merchandise to reflect the album pre-sale and any new merchandise

2 Months Before

  • Write and send an editorial pitch with early access to the album and ask the publication for an album review.

  • Write the scripts and begin audio, photo or video production for: Facebook marketing, Instagram marketing, IG and Snapchat story marketing, & email newsletter marketing

  • Advance with every venue to confirm Performance Contracts, Hospitality and Technical Riders.

  • Confirm with the venue what responsibility they will take for promotion and marketing the show; discuss marketing opportunities. Share with them your marketing plan and make sure they have all the necessary ad-mats to promote the show.

  • Begin coordinate a Street Team in markets that you want to build.

1 Month Before

  • Coordinate In-Studio performances or interviews alongside your tour (Emphasize College Radio stations)

  • Activate your Street Team members to begin spreading physical promotion and posters

  • Create a finalized plan for digital advertising in each market while you are on the road that emphasizes show awareness and ticket giveaways.

Release Day!

  • Play the best, most memorable show of your career!

  • Include Special guests, costumes, theatrics, giveaways, etc. Make this a show to remember

  • Get some sleep and pack a bag. If the record is good, word will spread. So take a day off and get ready to literally take your show on the road.

 
 

 This article is from the:

2019 Music Industry Success eBook

 
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The Knowledge you need for Success in the Music Industry!

This 102-page book is a practical guide for navigating the music industry as an artist or band. Together, we examine Publicity, Marketing, Touring, and the Album Release, as well as Record Labels, Royalties, Copyright, Artist Managers, Booking Agents, Social Media, Creating Content, Building a Brand, DIY Publicity, Advertising, Booking a Tour, Navigating a Record Deal, and so much more..

This book is not in any sort of chronological order, its more of a “choose-your-own-adventure” book. Pick and choose whichever chapter you want and read at whatever pace you please. Each chapter is, for the most part, a standalone article on that topic. And each module features topics that are in a similar category. This book contains niche ideas as well as general knowledge, and is based off of my years of experiences in the Music Industry. 

 

This eBook is Free! Please grab a copy!

 

Meet Your Teacher:

 

  • 24 Years Old

Josiah Garrett, photo by Cathy Marszalik

Josiah Garrett, photo by Cathy Marszalik

 
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