As yes, the age-old question for an independent musician: "Should I pay for a blog post?"
"If I do, what will I get out of it? Is it worth it?"
To truly answer this question, you need to manage your expectations and ask yourself, "What are my goals?" "What am I looking to achieve?" and "Will a blog post get me there, or get me closer to my goals?"
But, what is a blog post good for?
Building Brand Awareness! How are you going to find fans if they don't know about you, your message, and your music?
Gain Credibility. The more people see you, the more they care about you. I.e. a blog post, newspaper article, or otherwise. Sad, but true!
Get the word out about your new release! But also, manage your expectations. One blog post will not have people stopping you in the grocery store because they heard your new smash hit. The blog post will be sent out to their audience, which could include a lot! Like their unique website visitors, and social media followers (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X…).
TIP: Blogs with direct inbox subscribers are even better! This is even better because these emails usually have a higher opening rate since they’re subscribed to this blog, they’re looking to read this content!
Getting backlinks! These are what you’re going to add to your website, EPK, and just about a million other places.
GREAT for search engines, and getting found on Google. The more articles you get = the more backlinks. The more backlinks = the more Google loves you. The more Google loves you = the more you’ll be able to be found in Google, have better SEO, have better luck with the algorithm, etc., etc., etc.
More of a permanent type of press. Newspapers can be thrown away and playlists change overnight. But blog posts last for years at a minimum!
They're a piece of content! Think…Instagram post, Instagram Story post, Reel, TikTok…these can get as creative as you are, and they can be repurposed in countless ways! The sky is the limit!
Networking with a publication or journalist! Building these connections are often priceless. Who knows where this indie blogger you pitched to might go, or what they will do next! Maybe booking a festival you want to be apart of, writing for a larger publication, or curating a big playlist you want to be featured in. Connections in this industry are everything.
Networking with other musicians, producers, engineers, and more!
Booking shows! Chances are, booking agents probably aren’t looking on blogs to find their next talent, but you will have to send them material about yourself when you’re pitching, and they’ll want to see other people are saying about you!
Quotes! You can take a blog post, review, interview, etc., and use those quotes in a press release or other type of content. Ex: "Jim Sue said that Indie Band XYZ was better than The Beatles!"
Getting feedback and a new point of view on your music!
But what are blog posts not going to do?
Give you 10,000 new fans. Sure, getting a blog post can place you in front of a new audience, but it will not guarantee that much growth.
Give you 10,000 new streams. Looking to increase your streams? Playlisting is your answer.
Give you more website views. Chances are, no.
Get you tons of new followers on Instagram. Sure, this blog post can help you gain some followers! But, don’t expect a ton.
TIP: You’re more likely to get more followers if you can get a collab Instagram post with the publication!
But why am I paying?
"Shouldn’t they WANT to write about my music if it’s so damn good?!"
That’s a great question!
As an independent artist, you have to think about what you’re paying for. Some blogs and publications will write about you for free, and that’s great! Others will want to be compensated for their time, and that makes sense too!
As an independent artist, Rolling Stone is not going to slide into your DMs or drop down from Heaven like an angel begging to feature you on their cover. They only write about established and buzz-worthy artists, and have millions paying for their hard-copy magazine, paying for subscriptions on their websites, and getting money from advertisers.
Bloggers are often running their sites from their own pockets. Just as you as an indie artist expect friends, family, and fans to buy your exclusive merch, your basic black tee, digital downloads, and new vinyl, bloggers and music journalists often expect to be paid for their time as well. Listening to the music, creating digital content, running a website, and writing the article, review, or feature all take time, effort, and money.
Long Story Short: Blog posts should be part of a larger rollout plan. This may be surprising to some, but blog posts are still important! And even more so for indie artists. Ideally, you should plan pre and post-press for a song release, with blog posts, reviews, and interviews, being an integral part of both.
They’re something important to invest in, but make sure you vet out the publication first. You don’t want to pay a lot of money for a site to repost your press release, you’ll want original content. Something of quality! And sometimes, that quality does come with a (most of the time) small price tag. Blog posts are simply one small piece to invest in, to a much bigger puzzle!
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